On one of my trips to Europe, we set up for a week at the Tollwood Festival. WHAT AN EXPERIENCE! My first exposure to co-ed bathrooms. Very strange to enter a stall and see size 15 cowboy boots next door facing the other way… ha. That’s IF THEY USED A STALL. You had to walk past the urinals to get to a stall. A shocker for a small town girl from Oklahoma. No big deal to Europeans.

We had a group of dancers and drummers from the Pine Ridge Reservation who ‘packed the house’ with every show! They lined up for blocks to see them. It was incredible. We set up a booth and were quite busy all week. We had folks come from all over to see us and when we left Munich for the remainder of our tour, many of them followed us from stop to stop, like rock stars. Crazy!

We stayed with host families. Our “family” was Linda & her boyfriend (his name slips my memory). They were very kind to us. It was quite an experience to see how very different they live. Conservation was most important… showers were quick! Turn water on… get wet… turn water off. Soap up… turn water on… rinse off quickly… turn water off! They used a washer that could maybe hold a pair of jeans and a shirt or two. It was also the dryer! Couldn’t figure that one out…. They were vegetarians… and we AREN’T! We thought we were going to starve to death! I have never in my life ate so many nuts and berries. We asked her for meat, so she went to the store and bought sausage. The next morning we went to the breakfast table and saw the sausage laid out raw… with a knife for spreading. She thought you served it like pate. We had to explain that sausage had to be cooked or it could make you very sick.

They put us in the TV room. We had a nice bed in there. Only problem was… it was the TV room. Linda’s boyfriend really enjoyed TV. Every night, we would come in exhausted and collapse in the bed… with Linda’s boyfriend sitting cross-legged between us, watching his favorite programs until the wee hours of the morning. Ha. And… he kinda resembled Jesus… in short-shorts. But he was an extremely nice guy and took us wherever we needed to go! We were grateful to have his assistance throughout the week.

Another curious thing was that the concession booths had NO paper products. You would pay a deposit when you paid for your food for the real china and silverware. When you returned it all, you got your deposit back. The great thing about that was that you saw NO TRASH. Very clean grounds – very clean city. The only place we ever saw trash was in front of the Golden Arches! (They were one of the rare fast-food places that used paper products…)

There was an angry man who approached us during the show one day. He was accompanied by a huge white rat riding on his shoulder (which seemed quite a common thing). He was yelling at us in German, I assume. We had no idea what had sparked the anger and caused him to yell at us. Finally a woman talked to him and he smiled, giving us the thumbs-up as he walked away. I asked her what he was angry about and what she said to him causing him to leave. She said he was angry at the American government. She told him we were Native Americans and had troubles with the government as well. That seemed to suffice him and he left peacefully. It was a time of unrest with Iraq… with war looming. I was glad to see him walk away. It was an uncomfortable moment. Plus… I don’t like rats.

I will add more details about our experience later.

MORE ON TOLLWOOD

For three weeks, from late June unto July, the Olympia-Park terrain becomes a township of tents and stages.

Culinary delicacies from all over the world are on offer, and international music and cabaret artists perform. Numerous tents devoted to musical performances, circus shows, music hall and stage plays delight audiences. There are also many stalls selling craft items, jewelry and things from all over the world. Definitely worth a visit.

Location: the Olympia Park

In this flow of life,

let us have a deep respect

for all its precious gifts.

Let us strive for balance & unity

and always give more than we take. 

Written By Cheryl Davis © 1992

We come into our own when we can “clearly” see

 the gifts our parents and elders have been for us.

Embrace It.

A couple of little teasers…

Bert Seabourn sneaks us into Chambord Castle… by whistling….

Ben Harjo tells Denny Haskew that he will teach him how to get around in the Paris metro…

Read about the castle (which is actually a chateau….) that Bert helped sneak us into!

Source for the following: http://castles.org/castles/Europe/Western_Europe/France/france5.htm

The Chateau of Chambord in one of the loveliest Renaissance buildings in the Valley of the Loire. Chambord, chateau, park, and village in the department of Loire-et-Cher in central France. The chateau of Chambord was a retreat for French kings, especially Louis XIV It was under his auspices that French dramatist Moliare’s Monsieur de Pourceaugnac and Le bourgeois Gentilhomme were first produced there.

Building of the chateau was begun by Francis I in 1519, and was completed in 1547. Florentine artist Leonardo da Vinci paid a short visit to the building during its construction and added a few embellishments to it. The structure, containing 440 rooms, 365 fireplace, 13 great staircases, and stables to accommodate 1200 horses, stands in a park surrounded by a wall of 22 miles in circumference. 1800 men worked on the chateau.

The archives offers us no information as to the name of the architect but an analysis of the structure reveals a profound influence of Leonardo’s thought and a extremely close tie to some of the projects by Domenico da Cortona, and Italian architect.

Te staircase is related to a project by Leonardo which consisted of four distinct superimposed flights of stairs, in order words, just as many stairs as quarters and arms of the cross of the castle. It is therefore likely that Leonardo da Vinci staircase, which may have been conceived for Chambord, was then simplified when it was built by the master masons of the building yard.

	The interior of the lantern over the spiral staircase and a detail of the paneled ceiling with the salamander and the F of Francis I
	The double spiral staircase supported by eight square pillars

Outside views

The archives offer us no information as the name of the architect but there is influence of Leonardo de Vinci and close tie to some of the projects by Domenico da Cartona , and Italian architect. The spiral staircase derives from a medieval concept. it goes far beyond it in its unique division into two separate flights with numerous openings on the arms of the corridors. A tribute to the former medieval French tradition is to be found in the presence of powerful cylindrical towers at the corners of the keep. The top of the stairs leads to the large terraces of the castle.

After Francis I death in 1574 the castle was practically unused for about fifty years.

After having passed through other hands, the chateau risked being demolished after the Revolution and in 1793 the furnishings were dispersed. In 1947 the State began restorations which were continued for 30 years.

Source for the following: http://www.francemonthly.com/n/0302/index.php

The Chambord Castle

Construction of Chambord castle took more than a quarter of a century. Started in 1518, work was interrupted in 1525 when the coffers of the Kingdom were completely empty, and didn’t resume until October 1526. From that date on, you could find up to 2,000 workers on the site at any given time. Having given up the totally unreasonable plan of rerouting the river Loire to bring it to the foot of his castle, the castle, completed in 1547, contains 440 rooms, 84 staircases, 365 fireplaces (one for each day of the year). It also has stables to accommodate 1,200 horses. The property is surrounded by 20 miles of walls which protect more than 13,000 acres of woods. This huge hunting reserve covers as much ground as all of Paris!

The Lovers’ Stairs
The initial wooden model of the Chambord castle, which no longer exists, was attributed to an architect known as ‘le Boccador’. However, the name of the actual project architect remains a mystery. The plan suggests both French medieval architecture with its typical cylindrical towers at the corners of the castle, and the influence of Italian Renaissance architecture, specifically that of the Italian architect Domenico da Cortona. Leonardo da Vinci as well is thought to have participated in the design, as one of the master rooms of the castle is attributed to him. It houses a double spiral staircase, with each stairway superimposed on the other so that two people can climb or descend simultaneously without ever having to meet each other. Some say it was designed so that kings wouldn’t ever have to cross paths with servants, others say that one staircase was for the king’s wife and the other for the king’s mistress. The overlapping staircases are located at the intersection of 4 huge rooms forming a cross. Crowned by a 125 ft high lantern, they lead to a magnificent rooftop terrace. In her time, Catherine de Medicis, a passionate of astrology, would often climb to the lantern and consult the stars.

Source for the following: http://www.chambord.org/Mer/vinci.htm
What did Leonardo da Vinci do in the castle ?
Leonardo was a great artist and scientist. He painted many famous paintings and invented ingenious appartus. He was born on 15 April 1452 in Vinci. His father was a notary (Piero Da Vinci) and he had 18 brothers and sisters. In the begining, in Florence, he learnt painting, stonecarving and drawing in Verrochio’s studio in 1470. He liked mathematics and music too.
When he was 16 years old, Leonardo went to Milan, Mantoa, Venice, Rome where he perfected his art. Later, he came back to Florence and he met Michel-Angelo. Eventually, he stayed again in Milan, then in Rome where the great artist of the time was Raphaëllo. Finally, Leonardo, desillusioned, accepted François I’s invitation in 1516 to come to France where he spent a peaceful end of life (in Clos Lucé, near Amboise ).

Leonardo Da Vinci may have had the idea of a spiral staircase, but we don’t know if he realized the castle’s map because we haven’t got any proof. On the other hand, we have indications :
First, we know that François I met Leonardo in Italy and he was impressed by his work of art. The king wanted Leonardo as his first architect and the artist accepted François’s invitation. So, he arrived in France in 1516. He lived in the Clos Lucé, in Amboise near Chambord.
Finally, a keep plan and a church plan by Leonardo were found which resembled Chambord’s layout a lot.
The staircase in the church plan looks very much like Chambord’s double spiral. This plan is our only indication for Leonardo’s participation in the castle’s architecture.

The central staircase which is in the middle keep is the most famous French Renaissance staircase. This staircase has a majestic architecture : a double spiral winds around a hollow centre so that two people, going up or down can never meet. A beautiful lantern stands above of the staircase.

Chambord Castle
Source of the following: http://www.cometofrance.com/page-honeymoon_package-en-honeymoon_package.html

The Chateau of Chambord in one of the loveliest Renaissance buildings in the Valley of the Loire. It was a retreat for French kings, especially Louis XIV. It was under his auspices that French dramatist Molière’s Monsieur de Pourceaugnac and Le bourgeois Gentilhomme were first produced there.

Building of the château was begun by Francis I in 1519, and was completed in 1547. Florentine artist Leonardo da Vinci paid a short visit to the building during its construction and added a few embellishments to it. The structure, containing 440 rooms, 365 fireplace, 13 great staircases, and stables to accommodate 1200 horses, stands in a park surrounded by a wall of 22 miles in circumference. 1800 men worked on the chateau.

The archives offers us no information as to the name of the architect but an analysis of the structure reveals a profound influence of Leonardo’s thought and a extremely close tie to some of the projects by Domenico da Cortona, and Italian architect.

Te staircase is related to a project by Leonardo which consisted of four distinct superimposed flights of stairs, in order words, just as many stairs as quarters and arms of the cross of the castle. It is therefore likely that Leonardo da Vinci staircase, which may have been conceived for Chambord, was then simplified when it was built by the master masons of the building yard.

The archives offer us no information as the name of the architect but there is influence of Leonardo de Vinci and close tie to some of the projects by Domenico da Cartona, and Italian architect. The spiral staircase derives from a medieval concept. It goes far beyond it in its unique division into two separate flights with numerous openings on the arms of the corridors. A tribute to the former medieval French tradition is to be found in the presence of powerful cylindrical towers at the corners of the keep. The top of the stairs leads to the large terraces of the castle.

After Francis I death in 1574 the castle was practically unused for about fifty years. After having passed through other hands, the chateau risked being demolished after the Revolution and in 1793 the furnishings were dispersed.

Source of the following: http://www.ams.org/notices/200303/fea-colding-web.pdf

This one has some great diagrams of the staircase! Check it out!
Double Spiral Staircases
A double spiral staircase consists of two staircases that spiral around one another so that two people can pass each other without meeting. Figure II shows Leonardo da Vinci’s double spiral staircase in Château de Chambord in the Loire Valley in France. The construction of the castle began in 1519 (the same year that Leonardo da Vinci died) and was completed in 1539. In Figure III we see a model of the staircase where we can clearly see the two staircases spiraling around one another. The double spiral staircase has, with its simple yet surprising design, fascinated and inspired many people. We quote here from Mademoiselle de Montpensier’s2 memoirs. “One of the most peculiar and remarkable things about the house [the castle at Chambord] are the stairs, which are made so that one person can ascend and another descend without meeting, yet they can see each other. Monsieur [Gaston of Orléans, the father of Mademoiselle de Montpensier] amused himself by playing with me. He would be at the top of the stairs when I arrived; he would descend when I was ascending, and he would laugh when he saw me run in the hope of catching him. I was happy when he was amused and even more when I caught him.” Leonardo da Vinci had many ideas for designs involving double spiral staircases. Two of his main interests were water flow and military instruments. For Leonardo everything was connected, from the braiding of a girl’s hair (see for instance the famous drawing of Leda and the swan) to the flow of water (which also exhibits a double spiral behavior when it passes an obstacle like the branch of a tree). He designed water pumps that were formed as double spiral staircases that supposedly would pump more efficiently than the more standard Archimedean pump then in use. He designed fire escapes formed as double (and greater multiples) spiral staircases where each staircase was inapproachable from another, thus preventing the fire from jumping from one staircase to another. That they spiraled together made them very space efficient. This basic design idea for fire escapeshas become quite standard; for example, both the fire escapes in Fine Hall at Princeton University and the fire escapes in New York University’s Silver Towers use this idea.

Here are some of the other artists who were selected for and traveled for the 1992 Group Exhibition @ the Franco-American Institute in Rennes, France. They are all incredible artists and it was a blast spending that time with them.

Artist Bios

Ben Harjo Jr. – Shawnee/Seminole

2005 POSTER ARTIST FOR SANTA FE INDIAN MARKET! Considered one of the nation’s leading Native American artists, Benjamin Harjo, Jr. is a Seminole-Shawnee whose formal education includes two years at Santa Fe’s Institute of American Indian Art and a BFA Degree conferred by Oklahoma State University in 1974. During a career spanning over twenty years, Harjo has garnered numerous honors and awards including the 1987 Red Earth Grand Award, the 1993 Heard Museum’s 34th Annual Featured Artist, the Featured Artist in 1992 and 1993 for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian’s Annual Aspen Benefit and the Gold Medal Award at the 1990 American Indian Cowboy Artists Wichita Show. Additionally, Harjo was honored with a commendation by former Oklahoma Governor David Walters for his selection by Absolut Vodka to represent Oklahoma in its USA Today campaign. In 1990, he was the recipient of the Woody Crumbo Memorial Award for Excellence in Painting at Santa Fe’s Annual Indian Market, an event where Harjo has consistently received Best of Division and first place awards in various categories since 1983. One-man museum shows include the Wheelwright Museum Skylight Gallery and the Wichita Art Museum in 1991. Harjo also participated in the 1992 group show of Native American artists at the Franco-American Institute in Rennes, France. His work has been featured in numerous regional and national publications including Art of the West, Oklahoma Today, Southwest Art Magazine, American Indian Art, and Indian Market Magazine. Harjo paintings and graphics have been privately collected throughout the U.S. and abroad and featured in public collections such as the Fred E. Brown Collection at the Oklahoma Museum of Natural History and the Red Earth Center.

Charles Pratt – Cheyenne / Arapaho

This talented and prolific Cheyenne Arapaho artist, has earned over 400 awards, including one from the Indian Arts & Crafts Association for “Lifetime Achievement”. Charlie is also the only artist to be named “Artist of the Year” in two consecutive years, 2003 and 2004.

As the boy watched the river flow, his future appeared before him. He listened intently as his grandfather spoke. he watched closely as the old man’s hands worked the riverbed clay. The people and animals born from sharp eyes and a skillful touch moved the boy. His heart was drawn to the power of sculpture. The boy’s soul was filled with inspiration. To this day that inspiration pours forth like the river . . .

This is the story of Charles (Charlie) Pratt, a self-taught artist who is called a wizard and a genius by his peers. Pratt’s reputation is known throughout the world because of the great breadth of his work and the incredible depth of each individual piece. Using his Cheyenne-Arapaho heritage as a guide, Pratt breathes a unique brand of Native American poetry into his creations.

Charlie’s art is not bound by any particular medium or scale. He molds large, small and even miniature sculptures out of cast bronze, metal and stone. Striking color and texture are added with his skillful use of silver, precious stones such as turquoise, and semi-precious stones including coral and malachite. He is always anxious to add new techniques to his already extensive arsenal, which include even non-traditional methods such as acrylics, fiberglass and dichroic glass. Even though Pratt’s work is wide ranging, his distinctive style is obvious to those familiar with Indian sculpture. Many museums, state, and federal buildings are showplaces for his commissioned sculptures.

For more than forty years now, Charlie has competed in museum, fine art, and invitational shows throughout the United States. He has won over 400 awards, including top honors such as “Best in Category”, and “Best of Show”, many times. His latest acknowledgements provide new career highs: 2002 brought a “Lifetime Achievement” award from the Indian Arts and Crafts Association (IACA), and he was chosen as “The Honored One” for the 2002 Red Earth Festival in Oklahoma City. In 2003 the Gallup Inter-Tribal Ceremonial named him their “Ceremonial Living Treasure.” In 2004 the IACA again named him “Artist of the Year”, an award he also received in 1985, making him the first in IACA history to receive the honor twice.

Denny Haskew – Potawatomi Citizen Nation

Denny Haskew had always worked with his hands building furniture and creating stained glass windows. After his mother brought him to a sculpture show in Loveland, Colorado he knew that he wanted to sculpt. In 1985 he moved to Loveland to take advantage of all the opportunities for sculptors in the city. Haskew apprenticed with sculptor Fritz White for a year and spent two more years doing enlargements for sculptor Kent Ullberg before he began doing his own work. Haskew’s sculptures are mostly figurative and many are made of sandstone. His large sculptures can be found all over the country. (Source: Art of the West, July/August 2003)

Denny Haskew currently resides in Loveland, Colorado where he is actively engaged in the art industry as a sculptor. In 1971 he received his degree from the University of Utah, and then served two years in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. Haskew has received a lot of publicity and attention for a man who didn’t start sculpting until he was 38 years old. Before art came into his life, Haskew spent his winters teaching cross-country skiing. He spent his summers as a white water rafting guide in the Grand Canyon and on the Salmon River in Idaho. Denny has learned to love the rivers and mountains of the western states of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, and Utah. During a trip to visit his parents in Loveland, he fell in love with bronze. Thus in August of 1985 began Haskew’s education in the world of bronze. He wasted no time in getting monumental sculpture experience through working with renowned sculptors including Fritz White and Kent Ullberg N.A. Since 1987, Denny has created and placed many monumental compositions; spanning the full spectrum of the figurative genre. As a member of the Potawatomi Citizen Nation, it is only natural for his artwork to follow the Native American culture. Haskew’s work conveys his innermost being. It is intensely personal and honest. His themes are recurring: spirit, healing, love, forgiveness, relationships, endurance, the sacredness of the human spirit, the strength in each of us and the power of all that is natural.

Bob Thomason

Bob Thomason (Cherokee) credits his growing up in Oklahoma, once known as Indian Territory, and his Cherokee heritage as major inspirations to his desire to preserve the folklore and history of America through his paintings. From the Native American subjects, Bob continues to capture the rare qualities of this country’s rich heritage in such a way as to draw growing public acclaim.

Balancing his work between the past and the present makes Bob realize that same human spirit of another time is still alive today.

Bert Seabourn

Bert Seabourn exhibits throughout the United States and has shown his art in England, Germany, France, Russia, Taiwan, Singapore, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia and Ecuador. His work is not only in private collections worldwide, but is in many public collections including The Vatican Museum of Religious Art, The American Embassy, London, The National Palace Museum of Taiwan, Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C., The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, President Ford Library, Oklahoma City Museum of Art, and The President George and Barbara Bush Collection.

“After forty plus years of making my living doing art work, I relate very well to the following words:
‘Every morning in the Great Southwest, a rabbit wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest coyote or it will be killed. Every morning a coyote wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest rabbit or it will starve to death. It doesn’t matter whether you are the rabbit or the coyote. When the sun comes up, you’d better be running.’ …and I do.”

Seabourn’s best-known works provide us with a dream-like glimpse into the souls of all living things, in a spiritual, impressionistic style. His paintings depict the things he loves, such as women holding babies; wise, old men; the four-leggeds as story tellers; and the birds as messengers. He shares with the viewers some special moments, possibly in a new light, like lovers walking along the bank of a rusty creek or among the persimmon trees; lovers galloping off “in the fast lane” toward a passionately red sky; or children who still remember how to talk with the animals. He paints the healers and mystics, the ones who care for our bodies and souls. Sometimes these shamans are painted with serious reverence and sometimes with Seabourn’s characteristic sense of humor…he has been known to paint the shaman carrying his “medicine” inside a martini glass, complete with olive. Whatever the subject, Seabourn’s work does provide our world with more art, love and magic!

Seabourn was making art from a very early age, and his first cartoon sale was at the age of thirteen. He continued to draw and paint at every opportunity. As a teenager, when he would hear of an art show in a city of any “reasonable” traveling distance, he would “hop a train” and be off to see the exhibit. An exhibit at the Center of the American Indian (now the Red Earth Museum at the same location), Kirkpatrick Center, in the Omniplex in Oklahoma City, featured a gathering of his works from 1947 (a watercolor of two deer) through 1982, an exhibit which spanned 35 years.

Sketches by Bert Seabourn:

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