Luxiere - Oklahoma Lifestyle & Real Estate // Edition 39

PHOTO

KENNON BRYCE

ON THE COVER:

THE ROXBURY EXPERIENCE

Oklahoma ties, romance in the Big Apple, a devastating fire, a desert epiphany … the story behind The Roxbury Experience is as dazzling as the fairytale Catskill getaways themselves, which is no small feat.

STORY BY CHRISTINE EDDINGTON

16

BUSINESS: IN WITH THE NUEVO

Branding should be more than a logo; ask Naoma Serna-Zahn. The founder of OKC’s Nuevo Studio discusses the marketing benefits of partnerships and a global perspective.

STORY BY KATI HANNA

20

ART: CHIHULY, ADLER & GANACHE—OH MY!

In partnership with a local patisserie, the OKC Museum of Art has converted its former restaurant space to a more spacious and gracious store, with delectable results.

STORY BY CHRISTINE EDDINGTON

36

WOMAN OF INFLUENCE:

DR. KAYSE SHRUM

Drive, determination and an unflagging work ethic — what else would you expect from the pediatrician who became the first female president of Oklahoma State University?

STORY BY CHRISTINE EDDINGTON

50 CULTURE: TUNNELL VISION

Inspired by the tenets of structural masonry and urbanist design, Austin Tunnell is working to build homes that last … and communities that will be worth preserving.

STORY BY STEVE GILL

WHEELS: DEUS EX MACHINA

Even among the luminaries exhibiting at the New York International Auto Show this April, one car consistently turned heads: the stunning all-electric DEUS-Vayanne.

STORY BY MICHAEL KINNEY

H O M E I S W H A T Y O U M A K E I T

HOME IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT

H O M E I S W H A T Y O U M A K E I T

L i v e i n t h e h e a r t o f O K C i n a c o m m u n i t y d e s i g n e d f o r y o u a n d y o u r f a m i l y t o f o c u s o n t h e t h i n g s y o u l o v e m o s t W h e e l e r H o m e f e a t u r e s a r a n g e o f h o u s i n g o p t i o n s f o r t h

L i v e i n t h e h e a r t o f O K C i n a c o m m u n i t y d e s i g n e d f o r y o u a n d y o u r f a m i l y t o f o c u s o n t h e t h i n g s y o u l o v e m o s t W h e e l e r H o m e f e a t u r e s a r a n g e o f h o u s i n g o p t i o n s f o r t h o s e w h o w a n t t h e c o n v e n i e n c e a n d p e a c e o f m i n d o f a n e w l y c o n s t r u c t e d h o m e c o n n e c t e d t o t h e a m e n i t i e s a n d a c t i v i t i e s o f O k l a h o m a C i t y ’ s d y n a m i c u r b a n c o r e

L i v e i n t h e h e a r t o f O K C i n a c o m m u n i t y d e s i g n e d f o r y o u a n d y o u r f a m i l y t o f o c u s o n t h e t h i n g s y o u l o v e m o s t . W h e e l e r H o m e f e a t u r e s a r a n g e o f h o u s i n g o p t i o n s f o r t h o s e w h o w a n t t h e c o n v e n i e n c e a n d p e a c e o f m i n d o f a n e w l y c o n s t r u c t e d h o m e c o n n e c t e d t o t h e a m e n i t i e s a n d a c t i v i t i e s o f O k l a h o m a C i t y ’ s d y n a m i c u r b a n c o r e

FROM THE PUBLISHER

We love it when our expectations are not simply met, but exceeded, shattered, blown away. There is nothing more potent than creativity, and when the truly creative among us unfurl their gifts, the resulting joy is energizing, restorative … even life-giving.

I

f we were to ascribe a theme to this particular issue (although we don’t really “do” themes), it would be about surpassing the ordinary and entering the realm of the incredible. Case in point: The Roxbury Experience. Tucked away in the Catskills lies the ever-evolving brainchild of Duncan native Gregory Henderson and his husband, Joseph Massa. Their story has everything — a meet-cute in the Big Apple, love and loss, a devastating fire and dramatic rebirth and a from-the-bootstraps success story.

Similarly visually stunning is the newly reimagined Museum Store at Oklahoma City Museum of Art. There’s a pretty, sunny patio, a small bar with a tightly curated menu of pastries, savories, coffees and libations and impressive collections of Dale Chihuly glass and Jonathan Adler home décor and furnishings. Plus so much more. It’s a mini-vacation, ready when you are. We visited with its visionary proprietor Richard Bruner, whose vision and impeccable aesthetic met the moment with aplomb.

Our brilliant Woman of Influence this issue is Dr. Kayse Shrum, new president of Oklahoma State University, the first woman to hold the position. Another product of small-town Oklahoma, Dr. Shrum is already hitting her stride. Her students are fortunate

to have such a staunch supporter in their corner, and we fully believe there is nothing this woman cannot do.

Writer Michael Kinney takes us to the New York International Auto Show to introduce us to the magnificent DEUS Vayanne, a sleek, sexy, electrifying electric vehicle making waves across the globe. You’ll also meet Ed James, who has created a sort of “pop-up parade” that has brought joy and wonder to venues around the world.

There is magic in the air these days. Perhaps the unbridled enthusiasm many are determined to share is a function of where we’ve all been over the past few years. Perhaps it’s a glimpse of the future. Whatever it is, this joyful, creative, collaborative global moment is exciting, and we are here for it. Every bit of it.

Until next time,

STACY D. JOHNSON Publisher, Owner

Nichols

Plaza

STACY D. JOHNSON

COVER

Tower Cottage

CONTRIBUTORS

Special thanks

Luxiere

of time and talent to make this extraordinary

LUXIERE MAGAZINE

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KATI HANNA

MOBLEY

MICHAEL KINNEY

KENNON BRYCE

VALENTINA

CHRISTINE

STEVE GILL

VITALINA

BRAND BUILDER NAOMA SERNA-ZAHN

IN WITH THE NUEVO

BY KATI HANNA

Meet Naoma Serna-Zahn — world traveler, visionary, disrupter and owner of the thriving branding and design firm Nuevo Studio. She approaches branding and design with the end in mind and guides her clients through a holistic process that is both fun and energizing, for results that can been seen all over town and throughout the country.

You take a unique approach to brand development — tell us about it.

Brand development is a problem to solve, not a thing to do. It has many pieces and can be very complex, depending on the size of the organization, problems it is facing and the target demographic. The Nuevo Studio method is about discovering “Why are we doing this now?” “How will this organization or company grow?” and “Who is this for?” We want to be partners for organizations in building something for now, but also something that they can grow into.

What has been one of your favorite projects and why?

My team and I loved designing the rebrand for the Asian District Cultural Association. It had several complexities that made the work interesting. We had to take into account “Who is this for?” and since the district represents over 20 countries, we had to examine how to create a visual identity that encompasses those 20 countries. Curiosity led us into researching symbolic meanings, understanding how the district even came to be, what issues this district was facing and why the rebrand was important.

One of the primary challenges they were facing, at the time, was engaging the younger Asian-American generations. They also had a goal of including, not alienating, the Oklahoma City community.

Through plenty of research and discussions we developed the symbol, defined the color palette and selected the right fonts to be paired with it all. Fun fact: Most of that visual identity was designed while I was in Thailand.

What makes people want to work with you and Nuevo Studio?

Being in business is a grind. Making this idea in your head into a reality is brutal work and doesn’t happen overnight, whatever social media may be lying to you about.

Business owners are typically caught in the logistics of running a business and putting out fires, and learning how to manage people. Nuevo Studio is a place for those people to come and have fun and remember why they started this thing in the first place.

We give you time and space to talk about your business, to think about it, envision the future of your company, and we help give that idea a face. Honestly, the way people light up when they see their business baby come to life and how cool it looks and aligns to their goals is what keeps us going .

You are an extensive traveler and have lived in three countries; how does your global perspective affect your work?

The more you see, learn and experience, the more you have to pull from to be creative and inspired.

I am a big believer that travel keeps you humble. It’s easy for our egos to grow and let them take over. Traveling reminds me that we are so small in comparison to the whole world. So, what’s important are your values and what you put energy into. For me, that’s helping people feel confident in their business and having the luxury to travel the world with my family.

Branding is a current buzz word that a lot of people know, but don’t understand what it truly means. Tell our readers what true branding is.

In most people’s minds, branding is a logo … and, well, that can be part of it. But really, branding is the reputation your business has or the way it’s perceived by other people. It’s a feeling — it’s vague, it’s elusive.

Good news, there is something you can do to persuade people to feel a certain way about your business. But you have to start with strategy. We have to understand what the goal is, who we are even trying to persuade and appeal to. If you don’t have this, you are simply picking a logo and not being intentional in your sales and marketing efforts.

Most business owners pick out logos, images, colors, fonts, etc. that they like or they are drawn to or something similar to what their competitors have. This is wrong. While you should like your logo and visual identity, it’s not really about you and what you like. The visuals need to be aligned to your strategy.

Meaning, the people who you are wanting to do business with need to be enticed by your visuals and perceive them as valuable. In most situations, business owners are not their own target demographic, so them choosing what they like can actually hinder their business.

What are you most proud of in what you do?

Seeing people’s dreams come to life. When clients are so excited to show off their new brand identity and share it with their clients and their team, we can just feel the energy that has been poured back into their business. It makes us feel like the fairy godmother in Cinderella.

What are the things you do to grow professionally?

Invest in myself. I read a lot, I listen to many podcasts, I seek expert advice — and know that I don’t have it all figured out, and that that is OK. This period of my business, I know I need expert advice and accountability. As business owners we are the end of the line, so seeking that support of having people hold us accountable, in my opinion, is crucial to break through to the next step.

What is your favorite thing to do when you are not at work?

Travel. I am constantly planning the next adventure.

What is your favorite “luxiere” in life?

Morning coffee in my PJs with my son and husband watching “Bluey.” Plus, getting to build the life I want for myself and my family. •

Kati Hanna is a partner with The Mettise Group, a consulting firm focused on growth-stage companies and leaders. The Mettise Group completes a holistic evaluation of organizations and leaders to quickly and efficiently deliver an operating system that focuses on opportunities, best practices and solutions.

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CHIHULY, ADLER & GANACHE—OH MY!

BY CHRISTINE EDDINGTON PHOTOGRAPHY BY KENNON BRYCE

The space formerly housing the café at Oklahoma City Museum of Art (OKCMOA) has transformed into something far more interesting. To step inside the new, extended dance version of the OKCMOA Store is to step into a world of pure imagination, dotted with beautiful objects created by the likes of Dale Chihuly and Jonathan Adler, served up alongside sparkling flutes of Champagne and fairytale-grade pastries crafted by Ganache Patisserie. (Pastry) case in point: the MOA Tart’s pistachio frangipane with dark cherries, milk chocolate ganache, raspberries and gold spark.

The Ganache + Museum Store collab is a fanciful, artful, delicious solution to an equation OKCMOA has been puzzling over for years. How to offer visitors refreshment without the challenge of being a restaurateur? The museum had tried four or five different business models and partnered with some of our city’s most venerated hospitality groups, but the code seemed uncrackable, even as the Downtown/Midtown restaurant scene blossomed.

ART

All the while, just down the hall, the Museum Store was quietly and increasingly generating buzz — and revenue — under the direction of Richard Bruner, a man with a career in merchandising spanning more than a quarter-century. “I was actually hired as a freelancer to come in and merchandise the store,” he says, “so I’ve been at the museum for about seven and a half years. The first six months, I was not on staff. I’d talked to the director at the time, and … he was interested in trying to make the store more of an earned income piece of the museum instead of just the ‘exit through the gift shop.’ So I came in and I started looking at merchandise, flows and adjacencies, dollars per square foot and demographic, and kind of figuring out how to actually get it on the map as far as revenue.”

The Store performed. “And that is what has allowed us to take over this space. When we decided to exit the restaurant business, I was looking at the space. At the time, we had just landed the Jonathan Adler account, which was two years in the making, and I had already started moving some pieces in just to trim out some of the areas of the restaurant,” Bruner says. Running the bar was another piece of the puzzle, as was figuring out how to feed visitors enough — but not too much. Bruner jokes, “I’m used to being on the other side of the bar. But it’s such a beautiful space. And it’s so clean and modern and full of air and space. It just felt right. And so we talked with our CEO, and it was such a quick decision.”

He had a little more than a month to move the store to its grand new spot. Kismet stepped in, in the form of Bruner’s husband, Michael, who is the visual director for Macy’s at Penn Square, and who had access to a warehouse filled with fixtures which he helped curate for Bruner’s use. “There are several tables that I’m using now that actually are handbag tables that had Michael Kors on them. Macy’s just really came through.”

Next task? Wooing the folks at Ganache, already established in Chisholm Creek. “We wanted to offer something that wasn’t broad, but we wanted it to be the best in its category. And Ganache is the best at what they do in Oklahoma City. As far as pastries, patisserie, sweet and savory options for a coffee or a tea — they own it. And it just felt right, that they should be in the Museum Store,” Bruner says. To his knowledge, OKCMOA has the only museum shop/ wine bar/coffee shop tribrid in the country.

It’s also quickly becoming a global epicenter for collectors of Chihuly and Adler pieces, with a heavy smattering of local artists’ work (OKC artist Clint Stone designed the current T-shirt), jewelry, accessories, self-care and gifts at every price point — right down to museum-branded pencils, intentionally budget friendly for visiting schoolchildren.

“When we started selling Jonathan Adler, I didn’t realize that the Adler customer was also a Chihuly customer. So there have been

several instances where we have sold a Jonathan Adler credenza, and then a Chihuly piece of glass that will sit on that credenza.” Bruner said his clients are visual people who make Adler or Chihuly their own, from wherever they are in the world. “We’ve shipped to Palm Springs, Palm Beach, Boston, Chicago, New York City, Beverly Hills. And then we’ve also shipped to Australia, Germany, the U.K. I had no idea. I had no idea the reach that it was going to hit. And it’s just been phenomenal.”

Naturally, he’s on call to help clients find the perfect spot for their new pretties, should they need it. “In fact, one of the pieces that I went to help a client with is a beautiful silver piece by Jonathan Adler, and you would think when you look at it that it would be in Palm Beach or Palm Springs. She put it underneath a beautiful, almost Renaissance, painting that has a huge gold leaf frame. The whole thing became this Byzantine moment. It went from what one might think of [as] midcentury, and it all of a sudden became European. It was stunning. Absolutely stunning.”

We like stunning. If you do, too, do yourself a favor: Next time you find yourself between meetings downtown, take a break from the humdrum and pop in on Bruner and his merrymakers at the Museum Store. Browse. Peruse. Pick up a pastry, some prosecco and find a spot on the patio some sunny fall afternoon. We’ll see you there. •

A NEW ERA FOR OKLAHOMA’S MENTAL HEALTH

BY KATI HANNA

All her life, Commissioner Carrie Slatton-Hodges has had a heart for helping people in need. Slatton-Hodges and her team recently launched the 988 Mental Health Lifeline in our state, offering services for mental health crisis calls via a 24/7 hotline. She spoke with us about her personal journey, and the important effects launching the 988 Mental Health Lifeline will have on Oklahoma.

Tell me about your path to becoming the Commissioner for the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS).

I grew up in OKC from the age of 13 on. I’m a Putnam City North Panther. I moved to a farm in western Oklahoma — just east of Bessie on the Washita River — as a young adult, and completed my graduate work at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, while raising angora goats and alfalfa.

I started my work in mental health in a rural setting covering eight counties, and have provided, developed and supervised most any type of behavioral health program you can think of. I’ve always loved to build programs and budgets and collect data to analyze what works and what does not.

I think I was born a counselor by nature, and I was raised by very intelligent parents who also strongly believed in giving back to our community and to those less fortunate. One of the best gifts in life is to see someone go from being very ill to seeing them at their best. I’ve had a lot of that luxury in my life, and have seen it from a variety of vantage points during my professional career. I’ve held a variety of clinical and administrative positions,

both in the public and private sectors, ultimately leading me to the role of Commissioner. I have a very strong commitment to supporting the wellbeing of Oklahomans.

Your team recently launched the 988 Mental Health Lifeline; describe what that means for our state.

The launch of 988 is just the beginning of a complete transformation of how people access treatment, receive support and understand how to help a loved one in need. Having to remember only three digits (to call or text) when needing to talk with someone immediately who understands mental health issues and addiction challenges is a huge win for our state and the lives this will touch.

Early in my career, I spent a year conducting crisis evaluations from 5 p.m. until 8 a.m. in western Oklahoma, and the one thing I took from that experience is that mental health diseases do not discriminate. I’ve seen persons from every walk of life brought to their knees by anxiety, depression, addictions and psychosis. I’ve also witnessed many struggling individuals go on to live full and healthy lives with access to support for their mental health challenges.

What achievement are you most proud of at ODMHSAS?

There is so much we have accomplished over the years, so it’s hard to single out just one. I think some of the highlights from just this past year include transforming our crisis response system by distributing more than 22,000 iPads to community partners and clients, creating an alternative transportation

service to law enforcement for those in need of psychiatric care and helping to secure housing for 1,463 people who would have been homeless otherwise.

These are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what we do every day at ODMHSAS. At the end of the day, I am most proud of the staff that show up each and every day — they are highly committed to the mission of our organization.

What should we expect to see from ODMHSAS and the 988 Mental Health Lifeline in the future?

The crisis continuum behind 988 will only continue to improve as the years go on. You will see more layers of technology to make seamless transitions between service access, and stronger partnerships between treatment providers. We will see more people reach out before their situation becomes a crisis event — and that is a phenomenal shift in how we’ve typically responded as a field in years past.

What would you say is a key element to building programs and initiatives that make an impact?

Over the years, I have learned that there are so many people who care about issues of mental health and addiction, many through life experience or family experience, who are willing and able to partner to continue developing and growing the best services and support.

The most important aspect to building successful programs and moving initiatives forward is bringing in the subject matter experts and developing partnerships to collectively accomplish

what we know so many Oklahomans need us to do. Without including others in the development and really valuing the lived experience of others, we wouldn’t be as successful.

What is your favorite “life hack” — something that helps make life easier for you?

You know, I have found the greatest life hack for me is to rely more on my brain than on devices to make my life easier. While some might think the opposite is true for them, I’ve found that what makes life easier for me is to pause a moment longer and use my own brain.

With the experience you have now, what advice would you give to your younger self?

I would make sure to stress to my younger self that I need to worry less and have a better work/life balance. Family and friends should be as important as work, as they will not always be here. The balance of giving back to yourself though time with family and friends makes you better professionally.

What is one of your favorite life’s “luxieres”?

I love to lose myself in a good fiction novel. It’s a great escape. If I’m able to also add some decadent chocolates in the mix while submerged in a good book, it just increases the luxury of the moment. •

Kati Hanna is a partner with The Mettise Group, a consulting firm focused on growth-stage companies and leaders. The Mettise Group completes a holistic evaluation of organizations and leaders to quickly and efficiently deliver an operating system that focuses on opportunities, best practices and solutions.

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GLITTER, GLAM & GLOSS

Anticipation and achievement at New York Fashion Week

BY VITALINA NOVAK Fashion Stylist and Wardrobe Consultant

It’s one of the “Big Four” events in the industry, along with London, Paris and Milan—and this September, all eyes were on New York Fashion Week. Though some say the main trendsetter cities are Milan and Paris, I am convinced that the shows of American designers are always distinguished by fresh ideas and unique, exclusive styling. This year, Michael Kors, Tom Ford, Jason Wu, Proenza Schouler, Ulla Johnson, Carolina Herrera and Tory Burch were my personal favorites of the more than 100 brands featured at NYFW.

After analyzing all the shows, I believe designers are telling us that there’s no need to save glamorous looks only for special occasions. On the catwalks of Spring/Summer 2023 there were a lot of rhinestones, sequins, shining fringe and gold/silver fabrics that were nicely balanced with simple knitwear, solid coats and blazers for everyday looks.

In celebration of Fendi’s 25th anniversary of the iconic “Baguette” bag, which became famous thanks to the TV series “Sex and the City,” the brand held a special show. Famous “baguettes” were literally everywhere — on hats, gloves, belts, earrings, leggings, heels, overalls and in the form of pockets on anoraks. In addition, Fendi presented a collaboration with Tiffany & Co: a baguette bag in a classic size and Tiffany’s signature color. The cherry on the top was an appearance on the podium at the end of the show by Linda Evangelista, a supermodel who recently decided to return to modeling after a flawed cosmetic procedure. I think she looked fabulous in a bright turquoise cape (Tiffany’s signature color) complemented by white silk gloves, as well as the legendary Baguette bag.

In honor of Vogue’s 130th anniversary, the fashion magazine held “VOGUE World,” a legendary full-fledged fashion show with celebrity guests on the front rows and on the podium, wearing the latest fallwinter collections by Balenciaga, Valentino, Gucci, Dior, Michael Kors and Ralph Lauren. If you have time and desire, I highly recommend watching it for aesthetic pleasure and inspiration.

Having studied all the shows in detail, I would like to share with you five main fashion trends of the upcoming Spring/Summer Season 2023.

SEQUINS

Next year there will be no distinct separation between evening and daytime looks. Sequins continue to actively move into our everyday wardrobe, and hold the leading position among the main Spring/Summer 2023 trends. To reduce the degree of festivity and to make the outfit more relaxed and casual, I recommend simplifying the look by adding an oversized sweater, hoodie or a blazer (if you wear a sequin skirt) or jeans, denim skirt or trousers (if you wear a sequin top), and finish the look with flat shoes like loafers or sneakers.

If you like this trend, I advise you to explore Fendi’s Resort 2023 Collection and see how creative director Kim Jones deftly combined sequins with knitwear.

LACE

Spring/Summer 2023 will be very feminine and delicate. Proenza Schouler (that celebrated brand’s 20th anniversary) and Tory Burch were focused on femininity and used lace as a tool, incorporated into dresses, tops and flowy midi skirts. I really like the idea of wearing lace as a second layer underneath the mini skirt or mini dress, as Tory Burch demonstrated in her collection.

METALLIC FABRICS

In Fall-Winter 2022/23, designers covered shoes and accessories with silver and gold; now we can see this trend spreading into corsets, tops, trench coats, suits and dresses. Gabriela Hearst, Bevza, Altuzarra, Tom Ford, Michael Kors, Tory Burch and many other brands offered us ways to “shine bright like a diamond.”

FRINGE

Another long-lasting trend that has stayed with us several seasons in a row, dynamic bohemian fringe on clothes and accessories was detected in many collections. In my opinion, Michael Kors’ and Jack McCollough with Lazaro Hernandez from Proenza Schouler’s “fringe looks” were the most spectacular.

TROUSER SUITS

My personal favorite trend. I am a huge fan of trouser suits! In Spring-Summer 2023, trouser suits were decorated with bright prints and vibrant colors. This time, designers experimented with the cut of jackets, making an asymmetrical hem, accentuating the waist and adding low-rise trousers. They also showed a variety of options for fans of oversized garments.

As to the trending colors of Spring/Summer 2023, there will be a space for both lovers of neutrals and fans of bright colors. If you are in line with the color trends, then note that the main hues will be orange, purple, yellow, red, pink and blue.

If you like bright colors but aren’t sure how to incorporate them into your everyday looks, I recommend you start by injecting bright accent colors in the form of accessories, such as scarves, jewelry, bags or shoes, or as a print in clothes. Also, consider starting with the blues. Navy blue is a great alternative to black, and once you get more comfortable with it, you can try other shades like cobalt, sapphire or royal blue. It’s all about baby steps and feeling comfortable.

I personally am a big fan of vibrant colors, and I think that color brings more personality to your outfit. •

TORY BURCH

TOM FORD

MICHAEL KORS

A CATALYST FOR CONTEMPLATION

BY VALENTINA GUTIÉRREZ

Rick Brunner was introduced to woodworking by his father, to art by his mother and to the fascination with nature that would fuel his combination of those interests by his childhood wandering the woods and fields outside his native New Orleans. His sculpture and furniture have been exhibited in museums and galleries across the country — including Oklahoma

City’s Howell Gallery — for the past 35 years. In our conversation, Brunner spoke about his creative process and inspirations, his preferred materials, the meaning of art and more.

When and how did your interest in art begin?

I was born and grew up on the outskirts of New Orleans, spending much of my time in the undeveloped woods and fields building “Tarzan” hangouts and “Cowboy and Indian” hideouts — certainly not realizing it then, but absorbing all of the incredible shapes and forms that nature had created. Both of my parents were “tinkerers.” My first formal art class was not until college, [and] at that point my entire life’s vision changed dramatically. I felt excited and secure in the knowledge that art could actually be a career.

Tell us about the creative process — what is the part that you enjoy the most?

The creative process is both fun and fickle. There is nothing more satisfying than allowing whatever powers that be use me as a conduit in order to bring something that begins as only a vision to fruition. As long as I realize that I am only the vehicle for the manifestation and relax and allow it to take its course, all is well. The fickle part comes in when ego enters the scene and I actually think I am in charge of what is going to happen. At that point, it becomes a battle. It is very difficult as an adult to remain as open and forgiving as a child. But that is when the magic happens.

Your work is a beautiful marriage of functionality and art. How has it evolved throughout the years? Where do you see it going?

When I go back to my early formative years, even then I admired quality craftsmanship. My early teachers expected it — even demanded it. However, the learning of woodworking techniques came only through self-experimentation, trial and error. Finally, now, much of it comes as second nature. Once a full vocabulary of full techniques is learned, it opens many doors. My work has probably gotten more technically complex, but only as needed to accomplish the task and manifest the idea.

Tell us about the materials you use. What is your favorite wood, and what is special about it?

In concept, most pieces start out somewhat ambiguous, with only a vague idea of the final form. As the process evolves, the piece — I hope — develops its own personality. I predominantly use hardwoods in my sculpture, but also incorporate other materials such as metal, leather and fiber. Walnut, mahogany, ebony and cherry all offer their own contribution through unique color, texture and grain pattern.

I think cherry may be my favorite wood to work with. It is a very strong, feminine wood with a beautiful aroma when worked. Most of the cherry slabs I have been working with were harvested on my property only after storm blow-downs. I usually begin with a single piece of wood that somehow spurs my imagination. The excitement about the material is that every single piece has its own intrinsic qualities. I proceed in much the same way as a chef does with food and spices, or maybe a songwriter does with song and melody. The challenge is to assemble the right grouping, hoping to let the magic develop out of the composition. Sometimes there’s a struggle to balance; other times the inspiration comes like a flood.

“Navigation’’

What is your favorite piece you ever created, and what has been the most challenging one?

It is very difficult to say which piece is my favorite. Certainly, one would be the first piece I executed years ago, because the joy it created in me was untouchable in that it blew my world wide open. Another would be the last piece I created, as it must be the culmination of who I am now. My work is in five different museum collections across the country as well as in numerous corporate and private collections. I suppose I love all of my “children” — even the ones who challenged me the most.

Tell us about your next project.

As I proceed from here, even after 45 years, I remain excited about going to my studio. I don’t have a real blueprint of the next series, but I enjoy the beginning phase of development in that it offers a wide open arena to work in, where anything can happen. I can only hope that as the next piece is finished, it finds the proper admirer who receives as much joy and excitement from it as I do. I hope, like all successful art, it becomes a catalyst for contemplation.

What does art mean to you?

I live on 140 wooded acres and still enjoy being that little boy completely enamored with discovering all of the magical forms in nature. As far as the meaning of art … I hope the viewer’s imagination runs as wild as mine as they encounter my work. •

“Brella’’

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DR. KAYSE SHRUM

BY CHRISTINE EDDINGTON

D

r. Kayse Shrum became the first female president of Oklahoma State University on July 1, 2021. She is, frankly, fascinating: She’s a compassionate leader, an impressive fundraiser, a tireless champion and role model for young people and someone whose small-town Oklahoma roots run deep. Growing up in Coweta, near Tulsa, Shrum and her sister heard from their parents that if they worked hard enough, they could do anything. That’s the message she and husband Darren share with their six children, and it’s what she wants every Cowgirl and Cowboy now under her charge to take to heart.

In an interview with State Magazine, Shrum’s father Dennis Donnelly shared a story of his daughter’s tenacity and work ethic. As an eighth-grader, Shrum played catcher on her softball team. At a tournament, she saw a pitcher receive an individual trophy, and asked her dad why the pitcher got her own award. “I said, ‘Well, because that’s a skill position,’” Donnelly said. “And when I came home, she was throwing a ball against the wall. For two or three days, she kept throwing the ball against the wall. So I thought, well, you know, I’ll get her some lessons. And then she started throwing the ball in the garage, and she was throwing the ball through the garage, into the den and then through the windows.” She pitched a perfect game in high school, and earned herself interest from Big 12 Conference schools, but Shrum, a small-town girl at heart, opted for Connors State College in Warner instead.

Shrum’s sister, Patti Plunk, shared a similar story of early foreshadowing with State . As a young girl, Plunk would walk

into Shrum’s room to find her sister holding meetings with her stuffed animals. They’d each have a sheet of paper and a crayon in front of them. “I would open her door and she would say, ‘Get out, we’re in a meeting,’” Plunk said. “That’s one of my best memories … Now she’s in meetings all the time.”

So perhaps it comes as no surprise that Dr. Shrum is now also President Shrum. Says she of her achievement, “I don’t miss the significance of how historic it is and what it means to people. I’ve heard from countless students and future Cowgirls this year who have shared their excitement and well-wishes. And honestly, it’s important for young people to see women in these kinds of roles. I hope my story encourages young women to pursue their dreams and a life without limits. If they want to do it, they can. I’ll be cheering them on.”

Naturally, this is not the only barrier Shrum has shattered. She’d served as president of OSU’s Center for Health Sciences (OSU-CHS) since 2013, and her selection at the time made her the youngest and first female president and dean of a medical school in the state of Oklahoma. Shrum trained and served rural Oklahoma as a pediatrician before beginning her academic work at OSU-CHS when Burns Hargis — who preceded her as OSU President — appointed her to lead the medical school.

Under Dr. Shrum’s leadership, OSU Center for Health Sciences experienced unprecedented growth. Student enrollment doubled, and the center established new academic programs designed to meet the health care workforce needs of Oklahoma. She led the construction of the A.R. and Marylouise Tandy Medical

Academic Building, a state-of-the-art learning facility housing Oklahoma’s largest and most technologically advanced hospital simulation center.

Her fundraising accomplishments included securing a significant investment from Purdue Pharma for $197.5 million in 2019, to create the National Center for Wellness and Recovery for addiction treatment and research to address the national opioid addiction epidemic. Shrum, a strong supporter of collaborative partnerships, worked with former Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Bill John Baker and his administration to establish the nation’s first tribally affiliated medical school, the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation, which opened in 2020.

In 2019, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt appointed Shrum to his cabinet as Oklahoma’s first Secretary of Science and Innovation. She played a critical part in the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic: Her innovative leadership approach and medical expertise helped secure much-needed PPE supplies and led to the formation of Oklahoma’s largest COVID diagnostics lab on OSU’s Stillwater campus.

After a little more than a year in her newest role, Shrum is excited. “In November 2021, I announced the launch of a strategy process. That’s nearly complete and will go to the Board of Regents soon. It’s been an intense time of listening and charting a course to become the premier land-grant university in the United States. We’ve also just celebrated record freshman enrollment. It’s a clear and rewarding sign of the strength of Oklahoma State University, its research, its world-class faculty and the culture built on the tenets of the Cowboy Code.”

When asked what her best advice would be for incoming students, President Shrum focused on the importance of a person’s outlook. “When I became interim dean of the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine, I went in full of ideas of how to make things better,” she says. “But [as] with any organization going through changes, there was resistance, setbacks and obstacles. I would come home every night and my husband Darren would ask me about my day, and I would tell him about all the problems I encountered. I decided one day that my mindset wasn’t helpful. But I knew Darren would ask, [so] I decided instead to tell him about all the opportunities. That is one thing I would like all incoming college students to know: There will be obstacles. There will be times when things don’t go the way they want, but in every obstacle and setback there is opportunity. That little bit of reframing makes all the difference.”

Her unflagging driving mission, just like her work ethic, is rooted in her Coweta days. “The first time I ever visited Oklahoma State was for a softball camp when I was 13. It was quite the experience for a girl from Coweta. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that I would someday be president of the OSU system. But what I’ve discovered is that in many ways, that’s exactly what Oklahoma State University was created to do. Everyone has opportunity and possibility — even those from the smallest towns — if they’re willing to work hard.” •

Honesty. Integrity. Loyalty.

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Gregory Henderson, left, and Joseph Massa are the creative mad geniuses behind the Roxbury Experience.

THE ROXBURY EXPERIENCE

Total fantasy immersion in the Catskills

BY CHRISTINE EDDINGTON

The story of The Roxbury Experience has it all: small-town beginnings, a stint in the Big Apple, finding true love, moving out of the big city to follow a dream, a fire, an epiphany in the desert — and then, finally, a magical place filled with fantasy, gold leaf, glitter and shimmer. Oh, and a success story as unique and creative as our protagonists, Gregory Henderson and Joseph Massa.

Husbands Henderson and Massa are the masterminds behind two of the mosttalked-about, internationally celebrated and Instagrammable properties in the world, The Roxbury Motel and The Roxbury at Stratton Falls. Tucked into a sweet pocket in New York’s lush Catskill Mountains, the properties are two miles apart and guests of either are encouraged to indulge in the amenities of both, which include spas, pools and the restorative nature of, well, nature. Conde Nast Traveler raves about it. “CBS Sunday Morning” recently aired a feature on it. New York Magazine was an early fan.

The two properties are collectively referred to as The Roxbury Experience, an understated name for sites that are anything but. The spaces they’ve created are immersive, joyful, fantastical and exuberant. The level of detail is impeccable, and it simply has to be. Their vision absolutely would not work without artisan-level craftsmanship and a keen eye on every detail.

SMALL-TOWN BEGINNINGS

Henderson grew up in Duncan, Oklahoma, where his mother lived (though she’s now in Edmond), and spent quite a bit of time in Oklahoma City, where his father and stepmother are based. Oklahoma is home for him, but as a young man he left the minute he could. Because he was different.

“I knew I had to get out,” he says. His family, multiple generations, attended the University of Oklahoma and were deeply entrenched in the university’s Greek system. It was considered a given that Henderson would follow suit. “You know what,” he says, “I was petrified, petrified of being in the fraternity. If I followed family tradition and went to OU, it would be expected of me. And I knew that I was different, but I actually didn't come out until I was 26.”

His father, a stereotype-eschewing man who values education, took him on a trip to visit some East Coast colleges, and though Henderson had excellent grades he wasn’t sure he’d get in. “Georgetown accepted me, and to this day, one of the scariest moments of my life was waving goodbye to my mom.” He was on his path.

At Georgetown he majored in international finance, but his secret dream was to be an actor. He remembers, “It's something that I had wanted since my earliest memory, but I was afraid to tell my family. It kind of coincided with being gay in many ways. I was miserable by the end of Georgetown — not with the school, but with what I was studying. So I spent my senior year auditioning for acting programs in New York City, and got waitlisted at Juilliard and got accepted into the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.” He told his father. “I was so scared to tell my father, you know, they’d just spent all this money on my education, and I wanted to go to acting school. And he was great about it! So I went to the American Academy, a twoyear program.”

THE BIG APPLE AND TRUE LOVE

Henderson graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in May of 1988. And then: “I got cast in an offBroadway play in October of 1988. And who was in that play? Joseph. My husband.” The play was “Reaching Out,” directed by the son of actor Olympia Dukakis, also the nephew of politician Michael Dukakis. But we digress. Our hero had found his leading man, but they would remain merely friends at first.

Massa, whom Henderson lovingly describes as a true artist, had grown up in New Hampshire and held a degree in theater, and in a tale as old as time, had moved to New York City with a bus ticket and a few dollars in his pocket, initially living at the YMCA. After saving enough to move in with a friend, like many working actors, Massa started looking for a day job, and was advised to try construction because it paid well. His first construction job (building cabinetry in New Jersey) led to a job in scenic construction. “He did that for many years, while also acting and directing and producing.” Massa was even a set builder for “Saturday Night Live” in the mid- and late ’80s. “He's brilliant,” Henderson says, “And modest about it.”

The pair worked together again in 1990. “We did another play; he actually wrote it. And it was off-Broadway on 42nd Street. And that's when we became a couple. We were in theater all through the ’90s. Toward the end of my theatrical career, I was doing a one-man show that he directed and produced. We literally went from city to city, not knowing where our next meal was coming from, with our set and our costumes and the props and everything in our Nissan station wagon.” The oneman show was slated to be turned into a huge production. “We had several producers and investors, but one producer wound up being a nightmare.” The couple decided they couldn’t work with him — and with that, the curtain came down on Henderson’s acting career.

Luckily, he had that fallback degree, the one in international finance. He took a job. “It was with Moody's Investors Service, which is a big, big bond rating agency. Within a year and a half, I became a vice president. It was kind of a crazy time. And that enabled us to buy the cabin I’m sitting in right now, in the Catskills, as a little weekend getaway.” After Moody’s, he moved to a commodity derivatives risk-management firm. “I was just miserable,” he says. “Joe moved up to the Catskills and started selling real estate and I stayed in the city and was still working. We were toying around with what to do. Then 9/11 happened, and that was the final straw like it was for so many people.”

ESCAPING THE URBAN JUNGLE, THE FIRE AND THE RESULTING DESERT EPIPHANY

Enter Eric Wedemeyer, real estate agent and agent of change. Massa had been working for Wedemeyer’s real estate company. “He's been kind of like a mentor,” Henderson says. “He was like, ‘You know, there's this property in Roxbury, New York…’” It was a 10-unit motel but hadn’t functioned as a motel since the late ’70s; it was being used for transient housing. “He told us that the area desperately needed more lodging, so maybe we should look at that.” Wedemeyer’s advice was: “Just make it lodging. I know you guys. Don’t go crazy with it.”

Famous last words.

The Mansion at Stratton Falls

The Tower Cottages at Stratton Falls

TOP: Perhaps the mostrequested room at either property: The Shagadelic at the Motel location

BOTTOM: The Wizard's Emeralds room at the Motel location

The Faerie Forest at Stratton Falls, AKA Room

The Roxbury Motel opened in 2004. Its vibe was mid-century modern at that point. They were paying tribute, Henderson said, to the era of the classic 1950s family road trip, before Norman Bates ruined motels for everyone.

“We did one room which we thought, at the time, was over the top,” says Henderson. “It was like an experiment, and we thought it was just going to be too much for people. We called it the Austin Powers Suite. It was the only suite that had a separate bedroom and little kitchen, still does. It's now called the Shagadellic. And from day one, that's what everybody wanted.” Then, New York Magazine ran a blurb with a photo about the Austin Powers suite, which put The Roxbury Motel on the map. Bookings were growing. Its reputation grew, too.

Before long, they’d optioned a piece of land in another village with plans to franchise. “And we're talking to Hilton and Marriott … Choice Hotels, it's called.” The couple took a risk, put a second mortgage on their house and spent money on architectural plans. “But we had this nagging feeling in our gut that it was a mistake.” The behemoth corporation began doing what behemoths do: dictating design directions and forcing compromises for a potentially very lucrative lodging franchise.

Then two things happened. First, a home that the couple owned and was renting to vacationers (ahead of the Airbnb curve), beautifully furnished with Henderson’s grandparents’ furnishings, burned to the ground. “We were awakened one morning, and both of us had the same thought. We both felt like we were in New York City, because we were awakened by all the sirens. And we were like, ‘Wait a minute, we're on our mountain. Why are there sirens?’”

Their windows were glowing from the inferno. The house was worse than a total loss.

“So it was one of those life-changing moments. And we were scheduled to go on the first vacation we had had in two years in

two weeks.” Everyone told them just go, just go. “We also found out that because it was a second residence, it wasn't insured for replacement value and we actually wound up owing $100,000, which we didn't have then. So that's a long-winded way of saying it was if it was a screenplay, you know, that was the cathartic moment.”

They took their trip, a tour of the American Southwest, hearts broken. Henderson says, “I was driving between the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas … Joseph got very sick and wound up in the hospital for two days on our vacation, because he got pneumonia.” Massa had worked tirelessly in the smoldering rubble, trying to find things he could save. “He was in the passenger seat next to me, I was driving and I had this moment where I was like, ‘We can't build a Marriott.’”

In a made-for-Hollywood moment, they scrapped the big corporate deal, stayed true to themselves and forged their own sparkling, magnificent path. And hallelujah for that.

The Roxbury Motel got a big glow-up and an expansion, with reimagined décor in increasingly elaborate themes based on classic television shows from the 1960s. Think “I Dream of Jeannie,” “The Flintstones,” “The Partridge Family” and the like. Even more elaborately themed mansion rooms and tower cottages with 30foot ceilings are available at the Roxbury at Stratton Falls, which launched just as the COVID-19 pandemic began.

What seemed like a huge setback, maybe even the beginning of the end, turned out to be a period of concentrated creative time that allowed Henderson and Massa to pour themselves into every detail of the Stratton Falls location. The results are stunning.

They’re total fantasy immersion, as the couple likes to say. Each room or suite is a living work of art, almost too elaborate to describe, but Henderson sums it up: “Imagine if Alice in Wonderland married Willy Wonka and set up residence in Oz. That’s what we want the Roxbury Experience to be.”

Chihuly Studio Glass and Fine Art

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MEMBER

CRUISING MEMORY LANE

Javier Leclerc’s restoration work yields an automotive blast from the past

BY MICHAEL KINNEY PHOTOGRAPHY BY TAYLOR DEWITT

Javier Leclerc remembers vividly the old 1971 Chevelle Wagon his family had when he was a kid. With closer similarities to a tank than a Corvette, it was not something most would have called a work of art. But there was one aspect of the green and brown station wagon that Leclerc remembers fondly.

“Those cars came with what they called a jump seat, which is at the very rear and faced backward,” Leclerc says. “I remember for a long time, probably when I was between the ages of five and 10, that’s what my mom drove every day. And that’s what we rode in. And my brother and I used to sit on the very back facing back — because we knew that if we got into a fight, my mom couldn’t get to us.”

As Leclerc got older and his career in auto restoration blossomed, thoughts of the station wagon would arise. While it didn’t get any prettier, the memories he had in it did.  So a year ago, when Leclerc had the opportunity to get his hands on a similar 1971 Chevelle station wagon, he knew what he had to do.

“I had such a great memory about it, and I like to build stuff that that is different,” he says. “And I always wanted a family-driven car that you could do everything with; that could go fast. It has 1,100 horsepower and it’s comfortable enough to take on a road trip and my wife can drive it. It’s so unique and different. So that when I saw that it was for sale, I bought it.”

Recently, Leclerc drove the newly rebuilt station wagon down to Dallas and entered it into one of the biggest car

events in the region, the inaugural Holley LS Fest Texas at the Texas Motor Speedway. To his surprise, he not only came away with the prize for Best Muscle Car (1964-74) but also took home the Best of Show. This means he had the top automobile at the prestigious event.

“I was surprised because there were a lot more cars,” Leclerc says. “The level of overall quality was a lot higher. I was surprised about both. But because it’s a wagon and nobody sees wagons and nobody wants to build a wagon of this kind or put that much work into a wagon — it’s rare. So, I knew it drew a lot of attention. I knew that based on the attention that maybe I got some votes.”

When Leclerc originally bought the station wagon, he didn’t have set intentions to enter it into any contests. That’s not why he restores vehicles to their former glory. But the opportunity seemed like a perfect chance to display a unique vehicle that was also a significant part of his childhood.

“My wagon, it’s built to be on the road course. But because I just got it done not too long ago, I hadn’t had a chance to set it up,” Leclerc says. “So I wanted to, No. 1, test it. So, I took it on a road trip to Dallas, three hours down and three hours up, and it didn’t miss a lick with AC and everything. And I just decided to enter the car show.”

Leclerc bought the station wagon in early 2021 from the editor of a nationally known car magazine. At the time, he was told the car was 90 percent completed and he would just need to put the finishing touches on it.  It seemed like the perfect job for him; even though he

calls himself retired, he continually has several different projects he is working on for his business (D.I. Motorwerkz) or his own personal collection. But when Leclerc got his hands on the station wagon, he saw that it was not going to be a quick fix like he had hoped.

“I ended up having to take the whole thing apart and redoing almost everything, including the engine, because he had too many people working on it that didn’t know what they were doing,” Leclerc says.

It took him more than a year to get the car to the point that he felt comfortable enough to enter it in the LS Fest. While he originally didn’t want to put that much work into the project, in the end, he was glad that he did. It wasn’t somebody else’s work that claimed the Best in Show title; he and his crew put in the work, which made it more satisfying.

“It’s better because now I know the vehicle 100 percent inside and out,” Leclerc says. “It leads you to believe that harder work pays off. It’s not really somebody else’s car except for like that 10 percent. But having to go back 80 percent and then finish it — it’s more my car than whoever sold it to me.”

Leclerc said winning the titles and trophies at the LS Fest really doesn’t mean too much to him. After all, he has a room full of hardware from his years of entering contests. But what did make him feel good was when his parents came down to visit and saw the ’71 Chevelle after it had been fully restored.

“They love it. They saw it a few times when [it was] dusty because I was working on it, but with it running and the way it’s put together, Dad was really impressed,” Leclerc said. “I didn’t have time this time around to take my mom and dad for a ride. But [they] now know that I have it and they come here quite a bit. It’s going to happen eventually.” •

Leclerc’s 1971 Chevelle station wagon at Texas Motor Speedway

TUNNELL VISION

Building Culture’s Austin Tunnell considers construction, community

BY STEVE GILL

Something has to be across the street from the Louvre. You can’t have an entire town of nothing but Fallingwaters and Taliesin Houses or they’d lose their impact. And a building can be genuinely admirable as a work of craft without also having to be a work of capital-a Art. But while not every project can be, or should aspire to be, an unparalleled, inimitable icon of design, the opposite extreme — spaces with meager inspiration, with little care in construction, with paltry ambition (beyond, perhaps, size) — is disappointingly common, even at higher price points where bigger does not necessarily mean better construction.

How does a builder strike the balance between creative aspiration and functional utility? Austin Tunnell, founder and principal of OKC firm Building Culture, draws inspiration from the examples of the past, with a focus on long-lasting durability.

“We’re a small design/build company that is focused on building things that can last centuries rather than decades,” says Tunnell. Contemporary Americans, he says, “kind of live in a disposable culture, and our building culture reflects that; our buildings today are meant to last 30-75 years. We’re looking to build on the architectural innovation of centuries called structural masonry. All the oldest buildings in the world are built of some form of structural masonry, whether it’s the Pyramids, or the Pantheon, all of Europe that was rebuilt during the Renaissance — they rebuilt it out of structural masonry. There are buildings still standing today that have centuries more left in them. And so we’re taking that concept: Let’s blend the best of old and new to come up with beautiful, lasting, durable architecture that enriches everything around it.”

Basically, that means solid, load-bearing walls — very few two-by-fours and no wooden frames like you typically see in houses under construction, quite a lot of bricks. Like, a lot of bricks.

“In one of our Wheeler builds that’s a 2,000-square-foot house, there are 90,000 bricks in it. The walls are 16 inches thick,” he says.

Talk to Tunnell for any length of time and you’re likely to hear the term “vernacular,” and not referring to linguistics. He explains, “In the traditional sense, vernacular was just the local architecture of the place. If you lived in a place with lots of trees, you would build out of wood; if there was lots of rain because you lived in the tropics, you would have big eaves to keep the rain off, versus the adobe in New Mexico. So really buildings tailored to the environment. Also, it kind of has a humble nature to it. These aren’t the civic buildings, or the biggest, grandest, greatest buildings, just … the normal stuff that people are building that accomplishes what they need it to accomplish. That’s kinda what we’re talking about; we’re not just trying to build great big civic buildings — although that would be very fun. Landmarks are great, but the way we think about it is most of the greatest cities and towns and neighborhoods in the world, they’re built 99% just common vernacular and 1% punctuation, the cathedrals and the libraries and the civic buildings. Really, cities are mosaics, and 99% of them are simple but beautiful pieces that fit together, and together those buildings make a larger impact than just an individual building by itself.”

Deliberately focusing on projects that are less likely to make a name for yourself might be an unusual approach, but Tunnell had an unconventional path to this vocation — in fact, he started his career as a CPA, but that quickly grew stale. After a year and a half, he joined the Peace Corps — “trying to kind of find meaning in life,” he puts it – and while in Panama, he met a master mason who introduced him to the tenets of urbanism: “this idea that how we build shapes how we live.” After a childhood in the suburbs of Houston, where reaching any destination outside the house was time-consuming if not practically impossible without a parent to drive him, the concept of a denser, more accessible environment really struck a chord.

“That is my life’s mission, I feel,” he says. “And it’s not that the suburbs shouldn’t exist, there should absolutely be suburbs, it’s just that you can’t have the majority be

The Moongate (left) has become an iconic feature in Building Culture’s pocket neighborhood project in Carlton Landing, the Bend—acting as a gateway to the courtyard beyond, where you’ll find a shared communal space for families and neighbors to gather and celebrate life together.

OPPOSITE:

A concept designed for a potential project in downtown Edmond, where the individual buildings, like a mosaic, create something far more than just the individual pieces.

LEFT: Frederick Hollow in Carlton Landing features a 60’ masonry tower with a 4th story balcony looking out over Lake Eufaula.

suburbs. It’s not the way to house the majority of people. And really all our suburbs are highly subsidized by taxpayers for infrastructure and all that — miles of highway and sewer line — and per capita, it’s so ghastly higher in suburbia than it is in relatively dense but comfortable urbanism. And it’s just an unsustainable practice on so many levels; whether it’s the health level, or climate change, or ecology, or economics, or community.”

The urbanist mindset should have some appeal in Oklahoma City, a metropolis that, to put it delicately, is not unfamiliar with the concept of suburban sprawl. After getting itself established and refining its practices by adding housing to the Lake Eufaula-adjacent planned community of Carlton Landing, Building Culture has begun building in the Wheeler District just south of Interstate 40, as well as some custom homes around the city. Tunnell also speaks highly of the work underway in Selah, a new urbanist development just south of Norman to which his firm is contributing some of the infrastructure. “It’s exciting to be in Oklahoma City. There’s a lot of energy here. My wife and I really enjoy it.”

While structural masonry is a time-tested concept, its comparative rareness in contemporary architecture has meant a little more difficulty for Tunnell and his team in explaining their concepts and sourcing their materials.

“We design everything,” he says. “So far, all of the buildings we’ve done I’ve designed myself, and then we build it ourselves and we do the interior design ourselves. It’s really intense, like writing a book; it happens over time and is a really intimate process. But my hope in the longer run is to move into development; once I get my design/build company really up and strong and have a really great sub base and have gotten all my materials and all that, to really move into infill development and building within our own development, rather than doing one house here and one house there. So that way we’re really creating places around our buildings — not just the buildings themselves, but the space between the buildings.”

Tunnell is looking forward to making a lasting contribution to life, and the quality of life, in and around OKC. He’s just going to need a few more bricks. •

YOUR FUTURE IS CALLING.

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road

Strategies,

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ON HER TOES

Jo Lynne Jones and the OKC Ballet

BY CHRISTINE EDDINGTON

When Oklahoma City Ballet’s John Kirkpatrick

Executive Director Jo Jones takes visitors on a tour through the Susan E. Brackett Dance Center, it is with the delicious glee of a little kid showing you her super-cool secret hideout. No doubt she’s led hundreds of tours through the space, but you wouldn’t know it. “I just love it. I mean, it’s literally a dream come true, getting to work here,” she says, in between pointing out various rehearsal spaces in the massive, hangar-shaped building on N. Classen.

Prior to joining OKC Ballet, Jones’ career was focused largely in two areas, television news and direct-service nonprofit. There was a dab of retail shopkeeping in the middle, followed by nearly 17 years at Infant Crisis Services, where she was the director of development and communications. Viewers may remember Jones from her years at the news desks of local CBS and PBS affiliates: She was OETA’s evening anchor and the morning anchor for KWTV. Toward the end of her television career, she opened a children’s clothing shop, The Bean Stalk, on N. Western Ave.

Jones had kept weekend shifts at KWTV to help with cash flow while The Bean Stalk took root. One day she did a story on a fledgling nonprofit run by its founder (and current executive director) Miki Farris. Jones began volunteering for Farris, and a couple of years later after shuttering her shop and spending a summer staying home with her son, Jones reached out to Farris for help finding a public relations gig. And just like that, Jones had a job that would one day lead her back to the barre.

Back, you say? Indeed. Turns out, Jones dreamed of becoming a ballerina as a girl and took years of dance classes. “I took ballet and contemporary from about first grade through my senior year of high school; I took them from Betty Stockard School of Dance on May Ave.,” she says. “I was terrible at ballet. Terrible. So once I realized that ballet was not my in future as a dancer, I was going to have my own dance school. That was my next dream.”

Four and a half years into the OKC Ballet job, Jones allows that it hasn’t exactly been all curtain calls and catching bouquets of roses. “It was like two fabulous years and two terrible years. I had landed here in my dream job and felt like I was making a real difference in helping

the organization move forward. And we were doing all the right things for two years: We finished the remodel on this building and got the administrative staff moved in and so we were all under one roof. We were making all these strides in moving this organization forward, and we were putting on the first-ever production in this building, called ‘Future Voices.’”

Dear reader, no doubt you know precisely where this is going. She continues, “And we were going to do a fiveshow run over a weekend in March when the pandemic hit. We opened on Thursday night, and we closed the production on Friday. We got to do one show.”

Suffice it to say that the next two years were tough. Jones recounts tales of working from home, patching together grants like the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant, CARES Act employee retention program, PPP funds and anything else she could find to keep the dancers in pointe shoes and her team employed. The Ballet’s donors and patrons were incredible, Jones said. Every single person said to keep their ticket money to try to help. Still, those days were among the hardest in Jones’ career.

Her husband, Tom Mullen, would come into her office in the evenings and lure her away from the computer with wine and barbecue potato chips, telling her she’d done enough for the day. The team took furlough time — some a week, some, like her, a month — and as hard as it was, Jones said it was also galvanizing. OKC Ballet paid its staff for the furlough as soon as it was feasible, and now things are back on an uptick. She and her team are thrilled.

These days, Jones’ job is, as she puts it, about “everything except the ballet.” She oversees the business end of the nonprofit while acting artistic director Ryan Jolicoeur-Nye takes care of the creative side of things.

OKC Ballet’s 2022-23 season is an exciting mix of the familiar and the new. The production of Val Caniparoli’s Lady of the Camellias will be staged Oct. 21-23 at the Civic Center Music Hall. As OKC Ballet describes it: “a powerful tale of forbidden love between a wealthy Parisian courtesan and a provincial bourgeois gentleman, Lady of the Camellias is a deeply romantic and tragic story of selfsacrifice and class divides.” Not tantalizing enough? This ballet also includes “mature themes.” See you there. •

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DEUS EX MACHINA

The Vayanne turns heads at the New York International Auto Show

BY MICHAEL KINNEY

After two years on the shelf, the New York International Auto Show found itself back in the limelight in 2022.

For 11 days in April, automakers from around the world were in New York City showcasing the next big thing coming out of their factories in the coming months and years. Despite all the major names in attendance, it was an unknown upstart from Austria that stood out from the rest. With its sleek curves, futuristic body and next-level technology, the DEUS-Vayanne didn’t come to New York to just take part. It came to take over.

In an exclusive interview, Adrian-Filip Butuca, founder and head of design for DEUS, said that even though his company is just a startup, he wanted to aim for the top of the mountain when he decided to build an all-electric luxury hypercar.

“The hypercar is the pinnacle of automotive design, technology and performance,” Butuca says. “If you try something new, I think you should aim at the top.”

DEUS Automobiles didn’t open its doors until 2020, and the Vayanne is the company’s inaugural model. Its designers didn’t want it to just be another automobile in the ever-expanding EV market; Butuca and his colleagues wanted to do something completely different that would ensure it stood out from the pack.

To create such a vehicle, DEUS joined forces with some of the top companies in their respective fields. That includes auto designer Giorgetto Giugiaro’s firm Italdesign and Formula 1’s Williams Advanced Engineering. Each Vayanne will be built in Italdesign’s facilities in Turin, Italy, with Williams Advanced Engineering on board to lead the application of its electrification technologies.

The collaboration of three brands gave each company the space to focus on what it does best, but also create the synergy needed to bring it all into one automobile that they hope will be the standard-bearer for luxury hypercars.

“It’s not only the hypercar market that is set to increase,” says Dyrr Ardash, head of strategic partnerships, Williams Advanced Engineering, “but in general luxury and premium products are going to be in demand as well. I think having something unique in the marketplace is really positive.”

Almost everything about the Vayanne could be considered leveling up. That is especially true when it comes to the force it commands: According to officials, it has a top speed of 248 mph, making it comparable to the electric Rimac Nevera C Two, which tops out at 258.

With 2,243 horsepower, the Vayanne’s electric motor can get the 4,078-pound hypercar from 0 to 62 mph in 1.99 seconds. It dwarfs gas-powered models such as the Ferrari SF90 Stradale, the McLaren Speedtail, the Porsche 918 Spyder and the Lamborghini Aventador in terms of horsepower.

The Vayanne is also expected to be able to go 310 miles on a single charge from its lithium-ion battery. And speaking of speed,

the ability to reach 80 percent of a full charge on its 85 kWh battery in just 20 minutes sets it apart from even some of the best mass-produced EVs.

While the electric power of the Vayanne is overwhelming, the look and design have a more seductive quality. From the shape of infinity loop grilles that evoke angel wings to the natural leather interior or even its dashboard’s Halo Infinity Mirror, it’s a car that’s meant to feel luxurious.

“At DEUS, design is not merely about the looks, it is an integrated concept that reflects the marque’s main credo: to effortlessly combine exquisite design and functionality with cutting-edge technology in the EV hypercar segment,” says Butuca. “To showcase this harmony, we chose to stylize the Vayanne around the idea of symmetry and geometric alignment of its lines and design features.”

Owners won’t have to worry about seeing a duplicate of their car. A total of only 99 of this model will be produced, and no two Vayannes will look exactly the same. Clients will have the opportunity to customize the color, trim and optional equipment to keep their rides different from all others.

The first editions of the Vayanne are due to roll out to customers in 2025. Officials haven’t announced the cost, but the price tag is expected to top $2 million for the limited series.

After its debut in New York, DEUS toured Europe with stops in Italy, France and Germany. Even though the Vayanne is still a few years away from hitting the road, Butuca felt it was important to get their car out into the consumer consciousness now.

“It was very important for us to bring it out this year to show our commitment to the project and introduce the brand and its story to the people, the market and the car community,” Butuca says. “In this time frame through 2025, we will use it for customization activities and prototyping. It’s not dead time. We are working very hard to ensure that time frame is well put to work.”

Listed by Joy Baresel

Engel & Völkers

Jennifer Kragh and her team specialize in listings. Her secret weapon lies in her keen ability to tell each property’s story beautifully, with impeccable staging, engaging images and writing, along with a customized marketing strategy for every client and every property.

Sotheby’s International Realty brings power and reach greater than any other Real Estate company in the world with more than $204 billion in annual global sales. The company’s unmatched reputation gives your listing the best-in-class exposure it deserves, and it assures buyers they are working with experts they can trust no matter where they are in the world.

When you’re ready to sell, Jennifer Kragh Group will bring your property the attention it deserves.

©

Record-breaking sale at The Commons

1545 S Timber Rd PENDING

OFFICE

designated as a Private Office advisor holds significant merit as

reserved for an exclusive group of Engel & Völkers advisors who display exemplary service and results, market leadership, client satisfaction, and trusted character. With only 250 Private Office advisors in the world, they have access to the most premier marketing measures to reach high net worth buyers and sellers across the globe—and are renowned for serving the most discerning of clients with elegance, sophistication, and discretion.

ENGEL&VÖLKERS

CHARLI

of Wheeler District is built to last centuries,

structural masonry. With 16” thick walls and over 90,000 bricks, the playful stepped gable and old-world charm expresses itself in a solid authenticity that only something real can. It is cozy and sophisticated, rugged and refined. The subtle variation of each brick serves as a reminder that it is humans, with all their skill and imperfections, who built it, which affords a sense of comfort and familiarity that can’t be mimicked. Rather than degrading, this home will get richer and more beautiful with each passing year.

age-old

Blending the best of old and new, this home is built to last centuries. Sculpted from over 150,000 bricks in true historic fashion using the practice of structural masonry, coupled with the best that modern tech has to offer, it is a true fusion of classical and modern practices. Earthy, cozy and comfortable with exposed brick walls and natural materials throughout. Locally quarried sandstone sills and lintels, brick arches and plaster are brilliantly balanced with refined and sophisticated finishes like aged brass and marble tile. This home feels like it’s from a different era, yet comfortable for modern times. Seamlessly blending indoor-outdoor living with multiple porches off of living areas, such as the screened in porch off the living room through a set of French doors, or the European-style courtyard for evening soirees. The vaulted primary room suite is truly impressive, nesting itself over the garage for maximum privacy in an urban setting, right in the heart of Wheeler District. This timeless home is designed to serve your family and Oklahoma City for generations.

From the Pyramids and the Pantheon to downtown Guthrie and the repurposed industrial buildings of Oklahoma City, the longest-lasting and most beloved buildings in the world are built with some form of structural masonry.

Structural masonry refers to the practice of using brick or stone in such mass that it becomes self-stabilizing, usually 12” thick or more. This was the common building system for millennia until the advent of lumber mills and massproduced nails. Rather than light wood framing wrapped in a thin veneer of masonry, the brick itself is the structure.

Civilizations throughout history have positioned themselves for multigenerational prosperity by progressing from temporary wood housing to permanent, masonry housing as soon as they were capable. Yet in the United States, the wealthiest and most technologically advanced society in history, we have taken a different path, prioritizing size, efficiency and extravagance over longevity. We are housing modernity’s remarkable innovations and luxuries in wooden shells that often last, at best, 75 years. What if there was another way?

At Building Culture, we believe that by fusing time-tested wisdom of the past with the best of modern practices, we can reclaim the path towards a more prosperous future by building enduring and endearing architecture—leaving behind generational assets for posterity to build upon, rather than liabilities to overcome.

Buildings cannot ensure human flourishing, but they can set the stage. Structural masonry homes are beautiful, durable and adaptable—purposefully built to enrich the lives of their inhabitants, as well as the larger community, becoming part of Oklahoma City’s heritage and identity for generations to come.

AUSTIN TUNNELL hello@building culture.com www.building culture.com

Welcome to

ADDRESS STATUS PRICE DEWEY TOWNHOMES

ADDRESS STATUS PRICE

CLASSEN FLATS

LOWERY FLAT

Selah is a new urbanism development located just 10 minutes south of historic downtown Norman. Offering 540 acres of front porch living, fresh air, and fresh food, Selah focuses on reconnecting family and neighbors. This walkable community is set among acres of more than 50% preserved green space (compared to a 15% national average) with miles of nature trails that will connect homes and restaurants with arts and business.

The Selah vision is unlike any of its kind in Oklahoma, providing a large range of authentic experiences, both in terms of lifestyle choice and every day interaction. For this reason, Selah has been welcomed as 1 of only 13 Southern Living Inspired Communities™ in the United States, making it the first and only in Oklahoma.

Mollie Gatto, Director of Sales 405.426.0895 | mollie @ swhok.com

The Selah Realty team is the exclusive, go-to-source for all things Selah. Call for a personalized tour.

OKLAHOMA’S ONLY

ENTRY DISTRICT ESTATES

SOUTHLAKE VILLAGE

EAST RIDGE AND VINYARD HOME & ESTATES

SWEETWATER VILLAGE HOMES

PARKVIEW SERIES TOWER HOMES

PHOTO BY KENNON BRYCE

New construction in the heart of the Western District and Helm Farm. These classic modern Tudor homes bring modern flair to timeless architecture. With expansive windows, open concept kitchen, dining and living spaces, these homes are charming yet modern. These are the first homes available in the revitalized Helm Street community.

LISTED BY Mary Hatch Group, West + Main Homes BUILT BY Jarred Smith and FlipOKC

MODERN URBAN LIVING

Joy

opened her brokerage at Engel and Völkers in 2019 with the vision of bringing the best global luxury real estate company to her Oklahoma home. Now Engel and Völkers has three locations and is ranked in the top 20 agencies in the metro. Her personal business has also grown to over 50M in annual sales, and approximately 100 transactions a year. She began with her passion of investing in historic and luxury real estate — and nothing has changed. When you use Joy you are getting a Real Estate Advisor with competence, experience, and a global network to back her.