Finally First Friday !

Well, October 3rd First Friday opening night finally got here. Without hesitation I can say it was the best night ever!!! I am so blessed to have been part of a show with so many talented people. All of the artist that participated outdid themselves and the owners at Tornado Gallery put the show together to perfection. It's impossible to say if this is an ending or a beginning for the Lubbock Post Office and Federal Building, but it's certain that an amazing group of creative minds were brought together to give life to some beautiful art.

Below are some snapshots from the evening:
(All artwork is available for purchase from Tornado Gallery)







Drunkard's View

Christena Stephens












Craig Kelley








Renee Steger Simpson









Tyson Woodul

Ryder Richards

Windows to the Soul - Susan Parks






Whitney Green and Mr Bones

Jessica Armstrong

Pictures from Matt, Abby & Jessica






Matt and Abby
Ginny Phillips





Leather Doors in Courtroom by Arthur Flache

Nola Richard's Painting



Jennifer Greer


the crowd

First Encounters

I first became aware of this building when I was wandering around downtown taking pictures on a Sunday afternoon in Oct. 2007. The first thing to catch my eye was all the detail on the outside of the building but I was very quickly drawn to the windows. From the street looking up thru the first floor windows I could see the ceiling and the hanging light fixtures. The barred basement windows fascinated me. I climbed the front steps and peered thru the front door. It was still and dark and filled with silent voices. The busy Citibus terminal across the street was reflected in the glass doors.









The voices called to me. I wanted to go inside.












The plaque on the outside of the building gave me some sundry information about the past,

but …

..on the side and around back there were curious faces peering out of the windows.


What was this building now? What was going on inside there?
The windows stared back silent and unresponsive.





















The afternoon passed away and the building faded into memory.

Then on April 23 I went on a Hidden Lubbock tour with Tech’s Osher program and to my surprise and delight the Federal Building was part of the tour. As everyone gathered in the lobby to listen to Lyle Fetterly, Director of Facilities for Lubbock County give his talk about the building I began snapping photos and looking around corners.

Salle Abbe from the City took me aside and whispered that they were not going to take the group through the whole building but I might be interested in seeing the courtroom upstairs.
I was up the stairs in a heartbeat and as my hands pushed through those leather doors and I entered the dusty stillness of the Third Floor Courtroom, I was instantly possessed.

Judging by bits of conversations that I overheard as I hurried to re-join the group, the building had a strong impact on other people also. An impulse struck me and before I could think it through, I went back to Lyle Fetterly and asked if it would be possible to go through the building with a few photographers for an art project. He gave me his card and told me to call anytime.

The rest of our Hidden Lubbock Tour was equally interesting but that’s a story for another time.. The people I encountered that day and their passion for Restoring Lubbock convinced me to follow my initial impulse and see where it went. My idea was to have four women of different ages and backgrounds go through the building and then present their four points of view at a group art show. The first place I thought of was Tornado Gallery on Buddy Holly Ave.


Larry Simmons liked the idea and immediately began talking about Restoration and Revitalization. It was obvious that he has a real love for the City of Lubbock, especially Downtown. Within days I had a dozen people asking if they could participate in the show.
This was becoming more of a project than I intended but I went back to Lyle Fetterly and asked if there was a limit on the number of people or the number of times we could view the building. He very graciously told me that they would work with me any way that they could. He then put me in touch with Kathy Sprawls and she and her team including Oscar Reyna and John Keys have worked hard to accommodate us ever since. So far I have scheduled 5 visits and taken 25 people through this Lubbock Landmark that continues to facsinate all who visit.

Thank You seems too weak to show how much I appreciate the folks at Lubbock County. We could not have done this show without their help and cooperation.

And so, that is how a mad impulse took on a life of its own and became the Restore Lubbock Art Exhibit. We hope to use our art to draw attention not only to this building that embodies so much of the strength, character and pride that is Lubbock’s heritage, but to the idea of Restoration and Preservation.

We hope to make more people realize that Art, Music, Culture and History can promote Tourism just as much –if not more- than shiny new buildings with no history, large-scale sporting events, and jam-packed concert arenas.

It’s not enough to see history reduced to a 2 dimensional postcard – we need to feel it, we need to hear the whispers in old walls.