The clip begins here at about 19 minutes in: Around Noon October 7, 2008

We remember the late William E. Scheele whose artwork is on display at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, as Dee talks with his son Bill Scheele of Kokoon Arts Gallery. 

And your aura is all over it  :)  Thank you for bringing recognition to the work of William Scheele and the founding of the environmental movement in NEO.

I just posted what they sent out and an image I got from Bill Scheele.

But let me say that as I researched this man, William G. Scheele, I was astounded to learn that this smart kid who grew up on Tate Avenue in Cleveland and studied at West Tech with Jean and Paul Ulen.

I learned that he and his wife were privileged to be involved in the Cleveland Municipal School District's Major Works programming.

I learned that he later went on to Cleveland School (now CIA), who (at least once) hunted with John Paul Miller and Paul Travis, hung out with,  studied with and alongside some of the most famous artists of the Cleveland School.

I learned that he published many books, had an intense interest in educating children and wrote for the Cleveland Press for years.

I learned that he insisted that the museum begin conservation efforts - purchasing land for biologists and botanists to study, got the federal government to insist that museum archaeologists be allowed to dig in the wake of the I-71 project where they found Devonian fossil fish (Scheele himself had occupied many of his youthful years digging in the remains of the Whittlesey Indians in just that area).

I learned that he was responsible for bringing the Hamman Todd Collection and the Warner Swasey Telescope from CWRU to the Museum.

I learned that when you enter the museum you are to turn left and begin at the beginning of time, traveling chronologically to the last exhibit which suggests that, as you used to look into a mirror surrounded by images of extinct animals, you are looking at the most dangerous animal on the planet.

I learned that his staff adored him because he hired smart people in whom he saw promise and "let then work". I learned that among those people who were inspired by him are Larry Isard, Jim Bissell, Harvey Webster, Bruce Frumker and many more.

I learned that Scheele's passion for nature and his determination to protect and conserve, to teach and to tell the story of our responsibility to our home was contagious among museum staff and visitors. 

Maybe one thing that Scheele knew from his historical research was this old chestnut: "when we stand on the shoulders of our ancestors, we can see farther".  Likewise, it makes sense to me that as the CMNH embraces conservation, sustainability and environmental awareness anew, they might do well to consider - if you anchor
yourself in a legacy, you will have a strong trunk to support new branches. 

Cleveland Shale that is.

Today's news about Cincinatti paleontologists digging on Cleveland's west side comes at an interesting time. I met a few members of realneo last night at a fascinating talk at Greta Lakes Brewing Company's tasting room for their Science Cafe.  Last night's talk was about Paleontology and featured vertebrate paleontologist from CMNH, Michael Ryan, and Catherine Badgely of University of Michigan.

Because Cleveland will host the 68th annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, both this Science Cafe and the Scheele show are well positioned to remind scientists of the importance of Scheele's early direction and leadership of our museum. 

Go Science Cafe! Way to use collaboration to bring this event and others to the notice of more of the unsuspecting public (like me).

Here's a photo of the famous Dunkleosteous found during Scheele's tenure. 

This was once swimming in your backyard! Yikes!

If you missed this show at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, I think you may be able to see some of the show at Kokoon Arts, owned by the curator and son of the late William Scheele.

Worth a looksee. Opening receptions on Friday and Saturday

Also on display at Kokoon - Alfredo Arreguin

This will be the first time Alfredo Arreguin has exhibited in the Cleveland region.  He was born in Michoacan, Mexico in 1935, and has lived and worked in the Seattle, Washington area since 1956. Alfredo is regarded as America’s premiere “Pattern Painter” and is honored to have numerous paintings in collections around the United States and Mexico. 

“Arreguin’s intricate andbrilliantly colored canvases are informed by the memories of Mexican cultureand natural landscape as well as the environment and the animals of the PacificNorthwest. The hypnotic and meditativepatterns found within his paintings are based upon pre-Aztec images, Mexicantiles, or purely geometric and optical patterns. Alfredo Arreguin’spictorial works inhabit an elusive zone that lies between the real and the marvelous, between dream and wakefulness. All that is magic, the ungraspable, acquires, shape, form and color on his canvases. Yet mystery never ceases; something always remains hidden there. Thematically and aesthetically, Arreguin’s art establishes a beautiful and harmonious bridge that connects human experience with the dreams and concerns of individuals from diverse cultures.”

From Alfredo Arreguin: Patterns of Dreams and Nature, by Lauro Flores