New Biography Of Mobster Frank Costello

The raspy voice that Marlon Brand employed in  his portrayal of  Don   Vito Corleone in  “The Godfather”   was said to have been the result of his study of the tapes of crime boss Frank Costello, who suffered from several different  throat ailments, testimony before a  congressional committee in 1951  that heard testimony  from him and several other organized crime figures in the U. S.  Costello’s   story is told in the recently published “Top Hoodlum,” which takes its title from J. Edgar Hoover’s one time designation of Costello. And the gangster was often  described in the post war era as “The prime minister  of the Underworld”  due to his ability to peacefully settle disputed between the five Mafia families of  New York City and their counterparts in other parts of the nation. Yet as  Destefano’s research makes clear, that title did not do him justice, since his   influence extended throughout New York and other parts of the nation, and   he attended the Democratic  National Convention that nominated Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1932. Costello, who had interests in numerous popular nightclubs in New York City, was said to have helped some attorneys obtain coveted judgeships  and was often seen at those places dining with a variety of celebrities and politicians. The heroin dealer who was seeking to enlist the support of  Don Corleone in  “The Godfather” novel and movie  tells him in a meeting  that it is  said that Don Corleone has more judges in his pocket than a shoe shiner has coins in his purse, and that may have been inspired by the power that Costello was said to wield in the courtrooms of New York City.
Costello was brought to New York City by his immigrant parents from Sicily at the age of four  in 1895  and was initially known as Francisco  Castiglia but Anglicized his name to Frank Costello in his youth when he began his   career as a bootlegger during Prohibition and later branched out  into gambling. Destefano details how Costello expanded his operations into New Orleans, Louisiana, in the 1930’s where he introduced  his slot machines to that fabled city and also became a partner in a gambling place that was located in an adjacent locale. Costello later said in 1940 and subsequently   that it was with the blessing of then  Senator Huey Long of Louisiana- who had been assassinated in 1935- that he did so, and that alleged association has often been cited by those who have sought to disparage Long. But Destefano  details  that Long’s most authoritative biographer, T. Harry Williams, pointed out that at that time New Orleans was led by Mayor Semmes Walmsley,  who was a sworn enemy of Long, and would have rushed to remove any such devices that were put in place  by any party allied with Long,  and Williams perceptively concluded  that the wily  Costello’s “Over eagerness to connect his entrance into the New Orleans slot-machine business  with Huey suggests that he was trying  to shield somebody who had permitted him  to come into the city later.” Costello also had a variety of legitimate interests, that the author relates included interests in oil wells in Oklahoma and Texas.
Costello’s memorable appearance before the U.S. Congress  is recounted in considerable detail by the author, and before he began to testify Costello’s long time attorney, George Wolf, insisted  that his client’s  face not be shown on the  television cameras that were present. That request   resulted in the cameras filming  his hands that he  nervously rubbed together when he wasn’t    tapping his finger on the table  as his raspy voice was recorded in heated exchange with several of the senators present. The New York Time’s  television reporter would  imaginatively  describe  the  image that was played on thousands of television  sets throughout the nation as “video’s first  ballet of the hands.’ And Costello’s resulting notoriety resulted in the federal government pursuing him on numerous charges, including income tax evasion,  and making false statements when he obtained US citizenship and he served time in federal prisons as a result.
In 1957 Costello was wounded in an assassination attempt   made by  Vincent “Chin” Gigante, who decades later would be famous as the “Crazy Don” who feigned mental illness by walking in New York City in his bathrobe muttering to himself.  He subsequently retired and let a quiet life with his long time wife Loretta. No children were born of their marriage. He died in 1973 at the age of 83 and was buried in a mausoleum that bore his last name located  in a cemetery  in the Bronx Borough of Queens. His widow subsequently  relocated  to New Orleans, Louisiana,  where  it was reported in the local media  that she was living in greatly reduced circumstances with  relatives who resided  there and provided her with financial support.
But in 1974 the brass doors on  Costello’s mausoleum was blown off supposedly on the orders of mobster Carmine Galante  as a sign of disrespect towards Frank Costello.

Grand Opening Of Masa Ramen & Sushi In OKC

The opening scenes in the second  Indiana Jones movie, “Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom” are set in an exclusive nightclub and restaurant in Shanghai, China, before the start of the Second World War. Shanghai at that time was a center of commerce, crime and intrigue, as business people, diplomats and foreign agents and gangsters came together in such opulent locales of that type.  One of the rulers of the Shanghai underworld at that time, as chronicled in the recently published “City Of Devils” was an individual, Jack Riley, who had escaped from McAlester Prison in Oklahoma. And a somewhat similar scene could be observed at the recent grand opening of  the Masa Ramen & Sushi establishment that  is situated on Memorial Road and Western Avenue in Oklahoma City, and was  opened by husband and wife Sophia Zheng  and Leo Chen, who  are also the proprietors of the Szechwan Bistro that is situated across the street from their new venture. The couple are immigrants from China who have made their home in Edmond for years, and their oldest son is currently a second year  student at the University of Southern  California.  A line of customers snaked its way past the entrance of the place and made its way around the corner   as  patrons waited patiently to gain admission for dinner. The management had thoughtfully placed ice chests filled with water bottles at several locations along the line. Once inside, they confronted a frenetic establishment with stone paneling   in which smiling young Asian men and women in black uniforms  served  complex dishes that were listed on a menu that included   combinations of  ramen chicken and pork, sushi rolls, and eel sauce that were served in large bowls, some of which had Chinese lettering on them, with ladles in them.  There was a bar that was presided over by a young man who appeared  rather harried by the number of patrons  that  engulfed  his work station,  but seemed to be able to satisfy their requests. The alcoholic beverages   that were   being served   had  Asian names that included  “Masa House Brew Lager”  which was described as being “ginger lemon grass lager” and an item labeled “Gekkeikan Sake,” which was said to have been aged “for six months.”  Adjacent to the bar was  a trio of unsmiling  young men who wore black caps and  were preparing the sushi that was being served, and they spent the dinner hour slicing fish with large knives  and placing them in rolls  which was indicative of the popularity of the sushi dishes that were on the menu.
The patrons included many seemingly affluent  Asian Americans who could be heard conversing with one another is a cheerful manner in Chinese and other Asian tongues as well as many other customers  of various ethnic and racial backgrounds.  While it was explained that Leo Chen was  working in the kitchen cooking, Sophia Zheng  was a constant presence in the restaurant and was seen  speaking to people  in  both English and Chinese as she bussed tables and served patrons in  her characteristically cheerful and friendly manner that may account in part for the success of the couple’s previous restaurants  in the Oklahoma City area.

Presentation At Paramount Theater on Oklahoma Arts Council

Jennifer Allen Barron Speaking At Paramount Theater.

Jennifer Allen Barron of the Oklahoma Arts Council  gave a presentation at the Paramount Theater in the Theater District  in Oklahoma City on Wednesday August 22, 2019  that was sponsored by the  Exchange Rotary Club. She began her remarks by explaining that the organization   is an agency of state government  that works with local institutions  to encourage the arts in Oklahoma, and that it plays an important role in education in the state.  It was first known as the  Arts  And Humanities Council, but the Humanities  Council became an independent nonprofit  entity and was separated from the Arts Council . She shared data with her audience that  how   every dollar invested in the arts in Oklahoma serves to generate six dollars in revenues for state and local governments, and that studies have shown that high school students who have had four years of arts education score higher on college entrance exams than  pupils who have not had that opportunity. In addition, the speaker asserted that art education  tends to improve  performance in the fields of math and science, increases school attendance, and decreases anti-social behavior and encourages greater civic engagement  among young people.
She further  spoke of the programs that the Council sponsors to support art education. They include a Classroom Supply Grant for the visual and Performing Arts which allocated $500 to individual schools  that allows them to purchase supplies to  be used for instruction in those fields during the school day. Public, public charter, and non-religious private schools are eligible to apply for that grant, and are required to have at least one part time arts instructor on their faculty to be eligible for it.   She told of another grant program that allows for the payment to public, public charter, and non-religious private schools   from kindergarten through twelve grade  of two payments in the amount of $2,500 to fund hands on art education to their students. Those funds can be used for  payment of artists fees, artists travel expenses, and materials and supplies.  In recent years, there has been an increase in the number  of alternative education schools that address the needs of pupils who have difficulty in traditional schools in Oklahoma, and Barron told the attendees that the Arts Council has another program in place that allows such schools to apply for  a grant up to the amount of $5,000.00  for arts education for their students.   The Council’s funding goes to a variety of different organization, and approximately 40% is allocated to rural communities and 60 % to urban areas in the state.  In addition, the  Arts Council supports  community arts events, including one that encourages the placing of art in public places. Yet another program works to develop leadership in the arts, and on an annual basis brings individuals in the arts from throughout the state together for such training. Oklahoma has a large percentage of military families, due to the number of military installations in the state, and Barron told of how another program is now working to  encourage art that pays tribute  to those who  serve and their families.  The conclusion of   her presentation was greeted with  applause  by those present, and she then   distributed  papers that told in greater detail about the programs she described, and told how individual schools could apply for them.

Recent Opening Of Sam’s Southern Eatery In Bethany, OK

Partners Ammar Hunaish and  Anas Al Sharepy.

The  “Sam’s Southern Eatery” on  7000  NW 23^rd Street in Bethany officially opened it’s doors recently, and  seems to be in the process of developing a clientele  of local people who have possibly heard from others about the quality of food that is served there. According to New Orleans legend, a workers strike  in that community decades ago prompted a sympathetic restaurant owner began to give loaves of French bread with various types of meat in them to some of the more youthful strikers, because they were “poor boys.”  After the strike ended, many of those strikers continued to patronize his establishment out of gratitude, as well as the quality of the sandwiches he served them  that in time became known as “poor boy sandwiches”, which gradually  evolved into the term “po boys” due to the unique English vernacular that is spoken in New Orleans. And poboys play a prominent role in the menu of Sam’s Southern Eatery, and include  versions that are termed “Philly Cheese Poboy,” Philly Chicken Poboy”  and in a nod to the increasing role that Mediterranean fare is playing in Southern cuisine “ Gyro Poboy.” The menu boasts that the place is the  “home of the jumbo shrimp” and includes numerous seafood items,  including oysters, catfish  and some  items that bear the generic title of “fish.” It has been said that Louisiana gumbo is one of the least uniform item found in the South, and that  chefs have departed elite restaurants in New Orleans due to the arguments they had with owners over what should be in their gumbo.  At Sam’s it appears to be a primarily fish based, but also has tasty bits of sausage and bay leaves that also give it a flavor.  It was reported that  sausage was placed in the concoction at the insistence of one of the partners whose wife is from Louisiana. And the small bottles of hot sauce that are in place on the tables are a further reminder of the  Louisiana connection.
The place owes its existence to the  vision and dedication of three young men who now make their homes in Oklahoma City, Ammar Hunaish, Anas Al Shorepy, and Maeen Alqohaif, who were originally from strife torn Yemen, who despite their relative youth, approached  the  owner of the Sam’s Southern Eatery that is headquartered  in Louisiana and persuaded him to grant them a franchise for  the Bethany location. The trio are a constant presence in their place and radiant the  wonder and pride that is often found in young people who establish a successful business. They also tell of their clientele, which includes a daily lunch crowd that appears to double on Sundays after religious services conclude, as well as evening meals that bring Bethany families to its doors. The owners are excited to be part of  a new undertaking and are grateful to the citizenry of Bethany and neighboring locales for the success that they have enjoyed to date and are hopeful will continue.

Congresswoman Kendra Horn

Congresswoman Kendra Horn

“That bloody woman, doesn’t she know that her job is to sign letters, not write them,” a British civil servant complained about a junior cabinet minister in the Conservative government of  Edward  Heath in the early 1970’s. What had raised the ire of the official was that Margaret Thatcher, who held the post of  education secretary    in Heath’s cabinet, was tasked with signing off on letters that either granted or denied governmental benefits to citizens of the United Kingdom. But with characteristic thoroughness, the young Thatcher read those correspondences and found out that very often they contained errors that resulted in their recipients either receiving  or denying them benefits, and rewrote them accordingly.  The British civil service is an august institution in the United Kingdom, and was  accustomed  to a certain amount of deference from officials such as Thatcher. But the future prime minister, who had entered political life despite the fact that she had been told that women had limited opportunities in the political arena, had little regard for such time honored traditions. And it seems that Fifth District Congresswoman Kendra Horn of Oklahoma, who, like Thatcher won election after being told that she had little chance of prevailing in that contest,  has a somewhat similar skepticism towards some of the conventional  wisdom that is found in her Democratic Party, and has staked out a middle course in support of policies that she believes will benefit her constituents. Horn, who is 43 years old, and is an alumni of Southern Methodist University’s School of Law, has sponsored  and cosponsored legislation  in a variety of fields such as bills that would ensure that interest of student loans would not accrue interest while the recipient was still enrolled, and also providing a moratorium for the period when payments would have to be made on student loans. The lawmaker has publicly spoken about the need for greater training in mental health for law enforcement officials, and she successfully submitted amendments to legislation that have ensured funding for such training.  Her district, which is situated primarily in the metropolitan Oklahoma City area, has become increasingly ethnically and religiously diverse in recent years, and Horn, along with Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, has reached out to many of the various people who now reside in  its diverse neighborhoods, and let them know that they are welcome in Oklahoma’s capital city.  In furtherance of that goal, her office recently  sponsored  what was termed a “resource fair”  that brought  several  of her staffers and  twenty four other federal and state officials  together  to show her constituents the   services and programs that may be able to assist them.  Horn recently addressed   the Oklahoma City Black Chamber of Commerce, and spoke of the need  for more vocational training for young people, and questioned the conventional wisdom that all high school graduates have to attend university to be successful. And in a  highly partisan era, Horn may be indicative  of how  individual lawmakers in  Congress can transcend the national  political gridlock and successfully work to enact legislation that will improve the lives of those they serve in Washington.

Sakura Sushi Bar And Hibachi In Altus OK

Much of  the recent hagiography written on    the late George H.W.  Bush  has dwelt on his  role in overseeing a peaceful dissolution of the Soviet Union and the reunification of Germany  despite the opposition of other European powers to a united Germany. But there is one incident that took place at a diplomatic dinner in Japan that has understandably not received much attention. On January 8^th 1992, Japanese Prime Minister  Kiichi  Miyazawa  hosted a banquet  for President Bush.  While sitting at the table, the  American leader  suddenly became violently ill and without warning  vomited on his  Japanese host  and then fainted. It has been theorized that Japanese  leaders  do not wear cuffed pants to dinners with high ranking American officials as a result of that unfortunate incident. The formidable Barbara Bush immediately took control of the situation and the American  chief executive was taken from the dining room and the press traveling with them was told that  Bush was in very good health and that the incident was the result of  the “bad sushi” that had been served at the gathering.  And it has been said that the  nature of the sushi that is dispensed at the Sakura  Sushi Bar and   Hibachi in Altus, Oklahoma, is of such a quality that no patron has become violently ill from consuming it, and that  Air Force personnel  who have been stationed at the Air Force Base that is located in that Southwest Oklahoma community  and developed a fondness for sushi after serving in Japan,  assert that its quality is comparable to the uncooked fish that is  offered in the Land of the Rising Sun. The menu includes a wide variety of sushi, and while several of them bear the name of  cities such as Boston and Philadelphia, there are also ones listed on that document  as “Altus Roll” and “Oklahoma Roll.”  In addition to sushi, the establishment also offers other Asian favorites such as  Teriyaki  dishes  and Japanese dumplings.   And the six  hibachi grill that  operate there   are manned by skilled chefs who wield their spatulas in an artful manner  as meat is flipped  in front of patrons and flames ascend towards the ceiling. The dessert items include an array of ice creams with names such as  red bean mocha, green tea,  mango mocha,   and several fried ice creams, and   Lulu Linn, who operates the establishment with her husband Johnny Xu, recently explained  that they are mostly Chinese in origin. The couple, who emigrated to the U.S. from China years ago,   formerly operated a somewhat similar place in neighboring Lawton, and approximately five years ago decided to open a restaurant in Altus  with a menu that includes a variety of Asian foods. Their establishment has been thriving since its opening,  and Linn said that she and her husband are grateful to the people of Altus  for the success that they have enjoyed there.

Second Friday Event At Plaza District In OKC

“Rad Hombre” Beer At Mexican Radio.

Cassete Tape Wall At Mexican  Radio.

Colorful Ceiling In Enclosed  Area of Mexican  Radio.

The Plaza District in Oklahoma City was the site of  it’s  monthly festival  and art walk that is held on the second Friday  of each month  on the evening of  August 8^th, 2019. The event included  a variety activities held on the sidewalks that adjoin 16^th Street. One of them featured what appeared to be a small barbeque grill  on which small canvasses filled with paint  were spun to create unique abstract  paintings. The operator of the grill,  Kristi Mathis, encouraged the participation of many of the people who made their way down the thoroughfare, and throughout the evening many of her patrons could be seen holding their recently created art works  in a gentle manner.  Several young men stood in front of a sign that indicated that they are affiliated with an entity known as “Inclusion in Art”  and  distributed a document that told of how it works to encourage   ethnic, cultural, and racial diversity in the Oklahoma City arts community, and that it maintains a database of working professional artists of color that connects individuals and organizations with those artists. The snow cone stands  that appear to materialize in unison in April and May in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, are part of the colorful culinary traditions of that locale and their  openings there  are heralded as the beginning of the Summer season. They have also been memorialized in a variety of art forms in New Orleans.
The Plaza District hosts  an establishment with the  unlikely name of “Sasquatch Shaved Ice” where that commodity was being dispensed in record numbers to people of various ages and ethnicities. While articles have been written about the tasty but limited flavors that permeate the ice that is served  in New Orleans, Sasquatch’s had an impressive list of flavors and tastes, and it was explained  that it is a nonprofit operation that provides employment opportunities to the young residents of the neighboring Classen Ten- Pen neighborhood.  An establishment that will be opened later in the month,  with the intriguing name of “Mexican Radio” was the site of a meeting of the “Friends of the Plaza,” a diverse group that works to encourage further development of that area. The gathering featured a  group of young people who appeared proud to be part of the District and the roles that they were playing in its ongoing renaissance. Anthem Brewing, which is located in Oklahoma City, is also a supporter of the District and it generously provided several different types of its brew to the attendees in  a well stocked ice chest. One of it’s concoctions bore the name “Rad Hombre” which may possibly have been inspired by our counter puncher in chief’s characterization of recent Hispanic immigrants,  and also featured a pale white skull of the type that is associated with Mexican culture that had bright orange headphones on. That place, which will be open later this month, is the work of the trailblazing  Good Egg Dining Group of Oklahoma City, which is responsible for many of the upscale  eateries that are now   found in commercial  neighborhoods in Oklahoma City  that have been the subject of rebirth in recent years, and manager Melissa Skaggs and chef Amy Gelhart told of how its menu will include innovative  items such as pork belly  tacos   and fish tacos, and that much of their fare will have an Oklahoma  influenced flavor. The décor of the place was innovative as well, and included a wall made of 1970’s cassette tapes in what may constitute a homage to that decade, and a ceiling in an enclosed outside area that is made of rows of different colored materials.

William Gladstone’s Midlothian Campaign Of 1880 And Joseph Biden’s Campaign For the Democratic Presidential Nomination of 2020.

Histories of Victorian England tell of the Midlothian campaign of 1880 that was led by William Gladstone, a leader of the Liberal Party who had been born in 1809,  formerly served as prime minister of the United Kingdom and would  return to that post after the campaign was concluded. The  British public had been horrified by the Ottoman Empire’s recent  violent suppression of a revolt of its Bulgarian province and the story of the atrocities committed by the Ottoman’s had become an issue. But the  Conservative government of  Benjamin Disraeli, Gladstone’s great rival, refused to take any action against the Ottoman’s and continued to support them as a bulwark against Russia’s expansion into Europe.
Gladstone stood for election in the Midlothian district in his native Scotland, and in what would later be described as the “first modern political campaign” began to give public speeches to large crowds throughout the district in which with great feeling he attacked the government’s seeming indifference to the suffering of the Bulgarians at the hands of the Ottomans and said that Disraeli and his cabinet were cynical and immoral for failing to help them. The electorate had been expanded by the Great Reform Act of 1867, and  citizens who had been granted the vote by that legislation constituted much of Gladstone’s enthusiastic audiences. The former and future prime minister went on in future orations to condemn the governments military actions against Africans and the people of Afghanistan and that expanding the British Empire in that manner was immoral and wrong. Gladstone, who was a deeply religious Christian, also began to speak about the philosophy of his Liberal Party in which he told of how it wished to ameliorate the condition of the less fortunate citizenry of the United Kingdom. Many of his  presentations were timed to ensure that they would be able to be covered by newspapers, Gladstone would win his parliamentary seat and his Liberal Party would win a majority and he would serve another term as prime minister as a result.
And   the American public may be in a sense witnessing a somewhat similar campaign being waged by former Vice President Joseph Biden. In an oration delivered in Iowa, Biden attacked Donald Trump for his blatant  efforts to divide the American people on racial and ethnic and religious grounds, and pointed out that the chief executive was capitalizing on the prejudice and fear of others that has periodically made its way into the body politic, and that other presidents  and responsible leaders had worked to minimize  and negate it.
The Democratic presidential aspirant took Trump to task for his cynical deceitfulness and characterizing anything that is critical of him and administration as being “fake news” He also  spoke of the shameless self dealing that has occurred in Trump’s government. “ We know what Trump is all about, and now we have to decide what we are all about,” Biden told his audience who gave him a standing ovation. And just as William Gladstone, who at the age of 71  was thought by some observers to be  to old  to serve in parliament when he began the Midlothian campaign, Joseph Biden’s current race  may prove that  he is the leader who can bring the nation together despite his age .

Grand Opening Of Mama Z’s African Supermarket And Restaurant In OKC

Rahamat Azees Prepares For Arrival of Guests At Restaurant.

Malik Azees Preparing For Opening.

On  the morning of Sunday, August 4^th,  2019, Mama Z’s African Supermarket & Restaurant held its grand opening at its new location in the Meridian Plaza Shopping Center that is located on 16^th Street and Meridian Avenue in Oklahoma City. All the members of the Azees family,  including parents Olawale and Rahamat Azees, who own and operate the establishment, were in attendance, and while they and their  older children   seemed anxious  in the way that  new business owners often are, they also were obviously proud  of the fact that they had transformed a formerly unoccupied structure into a place that was hosting customers and preparing food for them. The guests included  members of the Oklahoma City Nigerian community who were dressed  for  religious services, and many of them saw fit  to help  the family by loading soda cans into refrigerators and  entering the kitchen area and asking if they could be of assistance   in a way that was a  reminder of the cooperative nature that is found in many immigrant communities in the  state and nation. Visitors to the kitchen observed the telegenic Rahamat Azees  stirring a large cauldron brimming with an  orange liquid that was destined to be poured into a waiting  armada of silver containers  and be eventually transformed into the West African delicacy popularly  known as “moi-moi.” The menu explained that  moi-moi consists of “ blended boiled beans mixed with peppers, onions,”  and would be served with either “beef, boiled eggs, or fish.” The Sunday edition of the New York Times published on that date contained a favorable  review of a recently opened  Nigerian restaurant in the borough of Brooklyn, “Brooklyn Sura,” and it was explained  that sura is  a street food  consisting of  thinly cut  meat, coated grounded peanuts and  a  sauce  of varying degrees of heat that originated in Nigeria and is popular there. That article generated several responses from readers, one of which interestingly  advised that “Nigerian food is the next big thing. Count on it”.  The Mama Z’s  menu offered a “Suya Platter”  and advised that it consists of “ grilled beef shank garnished with grounded roast peanuts, pepper and Nigerian suya sauce.”
A heading on that document was titled “Soups and Swallows,” and the latter item does not entail the birds such as pigeons that are eaten in Africa but rather starches such as pounded yams and wheat, and a recent  book about Nigerian cuisine  asserted that “swallow is   to Nigerians  what baguettes are to the French or spaghetti is to the Italians.”
There was a large television screen that featured a  rerun of an English language comedy that was popular in Nigeria several years ago, and later in other parts of Africa and was titled “ Papa Ajasco” that brought smiles and laughter from some of the attendees, and it was explained by one guest that the show’s popularity was based on the humor it generated as well as the  important life lessons it  sought to teach to viewers. And it seems probable that Mama Z’s African Supermarket And Restaurant will become a symbol of Oklahoma City’s diversity as well as the welcome it extends to immigrants.

August First Friday Art Walk In Paseo Arts District In OKC

 

Janice Mathews-Gordon’s Work At JRB Art At The Elms.

Calle O’Reilly Picture At JRB Art At The Elms.

Artist Rubiel At Gallery One.
The First Friday event that was held at JRB Art at the Elms Gallery  in the Paseo District of Oklahoma City on August 2, 2019   featured  the art of several different women who have impacted the Oklahoma arts scene in recent years, and the  establishment’s owner, Joy Reed Belt, has said that the gallery will focus on the  evolving role of women for the remainder of its Summer program. The August exhibit is titled “All My Sisters”  in accordance with Belt’s current artistic emphasis. In the front room the guests were greeted by the bright and exuberant  work of  Janice Mathews-Gordon, and a statement prepared by her told of how  her current series of abstract paintings  “are bold expressions  of women,” and were inspired in large part by  her desire to pay tribute to her mother and four sisters, and the confidence she has in what she describes as the “vibrant young women “ who are currently assuming leadership in the feminist movement.
In an adjoining room the mixed media art of Kathy Rodgers was exhibited, and it was explained that she began creating art at the age of three and went on to graduate from Christian College where she had  the first  individual  art show and received an Excellence in Art Award. She later  enrolled at OU from which she received  a Bachelor in Fine Arts for her work in sculpture and painting. She subsequently devoted much of her time to raising her family, but at the age of 67 she began to paint again, and her work displays an enthusiasm and whimsical sense of humor that prompted smiles from  many patrons who saw fit to  memorialize her work in  cell phone selfies. A small section of the gallery included the black and white photographs of Havana, Cuba, taken by Catherine Adams, and the exhibit was titled  “The Acute Charm Of Ruin And Development,” and featured a picture of the Calle O’Reilly thoroughfare in that city that was named for Alexander O’Reilly, who was a Spanish official who served in Cuba when that isle  was part of the Spanish Empire. His effective   service for Spain there resulted  in him being appointed governor of what was then the Spanish colony of Louisiana, and he is known today in that state as “Bloody O’Reilly” for his execution of several citizens in 1769 there for the role they played in forcibly  expelling his predecessor from the colony. A historical marker in New Orleans memorializes the site where they were shot.
The other art galleries  in the Paseo District participated in the event as well, and patrons filled the streets and sidewalks as they made their way  from one place to another. Most of those galleries are much smaller than the JRB Art At The Elms place, which serves in a sense as the flagship of the Paseo art places, and their terrazzo floors are a reminder of the  Paseo’s origins as one of the first  shopping districts for Oklahoma City. Those places hosted a variety of young artists who eagerly displayed their work to potential purchasers. One of them, who goes by the single  name of  Rubiel, was at the Gallery One wearing a tee shirt that bore his name and distributed cards  that featured the addresses of his Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts and Norman studio. The artists work consists of abstract painting and bold murals, and his mastery of social media may have accounted in part for the large number of patrons who filled the gallery.
Native American artists of the Cheyenne Arapaho tribe  created what became known as “ledger art” when they were held captive in Florida by the U.S. government and they only materials they had to draw on were  the reverse sides of officials military papers that had been discarded  by their captors.
And that  art form seems to be enjoying somewhat of a rebirth in the works that featured Native American themes amidst what appeared to be recreations of official ledgers that were on display at the Paseo Art Works Gallery.