UH-Clear Lake alumna highlights work of jazz musician

Houston native Arnett Cobb played his way into the hearts of many local music fans as a legendary jazz tenor saxophonist. Cobb’s many accomplishments are being featured in an exhibit at the downtown Houston Public Library Julia Ideson Archive Building in part due to the creativity of University of Houston-Clear Lake graduate and longtime Cobb fan and friend Ingrid Montgomery-Swinton.

Montgomery-Swinton’s UH-Clear Lake master’s thesis, “Go Red Go; Blow Arnett Blow: The Life of Arnett Cobb,” has been developed into an eBook and a printed booklet. The printed copy has been officially cataloged in the library’s jazz archives and is on display in the lobby at the Julia Ideson Archives Building as a part of an exhibit based on the work of the same name “Go Red Go; Blow Arnett Blow: The Life of Arnett Cobb, the Wild Man of the Sax” developed by Cobb’s daughter Lizette Cobb. This exhibit will be on display until Sept. 30 at 500 McKinney, Houston, 77002.

A May 2009 graduate of UH-Clear Lake with a Master of Arts in Humanities following the professional writing and applied visual design track, Montgomery-Swinton speaks enthusiastically of the degree program and what it allowed her to accomplish.

“When I came to UH-Clear Lake, I had 12 years of experience in marketing and public relations with much of my work being done in the entertainment, hospitality-tourism, arts administration and non-profit sectors,” explained Montgomery-Swinton. “Being able to be a part of a master’s degree program in professional writing and design under the auspices of humanities was a match made in heaven for me.

“When I began to plan my master’s thesis, I wanted to create a project that was multi-disciplinary like the degree program and one that would allow me to showcase all my skills and passions, which is what I was allowed to do.”

Choosing Cobb for her thesis project was an obvious choice for Montgomery-Swinton as she knew him while she was growing up.

“My thesis idea centered around using a historical figure and incorporating his photos, found objects and quotes along with other people’s words from two oral histories that had been done on him with my own content in various collage-like graphics that were visually stimulating using modern illustration and graphic design techniques.”

While her work as a full-time student may have been challenging, Montgomery-Swinton has nothing but high praise for the university and the humanities program. Though she is a Houstonian, Montgomery-Swinton is not a resident of the Clear Lake area and chose UH-Clear Lake after investigating many other programs throughout the region.

“My professional experience and interests fit perfectly into my master’s degree experience,” said Montgomery-Swinton.

To experience the eBook, visit http://www.issuu.com/nicquemont/docs/arnettcobb_booklet_web. For more information about the university’s Humanities degree programs, visit http://hsh.uhcl.edu or call 281-283-3333.