{ HIRAM BUTLER GALLERY }
{ DEFINING ART }
{ FRANK ZENI }
{ WHERE ART HAPPENS }
artH O U S T O N V I S U A L A RT S , C U LT U R E , R E V I E W S
ISSUE 01
Illustration by Mike LLewellyn
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R T IS A DISCOVERY A and d e v e l o p m e n t of elementary principles of nature
i n t o b e a u t i f u l f o r m s.
ARTHOUSTON
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PUBLISHER’S LETTER 3
Art [ ] WEL COME TO OUR FIRST ISSUE OF ARTHOUSTON , the magazine dedicated to Art [period] covering disciplines from performing and visual arts to music and film.
Houston has a thriving art scene, with professional resident companies and five recognized Art Districts. Our Museum District ranks as the country’s fourth largest, with eighteen cultural powerhouses within blocks of one another. And according to Houston Arts Alliance, Houston has more than 500 art organizations and 12,000 visual and performing artists in the region. Our magazine is a small press publication distributed locally. As Houston continues to f lourish nationally and internationally as a culturally rich city, ArtHouston becomes a needed asset and will provide residents and visitors with a singular source of information covering the art fields. Our editorial coverage features fine art critics and creative thinkers, and aims to be a springboard for artists, curators, writers and patrons, while keeping our audience informed and entertained. Original essays will pair high quality creative work with art in a thoughtful way, as equals. Our goal is to take our readers closer to all forms of fine art in an accessible and engaging way, as art lies in the encounter and in the experience. Captivating, informative, straightforward articles written by experienced writers and by the artists themselves shall energize the reader’s view of art. We want to offer something for everyone. You may like some of it, and some, not so much. Value is subjective and is often a matter of taste. Whether you consider contemporary artists to be genuine or underwhelming frauds, their art holds an invaluable starting point for discussion. Everyone included in this issue is an innovator and a creative risk-taker, as evidenced by their strong support of a new, ambitious publication. We are thankful to all our advertisers and sponsors, who have placed their trust in our venture. We look forward to hearing your thoughts or comments. We are passionate about the pure potentiality of our magazine and its future growth, and embrace this exciting challenge with commitment, as we strive to be the voice of our vibrant art community.
John Bernhard Publisher
“Every work of art has its necessity; find out your very own. Ask yourself if you would do it if nobody would ever see it, if you would never be compensated for it, if nobody ever wanted it. If you come to a clear ‘yes’ in spite of it, then go ahead and don’t doubt it anymore.” – Ernst Haas
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artH O U S T O N PUBLISHER’S LETTER 3
NEWS BITS 6 BOOK REVIEWS 11 EDITOR’S PICKS 12 NEWS YOU CAN USE 15 EXHIBITION SPOTLIGHTS 16 PORTFOLIO REVEALED 32
CONTENTS 5
FEATURE 18
Hiram Butler Gallery John Bernhard 22
Computers Gone Wild Ben H. Harwey 28
Defining Art Holly Walrath 23
Only the Arts Remain John Bernhard 39
PERFORMING ARTS SCHEDULE 46
Frank Zeni Pica K. Kahn
REVIEWS 50 MUSEUM LISTINGS 52 GALLERY LISTINGS+HIGHLIGHTS 58 EXPOSURE 76 COLOPHON 79
ON THE COVER:
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GILLES BERNHARD
Hans Erni, Peacescape - Close-up of a 200 footlong ceramic fresco on a concrete wall in front of the United Nation building in Geneva, 2009. Ironically and in all fairness, for the first issue’s cover we decided to feature the work of an artist not from Houston, but from Switzerland. Hans Erni, whose prolific work ranged from tiny postage stamps to enormous frescoes died at age 106 earlier this year. He was known for covering social issues such as world peace and the environment. In 2012, Hans Erni was discovered by Houstonians in a retrospective exhibition at the Printing Museum.
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Art at the Airport Arthur Demicheli 56
Where Art Happens Susannah Mitchel 66
The Voice of Youth Karine Parker-Lemoyne ESS AY 2 6
The Magic of Rothko Frances Guerin 49
What is Poetry Arthur Demicheli IN MEMORIAM 44
A Shaman of Stones Fernando Castro R. PROFILE 72
The Art of Absolute Color Marc Douglass
AARRTTHHOOUUSSTTOONN 66
News Bits Bold Asian American Images Aurora Picture Show FILM & VIDEO
Texas Design Now Contemporary Arts Museum Houston EXHIBITION
Texas Design Now features the creations of accessory, fashion, furniture, and industrial designers living and working statewide. These emerging and established designers hail from Austin, Dallas, Houston, Marfa, San Antonio, and points further afield in the Lone Star state. Diverse design sensibilities— from cutting-edge to couture, relaxed, refined, artisanal, and handmade—are animated by the independent and resourceful spirit for which this state is known. On View until November 29, 2015
David Peck, Cunnningham gown, 2014. Crop circles print charmeuse long-sleeved faux wrap gown with slit. Photo: Cody Bess. Courtesy of David Peck USA.
Mark Rothko: A Retrospective
Museum of Fine Arts Houston EXHIBITION Long recognized as among the foremost figures of the Abstract Expressionist vanguard, Mark Rothko embraced the possibility of beauty in pure abstraction with a painterly eloquence that gave a new voice to American art. The MFAH is the sole U.S. venue to present Mark Rothko: A Retrospective, which draws upon the unrivaled holdings of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Across a career spanning the most troubled years of the 20th century, Rothko (1903– 1970) explored the tragic and the sublime, and his canvases remain a testament to the deep humanism he brought to modern painting. This definitive retrospective comprises more than 60 paintings that trace the artist’s full career arc, highlighting milestones in the development of his signature style. By bringing these works to Houston, home of the Rothko Chapel, the MFAH is able to give Museum visitors the opportunity to see the full range of Rothko’s achievement in the same city as his most acclaimed public commission. Through Jan 24, 2016
After a 4-year hiatus, Bold Asian American Images is back at Aurora! The 12th installment of this program showcases an eclectic mix of
short films curated by writer Melissa Hung, the founding editor of Hyphen magazine. This year’s program features narrative, experimental, video art, and documentary, including Tony Nguyen’s touching documentary, Giap’s Last Day at the Ironing Board Factory. In the film, Tony goes back to a small town in Indiana to document his mother’s refugee experience and her retirement after nearly 35 years working at the last ironing board factory in America. Saturday, September 26, 7PM
TIME / IMAGE Blaffer Art Museum
Time / Image is an international group exhibition investigating sustained artistic and cinematic engagements with questions of time, asking how, when, and why we can perceive time, and to what ends. Taking Gilles Deleuze’s term “the time-image” as an open provocation and philosophical framework, Time / Image features artworks and films that explore time as a political, historical, and cultural dimension that can be accessed and manipulated so that we might experience it differently. Time / Image features works by Siemon Allen, Matthew Buckingham, Allan deSouza, Andrea Geyer, Leslie Hewitt, Isaac Julien, Lorraine O’Grady, Trevor Paglen, Raqs Media Collective, Ruth Robbins, and Gary Simmons. The exhibition is organized by Amy Powell, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Krannert Art Museum. September 26 - December 12, 2015
NEWS BITS 7
Do Ho Suh. Rubbing/Loving Project: Metal Jacket, 2014. Colored pencil on mulberry paper. 85.5 x 69 in. ©Do Ho Suh. Courtesy of the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York and Hong Kong.
Why should collectors get all the breaks? Artists seek similar tax incentives for donating works to museums and auctions BY RACHEL CORBETT Many of America’s major museums have benefitted from laws that afford collectors tax breaks when donating works to institutions or charities, and now artists and their advocates are seeking similar compensation for works they gift.
APPARITIONS:
Frottages and Rubbings from 1860 to Now The Menil Collection Apparitions curated by Allegra Pesenti is an outstanding and the first museum exhibition to present an in-depth and comprehensive survey of a versatile technique that is both deeply rooted in art history and intrinsically current. The technique known as rubbing or frottage falls somewhere between drawing, printmaking, and sculpture, combining elements of all these mediums. It involves making an impression of an object through the transfer of its forms onto a sheet of paper, which is usually achieved by rubbing the paper over the object or incised surface with a marking agent such as graphite or wax crayon. The term frottage derives from the French frotter (to rub) and is most commonly associated today with the Surrealist artist Max Ernst and the idiosyncratic images that he created from a variety of surfaces, including wood and leaves, for his famous print portfolio Histoire Naturelle (1926). Ernst claimed that he discovered the technique in 1925, while gazing at the floorboards of his hotel room, and he regarded it as his contribution to automatism. As a type of automatic drawing, or a partially indirect process applied to achieve unpremeditated imaginary compositions, frottage became one of the key practices of Surrealist drawing. Works by approximately 50 artists are featured in the exhibition, which is divided into loosely chronological and thematic sections. The eclectic yet singularly focused selection demonstrate the multifaceted ways in which artists have played with this technique, using it to expand the traditional boundaries of draftsmanship. Sep 11, 2015 – Jan 3, 2016
While collectors can write off the fair market value of works they donate to museums, artists can only claim for the costs of the materials they used to produce the work. “It seems to me there is a discrepancy in treatment there”, says Philippe Vergne, director of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. “What’s extraordinary is that artists keep giving. They give their time; they sit on boards, museums, and schools. They are extremely generous.” In an attempt to level the field, Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy reintroduced the Artist-Museum Partnership Act in April. The bill would enable artists to take a tax deduction on the fair market value of donated works, rather than just the cost of materials. “This legislation would preserve cherished art works for the public,” Leahy said in a statement. It would revive a policy that Congress reversed in 1969, amid suspicion that some artists were reporting inflated values. That decision led to an immediate decline in the number of works donated by artists to museums. The advocacy group Americans for the Arts found that in the three years before the law changed, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) received 321 donated works from artists. In the three years after the law changed, it received only 28 works—a 90% drop. “That artists cannot take a fair market value tax deduction for donated artworks is ridiculous,” says the New York dealer Cristin Tierney. “It hinders an artist’s ability to contribute to his or her community in a very basic way.” Even if the Artist-Museum Partnership Act is enacted, it will apply only to donations by artists to public institutions, not to charity auctions. To read more go to www.theartnewspaper.com
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ART LEADERS
Houston Fine Art Fair In keeping with tradition, HFAF has acknowledged and recognized several of the city’s most visible and respected art leaders. The 2015 Arts Patron of the Year was awarded to the esteemed collector Lester Marks. The 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award was dedicated to Galveston Arts Center most admired Curator Clint Willour. During his 45 years in the Houston art world, the omnipresent Mr. Willour has held every possible position from collector, curator, gallery owner, to museum advisor and has greatly contributed to the arts in Houston.
Clint Willour The 2015 Illumination Award in Arts Education went to Michele Barnes: co-founder and operator of the Community Artists Collective for 28 years. The Collective provides the cultural link among African American artists and all communities, thus inspiring creativity. The opening night preview on September 9th, benefited FotoFest International with 3,500+ elegantly attired art supporters. International in scope, the 2015 HFAF featured 50+ respected art galleries from across the globe.
Houston Fine Art Festival Discovery Green
The Houston Fine Art Festival will be held at Discovery Green in downtown Houston, TX. Discovery Park, recipient of numerous awards for design and construction, is a unique urban and sculpture park located downtown across from the George R. Brown Convention Center. Discovery Green hosts numerous concerts and festivals throughout the year. October 31 - November 1, 2015
HISTORIC RENOVATION ON SCHEDULE The Alley Theatre
The Alley Theatre’s historic renovation is on budget and on schedule to celebrate the first performance in the renovated Alley Theatre on October 2, 2015. The first extensive renovation since the Theatre’s opening in 1968 is being funded by private and public contributions to the Alley through the Extended Engagement Capital Campaign. “The outstanding reception from the Houston community toward the Alley Theatre’s Extended Engagement Capital Campaign has enabled us to raise over $53.5 million to date, on our way to raising $56.5 million before the Alley begins its inaugural season back in the renovated theatre on October” said Roger Plank, Co-Chairmen of the capital campaign.
Grant Opportunity for Houston Artists Artadia Award
Houston is one of the city that Artadia chose this year to fund artists that demonstrate a commitment to contemporary art. Artadia: The Fund for Art & Dialogue is a national nonprofit organization that gives unrestricted, merit-based awards to visual artists in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Awards are granted in participating cities on a rotating basis and it’s Houston’s turn. Artadia Awards range from $5,000 to $20,000, and are unrestricted. The award money can be used however the artist sees fit. In the past 15 years, Artadia has awarded over $3 million to more than 300 artists throughout its participating cities. Applications are now being accepted for Houston/ Harris County artists. You can qualify If you have lived in Harris County for two years or more and are not currently enrolled in an art-related degree program. The deadline for applications is October 15, 2015. Artadia.org
Renovations began in July, 2014 and include the following major improvements: installation of a new four-story fly loft, the space above the stage where scenery, drapery and equipment can be suspended out of the view of the audience; a fully trapped area below the stage floor so people and scenery can rise from below the stage; an expanded backstage area, and a more intimate relationship between the audience and the stage. The Alley Theatre, one of the nation’s leading nonprofit theatre companies and housed in one of Houston’s most iconic buildings, has been called by The New York Times “a triumph of the Brutalist style.” Currently the Alley is performing their 2014-2015 season at the University of Houston main campus. For more information about Alley Theatre performances, visit alleytheatre.org.
Duane Michals
Museum of Fine Arts Houston Photographer Duane Michals will speak at the Museum about his career as a photographer, writer, and filmmaker. One of the great photographic innovators of the last century, Michals is widely known for his work with series, multiple exposures, and text. Michals first made significant, creative strides in the field of photography during the 1960s. In an era heavily influenced by photojournalism, he manipulated the medium to communicate narratives. The sequences, for which he is widely known, appropriate cinema’s frame-by-frame format. Michals has also incorporated text as a key component in his works. His handwritten text adds another dimension to the images’ meaning and gives voice to Michals’s singular musings, which are poetic, tragic, and humorous. September 24, 713.639.7300
NEWS BITS 9
20TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
Opera in the Heights (OH!)
Opera in the Heights Conductor Eiki Isomura
Opera in the Heights (OH!) is celebrating the organization’s 20th anniversary with an inspired selection of works which should appeal to diverse operatic tastes. The 2015-2016 season includes Leoncavallo’s I Pagliacci, a double-bill of Menotti’s The Medium and The Telephone, Rossini’s La Cenerentola, and Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice. All will be conducted by Maestro Eiki Isomura. “The repertoire OH! has selected for its 20th anniversary season reads like a celebration of opera itself,” says Isomura. “Each piece represents an essential development in the history of the art form. It’s a great privilege to bring these iconic works to life with the extraordinary OH! orchestra and some of today’s finest emerging artists.” “We are thrilled that Maestro Isomura, an amazingly gifted young conductor and artist, returns to lead the orchestra, providing continuity from our previous season,” says Mariam Khalili, Opera in the Heights’ Executive Director. “Our focus remains on delivering the superb artistic product that has come to be expected of Opera in the Heights.” The season opens in September with I Pagliacci (The Clowns), the enduring tale of jealousy and rage between lovers in a comedy troupe. Art imitates life with fatal results in this iconic tragedy, featuring one of the most famous arias in the entire repertoire. October and November bring to the stage two operas by Menotti, both sung in English: The Telephone and The Medium. Serving as the opener will be the light one-act comedy, The Telephone, in which a man comes to his girlfriend’s apartment to propose, only to find her preoccupied with chatting incessantly on the telephone. In the dark psychological drama, The Medium, audiences will encounter a fraudulent spiritual medium, who starts to genuinely hear voices and feel phantom presences she cannot explain. Rossini’s La Cenerentola is OH!’s late winter production and is perfect for the entire family. Rossini’s take on the classic fairy tale,Cinderella, the opera La Cenerentola is considered to be one of his greatest achievements, complete with mistaken identities, stepsisters and of course, romance. To buy tickets visit operaintheheights.org or call 713-861-5303.
Cultural Gala
Art Crawl Biannual
Art League Houston is proud to announce the selection of Amy Blakemore as the 2015 Texas Artist of the Year, Forrest Prince as the 2015 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award in Visual Arts, and The Honorable Mayor Annise Parker as the 2015 Texas Patron of the Year. As part of the year-long celebration, Mayor Parker, Amy and Forrest will be honored at the Art League Houston’s Annual Gala on Friday, October 16, 2015 at the Hotel ZaZa. To purchase tickets contact Jill Nepomnick 713-523-9530.
The Washington Avenue Arts District will come alive for a fantastic evening of fine art when Winter Street, Spring Street, Silver Street Studios and the Silos at Sawyer Yards host their fall Bi-Annual Art Crawl. Over 200 artists will open their doors and invite the public inside to view new work, shop and become collectors. A variety of art works will be showcased including painting, sculpture, ceramics, glass, mosaic, photography, mixed media, and jewelry. Visitors will be treated to museum quality artists, many of them represented by local and nationwide galleries. The opening is free and guests will be treated to complimentary valet, light bites and beverages. Pedi-cab shuttles between all three buildings will also be available. Saturday, October 3rd from 5pm-9pm. For more information please visit www.artsdistricthouston.com
Art League Houston
Oscar Muñoz
Aurora Picture Show In the tradition of recognizing an artist who has exhibited extraordinary originality in the field of moving image art, Aurora Picture Show honored internationally renowned artist Oscar Muñoz with the 2015 Aurora Award. The award will be presented at the 15th annual Aurora Award Dinner to be held on Thursday, October 8, 2015 a converted warehouse in the heart of Houston’s Montrose neighborhood. Oscar Muñoz is a multimedia artist whose drawings, photographs, prints, video works, and installations explore the relationships between presence and absence, image and memory, and remembering and forgetting. He is particularly concerned with the role played by the production and consumption of images in shaping the political reality of his native Colombia, which over the past six decades has experienced a succession of domestic wars and insurgencies. To purchase tickets Jill Nepomnick 713-523-9530.
Sawyer Yard
Winter Holiday Art Market
Winter Street Studios Fresh Arts’ 10th Annual Winter Holiday Art Market (WHAM), a weekend art sale and celebration of Houston’s talented and diverse artists, will take place this November 20th-22nd at Winter Street Studios. The juried Winter Holiday Art Market offers a wide variety of arts and crafts - including paintings, sculpture, and photography, as well as jewelry, clothing and soaps - providing an excellent opportunity to purchase unique, hand-made holiday gifts. Since its launch, WHAM has generated over $750,000 for hundreds of local artists and continues to grow as an important venue for Houston artists. For more info: www.fresharts.org
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BOOKS 11
BOOK REVIEWS
Little Rescue Book for Women in Crisis Culture Crash
The Killing of the Creative Class SCOTT TIMBERG
“Buy this book...and read it. I believe it is the Piketty of 2015.” - Michael O’Hare, Washington Monthly “A quietly radical rethinking of the very nature of art in modern life.” - Richard Brody, The New Yorker “If you believe that the life of your mind is inseparable from the health of your life, that serious art and artists are an essential component to human nourishment, then you have an obligation to read Timberg’s book.” - William Giraldi, The New republic. Yale University Press, January, 2015
Women Artists: The Linda Nochlin Reader
LINDA NOCHLIN & MAURA REILLY
The first comprehensive anthology of art historian Linda Nochlin’s work, including her landmark essays on the position and influence of women artists. Thames & Hudson, June, 2015
CATHERINE WINKLER
This Little Rescue Book for Women in Crisis is a collection of seventy whimsical paper cuttings, cut with tiny curved nail scissors by artist Catherine Winkler Rayroud. The images depict her journey as a woman and her need to make sense of what it means to live in a female body. If you are a woman, each image’s combination of sensibility and delicate sense of humor will undoubtedly make you smile or, if you are having a crisis, help you realize that you are not alone. Dog Ear Publishing, May,2015
American Artists Against War, 1935-2010 DAVID MCCARTHY
One Ton Goldfish JUSTIN GARCIA
This illuminating book about native Houstonian artist Justin Garcia’s intimate explorations of process, in which he unexpectedly uncovers a scientific perspective on the vital effect creativity has on humanity. His remarkable revelations will fascinate anyone who wishes to better understand his or her life purpose. Le Reveur Publications, April, 2015
Beginning with responses to fascism in the 1930s and ending with protests against the Iraq wars, David McCarthy shows how American artists have borne witness, registered dissent, and asserted the enduring ability of imagination to uncover truths about individuals and nations. For many artists, creative work was a way to participate in democratic exchange by challenging and clarifying government and media perspectives on armed conflict. University of California Press July, 2015
A Photographer’s Collection: Gifts from Michael & Michele Marvins MALCOLM DANIEL & ANNE WILKES TUCKER
Sixty images demonstrate the diversity of this noteworthy private collection, including masterworks by acclaimed international photographers and early examples of daguerreotypes and tintypes, which are explored thematically in this intimate volume. Museum Fine Arts Houston, April, 2015
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coups de cœur
METAL SMITH ARTIST
ARTIST
Kay Sarver
This wire and metal tree sculpture will cast exquisite shadows on your wall. www.kaysarverart.com
Nichole Dittmann
One-of-a-kind pieces that restate centuries-old silversmithing techniques and incorporate unique hand-cut stones. www.nicholedittmann.com
SCULPTOR
Michael Kirby
Caerulia, evoking a game with time, combining a wealth of ancient traditions and modern forms. www.michaelseankirby.com
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WOOD WORKER
Raymond Saucillo
Bench made of Alder, Painted Basswood and Steel. The contours of the wood offer a comfortable seat and provide a visual contrast with the hard lines of the steel base. www.weepingwillow.info
DESIGNER
David Trubridge
Kina lighting references the inner shell of the local salt water sea-urchin called kina in Maori. www.davidtrubridge.com
SCULPTOR
Damon Thomas
Figurative art that explores the emotional range of the human condition. www.damonthomasart.com
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ARTSMART The internet can be a dissatisfying experience regardless of attempts by search engine operators to convince us of its convenience. Searching might be just a click of the mouse, but getting your hands on the right stuff can be less straightforward. There is no need to search anymore, here is a list of the leading online art resources.
Artshound.com is a project of the Houston Arts Alliance. and is the leading online resource for Arts and Cultural information for the Houston region. www.artshound.com
Glasstire is an online magazine that covers visual art in Texas and Southern California. wwwwww.glasstire.com
Fresh Arts is a non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening the sustainability and vibrancy of Houston’s arts sector by bolstering the capacity and professional practice of artists and arts organizations and enhancing the public’s engagement with the arts. Since the 2012 merger between Spacetaker and Fresh Arts Coalition, Fresh Arts has: - Hosted 22 exhibitions featuring emerging artists - Hosted 32 professional development workshops for artists and administrators - Generated almost a half million in revenue for the artists and organizations participating in their programming - Touched almost 20,000 Houstonians (artists, arts administrators, and general public) through their physical programming. For more info contact: 713.868.1839 info@fresharts.org
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ArtSlant is the #1 Contemporary Art Network with worldwide arts calendars, artists, reviews and online art sales of originals and prints. ArtSlant is a multimedia platform committed to providing a social perspective on art. Founded in Los Angeles in 2007 by the late Georgia Fee, ArtSlant aims to bridge the gaps between the art world, its media, and the community. Art is intertwined with our shared human experience and is a fundamental force for galvanizing sincere communal action; for that reason, they believe in supporting art that relates to today’s most crucial issues, from racial, social, economic, and gender inequalities to environmental concerns. www.artslant.com
Founded in 1989, and online since 1995, artnet is the leading resource for the international art market, and the principal platform for art auctions on the Internet. They offer a wide range of art market resources, providing a place for people in the art world to buy, sell, and research Fine Art, Design, and Decorative Art. Last year, artnet launched a 24/7 global art newswire: artnet News, a one-stop platform for the events, trends, developments, and people that shape the art market and global art industry, providing up-to-the-minute analysis and commentary, with the highest possible standards in cultural journalism. www.artnet.com
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Vision of the World A L F R E D O D E S T E F A N O , an artist/ photographer from Mexico who has traveled the world searching for the most remote and desolate areas of the planet invites the Houston public to discover his most recent works My deserts, a series of photographic works exhibited at Houston City Hall, in conjonction with Hispanic Heritage Month. This exhibition is supported by the Consulate General of Mexico in Houston and is curated by Yvonamor Palix Fine Arts, Houston. From Mongolia to the Sahara, De Stefano’s vision of the world as it was and as it should always remain is a delicate sampling of the richness of nature. It is also an invitation to discover the observances and respect that cultures around the world practice in regard to nature. De Stefano intervenes his subject matter with ephemeral gestures that allow for meditative contemplation. Land artist, installation artist and photographer, De Stefano’s experiences are an intimate translation of a moment
spent in complete solitude. These open spaces represent infinite possibilities for him and become his own personal canvas where he delicately completes each picture by installing an object or capturing a gesture as
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Photo by Alfredo De Stefano The Prophet of Ica-Nazca, 2015
if it were a punctuation at the end of sentence. Alfredo De Stefano’s works are a poetic manifesto of humility, respect and love for the open space, unaltered yet by mankind. For more information regarding
this exhibition, images or interviews contact Radu Barbuceanu at the Mayor’s office of Cultural affairs at radu.barbuceanu2@houstontx.gov 832-393-1099 or ypalix@yvonamorpalixart.com.
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Hiram Butler has long been a leader and a pioneer in the world of art, and his gallery, which recently celebrated its 30th anniversary, To portray Hiram Butler or describe has set a steady pace for a multitude of his professional achievements demands a long scroll. impressive exhibitions over the years. Curator, gallerist, collector, professor, scholar, creator, In the late 1980’s, a year after The Menil lecturer, and mentor; that pretty much sums it up. Collection opened to the public, Hiram moved He was born in Eagle Pass, on the border of Mexico his original gallery from the Kirby area to its across the Rio Grande. He received a BA in American present location on Blossom Street, The galStudies from the University of Texas in Austin, and a lery is located near downtown Houston and is MA in the History of Art from Williams College. Before nestled in a quiet half-acre garden. The main opening his gallery, Butler worked at the humanities focus of the gallery is Contemporary Art, and research center at the University of Texas in Austin, includes sculpture, painting, drawing and the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachuprints. Over the years the gallery setts, and the Museum of Modern Art in has mounted more than 500 New York. Butler is also an adjunct proexhibitions and participated in a fessor in the department of visual and myriad of Art Fairs. performing arts at Rice University. Hiram Butler Gallery represents Furthermore, Butler is on the visiting comand exhibits world-class artists: mittees for the Williams College Museum from local Joseph Havel to his of Art, the Hirsch Library of the Museum longest-standing artists Timothy of Fine Arts, and the Glassell School of Art. Greenfield-Sanders, Vernon Fisher Butler is married to Andrew Spindlerand James Turrell. The gallery Roesle, who is an antiques dealer in also represents: John Cage, Agnes Essex, Massachusetts. Hiram Butler and Martin, Jasper Johns, Donald Judd, Andrew Spindler-Roesle commute between Nic Nicosia, Robert Rauschenberg, Houston and Gloucester, Massachusetts. Richard Serra and Cy Twombly to only name a few.
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Hiram Butler Gallery by JOHN BERNHARD
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“ Even in terms of his professional activity, he is more an impresario, working tirelessly to bring about the visions of artists, famous and not, but united by exceptional refinement and subtle meaning. ” Jonathan Bober Curator of prints, National Gallery of Art
“In short, one of the best gifts I would ever, ever receive at Rice University was Hiram Butler.” Karin Broker Professor, Rice University
Hiram Butler Gallery
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“How to draw a circle” is the title of Joseph Havel’s exhibition, which Hiram Butler presented at the end of this summer in his gallery. The exhibition included 12 drawings and 5 bronze sculptures.
“ Hiram has the visual memory, cultivated taste,
and natural eye for quality that make a good collector. ” J. Michael Padgett, Ph.D. Curator of Ancient Art, Princeton University Art Museum
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WILD
C O M P U T E R S
G O N E
Google’s Psychedelic Art: This Is Your Computer Brain on Drugs BEN M. HARVEY
I N T E R P R E T I N G T H E P A T T E R N S of light that reach our eyes is a very difficult problem, requiring about a third of our brains’ information processing capacity. When performed accurately, this process allows us to perceive many features of every object we see: their colors, shapes, identities, orientations, positions, and the spatial relationships between them. This happens so quickly and flawlessly that we don’t even notice it happen. In the past week, a set of trippy images revealed on Google’s research blog brought the complexity of the human visual system—as simulated by an artificial neural network called GoogLeNet, developed by Google software engineers—to widespread attention. Attempts to match the performance of human vision using computers constitutes a major scientific field, one that uses some of the world’s most powerful computers. Right now, the leading efforts come from GoogLeNet, which mimics the visual brain’s processing to recognize the objects in natural images better than other methods, and with less computing power. Ostensibly, Google wants to do this so users can search the internet’s images without a human manually tagging every cat, exposed breast, and selfie-with-brunch. But an interesting side effect of the project is that it shows computers being visually creative, using the stimuli or images they “see” to create new ones in ways that mimick the human imagination. The resulting images recall the hallmarks of artistic movements like Symbolism or Impressionism, the hidden images in Surrealism, or the “cells” of a Chuck Close painting. These are just some of the diverse strategies artists have used to interpret and represent the world around them, filtering what they see
through their own neural networks and imaginations. The GoogLeNet images also recall the reported visual effects of psychedelic drugs—and there’s a reason for that. How do these visual distortions occur? In both GoogLeNet and the brain, there are many interacting layers of processing happening at once. The lower layers do really simple calculations: detecting motion, finding edges, analyzing local changes in color. By the later layers, the brain cells and their simulated cousins respond to the presence of specific object classes, like faces, indoor scenes, animals, and tools. This transformation is complicated because two images of cats may look nothing like each other in the early layers: a cat can have any orientation, position, color, or motion. To make this problem easier, the brain/computer relies on tricks so that it does not need to process the image completely. Perhaps the most interesting of these relies on feedback from later areas in the visual system to earlier ones. When we recognize an object, we don’t need to process all the little details: we can assume our cat is furry, and the details of the fur pattern don’t change how we interact with the cat. So when we see a pattern that looks like a cat, later processing stages amplify the patterns they seem to be receiving and send these back to the earlier stages. Now the earlier stages don’t need to fill in the basic cat structure, which cuts down on the neural processing required. Such “predictive” processing has lead to the understanding that the brain becomes a mirror of the outside world, and our perception of the world is viewed through that mirror. When learning about the world, we see new patterns and classify them into distinct types. This strengthens the connections between brain cells repre-
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Original “red tree” image run through an artificial neural network, asking it to recognize images not contained in it. Images: Google Inceptionism Gallery
senting the pattern, so that commonly seen patterns get written into the brain’s architecture of neural connections. The brain then analyses its visual input through these neural connections: it imposes its architecture, and our previous experience, onto our view of the world. GoogLeNet, extrapolating from human-tagged images in a “training set”—this is a cat, this is a tree, this is a car—does the same thing. It can recognize and identify objects types based on what it’s “seen” before. Google’s most recent trick asks what happens when we run an image through a circuit representing a chosen object type not present in the image. This will see the image through the filter of that object type, and impose the chosen object type onto the image anywhere that it might be a valid interpretation of that part of the image. For example, when the system is asked to recognize animals, animal faces are exposed in the random patterns of clouds or tree branches. Many people who have once taken hallucinogenic drugs find that the resulting images look just like things they have seen while tripping, as comments on Slashdot and the Guardian show. This is a testament to the accuracy of GoogLeNet in mimicking the human visual brain. Many drugs interfere with our perceptual processing in simple
ways, like making the room appear to spin. However, the class of hallucinogens that contains magic mushrooms (psilocybin), LSD, mescaline, and DMT alters perception in this specific way. They impose patterns from things we have seen before onto our visual input, making us see faces in the clouds or intricate Oriental rug patterns on fields of grass and canopies of trees. These patterns are constantly shifting as the brain changes which patterns of feedback are activated. The resulting hallucinations vary from simple distortions of edges and colors at low doses, to dream-like scenes with no relationship to the incoming visual image at high doses. GoogLeNet’s outputs can mimic either, depending on which layers of the network are activated. This class of hallucinogen activates the higher levels of our visual processing by activating a type of serotonin receptor. Many of the drugs used to treat schizophrenia act, in part, by blocking the same receptor. It seems that some of schizophrenia’s ability to induce hallucinations may work through similar mechanisms to the hallucinogenic drugs. This may help us understand why some of GoogLeNet’s output reminds us of the distortions of reality seen in Van Gogh’s brushwork in The Starry Night and Cypresses. The artist spent time in mental institutions and diagnoses
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of schizophrenia have been put forward as explanations for the swirling, kaleidoscopic passages in his artwork. Google’s engineers and researchers have developed an excellent tool to classify image content on the internet. But GoogLeNet also offers unexpected insight into the workings of the system it aims to mimic—the human brain—allowing us to simulate experiments we simply could not perform on humans or animals. While the psychedelic images might appear novel or gimmicky to some, or like art to others, exercises like these are actually bridging the gap between human and computer visual systems. And it seems that when they mimic the brain closely enough, artificial intelligences not only see like we see, but also trip like we trip. This article was originally published on ArtSlant. Ben M. Harvey is a researcher in the Department of Psychology and Educational Sciences at the University of Coimbra. The original waterfall becomes an enchanted woodland glade. Vincent van Gogh, The Starry Night Images: Google Inceptionism Gallery
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THE MAGIC OF ROTHKO FRANCES GUERIN
ESS AY 27 A S T H E D AY L I G H T S T R E A M S
in through the circular opening
in the roof of the Rothko Chapel in Houston, the glory of these works is developed when they build a relationship with the elements that touch them: a cloud passes over the Chapel, the room darkens as do the works, and they begin to absorb the fading light that touches them. At other times, when the diffuse light enlivens the space, the paintings react instantaneously: they reflect this light, as if rejoicing in its appearance through the clouds, the paintings’ surface becomes shiny. This process of oscillation between flatness and depth, between differing relations of surface and ground, in direct correspondence to the movement of the sun, the clouds, and presumably at night, the moon and the stars, inspires the magic and awe of Rothko’s paintings. There is also the relationship that we, the spectators, develop with the paintings. We motion and behave towards them as though they are icons, in my case, journeying from across the Atlantic ocean, suffering flight delays, lost luggage, a missed meeting with my travel companion, to be before paintings that have the power to make the ardor of travel irrelevant. And yet, these 14 paintings, some in triptych formation, others peacefully alone on a wall, are not icons. These are paintings that can never be removed or distanced from our response to them. To sit on one of the cushions placed on the floor and meditate, would seem to me to ignore the mystery and revelation of the self which here comes from falling into the paintings. It wouldn’t seem appropriate. For the mystery and reverie, the discovery of self that is had before these masterworks is borne of our ongoing relationship to the paintings, in time, as we sit before them, contemplating their enormity, their magnitude. To take away the painting, to meditate and turn inwards, would be to shut down and shut off from the source of inspiration. Despite the books that line the entrance to the chapel — the Torah, the Koran, the Bible, works on Zen Buddhism, even the Course in Miracles — the chapel is not a place where we find God, or a spirit outside of ourselves. This is a world that we enter into and discover a spiritual place inside of ourselves, a place that exists only in its reflection of the canvas. It’s a spiritual experience that has painting and these paintings in
particular at its center. And so, for me, the chapel is a shrine to painting, to the power of painting, its ability to show us a place in ourselves that we did not yet know existed. How then do the paintings ensure that we do not drift away, so far into ourselves that we forget them? They pull us towards them, to a place where we see the weft and warp of the canvas, even as it has been worked over, again and again and again. The paint on a canvas is just glorious, breathtaking, mesmerizing, incredible. There is no superlative too great for the power, energy and excitement of these paintings. Though perhaps resisting hierarchies, my favorites, those I found most captivating, where paint becomes dynamic, as if exploding on a canvas, are those of the triptych at the North face of the chapel. The movement and velocity of paint on the canvas is more chaotic, more agitated than I have seen in any other Rothko painting. In violet, the energy is like that of an orchestra on its way to reaching the climax of a concerto. And yet, it carries none of the weight of an orchestra in full force: the paintings are so luminous, almost transparent, as if in the middle of a Brahms Kinderzenen. We know because we are familiar with Rothko’s process that he has worked this paint over and over again. The violet of the central panel is also surprising, it’s so unique in Rothko’s oeuvre, like nothing else I have seen on this scale. When we sit long enough with it, the center panel reflects a pool of maroon on the panel to its left – how did that happen? The violet paintings are unique because although different colors reveal themselves over time, the canvas is not composed of blocks of two or more different colors. As I look around the room, I wonder how an artist can create so much movement, depth, life, emotion, in a single color field. On the south wall, a black on maroon painting has a black stripe across the top of the black section. Though I saw this painting recently in London, I hadn’t noticed the stripe. And in another light, a different time of day, I might not notice it in Houston. A distinct black line running vertically, part way down the edge of another painting shows uncertainty, vulnerability, a rethinking, the covering over of an old thought, the addition of a new one. Their revelations are infinite, but my discovery of them has only just begun.
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Defining Art by Holly Walrath
I H A V E A L WA Y S B E E N C A P T I VA T E D by artists who died in obscurity. Perhaps it is a morbid fascination, founded in my own fears as an artist. It’s the story of Herman Melville, famous today for Moby Dick, but so unknown in his life that they spelled his name wrong in his obituary. It’s the story of Henry Darger, a recluse whose secret artistic life was found some four decades after his death. And even today, we’re still discovering artists who have hidden their art, for mysterious reasons. The 2007 discovery of Vivian Maier’s photography, hidden in the attic of her former employer, and its subsequent popularity after her death in 2009, calls into question the very meaning of art.
What if Maloof had never found Maeir’s work? Would her over 30,000 negatives, auctioned off shortly before her death, still be considered “art”? It is a personal question for every artist – what is my legacy? I often think of my aunt, a painter who recently moved into an assisted living facility. She left hundreds of paintings in her home, which transferred to her children. I wonder if they will protect the legacy of her work, or if they even understand its value. She was not famous in her lifetime, except perhaps in the small Texas town she lived in for over thirty years. If an artist is never discovered by the status quo, are they still an artist? What is art anyway?
Installation images Carroll Parrot Blue, George Lewis, and Jean-Baptiste Barrière, Whispering Bayou, 2015 Three projections, digital sound and image files, sensors. Installation view at Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, 2015 Photo by Paul Hester
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These days, it seems that art is a kind of living thing, encompassing new innovations and old classics. Technology intervenes, intercedes, and catapults art to new levels. Recent examples of innovative and interactive art include the Houston Contemporary Art Museum’s Whispering Bayou, by filmmaker/author/producer Carroll Parott Blue, composer Jean-Baptiste Barrière, George E. Lewis, a professor and composer. Similar in form is the Museum of Fine Art Houston’s Shadow Monsters, by artist Philip Worthington. None of these artists are painters, sculpturists, or sketchers. They let their audience be the artists. Advances in technology bring art to the masses through the internet – allowing audience members to interact with art and share their interactions via social media. Now, millions can access art at their fingertips. Users can point, click, and zoom into the Mona Lisa via The Louvre’s website. Users can view The Book of Kells, one of the most famous illuminated manuscripts, via Trinity College Dublin. Sacred objects are no longer hidden in museums or archives. These evolving art forms acknowledge our changing society, one which is interactive, collective, but still individual. New art forms merge media, music, writing, and classical forms in ways that question the very definition of art. Genres co-exist, collide, and cross-over, as artists and consumers question institutions. At the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Gyula Kosice blends architecture with science fiction in his models for utopian homes in space, La ciudad hidroespacial. Writers like Kazuo Ishiguro and Margaret Atwood merge genre topics with literary fiction, becoming key figures in what has been termed “The Genre War.” But most writers acknowledge that these boundaries are threadbare remnants of a war that has already begun to secede. Artists continue to push the boundaries of genre,
refusing to be tied to one form, one subject, one world. Communities are artists. Houston has an outstanding array of public art, community art, and civic art, from sculptures to mainstream graffiti to murals to multipurpose art like Dan Havel’s Bird Sanctuary, which also functions as a bird feeder. Houstonians can cool down in Matthew Geller’s Woozy Blossom, a steel tree which creates a cool fog for passersby. The UK’s Banksy, a graffiti artist and activist, has created public art so popular it has been sold for thousands of dollars, despite the chagrin of fans. Public artwork creates a new ritualistic framework for art, creating new sacred objects. Community art projects are fluid and moveable, able to be torn down, painted over, and replaced by new art as a part of a changing city landscape. Where do such projects live after their removal? Within the collective memory of the community. Artists are people who live entirely in an interior world as well as without. Able to retreat to their own universes, they often inhabit a myopic space, a kind of room within their minds. As a writer, I don’t choose to write. The art within me forces itself out, often in surprising ways that don’t fit with a traditional standard. Some have even suggested that a person who has creative thought, even without a tangible exhibition of that thought, is an artist. So even if my work never reaches success, it is still art. The gardener, architect, website designer, graphic designer, animator, mechanic, cosplayer, and video game designer are all artists because of what drives their thoughts. Creativity is the mania of the new millennium, lamented because each person can become a creator through the power of technology. But creativity is also vital to survival, allowing for adaptability, mutation, and innovation. As we create, we define our legacy, even if it is only one which lives in our minds.
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Spiritual Dimensio
R A I N E R L A G E M A N N I S A N O TA B L E S C U L PT O R , born in Düsseldorf, Germany in 1959. He
received his formal education at the FH Lippe University in Detmold, Germany, specializing in Design and Architecture. In 1988, Rainer moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to open his first retail store committed to selecting and importing the finest of modern European furniture. His work with European manufacturers and artisans resulted in developing a successful retail gallery with a dedicated clientele of modern design connoisseurs. In 2007 he sold his share of the business to concentrate on his lifelong passion: sculpture. Rainer is fascinated by the human body, the classic theme of artistic expression and struggle, depicted in all shapes, materials and mediums since the existence of mankind. Rainer’s sculpture captures the human body in motion--a freeze frame of classic, timeless gestures and emotions. The sculptures are both ethereal and concrete. The forms
he creates are how one imagines a Nureyev or Baryshnikov would look in mid-flight. Rainer uses hollow metal squares to sculpt the human form, creating works that elicit both the strength and delicacy of the body. Each square represents the trials and tribulations of life. The four corners are the intellectual, emotional, physical and spiritual dimension of human being. They are the framework of the spirit and the image of the body. The hollow squares strip away distractions, leaving a powerful vision and exploration of the human body, adding an element of mystery and abstraction. This technique adds a spiritual dimension to the human shapes and forms and gives Rainer’s sculptures a universal quality. With all of Rainer’s sculptures there is a secondary layer of beauty and mystery. When darkness falls and the lights come on, the exquisite shadows of form, squares, body and spirit cast themselves upon the walls creating a second sculpture of light and shadow.
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Rainer Lagemann
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FEATURE 35
Wayne Gilbert is not afraid to get his feet wet. Photo by Hall Puckett
ONLY THE ARTS REMAIN A Conversation with Wayne Gilbert by J O H N B E R N H A R D
Wayne Gilbert comes alive while playing with JOHN BERNHARD You’ve said that life, to you, is a the dead. His art emerges from a cherished journey through the unknown. Can you explain how fascination derived from the ambiguities of this relates to the nature of your work? our tumultuous path from life to death. Working with dead people, he creates paintings made from funerary ashes, which fall somewhere between love and hate, and elicit reverence or revulsion. There is no mistaking authorship of his paintings, they all bear the mark of his unique, and mystical vision.
WAYNE GILBERT Good question, but it’s really pretty simple. Let us take just a few examples of the moment’s reality: yesterday in Houston a man killed seven of his family members, Donald Trump was embarrassing humankind with his egotistical arrogance and ignorance in the name of his money, another person was probably placed in a funeral home to be left behind, the super collider was zooming around embracing Higgs, a grand tiger was killed by a Neanderthal without any
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point that would sustain itself in this universe, it was 103 degrees outside, and on and on. My perception is just one of approximately seven billion and it all seems to end up being some form of gross generalization based on the endless unknowns I mentioned. One of my favorite thoughts is, “If you wait for life to make sense you’ll miss it.” As it relates to my work, it’s as mysterious to me as all of the comments above. I would imagine I share a common thread with most folks in the world, which means I couldn’t tell you why I am what I am and why I do what I do, I just make art. JB When and how did this series materialize? WG This series is the culmination of about 15 years
of trying to address the relationship between humans and art. I came to art later than most artists and I had no formal art education when I was growing up. I was born after World War II and the message then was get a job, not make art. When this art epiphany arrived, I began to delve into the world of art and everything surrounding it. I was mystified that this stuff could become priceless. What does that mean in a world where almost everything has a practical value? So I went back to college at 34 and got a painting degree and a minor in art history. The answers to these questions were about as vague when I left as they were when I got there. However, I was never able to shake my obsession with the curious nature of the idea of art. As it turns out, after all of the years of searching to no avail, this flash thought crossed my mind that I could use human remains in my paintings. I thought, wow, if I could just get a small amount I could put it on the surface of a canvas and set up a new dialog between a viewer and the art, an ethereal conversation. As a result of using material from a cremated human being, I felt that the observer would be expected to address the piece a bit differently than other works of art. It has proven so, judging from the reactions I’ve received around the world. In most cases, people walk by and look at my work exactly like they look at others in the show. But when the material is exposed, the people usually return and spend additional time.
JB The cremated human remains you use have been
left behind at funeral homes, where they stay for a required period before funeral directors decide what should be done with them. How do you go about finding them? WG Yes, there are laws and I don’t get them until they
have been there long after the legal time. People often ask if I pay for them. I don’t and I wouldn’t. The simple fact is that these are people, for whatever reason, that are left behind. People have asked me over the years how that could happen and I just point out that there is a story attached to each box and unless we knew all of the details, the mystery will forever remain a mystery. I have wondered through the years what, if any, the protocol is on final disposal but have never been able to find an answer. It is probably left to the discretion of each funeral home. And, most of the boxes date back a considerable period so it does look like they are in no big hurry to dispose of them. Maybe they are in hopes that somebody will eventually show up to claim then. After a sizeable amount of rejection I finally ran into a man that operated a funeral home. You can imagine my aesthetic delight when, after accumulating additional boxes of remains, I discovered that each of us has a unique earth tone. And I like to add that their name is on the back of the canvas where their remains are. JB It seems that your art transcends time and defi-
nitely belongs to 21st century contemporary art. With titles like Blind Philosophy, Earth Tone, Art of Death, and the fact that these paintings are ostensibly dead people, they evoke a response from the viewer. Are you after a reaction or an acknowledgment? WG Not really in that vain. I’m just interested in the
historical lineage of art. I have been a pretty nutty enthusiast of contemporary art and have followed it ad nauseam to understand how it is presented and verified. JB Are you aware that the simple act of using hu-
man remains provokes a new way of thinking about the meaning of art. WG I hope so. But it’s lonely out here.
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Wayne Gilbert Rites of Spring 60”x 90” Oil/Human Remains/Gel Medium
JB
Some critics have described your endeavor as lacking respect for former human beings. They state that defiling flesh and bones and attempting to keep the memory of those who are no longer living is disrespectful and disgusting. How do you respond to their discontentment?
WG I don’t give a damn. If I was having any trouble
with my self-respect, I would work on it. As long as I’m working on being honest, principled, and ethical things will be fine, I think. Plus, I get my social security check every month.
that works need to be filtered through a sizeable art world wormhole to end up in those institutions. And my work falls off the edge of defining it in the world of contemporary art. Besides, it would be a big gamble. But it’s a great fortune to be in a city with art folks like Bill Arning, Toby Kamps, Jim Harathis, and all the other people in the great art community in Houston. JB What is your ultimate hope with the human aspect
of your work? WG I would hope that someday it be acknowledged
JB Bill Arning, director of the Contemporary Arts Mu-
seum Houston has been very supportive of your work and described you as an artist with a unique voice. Do you see the possibility of an upcoming retrospective at the museum? WG Oh no, Bill is a friend and it would be totally inap-
propriate to do that. Plus it has been my observation
as legitimate art in the realm relegated to the museum world so it could be protected the way they protect great art. It would make my death far more comfortable knowing that the huge degree of love and respect I have for these less fortunate people will be safe and secure. If I was a betting man, I would bet that most of them never had the chance to live the grand life I have been fortunate enough to live.
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Art not only lives in Frank Zeni; Frank Zeni lives in art.
Frank Zeni in his house/ studio in the West End Photo by John Bernhard
FEATURE 39
Frank Zeni by P I CA K. KA H N
The Art is in his Soul
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T H E A R T I S T / A R C H I T E C T H A S B U I L T his one-of-a-kind art studio/home, a tri-story loft completely out of metal with gigantic columns in the front. Reminiscent of the European style of the Venetian 1600th-century architect Andrea Palladio, his style is known for the giant columns in the front of the house. Columns in front of the United States Capitol are examples.
“Palladio’s work is done in the traditional style of a Greek temple that he turned into turned into a house, and I wanted to do the same thing, embellish it into a home.” The West End house is a showstopper for those passing by. “People do stop from time to time and ask to see the inside,” he said.
Mounting another spiral staircase and entering into the bedroom through French doors, this room is perhaps the most unusual and powerfully artistic in the entire house. The room looks like an opera or play set. Everything is made of unique designs, built by the artist, out of wood, painted in a variety of pastel and primary colors.
The pink bed has an ornate high-back headboard and sits in the middle of the room at an angle like “I wanted to create the inside to be able to experiment that of a Broadway set. with by making it a studio on the first floor, and upstairs Windows line the wall I built a kitchen and the third floor I made into a bedroom.” with various potted plants and other The kitchen is accessible by a spiral staircase leading to personal memorabilia. the second floor overlooking the first floor studio, which is filled with paintings and three-dimensional collages by The house suits the artist who the artist. On the second floor, the kitchen has one long looks a bit like Picasso when island made of wood, complete with a stove, storage and he was in his 70s with the preparation space. Resembling a kitchen made for a play- same sense of humor and house, it is actually wonderfully functional and aestheti- sense of style. The house has cally pleasing at the same time. been seen in the New York Times, the Houston Chronicle and featured in the television series Extreme Homes. Zeni started by buying a metal shell, which was then made into a box, and he created the inside. A company made the outside box, and it took about a week.
At first reserved, the artist begins to show his true side, a creative man determined to live life on his own terms at his own pace in life. Relaxed and affectionate, he lives alone and presents himself as someone who doesn’t really need a lot of people. Gentle with his own direct ideas, he is both expressive and alive as he talks about his art and his life. Born in a small Italian village of Spormaggiore, population 1,000 in the region of Trento, he came to the US as a 16 year old with his family, and he joined the Marines to get out of the house and was sent to the Vietnam War. u
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“ People often say art is in the eyes of the beholder, I say that’s bullshit. Art is about expressing what is in you, it is something you feel you have to do and you don’t know why.
”
Photos by John Bernhard
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“After the military, I was able to go to college on the GI Bill,” he said. “I entered as an architectural student but couldn’t draw, but I learned to draw enough.” He still works as an architect doing as he describes, “the work that other architects don’t want to do.” It does however help to pay the bills. His days are now filled as they have been for decades as a painter. His work is definite with a single thread running through all his work. Using only primary colors they are bright, big and bold. They stand stacked in multiples lining the walls of the room. He estimates that he has painted over 700 paintings in that same style, facades of exteriors of European towns centered on plazas of all kinds. There are places in all of Europe and the world where people gather and have always gathered in central little locations, among towns where people go to visit with friends, talk about what’s going on, drink coffee and eat pastries. “We don’t have that in the U.S.,” he said. “We live in large spread out cities and we lose that intimacy. As a child, I remember gathering in one of these places in the town, and people would sell goods and animals,
shoed horses and other things, and then in the afternoon when the market leaves, we would go there and play soccer.” These good memories are represented in his paintings expressing the genuine touching feelings he has when painting his canvasses. They all are filled with the facades of buildings that all congregate in rows around a center space. Some have birds in them, a few with tiny representations of people, but all encompass a middle space that is open longing for tables and chairs of citizens just congregating for human contact. “These squares are a place to walk and create a reference place,” he said. “They are the same now, no more markets just restaurants and bars, but they are the same, a place to gossip and visit and be connected. With the Internet we have lost some of that.” Although his paintings do not contain people, they somehow express a strong sense of humanity much like the painter himself. “People often say art is in the eyes of the beholder, I say that’s bullshit. Art is about expressing what is in you, it is something you feel you have to do and you don’t know why. I write everything down, ideas I have, and I keep them in a file. You have to paint what is inside you and keep doing it until it feels right. I don’t always know why I have gone down a path and that is OK. I only know I have to do it. That is who I am.”
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FERNANDO CASTRO R.
J E S Ú S M O R O L E S R E M E M B E R E D when as a budding sculptor he engaged granite for the first time: “I was holding a hammer with both hands, I had on earplugs, goggles, a dust mask, a scarf around my neck and a hardhat. The overalls I had over my own clothes were covered with a cake of dust. I couldn’t hear, or see anything (...). When I stopped, I realized there were about thirty people around me watching what I was doing. The stone took over. It was so hard it barely showed what I had done to it. I had not even scratched it! But it controlled me. I fell in love with it.” When Moroles graduated from North Texas State University, the renowned sculptor Luis Jimenez took him under his tutelage. A complicit friendship developed between the two artists. Although Jimenez’s figurative fiberglass sculpture is very different from his own, Moroles stated, “What I got from him was a sense of aesthetics. It shows in both abstract and figurative work: quality and craftsmanship.” When Moroles was thirty, he undertook a pilgrimage to Pietrasanta, Italy. As he was climbing the worn-out marble steps leading to the legendary quarries of Carrara, he understood that he wished to produce work that could be placed in the world so that people could touch and interact with it. Thus, his sculpture was not to be made from the marble with which Michelangelo carved his Moses, but rather from the granite of the great Egyptian pyramids and the walls of Tenochtitlan. He spoke about marble with some disdain: “It’s so soft you can cut it with a nail file.” Whereas granite was a fundamental element to him, “the living stone” and “the core of the universe.” That is why Moroles worked almost exclusively with granite, a material whose hardness and unpredictability frightens away many sculptors. Regarding his own work, Moroles once stated, “I wanted to make something symbolizing the mountains where the stone came from. (...) I was trying to bring all the elements—earth, water, and sky—together.” He added, “Granite is a monster to work with. I sit on it, I tap it, I feel it, and I look at the stone until I know what I must do with it. The shape of each stone is something that I cannot and do not want to change because whatever happens in nature dictates what happens in my studio.”
Moroles was a shaman of stones. He thought every stone had a soul and that his mission was to liberate it while leaving its heart intact. “I’ve got to be able to listen to each stone while it’s being worked on. Each piece resonates differently and reacts differently, so I pay attention to what the stone tells me it wants to do.” These statements may appear somewhat incongruous given that his art of cutting stone is a craft of mathematical and technical precision involving powerful diamond saws and pinpoint accuracy. Nevertheless, even his most geometric and rectilinear sculptures manifest their forms with the naturalness of quartz crystals. Through craft and design he was able to make granite appear malleable, light and expressive. The intimacy that Moroles developed with stone was such that he could predict exactly what its behavior and even its “voice” was going to be. In 1993 the Houston Chronicle’s art critic, Patricia Johnson, reviewed his show “Tearing Granite: Thunder in the Stone” at Davis/McClain Gallery, describing an evening of sculpture, music and dance. The musician David Schrader and a dance group from Moroles’ alma mater, North Texas State University, were part of the performance. Moroles carved keys on stone sculptures like Black Musical Stele (1999) so that they could be played as musical instruments. Schrader accompanied a sound recording that had been prepared previously playing the steles as if they were xylophones (with sticks, stones and wire brushes), using Molcajete (grinding stone) as a drum. The recording was Larry Austin’s composition Rompido (sic), rendered with the deafening sounds of hammering, high-powered saws, grinders and other machines used for cutting and moving large granite sculptures. The dancers, choreographed by Sandra Combest, climbed onto mobile sculptures like Moonscape Ring (1993)— an enormous oval piece of granite weighing 3,480 pounds. Notwithstanding its tremendous weight, Moonscape Ring could roll like a bicycle wheel, making its own sound along the way. The highlight of the performance occurred when one of the steles was struck with enough force to play a certain note: one that caused the stone to break in half.
IN MEMORIAM 45
JESUS M O RO LES Sculptor (1950-2015) Photography by Don Netzer
In 1987 Moroles completed Lapstrake, a 64 ton, 22 foot tall sculpture for the E.F. Hutton, CBS Plaza located across the street from the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. In 1991 Moroles completed the Houston Police Officers Memorial, a granite square pyramid whose vertex rises from the meadow, surrounded by four inverted pyramids excavated into the ground. Over 2,000 works by Moroles are scattered around the world; in China, Egypt, France, Italy, Japan, Switzerland and the United States. In 2008 he was honored with the highest award given to an artist by the U.S. government, the National Medal of Arts. Jesus Moroles once stated, “My work is a discussion of how man exists in nature and touches nature and uses nature. Each of my pieces has about fifty percent of its surfaces untouched and raw—those are parts of the stone where it was torn. The rest of the work is smoothed and polished. The effect, which I want people to not only look at but touch, is a harmonious coexistence of the two.” Jesus lived like a force of nature, transforming stone into sculpture, forging beauty out of shapelessness. He once told me that he wanted to place his works wherever there were cultures that knew stone, that appreciated it, and made it part of their world. We had a pending journey together to Pisac, Sacsahuamán and Machu Picchu that he will miss. But when I do climb and stand on those cyclopean Inka boulders again, I will remember his words and deeds.
JESUS M O RO LES Police Memorial 1990 Houston Texas Pink Granite & Earth JESUS M O RO LES Concave Concave, 2012 Houston Photo courtesy of Photographs Do Not Bend Gallery, Dallas
ARTHOUSTON 46
Performing Arts Schedule HOUSTON BALLET Wortham Center, 500 Texas Ave, Houston, TX 77002 Phone: 713 227 2787
BULLETS OVER BROADWAY Dec 27 - Jan 2, 2016, Sarofim Hall FIRE AND ICE Dec 31, 2015, Zilkha Hall
HOUSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Jesse H. Jones Hall 615 Louisiana Street, Suite 100 Houston, Texas 77002 Phone 713.227.4772 MAHLER SYMPHONY NO. 5 September 17-20 Andrés Orozco-Estrada, conductor
ALL IN A GARDEN GREEN Feb 12, 2016, Zilkha Hall THE SOUND OF MUSIC Feb 16 - Feb 21, 2016, Sarofim Hall
MANON September 10 - September 20, 2015 FALL MIXED REPERTORY PROGRAM NEW GARRETT SMITH GHOST DANCES TAPESTRY
THEATRE UNDER THE STARS
1475 West Gray, Houston, TX, 77019 Phone 713 520 1220
THE SLEEPING BEAUTY February 25 - March 6, 2016
THE HOBBY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS 800 Bagby Street, Houston, TX 77002 Phone: 713.315.2400
SCHUMANN AND BARTÓK October 1-4, 2015 Andrés Orozco-Estrada, conductor EMANUEL AX PLAYS BRAHMS October 16-18 Andrés Orozco-Estrada, conductor
September 24 - October 4, 2015 THE NUTCRACKER November 27 – December 27, 2015 JUBILEE OF DANCE A one-night-only event Friday, December 4, 2015
HILARY HAHN PLAYS SIBELIUS September 25-27 Andrés Orozco-Estrada, conductor
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA October 22, 2015, Amy Andersson, conductor BONNIE & CLYDE October 1 - 4, 2015 Zilkha Hall
SINATRA’S CENTENNIAL October 30-31- November 1 Steven Reineke, conductor
MATILDA THE MUSICAL October 6 - 18, 2015 Sarofim Hall
GHOSTBUSTERS & GHOULS October 31 Robert Franz, conductor
A CHRISTMAS STORY THE MUSICAL December 8 - 20, 2015 Sarofim Hall
DVOŘÁK’S SERENADE FOR STRINGS November 12-15 Frank Huang, violin and leader
STRIKING 12 December 17 - 20, 2015 Zilkha Hall
TAPESTRY: THE CAROLE KING SONGBOOK (World Premiere) November 20-22 Michael Krajewski, conductor
THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY January 19 - 31, 2016 Sarofim Hall
PROKOFIEV’S ROMEO AND JULIET November27- 29 Long Yu, conductor
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA Nov 18 - Nov 29, 2015, Sarofim Hall
MARY POPPINS March 8 - 20, 2016 Sarofim Hall
HOME ALONE—FILM / LIVE ORCHESTRA December 4 Steven Reineke, conductor
HOMAGE TO THE SUN KING: LOUIS XIV OF FRANCE Nov 20, 2015, Zilkha Hall
SWEET POTATO QUEENS March 17 - 20, 2016 Zilkha Hall
VERY MERRY POPS December 11-13, 2015 Michael Krajewski, conductor
PIPPIN Oct 20 - Oct 25, 2015, Sarofim Hall JOSH GROBAN Oct 26, 2015, Sarofim Hall LYLE LOVETT & JOHN HIATT Oct 29, 2015, Sarofim Hall
SCHEDULE 47
A FROSTY & FROZEN CHRISTMAS December 12 HANDEL’S MESSIAH December 17, 2015 (Sugar Land Baptist Church) December 18-20 Nicholas Kraemer, conductor A TRIBUTE TO JOHN WILLIAMS January 8-10 Michael Krajewski, conductor SHOSTAKOVICH SYMPHONY NO. 10 January 22-24 Andrés Orozco-Estrada, conductor
ALL THE WAY Directed by Kevin Moriarty Hubbard Theatre Previews start January 29 TENNESSEE WILLIAMS’ THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA Hubbard Theatre Previews start March 4, March 9 - April 3, 2016
HOUSTON GRAND OPERA 510 Preston St, Houston, TX 77002 · (713) 546-0200
HOUSTON SYMPHONY PRESENTS GARRISON KEILLOR January 27
HAYDN & SIBELIUS February 12-14 John Storgårds, conductor THE BEST OF BENNY GOODMAN February 26-28 Michael Krajewski, conductor BEETHOVEN 2 & 8 March 4-6 Andrés Orozco-Estrada, conductor
ALLEY THEATRE 615 Texas Avenue Houston TX 77002 Phone: 713 220-5700
THE OTHER PLACE Neuhaus Theatre Previews start October 23 October 28 - November 15, 2015
PASSION FOR BACH AND COLTRANE IMANI WINDS AND HARLEM QUARTET Friday, May 6, 2016, 8:00 PM Da Camera Jazz at Cullen Theater ARTURO O’FARRILL AND THE AFRO LATIN JAZZ ORCHESTRA October 24, 2015; 8:00 PM
TOSCA October 23 - November 14, 2015
MELISSA ALDANA AND CRASH TRIO December 5, 2015, 8:00 PM
EUGENE ONEGIN October 30 - November 13, 2015
GREGORY PORTER February 5, 2016, 8:00 PM
MARRIAGE OF FIGARO January 22 - February 7, 2016
GUILLERMO KLEIN Y LOS GUACHOS March 19, 2016, 8:00 PM
RUSALKA January 29, 2016 - February 12, 2016 PRINCE OF PLAYERS March 5, 2016 - March 13, 2016
DA CAMERA 1427 Branard St. Houston, TX 77006 713 524-5050
Chamber Music Concerts at Cullen Theater SNAPSHOTS OF AMERICA September 26, 2015, 8:00 PM Wortham Theater Center
ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS Hubbard Theatre October 7 November 1, 2015
THE COLORADO: A FILM ORATORIO ROOMFUL OF TEETH, GLENN KOTCHE AND JEFFREY ZIEGLER Tuesday, April 12, 2016; 8:00 PM
AZAR LAWRENCE: THE LOVE SUPREME 50TH ANNIVERSARY BAND WITH JEFF “TAIN” WATTS November 6, 2015, 8:00 PM
BRAHMS & SCHUMANN January 28-31 Andrés Orozco-Estrada, conductor SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN—FILM WITH LIVE ORCHESTRA February 5-7 Steven Reineke, conductor
THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC ORLANDO CONSORT Friday, April 1, 2016, 8:00 PM
ELIAS STRING QUARTET: B EETHOVEN PERSPECTIVES November 12, 2015, 8:00 PM Wortham Theater Center MONTROSE TRIO HOUSTON DEBUT WITH RICHIE HAWLEY January 29, 2016, 8:00 PM SARAH ROTHENBERG: THE MARCEL PROUST PROJECT February 11 -12, 2016, 8:00 PM
Da Camera at the Menil ROMANTIC TITANS: BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY NO. 5 AND LISZT YURY MARTYNOV, PIANO October 13, 2015, 7:30 PM INNER WORLDS: SCHUMANN, LIEBERSON AND RILKE December 8, 2015, 7:30 PM BRENTANO QUARTET: THE QUARTET AS AUTOBIOGRAPHY February 23, 2016, 7:30 PM
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E S S A Y 4499
What is Poetry? According to Webster’s Dictionary, poetry is defined as “writing that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience in language chosen and arranged to create a specific emotional response through meaning, sound, and rhythm.” While this is the technical definition of poetry many writers attempted to further describe what poetry is. There are many contradicting views and no one can agree what is the essence of poetry. Some poets think that poetry is the expression of emotions and rules do not matter, while other poets suggest the poetry is all about the rules and the rhythm that must be followed. The perfect mix to define poetry is somewhere in between. E.E. Cummings suggests, “feeling is first who pays any attention to the syntax of things.” According to Cummings, poetry is purely defined by the feelings the poem expresses and syntax plays no role. This is evident when he writes “for life’s not a paragraph And death I think is no parenthesis.” While poetry must express feelings and must create “imaginary gardens with real toads in them.” Poetry cannot be defined by these standards alone. After all, without certain rules to define poetry any expression of emotion can be defined as poetry. While it is true that the main purpose of poetry is to create worlds and express emotions, poetry must also accomplish more. Poetry must be music in the form of words. Some poets believe the definition of poetry is in the music it creates. “Smooth or rough, with them, is right or wrong.” Alexander Pope believed that a poem must be pleasant to the ear. A poem must follow certain rules. A poem can never “ring round the same unvaried chimes” and “[drag] its slow length along.” Poems must “[whisper] through the trees” to please the reader’s ear. For a poem to create music the poem must follow certain rules. What is the usefulness of a poem if it doesn’t communicate any emotions to the reader in the end? It is nice to hear pleasant sounds but the goal of a p o e m c a n n o t j u s t b e t o p r o d u c e p l e a s a n t s o u n d s . After all, “these things are important not because a high-sounding interpretation can be put upon them but b e c a u s e t h e y a r e u s e f u l .” M a n y p o e t s d e f i n e p o e t r y i n d i f f e r e n t w a y s . Combining t h e i r o p i n i o n s g i v e u s a g o o d d e f i n i t i o n f o r p o e t r y. P o e t r y m u s t h av e a r h y t h m a n d b e u s e f u l a t t h e s a m e t i m e . Tr u e p o e t r y m u s t exp r e s s f e e l i n g a n d c r e a t e a n i m a g i n a r y w o r l d i n t h e r e a d e r s m i n d a l o n g w i t h c r e a t i n g p e r f e c t m e l o d y .
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Reviews
Romain Froquet, Whisper acrylic on oil, 60” x 76”. COURTESY YVONAMOR PALIX FINE ARTS
Gael Stack, Untitled, 2015, oil on canvas, 76” x 60” COURTESY THE ARTIST AND MOODY GALLERY
ROMAIN FROQUET
GAEL STACK
R O M A N F R O Q U E T ’ S W O R K A R E an invitation to the fantasy and the uniqueness of a universe stemming from his own subconscious. He paints on an easel, or on the street enveloping walls or creating site specific installations. The surface is of no importance nor the visibility of his installations, here he presents himself as an ephemeral artist and as a performer- it is his process that becomes paramount not the actual public display. Froquet’s work is a condensation of complexities. With each new piece comes a hope for renewal, an artistic pilgrimage with a result always subject to the haphazard of all the elements combined. He is tormented by his desire for freedom from the classical rigors which are revealed in the colorful manga drawings he delicately marries to primitive African stylizations of figurative elements. Froquet remains however faithful to the exactitude and perfection dictated by architectures and spacial relations to the constructuvists. His mood, his inspiration and the constant need for gesture, line and continual movement recall the nervous and excited abstractions of Pollock and Riopelle. Exert from “Gesture Versus the line”, by Yvonamor Palix Exhibiton currently on view at Yvonamor Palix Fine Arts, Houston through September.
A C O N S I S T E N T G R O U N D , D O M I N A T E D by cobalt blue, has played an important role in Stack’s work for well over a decade. It has become a neutral color on which to make marks – marks specifically blurring distinctions between writing, drawing, and painting. In these new multi-layered narratives, the artist continues to examine the phenomenon of memory. Heavily worked surfaces attest to the process of painting while fragmentary texts and images evoke the notations and devices we use to remind ourselves of past events and future commitments. Composed of calligraphic strokes, Gael Stack’s works are like pages from a diary rendered in pictographs and amplified with color, tonality, and the implication of movement. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally with attending critical attention. Group exhibitions include the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (Exxon series and Selections from the Exxon Series), the Dallas Museum of Art, the El Paso Museum, the Blanton Museum, Austin, Texas, Yale University Art Gallery, the Menil Collection, Stedman/Hubbard Gallery, Paris, France, the Krannert Art Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Dallas, Amarillo Art Center, Janie C. Lee Master drawings, New York. Saturday, October 24, 2015 - Saturday, November 21, 2015.
YVONAMOR PALIX FINE ARTS
MOODY GALLERY
REVIEWS 51
Photograph by Kenro Izu, Pal Ou Cave, Luang Pranbang, Lao PDR, Archival Pigment print
SONGS OF LAO: Kenro Izu and Yumiko Izu BOOKER-LOWE GALLERY
B O OKER-LOWE GALLERY NEW EXHIBITION of fine art photographs taken in Laos by Kenro Izu and Yumiko Izu, with proceeds benefitting the new Lao Hospital for Children, a charity medical center in Luang Prabang, Laos, will without a doubt touch your heart. Japanese-born Kenro Izu, who has chronicled many of the world’s most-revered ancient monuments since the early 1980s, is recognized as one of the greatest living platinum printers for his striking black-andwhite images, created using custom-built large format cameras. He also uses digital photography to document the monuments and create portraits of the people. His wife Yumiko Izu’s color prints for Songs of Lao capture haunting still lifes with flowers, quiet moments with Buddhist monks and nuns, and intimate glimpses of ancient temples. The Lao Hospital opened in early 2015 to provide international-standard care at no cost to children. It is funded through Friends without a Border (FWAB), the not-forprofit organization Kenro Izu created in 1996 to “ensure that every child has the right to a healthy and loving life.” In 1993, while Izu was in Siem Reap, Cambodia, to photograph the 11th century Angkor temples, he witnessed children dying from injuries and preventable illnesses due to
the lack of charity medical care. He returned to New York determined to build a pediatric hospital, founded FWAB, and began attracting volunteers and raising money. From the beginning, he has donated photographs to support the organization. Angkor Hospital for Children opened in 1999, and since then has expanded to include medical, nursing, and dental schools, as well as outreach programs to rural villages. The hospital has served more than 1.3 million children, and has been successfully handed over to Cambodian leadership for independent management. In 2003, Booker-Lowe Gallery owners Nana Booker and David Lowe visited Siem Reap, Cambodia, and met Kenro Izu at the Angkor Hospital. According to Booker, “The young patients and their families touched our hearts. We were so impressed with Kenro’s vision and the commitment of the international medical team, many of them volunteers, to bring health-care to these children. The gallery hosted a benefit for the Angkor Hospital in 2004, and we are pleased once again to show the photography of the Izus, and to help Friends serve the indigent children of Laos,” she said. In view from Thursday September 24 through Saturday October 24. 4623 Feagan St. Houston. www.bookerlowegallery.com
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As the nation’s fourth largest city, Houston has a lot to offer. Among its many ammenities, Houston has over 150 museums and cultural institutions in the Greater Houston area, museums are a large part of Houston’s cultural scene. The Houston Museum District currently includes 20 museums that records a collective attendance of just over 8 million a year. 1940 Air Terminal Museum 713-454-1940 20th Century Technology Museum 979-282-8810 Altharetta Yeargin Art Museum 713-365-5652 Alvin Historical Museum 281-331-4469 American Cowboy Museum 713-478-9677 Archaeological Institute of America 281-497-7382 Art League Houston 713-523-9530 Art Car Museum 713-861-5526 Arts Alliance Center at Clear Lake 281-335-7777 Battleship Texas State Historic Site 281-479-2431 Bay Area Museum 281-326-5950 Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens 713-639-7750 Baytown Historical Museum 281-427-8768 The Beer Can House 713-926-6368 Black Heritage Society 713-227-0490 Blaffer Art Museum 713-743-9521 Buffalo Bayou ArtPark 713-521-0133 Butler Longhorn Museum 281-332-1293 Children’s Museum of Houston 713-522-1138 Contemporary Arts Museum 713-284-8250
Dickinson Historical Society/Railroad Museum 281-534-4367 DiverseWorks Artspace 713-223-8346 Doc Porter Museum of Telephone History 713-861-9784 Durham Bible Museum 281-649-3287 Fort Bend Museum 281-342-6478 FotoFest 713-223-5522 Friendswood Historical Society 281-482-2290 Galveston Arts Center 409-763-2403 Galveston County Historical Museum 409-766-2340 The Galveston Island Railroad Museum 409-765-5700 George Ranch Historical Park 281-343-0218 Gifts with Heart 713-747-0012 Glassell School of Art 713-639- 7500 Goodykoontz Museum of Girl Scout History 713-292-0300 Gulf Coast Museum of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender History, Inc. 713-692-8735 Heritage Museum of Montgomery County 936-539-6873 The Heritage Society 713-655-1912 Holocaust Museum 713-942-8000 Houston Arboretum & Nature Center 713-681-8433
Houston Bicycle Museum 713-459-4669 Houston Center for Contemporary Craft 713-529-4755 Houston Center for Photography 713-529-4755 Houston Chinese Photographic Society 281-568-2873 Houston Community College Central Art Gallery 713-718-6600 Houston Computer Museum 281-293-7919 Houston Fire Museum 713.524.2526 Houston Maritime Museum 713.666.1910 The Houston Museum of Natural Science 713-639-4629 The Houston Police Museum 281.230.2353 Houston Railroad Museum 713.631.6612 Humble Museum 281-446-2130 The Jung Center 713-524-8253 Kemah Historical Society 281-538-1048 Katy Veterans Memorial & Heritage Museum 281-391-8387 Lawndale Art Center 713-528-5858 Lone Star Flight Museum 409-740-7722 The Marguerite Rogers House Museum 281-585-2803 Melody Maids Museum 409-835-4503
The Menil Collection 713-525-9400 The Military Museum of Texas 713-673-1234 The Moody Mansion Museum 409-762-7668 Museum of American Architecture and Decorative Arts 281-649-3997 Museum of American GI 979-446-6888 Museum of Cultural Arts Houston 713-224-2787 The Museum of Fine Arts Houston 713-639-7300 National Museum of Funeral History 281-876-3063 Museum of the Gulf Coast 409-982-7000 The Museum of Printing History 713-522.4652 Museum of Southern History 281-649-3000 Nature Discovery Center 713-667-6550 Nolan Ryan Foundation & Exhibition Center 281-388-1134 Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig and Museum 409-766-7827 The Orange Center for Visionary Art 713-926-6368 Pasadena Historical Museum 713-472-0565 The Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts 281-376-6322 Pioneer Memorial Log House Museum 713-522-0396 Project Row Houses 713-526-7662 Rienzi 713-639-7800 Russian Cultural Center 713-395-3301 The Rutherford B.H. Yates Museum, Inc. 713-739-0163
Sam Houston Memorial Museum 936-294-1832 San Jacinto Museum of History 281-479-2421 Space 125 Gallery 713-527-9330 Space Center Houston 281-244-2100 Spindletop – Gladys City Boomtown Museum 409-835-0823 Star of the Republic Museum 936-878-2461 Station Museum of Contemporary Art 713-529-6900 Strake Jesuit Art Museum 713-774-7651 Texas Artists Museum 409-983-4881 Texas City Museum 409-948-3111 Texas Energy Museum 409-833-5100 Texas Forestry Museum 936-295-2155 Texas Prison Museum, Inc. 936-295-2155 Texas Seaport Museum 409-765-7834 Texas Southern University Museum 713-313-7145 Varner-Hogg Plantation State Historic Site 979-345-4656 Veteran’s Museum in Texas 713-962-5214 Wallisville Heritage Park 409-389-2342 Watercolor Art Society 713-942-9966 WaterWorks Education Center 832-395-3791 West Bay Common School Children’s Museum 281-554-2994 Wharton County Historical Museum 409-532-2600 Woodlands Childrens Museum 281-465-0955 Woodlands Science & Art Center 281-363-7919
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ARTHOUSTON 54
The Houston Airport System is fortunate in having one of the largest collections of public art in the state of Texas. Through a partnership with the City of Houston’s Civic Art Program, the airport system has collected over 30 commissioned and donated works of art. Carefully placed throughout the airport’s terminals, each artwork offers aesthetic and cultural value to the identity of Houston as a truly international city. Pieces include everything from sculptures to photographs and may be found both inside and outside of the airport. On the right is a complete list of the artists and art pieces displayed at the airport. If you want to obtain more information about the art pieces, visit: www.fly2houston.com
1. LIGHT WINGS by Ed Carpenter Dichroic Glass Sculpture 2. HOUSTON, CAN YOU HEAR ME? by Hana Hillerova Aluminum Sculpture. Photo courtesy of Paul Hester 3. MOONWALKING COW by Silvestri Fiberglass Sculpture 4. COUNTREE MUSIC by Terry Allen Bronze Sculpture with Floor Graphic 5. PASSING THROUGH by Leamon Green Etched Glass 6. HOUSTON BAYOU by Dixie Friend Gay Byzantine Glass Mosaic, Bronze Insets. 7. ELEVATOR CORE by Rachel Hecker Stainless Steel 8. WINDS OF CHANGE by David Adicks Bronze Sculpture 9. UNTITLED by Peter Max Painted Glass 10. MICKEY LELAND by Ed Dwight Bronze Sculpture 11. PASSAGES 1, 2, 3, 4 by Bertram Samples and Leslie K. Elkins; Etched Glass 12. LEOPARD SKY by Sheila Klein Light and Mirror Panels with Painted Ceiling 13. BEADS by Jim Hirschfield and Sonya Ishii Enameled Aluminum and Steel. Photo courtesy of Paul Hester 14. TIMELINE by Ben Woitena Outdoor Steel Sculpture. Photo courtesy of Ben Woitena 15. AIR DROPS by Kate Petley Glass, Resin and Acrylic Panels 16. GALAXY WAY by Rolando Briseño Suspended Acrylic Sculpture 17. ONE BOUNCE, TWO BOUNCE by Sandra Fiedorek Murals 18. TRAVEL LIGHT by The Art Guys Cast Resin Sculpture and Hubble Telescope Images 19. SKY WALL by Bill FitzGibbons Outdoor Aluminum and Light Sculpture 20. WEST OF THE PECOS by Rolf Westphal Outdoor Steel Sculpture. Photo courtesy of Ben Woitena 21. LIGHT SPIKES by Jay Baker/ LlewelynDavies Sahni,Inc.; Outdoor Aluminum Light Sculpture 22. CROTON IV by Joseph Anthony McDonnell, Outdoor Bronze Sculpture 23. KGA ART BENCHES by Kelly Gale Amen, Outdoor Bronze Benches 24. RADIANT FOUNTAINS by Dennis Oppenheim, Outdoor Light Sculpture 25. WIND TREES by George Sacaris Outdoor Metal Sculpture 26. UNTITLED – WPA PAINTING by Illya Bolotowsky
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George Bush Intercontinental Airport
Where
Art
A S K Y O U R A V E R A G E N O N - T E X A N what’s special about Houston and you’ll hear some rather familiar assertions. Houston is a place for great job opportunity and even greater barbecue. It’s home to one of the nation’s best rodeos and it’s where astronauts come to train. And, of course, no reputation precedes our status as a global leader in the energy sector. What you won’t hear is that Houston holds some impressive cultural claims as well. We have one of the nation’s top Theater Districts and several world-renowned art museums. We have far more park space than other cities of our size, and we have a thriving culinary scene. Houston is an incredibly diverse and in fact, extremely cultural place. But what many Houstonians themselves don’t even know is that recently we’ve become home to what is believed to be the highest concentration of working artists in the nation. Houston has become a true center for art-making. The core of these artists are working in the fledgling Washington Avenue Arts District, which now houses over 300 working studios within a half-mile radius. Over the last few years that number has boomed and there’s no sign of slowdown. More and more artists and creative entrepreneurs are moving to find their homes in one of the city’s greatest up-and-coming cultural hubs. It was this concentration of creative talent, combined with a culturally and historically rich past that inspired the community to submit an application for Cultural District designation. And in 2014, the state agreed that this is indeed a special place. The Washington Avenue Arts District is now a Texas Commission on the Arts sanctioned Cultural District. Now, with this wonderful distinction, the Washington Avenue Arts District is beginning to find its footing and voice in the Houston arts world and beyond. The Washington Avenue Arts District is one of five such designated areas in Houston. The others are the Museum District, the Theater District, Midtown and the East End. Anchor studio complexes include Winter Street, Spring Street, Silver Street, and Summer Street Studios, as well as the brand new Silos at Sawyer Yards. The area also includes live-work spaces such as Elder Street Artist Lofts and Center Street Studios. The District incorporates not only hundreds of creative studios but vast amounts of exhibition and special event space, and is also home to many individual artists’ residences and arts-focused institutions including Crockett Elementary, an award-winning fine arts school and MECA, a multicultural arts education center.
ARTHOUSTON 56
Happens in Houston:
Washington Avenue Arts District
by SUSANNAH MITCHEL
The Organization Currently a fiscally sponsored project of Fresh Arts, the Washington Avenue Arts District organization is in its formation phase. By the end of the calendar year it will be a stand alone 501c3 non-profit aimed at promoting the area’s greatest asset, the creatives. The mission is to preserve, promote and progress the District’s special creative offerings. Goals include weaving together the District’s arts, business, and residential communities to generate new opportunities, developing clear and consolidated area marketing, and contributing significantly to area beautification. The district boundaries are I 10 to its north, I 45 to its east, Buffalo Bayou to its south and Oliver Street to its west. As the project takes the leap from idea to organization, the strategic pathways are taking shape through the help of an advisory committee made up of area leaders from cultural organizations, civic groups, developers and, of course, artists.
FEATURE 57
Projects You may have seen evidence of the organization’s rise in recent projects around the neighborhood. Most notably, earlier this year the Washington Avenue Arts District led an exciting neighborhood beautification - public art and community partnership project that engaged over 200 volunteers from The Dow Chemical Company in partnership with Keep Houston Beautiful and the First Ward Civic Council to create a subtle public art installation along the Spring Street bike path. The colorful painting of five hundred wood bollards that line the trail from Sawyer St. to Holly St. was made possible through a Houston Parks and Recreation Department (HPARD) Adopt-A-Trail program agreement between the First Ward Civic Council (FWCC) and HPARD. For over eleven blocks path-goers now enjoy an ombre-like civic art installation that meanders through a spectrum of more than two dozen colors, brightening up the street and calling attention to the special creative culture of the District.
The organization now has its sights set on a new project, slated to open to the public in November of this year. With this project the Arts District will curate a one-of-a-kind art exhibition, transforming the honeycombed footprint of twenty-eight renovated grain silos into site-specific contemporary installations. Juried by Bill Arning of Houston’s Contemporary Art Museum, and Jillian Conrad of the University of Houston, this unprecedented exhibition will feature Houston-based artists responding to the unique challenge of non-traditional space. Made possible in part via a grant from the Houston Arts Alliance, the opening will be the first modern use of the former grain processing facility. The exhibition will also mark the opening of the newest (and largest) studio complex in Houston, the Silos at Sawyer Yards. For more informations go to: www.artsdistricthouston.com Susannah Mitchel is the Executive Director of the Washington Avenue Arts District
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Gallery listings + highlights
ARCHWAY GALLERY
2305 Dunlavy St. 713 522-2409
ARADER GALLERY OF HOUSTON 5015 Westheimer, Suite 2303 713-621-7151 ART PALACE 3913 Main Street 832 390-1278 ART LEAGUE HOUSTON 1953 Montrose Boulevard 713 523-9530
OCTOBER
Becky Soria
Opening reception, Sat, Oct 3. Exhibition will be on view through Nov 5, 2015. NOVEMBER
Tom Irven
Opening reception, Sat, Nov 7. Exhibition will be on view through Dec 3, 2015. DECEMBER
John Slaby
Opening reception, Sat, Dec 5. Exhibition will be on view through Jan 7, 2016. AEROSOL WARFARE 2110 Jefferson 832 748-8369 AKER • IMAGING GALLERY 4708 Lillian St. 713-862-6343
ASHER GALLERY 4848 Main St. 713-529-4848
DEAN DAY GALLERY 2639 Colquitt 713 520-1021
GALERIA REGINA 1716 Richmond Ave 713 523-2524
DEBORAH COLTON GALLERY 2445 North Blvd. 713 869-5151
GALERIE SPECTRA Memorial City Mall, 303 Memorial City Way, 832 656-9671
DEVIN BORDEN GALLERY
GALLERY SONJA ROESCH 2309 Caroline St 713 659-5424
3917 Main Street 713 529-2700
BARBARA DAVIS GALLERY 4411 Montrose Blvd. 713-520-9200
GALVESTON ART CENTER 2501 Market Street Galveston 409 763-2403
BISONG GALLERY 1305 Sterrett St. 713 498-3015
BOOKER•LOWE GALLERY 4623 Feagan St. 713 880-1541 SEPTEMBER
Lavar Munro NOVEMBER
Pilbara painters from Roebourne Art Centre
THE ANTIQUARIUM GALLERY 3021 Kirby Drive 713 622-7531
CASA RAMIREZ FOLK ART GALLERY 241 West 19th Street 713-880-2420
ANYA TISH GALLERY 4411 Montrose Blvd. 713-524-2299
CAVALIER FINE ART 3845 Dunlavy Street 713 552-1416
APAMA MACKEY GALLERY 628 East 11th Street 713-850-8527
COMMUNITY ARTISTS’ COLLECTIVE 4101 San Jacinto, Suite 115 713 523-1616
THE GITE GALLERY 2024 Alabama St. 713 523-3311
GREMILLION & CO. FINE ART, INC. SEPTEMBER
Laura Lark
2501 Sunset Blvd. 713 522-2701
September 11 through October 24, 2015 NOVEMBER
Hilary Wilder
November 6, 2015 through December 22, 2015 DECEMBER
Charles Wiese
December 4, 2015 through January 23, 2015 D. M. ALLISON GALLERY 2709 Colquitt 832 607-4378
Eric Peters
18 HANDS GALLERY 249 W. 19th St, Suite B 713 869-3099
GREY CONTEMPORARY GALLERY 7026 Old Katy Rd. Suite 253 713 862-4425
G GALLERY 301 E. 11th St. 713 869-4770
HARRIS GALLERY 1100 Bissonnet 713 522-9116 u
Valentina Atkinson
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Serrano Gallery is located in Houston’s new thriving art district. Visit the studio on the 2nd Saturday of every month, from 2-5 p.m. Silver Street Studios 2000 Edwards St. Studio 117 Tel 713-724-0709
Nichole Dittmann J E W E L R Y
D E S I G N S
2000 Edwards Street, #218 713-501-7290 www.nicholedittmann.com
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MOODY GALLERY
PARKERSON GALLERY 3510 Lake St. Houston, TX 77098 Phone: 713-524-4945
Mary McCleary
PEVETO 2627 Colquitt Street 713 360-7098
2815 Colquitt 713 526-9911 SEPTEMBER
Reception for the artist Saturday, September 12, 2-5 PM NOVEMBER
Gael Stack HIRAM BUTLER GALLERY 4520 Blossom Street 713 863-7097 SEPTEMBER
Joseph Havel
How to Draw a Circle Through September
Reception for the artist Saturday, October 24, 2-5 PM
POISSANT GALLERY 5102 Center St. 713 868-9337 POST GALLERY 2121 Sage, Suite 165 713 622-4241
OCTOBER
Mark Fox
REDBUD GALLERY
Giverny: Journal of an Unseen Garden Through November
303 E. 11th St. Houston, TX 77008 Phone: 713-862-2532 S E P T. 5 - 2 7
Tommy Gregory HOOKS-EPSTEIN GALLERIES, INC. 2631 Colquitt 713 522-0718 HOUSTON CENTER FOR PHOTOGRAPHY 1441 West Alabama Street 713 529-4755 HUNTER GORHAM GALLERY 1834 1/2 Westheimer Rd. 713 492-0504 INMAN GALLERY 3901 Main St. 713 526-7800 JACK MEIER GALLERY 2310 Bissonnet 713 526-2983
CATHERINE COUTURIER GALLERY 2635 Colquitt St. 713 524-5070 JUMPER MAYBACH FINE ART GALLERY & EMPORIUM 238 W. 19th Street, Suite C 832 523-4249 KOELSCH GALLERY 703 Yale Houston, TX 77007 Phone: 713-626-0175 McCLAIN GALLERY 2242 Richmond Ave. 713 520-9988 MEREDITH LONG & CO. 2323 San Felipe 713 523-6671
O C T. 3 - N O V. 1
Gary Griffin
N O V. 7 - N O V. 3 0
NICOLE LONGNECKER GALLERY 2625 Colquitt Street 713 591-4997 NOLAN-RANKIN GALLERIES 3637 W. Alabama St 713 528-0664 OCTAVIA ART GALLERY 3637 West Alabama Suite 120 713 877-1810 OFF THE WALL GALLERY 5085 Westheimer Galleria II, Level II 713 871-0940
Annabel Livermore DEC. 5 - JAN. 3
Sue Zola
JAN. 9 - 31
Tarina Frank FEB. 6 - 28
Chadwick & Spector
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RUDOLPH BLUME FINE ART 1836 Richmond Avenue 713 807-1836 SAMARA GALLERY 3911 Main St. 713 999-1009 SHE WORKS FLEXIBLE 1709 Westheimer Road 713 522-0369
SERRANO GALLERY
2000 Edwards Street Suite 117 713-724-0709
SIMPSON GALLERIES 6116 Skyline Dr. Ste. 1 713524-6751 TEXAS GALLERY 2012 Peden Street 713 524-1593 THORNWOOD GALLERY 2643 Colquitt 713 528-4278 WILLIAM REAVES FINE ART 2313 Brun Street 713 521-7500
YVONAMOR PALIX FINE ARTS 1824 Spring St, 281 467-6065 SEPTEMBER
Romain Froquet
Gesture vs the Line Through October 2015 OCTOBER
Texas -French Dialogues
Group show:
SICARDI GALLERY 2246 Richmond Ave 713 529-1313 SEPTEMBER 15
Miguel Angel R铆os
Through November 21, 2015 OCTOBER 16
Le贸n Ferrari
Through December 19, 2015
Page Piland, Ellen Hart, Syd Moen, Gary Watson, Karine Parker, Mars Woodhill. Through November 2015
RICE VILLAGE: 2424 DUNSTAN 713.522.7602 UPPER WASHINGTON: 5922 WASHINGTON 713.868.1131 www.benjys.com
ARTHOUSTON 62 ARTHOUSTON 62
Identity, the fact of being who or what a person or thing is, or a close similarity or affinity, serves a fundamental question that over centuries many have been seeking for the definite answer. What am I? Mankind of modern era often find ourselves departing from what we actually are or what we think we ought to be. More and more virtualized by modern life, what we see might not be what it is. Different we remain, yet inevitably similar in the significant social commercial industrial mechanism, we might be, after all, tiny parts easily neglected, if not abandoned, by the A NEW EXHIBITION AT THE RESIDENCE OF FRANCE beautiful yet horrific CURATED BY JANE SEAM MAY 31 - OCTOBER 31, 2015 nature of the world, often, one’s own. Aziz & Cucher • Bertirri Bengtson • Emilie Duval Enrique Badulescu • Jane Liang • John Bernhard • Liu Bolin • Keith Cottingham Loli F-A Kolber Luci Orta • Page Piland Inspired by numerous Rahul Mitra • Victor Rodriguez artists, I raise the question through carefully selected art pieces, hoping to speak in the language that can resonate among many.
IDENTITY
To visit the exhibition, please send an email to: muyijane@gmail.com
Dedicated to my father, who remains in my memories. Jane Seam
T H E
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F I N E A R T O F P R I N T I N G
Absolute Color is a Quality printing company based in Houston, Texas. Our Fortune 500 company customers know us for our superior quality printing, low discounted pricing and exceptional service. We offer the best online pricing calculator in the industry to ensure that you are saving the most money on all your printing and signage needs 5810 WINDFERN ROAD HOUSTON, TX 77041-6215 713-996-0202 absolutecolor.com
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voice
The
o f y o u t h : unlocking assets by KARINE PARKER-LEMOYNE
Photo by William V. Flores
“From A Space To A Place” (FASTAP), introduces a powerful approach to community development, urban revitalization and civic engagement that involves the voices of youth. The Texan-French Alliance for the Arts FASTAP program engages youth from conception to implementation in a community-based creativity project whose goal is to transform the students’ environment through self-evaluation and collaboration. We belong to the creative placemaking movement that brings community development to the forefront of public art projects. My vision was to create a platform where students lead the effort to improve the quality of life in their community by working collaboratively with mentors from a variety of disciplines (art, science, technology, engineering, ecology and mindfulness) and create an urban outreach installation (including art installations, community
gardens, performance pieces…) that will respond to a need the students identified in their community. The goal - implement their vision instead of teaching them what they should think and do. I invited a team of educators, community developers and artists (Marjon Aucoin through Little Wonders, Noёl BezetteFlores through Innovate at Work, Jade Darwich, Rachel Dickson, faculty University of Houston-Downtown, David Graeve, Myriam Guichard, Hadia Mawlawi, Sarah Perkins) to accompany me on that journey. A pilot of FASTAP was tested this summer (June/July 2015) in two Houstonbased schools/community centers: Marshall Middle School in the Northside, and Change Happens in the Third Ward. During implementation we acknowledged that everyone had assets, including creativity, aspirations, culture, skills and knowledge, and that finding ways of unlocking,
nurturing, and growing these assets, was essential for them to develop a vision of positive change, also vital for building sustainability. According to Jeni Burnell (Faculty of Technology, Design and Environment, Centre for Development and Emergency Practice (CENDEP), Oxford Brookes University): “Enthusiasm, creativity and aspiration are latent assets that exist within deprived socio-economic communities, which, with a small amount of outside interventions, have the potential to be turned into positive social change. To do so requires innovative ways of capturing local voices; for example, through the arts and cultural action – or the use of the arts for development, education and social impact (Goldbard, 2006). All of which has the potential to equip people with the necessary skills and know-how to actively participate in civic life. “Development does not start with goods; it starts with people and their education, organization, and discipline. Without these three, all resources remain latent, untapped, and potential.” Our intention with this project centered on empowering the youth; no idea was insignificant. They are valued members of their society who can enable change and contribute to the wellness of their community. Our FASTAP Change Happens program consisted of 16 sessions over the course of 6 weeks that provided a space for inquisitive and creative activity as well as productive and valued work. We started the program with self-discovery and team-building activities, including the creation of a personal crest that illustrated the students’ values, visions and motto. The students began a path to selfdiscovery by reflecting on their current values and beliefs as well as those of their
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and building resilience in communities through the arts. family members and close friends. They continued to see positive actions in themselves and others, identifying key character qualities that were admirable and worthy of cultivation. They created their own blazon (crest) to serve as a visual representation and reminder of their inner work and desirable attitudes to attain. On their blazon, they included a motto or chosen quote to inspire their journey. The students learned interview techniques, through an interactive presentation and utilized these new skills to dialogue with community leaders. They learned about each community leaders’ motivations, dreams, history and commitment. Through play, conversation, and debate the students learned about mind mapping, a thinking tool that visually maps out thoughts, ideas and passions. They implemented this technique to answer the question, “How can you make your community a better place to live?” The ideas ranged from “Address gang violence”, “Have helpful community gatherings, food drives,” to “Address racism by holding people from different backgrounds together and by teaching them that there is no difference between races,” or “Educate others about preventing teen pregnancy, hold community meetings/ hand out protection.” They wanted to see their neighborhood become a safer, peaceful place with more stores and healthy food and locations for social dialogue. The students collectively developed a performance that would allow them to share with the audience ways to address four important societal issues: racism, beautification, gang violence, teen pregnancy. Noёl Bezette-Flores developed a foundation for this expression through the Found Poem creation process. Found poems are written from excerpts of liter-
ature such as: prose, fiction, newspaper, reports, and articles. The students identified and arranged words and phrases that were powerful and significant. They worked independently to find their words and then collectively to compose by underlining ones that were the most expressive for their topics and combining these with rhythm in mind. Rachel H. Dickson, the Driven Theater Company, with the students’ input choreographed the poems into a stage performance showcased at Discovery Green and Sunnyside Park. This was a life changing experience for many of them.
“Performing Poetry was powerful and very successful. Poetry has the power to elevate a challenging or a neglected topic to a realm of art.” When youth are active participants in their communities, engaging creatively to improve their surroundings, all members benefit including the adults in their lives. Our cities benefit by seeing more beauty where previously there was neglect, less violence because feelings of anger and isolation, now replaced by worth and value. Also greater awareness of the risks associated with teen pregnancy because girls can find a voice they lacked to make better choices, and more spaces for socialization where previously there was a sense of separation. Performing Poetry was powerful and very successful. Poetry has the power to elevate a challenging or a neglected topic to a realm of art. It has the potential to
transform something that may frighten or concern people into something they start to look at, something they can respond to and maybe understand and want to transform themselves. That is what the vision of the Change Happens students of “From a Space to a Place” program invited us to. The program will be introduced to several schools and community centers in various districts in the fall. The diverse locations and participating groups of students will then be linked through the program’s storyline so that they constitute a unified whole and allow to share practices.
By Karine Parker-Lemoyne (Texan-French Alliance for the Arts) with the contribution of Noёl Bezette-Flores (Innovate At Work) and Hadia Mawlawi.
u
s m e o P
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RACISM
by JASMINE THOMAS (17), ASHLEY JOHNSON (13), AND BRIONA TAYLOR (14)
In a census – style list Our race groups are listed Could this be considered twisted? In a tangle of race achievement There is no agreement An explosion of racial drama Provides a clear panorama Of the central racial point of view That is still black and white
GANG VIOLENCE
by SEVAN GUIDRY (13), JEREMIAH HARRIS (13), DOMINICK STEVENSON (15), AND WARREN SHANKLE (13)
Criminal activity, it’s killing me Impact of cocaine crack Drive by shooting, no turning back My crips and bloods, where’s the love? Maybe less hate and more love 103 and BBC, less killings and more hugs on me Young gang violence is not the answer Boys dropping out of school to tote handguns Girls dropping out of school to be dancers God why? We need more answers Gangs in schools putting graffiti on the walls Kids walking around throwing gang sign in the halls I wish it would all disappear It’s killing me Now tell me you ain’t feeling me
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Stanko Abadzic, Happiness, Prague, 2000
2635 Colquitt St Houston, TX 77098 (713) 524 - 5070 CatherineCouturier.com
ARTHOUSTON 68
FEATURE 69
BEAUTIFICATION
by BROOKE JOSEY (14), KENYA WILLIAMS (13), KAYLA WILLIAMS (13), JESSICA GAGE (13), AND KEYONNA MORRIS (14)
This is an urban transformation Let’s try and change the situation Why don’t we take the time? To make our city shine Combat litter and graffiti It should be an oriented strategy Step by step we can keep it clean We should care about our city if you know what I mean TEEN PREGNANCY
by JALIL ROGERS (14), FAITH BELFORD (14), AND ELIJAH ESPREE (15)
Teen pregnancy gets the best of me No need to explain the rest to me Poor reading skills gave birth to social impact Boys don’t know how to keep intact Girls with low self-esteem and wet dreamz And together they become a team To start a teen pregnancy We just dropping bars Don’t want no scars I try to resist But she insist So ima gon strap it up And give her some of dis Protection is the plan I ain’t tryna be the man Messin’ up my plan Education is the way At the end of the day Teen pregnancy I say Nah, no way
ARTHOUSTON 70
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Photo by William Ropp
William Ropp Philippe Pache Xavier Zimbardo Robert A. Schaefer, Jr Ann Marie Rousseau Henrik Saxgren John Bernhard Lynn Bianchi Virgil Brill The Gallery has revamped to an online medium. For inquiries contact Lisa 713 628 9547
De Frog Gallery
fine art photography representation
design / build remodeling general contracting
281-217-2981 skybuildersllc@hotmail.com
ARTHOUSTON 72
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The Art of Absolute forge has been, since the dawn of civilization, the archetypal image of the consummate craftsman. Tools adequate to any need; the fire of intensity burning ever bright; and strength of will capable of shaping reality to match the vision of his creativity. The proverbial master of his art. While the product of the forge may bear a little resemblance to the delicate results yielded from the press, the image of the craftsman and consummate master carries equal significance at Absolute Color. At this smithy, however, the tools are a bit more involved. Absolute Color runs the ultimate high technology machine, a 10-color sheetfed offset printer. What makes this machine so impressive? The answer is two-fold: Number One – a higher quality product, and THE IMAGE OF VULCAN WORKING
Number Two – increased productivity, it prints both side at the same time. To quote Hugh Nguyen, Absolute Color’s owner, “We produce a large amount of four-color work that’s printed on two sides, and the turnaround times that our customers require continue to shrink. We decided one way to satisfy these fast turnaround times is to go with a perfector, some printers focus on the speed of the press. However, we think that the focus should be on how to ensure the makeready is quick. Our press not only reduces our makeready times, it shortens the printing process from start to finish.” Printing has always been an art form, from the early days of Gutenberg’s printing revolution of the 14th century to our 21st century technology boom. Yet the tools
PROFILE 73
Color
by M A R C D O U G L A S S
alone are only a piece of a very intricate puzzle, there’s still a lot of personal ability involved. It’s still a craft and an art form, even with the computer. If you give the same press to two people, you won’t come out with the same product. That takes us back to our image of Olympus’s Smith; the fire intensity and strength of will that are the necessary components of a true craftsman. Their pressmen are seasoned veterans and experts in color print and have been with the company for years. “Our people are our most important assets.” Says Nguyen. “They all do the highest quality work, and we are very fortunate to have them.” And the commitment to excellence goes all the way to the top of the company. Hugh Nguyen and his wife Christy have shown their commitment to Absolute Color
with tireless work. “You’d better be prepared to be dedicated, because this is not a half commitment.” They have invested in people, time, energy, and resources into stateof-the-art electronic prepress and printing so that their customers have more control over their printing projects. That ultimately means that they will continue to lead the pack well into the future. So, if you should ever have the opportunity to walk the floor of Absolute Color, perhaps you should keep a trained ear tuned to the distance. Those craftsmen working around you using the most advanced tools available to their art, and exercising their wills through the force of intensity to achieve results that are at the pinnacle of their art. And you just may hear a far-off hammer coming to blows on a mighty anvil. absolutecolor.com
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Niki Serakiotou
Suzette Schutze
Nichole Dittmann
Lily Gavalas
Lisa Hardcorn
Matthew Gantt
John Bernhard
Luisa Duarte
Gretchen Bender Sparks
Amy Achrysalis
Valentina Atkinson
Angela Fabbri
Nataliya Scheib
Hege Nolop
Darlene Abdouch
Studio 110 713-992-1327 www.nikisartstudy.com
Studio 106 713-689-9709 www.constellationism.info
Studio 117 713-724-0709 www.serranogallery.com
Studio 306 281-881-8981 www.suzetteschutze.com
Studio 102 713-854-3758 www.johnbernhard.com
Studio 101 713-677-4878 www.fabbriology.com
Studio 218 713-501-7290 FB-Nichole Dittmann Jewelry Designs
Studio 122 281-857-5028 www.Luisa-Duarte.com
Studio 115 571-212-9279 www.Nataliyasgallery.com
Studio 119 713-859-7143 FB - Lily Gavalas
Studio 214 713-444-7562
Studio 215 832-454-2766 www.perleamies.com
Studio 109 832-930-0109 www.cosmiccreationsart.com
Studio 302 832-429-8487 www.iamamy.com
Studio 306 713-569-8346 www.Abdouchart.com
WHERE CULTURE HAPPENS WITH OPENINGS EVERY SECOND SATURDAY OF THE MONTH SILVER STREET is a complex with a museum atmosphere that includes a 20,000 sq ft event space and 70 artists’ studios. 2000 EDWARDS ST. HOUSTON, TX 77007 SILVERSTREETHOUSTON.COM
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A R TAHROT UH SOTUOSNT O7N6 7 6
EXPOSURE
ABSTRACT ARTIST
Monica Melgar 832-544-0249 www.mmelgar.com THESE TALENTED FEATURED ARTISTS ARE CREATING INCREDIBLE MASTERPIECES WITH GREAT SKILLS, AND RIGHT HERE IN YOUR NECK OF THE WOOD. THERE’S NO NEED TO LOOK BEYOND THE LOCAL CREATIVE SCENE IN HOUSTON FOR AMAZING AND BEAUTIFUL ART.
ARTIST
Geoff Hippenstiel www.devinborden.com
ARTIST/DESIGNER
Walt Gilbert 713 443-1559
E X P O S U R7 E7 7 7
ARTIST / PAPER CUTTER
Catherine Winkler winklerart@hotmail.com] www.catherinewinkler.com
ILLUSTRATOR
Mike Llewellyn 713 864-5427 www.mikellll.com
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C O L O P H O N 7799
artH O U S T O N PUBLISHER / EDITOR JOHN BERNHARD EDITOR-AT-LARGE SHANNON RASBERRY DESIGN BERNHARD ASSOCIATES, INC. BERNHARDPUB.COM EDITORIAL BOARD ARTHUR DEMICHELI MARC DOUGLASS WILLIAM J. HANHAUSEN PHILIP BACKUS ADVERTISING ART HOWARD ILLUSTRATOR MIKE LLEWELLYN PHOTOGRAPHERS HALL PUCKETT KIM COFFMAN JOHN NADER TYPESET IN LETO SANS & MILLER BANNER PRINTED BY ABSOLUTE COLOR CONTACT US ARTHOUSTONMAGAZINE.COM ARTHOUSTONMAGAZINE@GMAIL.COM
ArtHouston is published twice a year by Art Houston Magazine, LLC. ©Copyright 2015. All right reserved. The entire contents of ArtHouston may not be reproduced in any matter, either in part or in whole, without written permission from the publisher. In addition, the artists within hold copyrights on their images and essays. Any use of or copying of their works without their written permission is in violation of the copyright law. Art Houston Magazine, LLC. is not responsible in any way for mispellings, omissions, incorrect phone numbers or addresses. Unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, and other materials must be accompanied by postage and a self-addressed return envelope. ArtHouston is not responsible for unsolicited submissions. Address all correspondence to: ArtHouston Magazine, 217 Knox St. Houston, TX 77007.
CONTRIBUTORS Shannon Rasberry E D I T O R - A T- L A R G E
Shannon Rasberry is a copywriter and graphic designer from Houston who has worked in the marketing, advertising, and publishing industries since 1999. Since 2007, Shannon has been a creative services consultant for everything from startups to global energy companies. He holds an MA in Humanities from the University of Houston. He is an avid fan of art, film, and books. He currently lives in Clear Lake with his wife, Maria.
Holly Walrath WRITER
Holly Walrath is a freelance editor and the Associate Director of Writespace, a nonprofit literary center in Houston, Texas. She attended the University of Texas at Austin for her B.A. in English and the University of Denver for her M.L.A in Creative Writing. Her writing has appeared or is forthcoming in Pulp Literature, The Vestal Review, and Spider Road Press, among others. Holly resides in Seabrook.
Hall Puckett PHOTOGRAPHER
Hall Puckett is a photographer based in Houston. Early on when friends and family asked him what he was going to do with a major in psychology and a minor in photography his response was “I guess I’ll just have to take pictures of crazy people!” Funny how things work out. He currently lives off the north loop in a “transitional neighborhood” with his wife, two rescue dogs, and a cat named Lalo.
K. Pica Kahn WRITER, REPORTER
K. Pica Kahn has been a freelance reporter and author for 25 years writing for the Houston Chronicle, Texas Monthly and the Houston Business Journal. With a father from France, she spent summers in Europe with her family, and now works as an International Interculturalist giving workshops on the difference in cultures to oil and gas companies. For 25 years, she has worked as an artist.
Fernando Castro R. WRITER, CURATO R
Fernando Castro R. is a critic, curator, narrator, and artist. He grew up in Lima and New York. He studied biology at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, and philosophy as a Fulbright scholar at Rice University (Houston). He has published a book of poetry and several of critical writings. He has won awards as a writer, photographer, and curator. He currently lives in Houston
Karine Parker-Lemoyne CURATO R, EDUCATO R
Karine Parker-Lemoyne is a Texan-French curator, visual artist, educator and community developer. She currently runs the Texan-French Alliance for the Arts. Some of the major projects she developed include Go West 1 at UNESCO in Paris, the Houston citywide “Open the Door” public art program, and in 2015 “From A Space to A Place” that strives to meet the challenges of increasing urbanization.
ARTHOUSTON 80
critic’s pick
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dan havel
Artist Dan Havel may be best known as a sculptor and creator of large-scale public art in his collaborations with artist Dean Ruck and Havel Ruck Projects. However, drawing has been a major part of his practice as an artist for the last 30 years. He is represented by RedBud Gallery. For more on this artist contact: Gus Kopriva 713-862-2532