Finally, we have come to the best part of my story. The President’s dinner, in celebration of the opening of the new Stuart Wing at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, had finally arrived. After my exhilarating luncheon, I returned home to get myself dressed for the dinner. I washed my face and started the makeup process with a clean canvas. Then came my dress. It was a bright shade of perfect red-orange with a rouched ballerina cut neckline that tied in the back and a full bell skirt. Then came le pièce de resistance, my shoes. A pair of five inch black heels with an ankle strap. Classic but still eye catching. To top it off, I applied a perfect orange-red lipstick. Then I slipped into my leather coat, hopped into my car to pick up a friend and drove to the venue.
I arrived and proceeded to slip through the crowd on a mission to find my proper seat before the ceremonies began. I was seated with Dean Moore from the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences and Director of the National Weather Center. We had a wonderful and in-depth conversation about how weather is represented through art. He told me that it is speculated that some of those seemingly unreal sunsets we see in old paintings actually looked that way. They speculate it was an anomaly due to volcanic ash in the air, which changed the way light was filtered through the atmosphere. It’s a pretty good fun fact. At the end of the dinner, which was thankfully not fish, we listened to a speech given by Martin E. Sullivan, director of the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. I think that he truly captured the spirit of this University and the museum through his words. He chose to discuss enthusiasm and how both entities truly exuded this quality.
After he was done speaking, the entire crowd got up and progressed over to the museum to see the grand opening of the Stuart Wing. It was a glorious night, cool and breezy outside. The museum was lit up, with lots of smiling faces and happy people inside. It looked stunning. As I came into the museum, I saw Mr. Sullivan standing at the end of the hallway. I stepped away from my friends and approached him. I told him that I thought his speech had really caught the essence of this museum and I was glad I was able to hear him speak. Just as I was about to continue my tour, he stopped me and reiterated that his offer for work at the Smithsonian was serious. I was so elated to hear him say it again. I promised that I would be in touch.
I took my friends through the museum and all of the exhibits. We marveled at the Native American pottery, the masks from different cultures all around the world and the exquisite turquoise jewelry. We admired the new photography gallery on the third floor, which currently is exhibiting photographs from contemporary Chinese artists. As we walked downstairs, I spotted James T. Bialac across the room. As I approached and complimented him on his beaded bolo tie, he recognized me immediately. He then offered to show me his favorites in his gallery. How could I turn that down? As we walked over, I could see the love and passion in his eyes for his art. He truly loves all of the objects he has collected and I could tell how much he had sacrificed to give them all to this museum. He approached each piece with care and most he reached out to touch. He slid his finger over the spear his statue was holding; and opened and closed the triptych so that I could see how it was actually meant to look. It was an unforgettable gallery tour. As he walked around looking at each piece of art, he talked about where he had found it and the artist who made it. These were not just art works that he had bought at an auction. It was obvious that he had hand picked each piece in his collection.
When I finished my tour with Mr. Bialac, I gathered my friends and we headed towards the door. I was already floating on a cloud, but the excitement was not over yet. As I was walking past the elevator, the doors slid open and out walked the director of the art museum. He snagged my attention and as I turned around he introduced me to The David L. Boren, President of the University of Oklahoma. Finally, my night was complete. How could a girl ask for anything more?
That Friday has brought me so many opportunities and so much encouragement. It is a day that I will always remember. A pair of fabulous shoes and just a bit of courage to approach people and ask questions can open up unexpected opportunities. And it all started with missing the bus.
simplysalmagundi 