Art Update Houston: July 28, 2018
HEAT WAVE
100 Under $100
Cindy Lisica Gallery
3 Days Only: July 27 – 29, 2018
Opening: Friday, July 27, 6-8pm
Experience this “heat wave” of cool artists in a 3-days-only weekend event and pop up exhibition, alongside the astounding solo show, Steel Sharpens Steel by Charles Uzzell Edwards a.k.a. Pure Evil.
The opening reception for HEAT WAVE will be on Friday, July 27th, 6-8PM and will feature music, refreshments, art raffle prizes and giveaways! The gallery will be open Saturday and Sunday 11am-5pm.
The 100 pieces of artwork in “HEAT WAVE: 100 under $100” are (you guessed it) all under $100 and by a mix of local and international artists. The show includes original art works, limited editions, photography, mixed media, ceramics, collage, design objects, art toys and more by Cartoonneros (Buenos Aires), Rachel Gardner (Houston), Jan Rattia (Houston/Caracas), Yasuyo Maruyama (Dallas/Tokyo), Jennifer McClish (Houston), Kidrobot, Angel Oloshove (Houston), and Lennox Rees (Austin), among others.
Cindy Lisica Gallery
4411 Montrose, Suite F
Houston, TX 77006
The Texas Liberator: Witness to the Holocaust
Mincberg Gallery and Holocaust Museum
Opens September 7, 2018 through October 28, 2018
(Clockwise from top left: Johnnie Marino, Ben Love, A.I. Schepps, and “Chick” Havey)
Curated by Texas Tech University in collaboration with the Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission, This important show tells the story of 24 U.S. soldiers who liberated the concentration camps in Europe at the end of the Second World War. Upon entering the camps, the soldiers were not prepared for the terror, torture and depravity they discovered. Although they were hailed as liberators by the prisoners, what the soldiers found haunted many of them for the rest of their lives.
The exhibit provides a context for World War II, a history of the Holocaust, and the Liberation in an interactive, engaged environment. Visitors will tour 24 free-standing panels, each honoring a Texas Liberator featured in the project, including Houston liberators Johnnie Marino, “Chick” Havey, Ben Love and A.I. Schepps. The exhibit features modern portraits by photographer Mark Umstot, service photos of the men, as well as a selection of oral testimony clips and WWII military artifacts. Berkowitz’s Honor Roll, a record with the names of more than 300 Texas Liberators, will also be displayed. Visitors can interact with iPads showing the Texas Liberator Project’s website and app, designed for teachers, students and others who want to learn more about the Liberation of the camps, the experiences of the Texas Liberators and the history of the Holocaust.
“For so long, World War II liberators went largely unnoticed,” said Dr. Kelly J. Zúñiga, CEO of Holocaust Museum Houston. “It’s an incredible honor to be able to showcase these brave soldiers and their important contributions to humanity.”
The exhibit will be on view Friday, September 7, 2018, through Sunday, October 28, 2018, in the Mincberg Gallery. Visitors also have access to the Museum’s permanent exhibit, “Bearing Witness” and films “Voices” and “Voices II.”
Holocaust Museum Houston’s Morgan Family Center is temporarily located one mile south of NRG Stadium at 9220 Kirby Drive, Suite 100, Houston, TX 77054. Museum hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Museum admission is $12 for adults; $8 for active-duty military and AARP members; free for children, students and college-level students with valid ID; and free on Sundays. For more information, visit hmh.org or call 713-942-8000. To learn more about HMH’s main campus expansion to more than double its size and open in spring 2019.
ABOUT HOLOCAUST MUSEUM HOUSTON
Holocaust Museum Houston, a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization founded in 1996 by Houston-area Holocaust Survivors, their descendants and members of the community. The Museum is dedicated to educating people about the Holocaust, remembering the 6 million Jews and other innocent victims and honoring the survivors’ legacy. Using the lessons of the Holocaust and other genocides, it teaches the dangers of hatred, prejudice and apathy.
Holocaust Museum Houston
9220 Kirby Drive
(Temporary Location)
Houston, TX 77054
Havel Ruck Projects’Open Houseis Now on View at Sam Houston Park
Site-specific installation is part of Downtown District’s Art Blocks initiative
The Houston Downtown Management District (Downtown District) recently announced the public opening ofOpen House, a site-specific installation by Houston-based artist collaborative Havel Ruck Projects (Dan Havel and Dean Ruck). For the commission, the duo transformed a small house into an interactive temporary public sculpture that nods to Houston’s past and present. It will remain on view at Sam Houston Park in Downtown Houston through February 2019.
“Since the Downtown District first launched Art Blocks in Main Street Square in February 2016, we have envisioned extending the temporary public art initiative to other areas of Downtown,” said Bob Eury, the Downtown District’s executive director. “We’re thrilled about the opportunity to showcase work by local artists Dan Havel and Dean Ruck, whose OpenHouseis a playful addition to The Heritage Society’s ten historic buildings at Sam Houston Park.”
Sourced from Cherry House Moving Company, the 1940s-era house was originally located in Santa Fe, Texas. After moving the home to Sam Houston Park in April, Havel and Ruck started by stripping the structure’s interior and exterior. Using drill saws and other tools, they cut circular holes into the walls and filled them with PVC pipe to create a “Swiss cheese” or “lace” appearance, then collaged the interior walls with vintage images sourced from family, friends and local resale shops representing the city’s people, places and past.
Visitors will be able to walk throughOpen House, viewing both the modern skyscrapers of Downtown Houston and the landscape of Sam Houston Park through the holes that have been carved out of the house. At night, the house will be lit from within, creating a lantern effect.
Since 1994, Havel and Ruck have worked together repurposing architectural structures into works of art in public and quasi-public environments. By reorganizing the physical construction of unremarkable spaces and places, their sculptural interventions bring attention and recognition to utilizing under-appreciated, ordinary buildings and their histories to create extraordinary visual experiences. Among their notable projects areInversion(2005), which transformed two of Art League Houston’s condemned studio bungalows into a temporary public art event;Fifth Ward Jam(2010), a temporary sculpture that converted a wood frame house into a performative sculpture and community stage;Give and Take(2009), a dual-site project realized as part of the exhibition No Zoning: Artists Engage Houston at the Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston; andRipple(2018), at the Cherryhurst House in Montrose.
Open Houseis the Downtown District’s sixth Art Blocks project. Internationally lauded artists and designers such as Patrick Renner, Jessica Stockholder and New York-based collective YesYesNo, along with a number of Houston- and Texas-based artists, have also participated in the initiative. Art Blocks is curated by the Downtown District, with the help of community leadership and project consultation by Weingarten Art Group. It aims to repurpose and reenergize under-realized spaces through public art that is accessible to all.
Open House is open daily from dawn until dusk through February 2019. In addition, the Downtown District encourages visitors to explore the park’s ten buildings, along with the Museum Gallery, which serve as historic reference points and exhibition spaces for more than 23,000 artifacts that document life in Houston from the early 1800s to the mid-1900s.
At the end of the project’s run, the artists will recycle as much material as possible by distributing it to artists and craftsmen in need; the remainder of the structure will be removed, and the site restored to its original state.
In addition to Havel Ruck Projects and the Downtown District, partners also include The City of Houston Parks and Recreation Department, the Mayor’s Office of Special Events and The Heritage Society.
For more information about Art Blocks and programming updates, please visitArtBlocksHouston.org.
ABOUT DOWNTOWN DISTRICT
The Downtown District was formed in 1995 for the purpose of revitalizing the urban core of the country’s fourth largest city. Over the past decade, the Downtown District has used a combination of public funds and private resources to catalyze area improvements focusing on the city blocks bordered by Interstate 10, Highway 59 and Interstate 45.
The Downtown District operates under the leadership of a 30-person board of directors who oversee the implementation of the District’s strategic initiatives. Funding for the Downtown District comes from a special assessment on all downtown property owners.
For more information visitDowntownDistrict.orgorDowntownHouston.org.
Sam Houston Park
1000 Bagby Street
Houston, TX 77002
Poe Elementary PTO Hosting Art Auction to Kick Off 90th Anniversary Celebration
Flatland Gallery at Brasil Café
Friday, September 14
6:30pm – 9:30pm
To celebrate the upcoming 90th Anniversary of Poe Elementary, the Parent Teacher Organization is hosting an Art Auction on Friday, September 14, from 6:30 – 9:00 p.m. at Flatland Gallery at Brasil Café Houston, 1709 Westheimer Road. The auction will primarily feature local Houston artists and will honor Fletcher Stafford, who has been the art teacher at Poe for nearly 25 years. Confirmed artists who are donating works include Katherine Houston, Cookie Ashton and Jerry Jeanmard. The auction is a free event and open to all art enthusiasts. The proceeds of the 90th Anniversary Art Auction will go toward re-constructing the Spark Park on the playground at Poe Elementary.
Poe Elementary Principal, Jeffrey Amerson said: “For decades, every student at Poe Elementary has had the privilege of participating in our exemplary arts programming. Hosting an art auction that showcases Houston’s local artists and honors our beloved art teacher, Fletcher Stafford, felt like the perfect way to kick-off our historic 90th Anniversary Celebration.”
The Art Auction is the beginning of a year-long celebration of the 90th Anniversary of Poe Elementary, founded in 1928. Other upcoming events include an Open House Event for all alumni at Poe Elementary on Saturday, October 13 and a 90th Anniversary Alumni Mixer that evening. All details can be found by following on Facebook:www.facebook.com/Poe90th.
Jennifer DeLange, Poe 90th Anniversary Committee Co-Chair said: “We hope many alumni and neighbors will join us to celebrate this special occasion. As a former Poe student myself, I am thrilled to now have 2 daughters at Poe and can personally attest to the special place it holds in families’ hearts across generations. As part of this 90th year, we are excited to focus on further development of our playground area, providing a welcoming gathering space for all members of the community.”
Participating artists and event updates will be announced on the Facebook page as they are confirmed. Artists interested in donating to the auction can contact Catherine Governale atcatgovernale@gmail.com.
About Edgar Allen Poe Elementary: Established in 1928, Poe Elementary is an International Baccalaureate Campus and a Fine Arts Magnet School in the Houston Independent School District. Our goal is to develop creative thinkers and performers in the arts that recognize and appreciate how the arts, through time, have continued to distinguish as well as connect all cultures and societies. We seek to allow each child the opportunity to discover and develop their individual talents in the arts and to understand the relationships between academics and the arts. Students attend enrichment classes daily, taught by specialists in the following areas: Visual Arts, Dance, Music, Physical Education, Theatre and Suzuki Violin.
Flatland Gallery at Brasil Café
1709 Westheimer Road
Houston, TX 77098