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Places to see Reinhold Marxhausen’s art in and around Seward

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This post is currently a work in progress, and I would welcome additions or corrections in the comments below. I’ll try to get a map together after we get the list nailed down. Oh, and I’m very open to anyone who wants to rewrite any of these descriptions.

  • Cattle Bank on the East side of the courthouse square in Seward
    • Grain Elevators of Seward County. A collection of 20 watercolors that the bank commissioned Marxhausen to do in the 1970’s. The paintings are displayed in one of the upstairs conference rooms at Cattle Bank. Just let the person at the information desk of the bank that you would be interested in seeing the Marxhausen watercolors.
  • Jones Bank on the Southwest corner of the courthouse square in Seward
    • A very large and fascinating burnt wood and ceramic tile mural dominates the West entrance to the bank. (image) (video)
  • Concordia University
    • Holy Spirit / Open Book is a large art installation to the West of Link Library that you can see as you drive past Weller Hall. 1959
    • There is an amazing and very large Marxhausen mural immediately to the right when you enter the Janzow Campus Center through the upper entrance.
    • The intricately carved brick benches in the basement of Weller Hall are Marxhausen’s as well.
    • Concordia occasionally shows items from their extensive Marxhausen permanent collection in the Marxhausen Gallery in Jessie Hall.
  • The Center for Liturgical Arts is located due South of Concordia University on Columbia Ave, and stands on the location of the former Marxhausen residence.
    • The front door of the center is the original burnt wood mosaic front door of the Reinhold and Doris’ house. Well worth stopping to see.
    • The Marxhausen Studio is on the South side of the property and has been restored to once again be a working art studio (video of the studio when Marx used it).
    • The Center also has several of Marxhausen’s works on display. They would be happy to show them to you.
  • Masonic Lodge building on the South side of the courthouse square across the street from Jones Bank
    • The entire South side of the building is a huge painted mural by Marxhausen. It was painted with the help of his students around 1980 and was restored around 1998, but could probably use some TLC again. The text is this poem by his friend, William Kloefkorn, who was appointed State Poet of Nebraska 1982:

      Nebraska, water and soil and wind, color and light and heat: Something forever plump and firm, above the ground, the itch forever. Of something small but ripening, underneath

  • St. John Lutheran Church located at 900 Columbia Avenue, across the street from Concordia University
    • The stained glass windows that run the length of East and West walls of the church, as well as in the balcony and a central skylight.
    • The communion cross which is generally on the altar during communion services.
    • The liturgically themed processional crosses that are used at various times though out the church year.
    • St. John also has a fairly extensive collection of Marxhausen pieces most of which can be viewed online.
  • The Law offices next to Red Path Gallery on the North side of the courthouse square
    • There are about 20 Marxhausen pieces on display in the front windows. The pieces are rotated a few times a year. While you’re there, why don’t you stop by Red Path Gallery next door? Have a drink, look at the art, and ask them why they don’t have a little Marxhausen display.
  • The LCMS Nebraska District Office on the corner of Highway 34 and Columbia Ave.
    • Two stained glass windows in the tower. The windows are more impressive when seen from the inside.
    • In the same room as the stained glass windows is a large burnt wood mosaic. This mosaic was part of an altar that was removed when the building was remodeled.
    • In the lower level conference room is a small metal cross.

Have I missed anything? Do you have any corrections or additions? Just rewrites to make this sound better? Links to photos? Please add them in the comments.

Sam and Rachel

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I don’t know if we’ve said this on the website already, but my cousin Sam and his family (Rachel, Anna & Gracen) are coming to Seward. Sam accepted a call to be the 6th grade home room and social studies teacher at St. John. They were up this week to look for a house.

I don’t know that we actually found a house for them, but there are definitely some possibilities. I went with them on most of the house hunting, because I was (a)voiding driving in to Lincoln to work on school stuff and (b)eginning to get some pain free motion back into my neck after the ocean slammed me into the beach in Maui.

It was interesting to look at houses with Sam and Rachel, because they were interested in having a nice sized yard for kids and dogs and I was thinking, “This yard is too big, look at all that mowing.” I don’t think they found their dream house, but they saw a few houses that would work for them.

The housing market in Seward is pretty good right now, so houses that are “desirable” (whatever that means) don’t stay on the market for very long. Sam and the realtor they chose seemed to hit it off, and by the end of the second day of looking they were sharing notes on what they thought various properties were really worth. It was surprising to me that they were pretty much in agreement after 2 days.

Claude (our realtor when we bought our house, may he rest in peace) were pretty much on the same wavelength too, but we had been looking for a house for a year and a half by that time. Claude showed us pretty much every house that was for sale in Seward over a 3 week period, figured out what we were looking for and then left us alone until there was a house that he thought we would be interested in. He was the perfect realtor for us.

After about 6 months I Claude and I were on the same wavelength too as far as what houses in Seward are generally going to sell for. Sam must be more of a real estate mogul than I am.

I Heart Chinese Food

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So, when I got home today, Lauren called and said that she (and by that she meant we) needed to make a quick trip to Wal*Mart. I knew how long those take, so I grabbed a gift certificate to Dragon Palace (best Chinese food within 25 miles) and met her at the car.

Our trip to Wal*Mart went more-or-less as planned, except that I whipped out my trusty phone in the middle of the produce aisle and phoned in a take-out order. Lauren was driving, and there was no parking so she dropped me off out front and circled the block (here, I’m just guessing).

Walking into Dragon Palace right in front of me was a gang of 3 high school boys. Once they got into the restaurant they met a 4th high school boy who greeted them, one after the other, with a big hug. When he got to the last one, I said, “uhum?”

And I got a big hug too.

Also, the Chinese food was delicious.

Doppelganger

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Did I ever tell you I was immortal?

Once long ago (I can’t remember when) I was with someone who was looking through the 1974 Concordia yearbook and someone (I can’t remember who) said, “Lauren! It’s you!”

Lo and behold, there I was.

Be yourself. The best, cutest, quietest version of yourself. Remember to wear lip gloss. Name that song.

Well, Bernita Thaete was there, and sure enough, she looked just like me. It was enough of a coincidence that somehow…… (I don’t remember how)…. I came to be in possession of said yearbook. (Honestly, I don’t think I stole it from anyone, but I don’t know how come I still have it. Library sale? Let’s go with that.) It was fun to show people that I had gone to college in the early 70’s.

Anyway, fast forward to this past weekend where I was at a social event (stressful for hermit-like me) and I went to get my ‘salad*’ from the kitchen before Lloyd and I left. There was a nice lady who asked me my name.

Lauren: “I’m Lauren.”

Lady: “I’m Bernita.”

Lauren: “What?!?” (Struggle to remain calm.) “Um, did you go to Concordia??”

Well, sure enough – she did, and it was her. I told her the whole story. Her hair is shorter now and she is a wonderfully nice lady who didn’t try to edge away from my obvious craziness.

Thank you, Bernita. I’m glad we got to be the same person for a little while.

*Seriously, anything that involves Cool Whip, strawberries and a cup of sugar should be a dessert. A delicious, delicious dessert.

Letter to the Editor (almost)

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Here’s the letter I almost sent to the Seward County Independent last week:

There exists between Seward and Lincoln an uncomfortable difference that we often ignore in polite company. After all, sometimes when faced with a disturbing idea, it is easier to simply pretend that it doesn’t exist than to face it head on. I am writing, of course, about the Icee Gap.

Currently, the city of Lincoln enjoys a luxurious person to Icee machine ratio of approximately 2500 to 1. Not so in Seward. Just a few short years ago our own person to Icee ratio was a comfortable 2750 to 1, certainly nothing to sneeze at by any standard. But for the last few years we have been reduced, first to a miserly 6000 to 1 ratio, and within the last few weeks we are simple out of luck. Adrift with no recourse but to head East.

Those who live in Lincoln can purchase these tasty frozen confections at pizza parlors, gas stations, fast food restaurants, grocery stores and theaters. We here in Seward have none of these options and are the poorer for it.

I do not simply mean poorer in the gastronomic sense, though we are certainly that as well. We are poorer economically. I know that when I fill my tank up with gas once a week I should be doing it here in Seward. But I hear the siren song of the Icee and I can not help but open my wallet further to the East.

I will not name any names, but I can buy my groceries anywhere. Everyday low prices were nice, but I came for the Icee. I will happily buy elsewhere if another grocer were to take up the slack.

And we have many fine eating establishments in Seward, but a few years ago I found myself gravitating toward that restaurant where the difference was real. They still serve good food, but now I have one less reason to pick them out from the crowd.

This is an unprecedented opportunity for some merchant in Seward. You could own the only Icee* machine in an over 1890 square mile area (seriously, do the math). And, while you might not become rich from the sales of these frozen bits of heaven, you will put your business one notch higher on many people’s lists. And you will be at the top of mine.

Lloyd Sommerer

*While I have a preference for the Icee, I have no fight with those who prefer either the Slushie or the Slurpee, and would gladly enjoy either.

Luckily, I found out that the Casey’s South of Seward has a “Frozen Drink” machine with cola, blue & red flavors. We now stop there after the Wal*marts on Sunday. Don’t give me too much grief about the letter. This is only a first draft, and would have received more editing if this had been an actual Icee emergency.

Oh, and I’m not at all sure that I like Slurpees. I was just trying to build a frozen drink coalition.