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The Open Road

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THE OPEN ROAD

Chartered by an act of Congress and nestled in the nation’s capital, American University indelibly is linked to Washington, D.C., but the institution’s influence reaches far past the District’s borders. From the Pacific Northwest, where Tod Breslau ’85 co-owns one of Portland, Oregon’s hippest hotels, to the heartland of Iowa, where Chip Eagle ’83 covers the blues from Des Moines, AU graduates make their mark from sea to shining sea. So buckle yourself in and join us for a cross-country road trip, beginning in California and working its way back East, stopping along the way to meet some extraordinary AU alums.

Run for the Wall
[Ontario, California]

Never before had Sarah Eckles traveled the open road in its purest form. But there she was, the wind flowing through her hair, soaking up the scenery of middle America from the back of a Honda Gold Wing motorcycle.

Eckles, a master’s student in SOC’s film and video program, spent two weeks in May filming Run for the Wall, a 10-day, cross-country motorcycle ride from California to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., designed to bring attention to lost POWs and MIAs. For the most part she and her colleagues—Christophile Konstas, a MFA student at AU, and Debbie Kaplan—captured footage for a documentary film from an SUV trailing the procession, but she felt that to truly understand her subject she needed to experience the thrill of riding on two wheels.

“It was exhilarating,” she says. “Everyone was really welcoming. They feel so passionately about it, they definitely want the story to get out.”

Eckles, 31, followed the run’s southern route, which wound through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and Virginia.

“It was beautiful to see the country change from the desert into the south and up into D.C.,” she says.

Now a Dallas resident, Eckles hopes that when completed her film captures the emotion of the trip, and ultimately she would like to screen it in veterans’ centers around the nation.

“It was incredible, something I’ll never forget,” she says. “Through the entire trip a lot of these men would tear up when they would talk to us. A lot of them had awful experiences [upon returning from Vietnam]. It’s really exciting for them to see supporters on the side of the road saying, ‘Welcome home.’” —Mike Unger

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Urban Hospitality
[Portland, Oregon]

“Portland’s a place where people can get involved with an area and turn it into something very magnificent in a short period of time,” says Oregon entrepreneur and designer Tod Breslau, CAS ’85.

It’s a place, Breslau says, where he plans to stay awhile.

After adventuring around the globe—studying in Madrid, interning at the White House, managing a surfside restaurant in Puerto Rico, and launching several California eateries—the Philadelphia native settled in Portland in 1997. He and wife Lisa were drawn to the city’s hip, urban feel and its clean air and green spaces.

“It’s got a great public transportation system, wonderful climate, good schools, great people,” says Breslau, who has two children, Max, 9, and Luca, 7. “It was everything we were looking for.”

Now, as co-owner of the Jupiter Hotel, an old motor inn turned funky boutique hotel, Breslau is in the business of selling his adopted hometown to tourists seeking a little urban hospitality.

Nestled in Portland’s fashionable Lower Burnside neighborhood, dubbed LoBu by the locals, the Jupiter is “Holiday Inn meets the W.,” says Breslau. Publications like GQ, Travel and Leisure, and Conde Nast Traveler have raved about the space, naming it one of the country’s best “cheap-chic” hotels—a designation that makes Breslau beam.

“The key to the Jupiter is that it’s one of the only boutique hotels with first class accommodations under $100,” he explains. “Some hotels claim to be ‘budget’ but they’re really $200 a night. When we say ‘budget,’ we mean it.”

The Jupiter, which opened its doors in October 2004, boasts a crisp, modern aesthetic. Its 80 rooms are a mix of clean lines and bold touches harkening back to the hotel’s 1960s roots—a shaggy, seafoam green pillow here and a funky, floral wall treatment there. The adjoining Doug Fir, open 21-hours-a-day, from 7 a.m. until 4 a.m., serves up farm-fresh omelets and simmered elk stew by day, and martinis by night. The Doug Fir has also become one of Portland’s most popular live venues, attracting top indie bands.

The Jupiter’s transformation is no small feat, given the state of the LoBu neighborhood just a few years ago. “It was in huge disarray,” says Breslau, one of Portland’s top real estate brokers, “but on the cusp of transition, you could just feel it.”

Located three blocks from the downtown shopping district, LoBu is now one of the city’s most coveted addresses; Men’s Journal even named it the top place to live in America. “It’s amazing,” says Breslau. “In three years, it went from a seedy, urban district to a hot yuppie neighborhood with cool stores, restaurants, and lofts.”

And while Breslau and his partner plan to expand the Jupiter brand, opening hotels in Palm Springs, Seattle, Houston, and Tampa, he plans to stay put in his corner of the Pacific Northwest.

“Portland’s an amazing city of vision and transformation. It’s literally a city of neighborhoods that evolve in three to five years,” Breslau says. “I’m just happy to be part of the transformation.” —Adrienne Frank

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River Market ArtSpace
[Little Rock, Arkansas]

From her art gallery—the first business on the renamed President Clinton Avenue—Debra Wood, CAS ’96, has seen the transformation of Little Rock’s historic River Market District. The boarded-up warehouses have given way to pricey lofts and the area, once not safe after dark, is bustling with activity and bursting with character.

DebraWood and Musby

“I’ve always thought that Bill Clinton’s postpresidency could do for Little Rock what Jimmy Carter’s did for Atlanta, and we’re heading in the right direction,” says Arkansas native Wood. “In just a few short years, it’s become a major hub of activity.”

That’s good news for Wood, who bought River Market ArtSpace—nestled one-half mile from the newly opened Clinton Presidential Library and Museum, along David D. Terry Lake—in 2002. Her 3,300-square-foot gallery has quickly become one of the revitalized district’s main attractions.

“I’d spent so many years in Washington and knew that people from around the globe would soon be descending on my home state,” says Wood, who worked for eight years as Clinton’s director of Presidential Student Correspondence. “I knew there was a wealth of talent here, and I was intrigued by the challenge of having a gallery that could compete with major players in Washington, D.C., and New York. I have many customers who come here from those places and are astounded by the work and the talent.”

Wood, 39, who runs ArtSpace without any employees, primarily carries contemporary works by homegrown artists. “I’ve always had a sense of enormous pride about my state and all the good things about it,” she muses. “And I’m very much a promoter of the things I love.”

Housed in a brick building constructed in 1876, ArtSpace is a bright, airy gallery boasting an eclectic mix of pieces, from pottery and handmade jewelry to watercolor drawings and basketry. Pieces range from a couple dollars to a couple thousand, making ArtSpace accessible to everyone, from casual collectors to art connoisseurs.

“I think when people see things they can afford, that lessens the intimidation and lets them know it’s a comfortable place,” says Wood.

Wood’s dog, Musby, affectionately dubbed the director of customer service, also adds to the space’s ambience. The dog—herself an artist who “paw paints” with acrylics and watercolors—roams the gallery, greeting customers and occupying youngsters while their parents shop.

“The times she is not at the gallery, I get very sad faces from customers,” laughs Wood. “Musby is quite a celebrity here.”

Wood has seen many successes; today, she represents 75 of Arkansas’s most well-known artists. One of her proudest accomplishments is ArtSpace’s involvement with Little Rock’s Second Friday Art Night. During the monthly event, which kicked off last year, patrons travel by trolley to more than a half-dozen downtown galleries, which stay open late and host special exhibits.

“The response has been overwhelming, and it’s great to be part of something in conjunction with my neighbors,” says Wood, who donates a portion of the proceeds from Second Friday to local nonprofits, like the Humane Society and the Pulaski County Juvenile Detention Center’s Art Outreach Program. “It’s a great way to give back to the community that supports my gallery and my artists.”

Wood says she’s proud to have created a successful gallery “that could rival those in some of the major art towns.” And she’s especially proud to have done it in her hometown.

“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere but Little Rock.” —Adrienne Frank

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Blues in the Heartland
[Des Moines, Iowa]

The tribal chief grooves to the riff of his own blues.

Chip Eagle never has fallen victim to conventional thinking. The 1983 Kogod graduate helped found the electronic publishing company Visionation in 1997, but he easily could have acquired the unfortunate title “former publisher” when the company stumbled after the tech bubble burst in 2000. Weathering the economic punches, Eagle refashioned the company and managed to steer it back into the black. Today, from its Des Moines, Iowa, headquarters, Visionation publishes the country’s largest blues music magazine as well as blues and folk music e-zines on the Web.

Chip Eagle, right, with bluesman Daniel "Slick" Ballinger

“I really believe that we have a tribe of people working together to do something,” says Eagle, who’s known as the “tribal chief” around the office. “They’re willing to work bad hours for little money, and we feel like we’re doing good work. In my role as the publisher of the two largest blues publications, I’m one of the elders in the genre. It’s a little whimsical.”

Eagle took a circuitous path to AU, spending time at four or five other universities and a stint in Vienna, Austria, working for the United Nations, before landing at AU where he studied international business and helped start the rugby club team. After leaving Washington, he returned to Iowa where he earned a law degree from Drake University. Eagle still lives in the heartland with his wife, Holly, and daughters Zoe, 12, and Scarlett, 9.

In the late ’90s Eagle became convinced of the vast economic and informational potential of the Web.

“I really saw that the Internet was a great way to deliver the magazine-type message while avoiding the major costs of printing and postage,” he says.

Visionation began sending free e-zines on specialized topics to subscribers all over the world. Business was booming.

“We worked up to a time when we had 42 e-zines, everything from sports and music to cats, football, reptiles, comic books,” Eagle says. “All with the idea that we could deliver information and entertainment and they would give us information about themselves. We could target advertisements to that niche of people.”

Just three years later, however, the bottom fell out. During a period when many upstart, Internet-related companies went belly up, Visionation scaled back dramatically, continuing to publish only profitable e-zines on music and comic books.

“We all took other jobs and came in here at night,” Eagle recalls. “I went and sold banking supplies. But we really believed that they were great publications and that [subscribers] enjoyed getting them and that they enjoyed the Internet format. There was one great day when I had to tell everybody that there’s no more paychecks, and everyone came to work on Monday anyway. Along the way our blues publication kept growing.”

Seven people hung through those tough times, and 13 now work for Visionation full time. BluesWax and FolkWax, free Internet publications, are distributed 53 times a year, and the company also publishes the nation’s premier blues magazine, Blues Revue, which can be found on newsstands and in bookstores from coast to coast.

Though Eagle enjoys life in the Midwest, he relishes traveling around the country and throughout the world to dozens of music festivals and concerts each year, soaking up the sounds while shooting the breeze with his customers and brothers in his music-loving tribe.           

“I love talking to people about the music they love.” —Mike Unger

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Haystack-on-Hudson
[Southeastern Ohio and New York City]

On Bart Barlow’s farm, a tomato and fence post become a tower when a passing cloud pulls it together. In Bart Barlow’s New York, the Chrysler Building becomes a cluster of organic shapes growing out of the photo frame.

“In putting the tomato on a pedestal of sorts, I wanted to give it the same iconic quality as the top of a famous skyscraper,” says Barlow, SPA ’70, the official photographer of New York’s Rockefeller Center who transposes city and country images with a honed eye and tongue in cheek.

“Hay and Sky” © Bart Barlow. Viewing the hay bales as an “ephemeral sculpture park,” Barlow shoots them in all weather and light conditions, because, he says, “in time, it all disappears—as my neighbor hauls them away for his cows to eat.”

Take a look at another pair of his photos. Compare the panorama he photographed on the 43-acre hilltop Ohio farm he calls home with his shot of the Manhattan skyline. “A landscape is a landscape,” says Barlow, “you’re really photographing light more than anything else—light and how light falls.” Suddenly, city and country don’t look so different. Tomatoes and skyscrapers, bell peppers and traffic lights, New York skylines and Midwestern landscapes . . . In Barlow’s world, they’re very much the same.

His images are the product of an eye trained by photographing along the sight-lines connecting the U.S. Capitol, the Reflecting Pool, and the Jefferson Memorial while an AU government student in the late 1960s, and of a career built in Manhattan snapping the city for the New York Times, Newsday, and Rolling Stone. After relocating to southeastern Ohio in the late 1980s, Barlow turned his city-trained eye to country scenes and put his tranquil farmland on the covers of a half-dozen gardening magazines as well as the pages of Audubon, Reader’s Digest, and countless other publications through his stock agency.

Though he revels in both urban and rural America, Barlow’s true inspiration seems to lie somewhere on the journey between these two Americas—on the thousand-mile drive he now makes nearly monthly to shoot exhibits, events, and surrounding skylines for Rockefeller Center. You’ve seen his inspiration, if, on a road trip, you’ve watched city blocks melt into squares of farmland and alleys of concrete become alleys of corn. Barlow explains how he experiences that melding of city and country: “It must be similar to what athletes describe when they’re ‘in the zone’—how they can just see every stitch of the ball coming on the pitch. I wouldn’t say time slows down, but it just feels like you’re living in this epiphany.”

When it’s working, Barlow’s two Americas intersect and he captures some of his most arresting images. In Ohio, the wind momentarily dies, bringing a split second of stillness to a pair of hay bales, a cloud moves into place and the tomato skyscraper is built. And that’s his point. For Barlow, a slice of New York life is both as natural and as manmade as the peppers he stacks on his farm to resemble a traffic light, and a panorama on the farm is much the same as a Manhattan vista. It’s all organic, and it’s all been built—in his lens, for your eyes. —Matt Getty

“Observation Deck Panorama #1 (Detail)” Bart Barlow/© RCPI Landmark Properties. The Manhattan skyline photographed from Top of the Rock—the Observation Deck at the top of 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Rockefeller Center (www.topoftherock.com).

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