Austin360 blogs > Out & About > Archives > 2010 > April > 24 > Entry
Opening of the Stark Center for Physical Culture & Sports
The “wow factor” at the opening of the Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports was the blockbuster exhibit “Our Body: The Universe Within.” This extremely popular — and controversial — show consists of actual human bodies. When it opened in major cities, the curious traveled hundreds of miles to see the preserved muscles, arteries, organs and such, arguing about their physical origins (China?) and the neonatal room (oh dear).
Rachel Scheer and Ana Lila Betancourt
“Our Body” is dramatically displayed inside the Weider Museum at the new Stark Center, chiseled into the north end of UT’s Royal Memorial Stadium. The Center is certainly one of a kind, archiving 35,000 books and hundreds of thousands of magazines on physical culture and sports. The center’s entry halls feel a bit unsettling in themselves, decorated with selections from the Blanton Museum’s Battle Casts and huge photos of muscle men like Steve Reeves and more aerobically designed bodies like that of Dr. Kenneth Cooper.
Kate Wright and Rick Barnes
And there he was! At age 79, still preaching the gospel of aerobics, a word Cooper invented. Other big names on tap for the grand opening included University of Texas basketball coach Rick Barnes, plus four powerhouse Austin philanthropists: Susan and Michael Dell and Joe and Teresa Long. Also spotted Austin’s own running guru, Paul Carrozza. Representatives from the Stark and Weider families also attended.
Jill and Hiro Tanaka
A note on accessibility: Deep inside the UT campus, the Stark Center is not exactly located near free public parking (no problem for a pedestrian, but for others …). It’s also poorly marked on the exterior of the stadium’s Gate 16. One takes a left, then journeys up to the fifth floor through an area that’s restricted at times when most of the public might encounter it. It reminds me a lot of the old version of the Ransom Center, which hid its reading room on the seventh floor, completely invisible to students, much less the public.
“Our Body” is very much worth the visit. A few improvements could make it more accessible to Jill Q. Public. And a valued tourist attraction.
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By Jan Todd
April 25, 2010 9:52 AM | Link to this
Thanks for the nice report, Michael but I wanted to clarify for the public that parking for the Stark Center is readily available in both the Manor Garage (corner of Manor Road and Robert Dedman Drive), and in the San Jacinto Garage on San Jacinto Street.
Since the Stark Center is directly opposite the Performing Arts Center on East 23rd street, people should know that the walk from the parking garages to the Stark is no different than walking to the Performing Arts Center -- which Austinites happily do all the time. It's easy to find us.
For info on the show and maps, etc. go to: www.starkcenter.org