MEMORY MAKING: FROM DEATH TO LIFE IN OKC
We’re taking a short trip to Oklahoma City. Yesterday we hit the Cowboy Museum and our primary goal today is the Edith Head Exhibit is OKCMOA, but we started the day at the OKC National Memorial. Come along!
OKC National Memorial
I don’t do it. I sat on the bus when a tour I was on went to Auschwitz. I didn’t go anywhere near the Twin Towers Memorial when I went to NYC. I try to avoid all JFK-related sites in Dallas. To me, sites like this memorialize horror and visiting them is not a tribute to the dead, but to those who caused the trauma. I realize others don’t feel that way and so they should go, but I don’t. I also know that saving these sites is a message to the future, but I’m not the future.
I base my actions on Philippians 4:8, which admonishes us in this way, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
On this particular morning in OKC, Vicki & Deborah wanted to go to the OKC Memorial. I didn’t want to, but I also didn’t want to make a big thing of my thing, one not unique to me, but certainly not common. We walked the few blocks to the Memorial. I took a few pictures. but mostly I just waited for my friends. When they were done, they compared various sites with similar purpose, but I had nothing to contribute, because I choose not to.
Edith Head at OKC
“Whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Certainly, these words describe the work of Edith Head. She was a costume designer in the heyday of Hollywood, designing costumes for Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Bob Hope, Barbara Stanwyck and so many others who graced the silver screen.
We all know I adore clothes, shoes and accessories. I inherited the passion from my mom and my Aunt Edie. In these days when comfort trumps style for our younger generation, there’s a creeping reverse snobbery against those of us who appreciate the days when our handbags matched our shoes. That’s fine for them, but I refuse to succumb.
The Edith Head exhibit was gorgeous, nostalgic and wildly entertaining. Each carefully crafted costume had a story and told a story. I could stand at each display and see layer upon layer upon layer. First, I thought about the in-depth research Edith Head would do, so that she actually understood the clothing of the era she was trying to depict. Then she had to consider the materials available to her, what would look good made enormous for theaters around the world by a camera’s lens. Then she had to deal with the whims and demands of the stars, each one comparing the work she’d done for them and trying to decide if she was doing her best and making them look their best.
Then there was the impact her work had on people. The glamour she created, the stories she helped to tell and the stars she made shine more brightly. I was one of those people. The list of movies I watched with Edith Head costumes is long and I loved seeing outfits I’d first admired on screen, right in front of me. Then there was the workmanship. It was impeccable.
I didn’t take a picture of every dress in the exhibit, but as you can see, I took many. I think I could have stayed all day, sometimes just strolling leisurely through the exhibit to enjoy the overall impact and then next time going at a snail’s pace to read every word about every display. Then again to pick out my favorites.
I think I would love to travel on my own. My husband and my bestie think I am insane. It’s not that I don’t love them and want to be with them, it’s just that my interest in some things go beyond the rational. I would go to New York and day after day, show up at the Met to soak in the masterpieces. I would sit alone on the deck of a ship and stare into the distance. I would sit at a Parisian curbside coffeeshop all day long and watch people. But pursuing those dreams would alienate the people I love most. So, I travel with them and have a wonderful time, but sometimes, I want less of them and more of what I’m seeing. That’s how I felt that day.
Chihuly Was Calling
On this particular day, it wasn’t just the attention spans of my friends I was concerned about. Edith Head wasn’t the only artist we had come to admire. OKCMOA has some of the most amazing Chihuly pieces I’ve ever seen. I’d only recently returned from Washington State, where Chihuly is one of the main attractions, but I was eager to see more. On top of that, we needed to get back home that day and Vicki had a bit of a crisis to manage when she got there.
So, we went to the floor with Chihuly and soaked it in. What can I say about Chihuly? His work says it all. Here’s a sample:
Alive at Crystal Bridge Conservatory
I promised a day which went from death to life and Crystal Bridge Conservatory is a very alive place. My two companions thought it was too hot out in the conservatory to enjoy the plants growing there, but I needed it for a bookend to the sad beginning of my day. Vicki stepped out for a short visit, but Deb, who had seen it, opted to stay in the a/c. I soaked up what I could as quickly as I could. Enjoy these few shots.
Then it was time to head home. Traffic was not nice to us and we spent entirely too much time trying to get some gas for the ride home. Tardy, but elated with our day we went back to Rockwall & Heath.
Next week we’re headed to another of my favorite places: ARIZONA. Come back and enjoy several days in the desert!
jane sadek 