Beauty on Your Block

Today I'm straying briefly from my primary mission of chronicling yard art in the Heights to highlight "Salon of Beauty," an installation on view at the Rice Gallery until December 11.

I love the Rice Gallery, which is dedicated to "site-specific installation art."  I appreciate how featured artists transform the space, creating an entirely new environment.  Visitors experience these installations and interact with them in a way unique from paintings, drawings, or even three-dimensional sculpture.  The best installations (and yard art creations!) absorb you into the artwork; they surround you on all sides.  And that's exactly what Ana Serrano has done with Salon of Beauty. 

Serrano's installation celebrates the spirit that animates her native East L.A. neighborhoods.  She has taken her memories of those familiar surroundings - hair salons, discount stores, concrete cinderblocks - and created an imaginary city block, lovingly fashioned from cardboard and paper, down to the last airconditioning unit and potted plant.  Serrano doesn't omit the less desirable features of her neighborhood, like barbed wire and burglar bars, but her brightly colorful composition is bursting with such optimism and vitality that even these elements seem elevated, enshrined. The burglar bars and cinder blocks also allow Serrano to introduce a geometric motif that provides visual consistency, knitting the whole block together.

What's beautiful on your block?

Kindred Spirits at Intuitive Eye

Friends and Neighbors, I am very excited about today's post!  When I started this project, I hoped to meet some like-minded Houstonians, but I never expected to find Jay Wehnert, Director of Intuitive Eye and Heights resident.

Aaron, my better half and side-kick in all yard art expeditions, heard about a Heights Outdoor Home Sculpture Tour organized by Intuitive Eye.  The walking tour, guided by Jay, featured several Heights sculptures and discussions with the homeowners and sculptors themselves.  In Jay's own words:

"The Historic Houston Heights is a neighborhood long on tradition. It has a deep history of supporting artists and their work. The neighborhood is increasingly becoming the home for outdoor sculptures. Installed by creative homeowners to enhance their homes and the neighborhood, this 'public' art is a fascinating addition."

Well, you can imagine how thrilled I was!  Although I was out of town for the tour, Jay graciously invited me to his home to share his own collection and his perspective on the yard art phenomenon. 

I will save the details of our discussion for another post, but suffice it to say:  Jay's extensive personal collection and his encyclopedic knowledge of outsider, folk, and self-taught art is simply extraordinary.  For now, enjoy these photos of Jay's outdoor collection, on the 700 block of Rutland:

Jay Wehnert standing next to "Serpentine" by Polly Dahl Smart, an artist he represents

Please visit Intuitive Eye and take the time to read some of the artist profiles, particularly the touching story of Richard Gordon Kendall, whose known works will be on view at d.m. allison art, 2709 Colquitt, from November 19 - 26.  The show previews this Saturday, November 12, from 6 - 9 pm.

Cortlandt Street

It is only fitting that Cortlandt Street, the street where I live, should be the starting point of my hunt for yard art in the Heights.

I have lived on Cortlandt Street for almost three years now.  My first apartment complex on Cortlandt was small, less than 20 units, centered around an ivy-covered courtyard.  The residents decorated the courtyard with stone cherubs, a magenta garden orb, and even a small stone gargoyle.  For me, that courtyard encapsulates what the "yard art ethos" is all about: the urge to personalize one's outdoor spaces, to make a house (or an apartment) a home.

Cortlandt Street is fertile ground for a wide variety of yard art, from contemporary metal sculptures to devotional statues to whimsical collections of found objects:

The Blessed Virgin greets visitors to this home, on the 1500 block

St. Joseph the Worker, at All Saints Catholic church on the corner of 10th and Cortlandt.

A disco ball glitters at dusk, on the 1800 block

Glass bottles of all sizes are recycled as sculpture, on the 1800 block

Pinwheels, potted plants, and an owl wearing sunglasses brighten up this yard just north of 20th Street.



One of my favorite front-yard embellishments on Cortlandt, on the 1600 block

The dog owners are also the proud owners of a penguin who accepts the mail!



Bright red ribbons of metal are frozen in festive form, on the 1300 block

This sculpture, on the 700 block, reminds me of an oversized sundial that has been rotated and unhinged.

On the 800 block, a sphere composed of interlocking metal rings

Another blue-cloaked Mother of God, on the 1400 block

This pink flamingo has taken up residence near the Virgin Mary, above.

An iron cactcus, live cactus plant, and what appears to be a venus fly trap
create a playful homage to the Southwest, on the 1500 block.

Have you seen any of these artworks during your strolls or bicycle rides through the Heights?  Which one of these pieces is your favorite, and why?

Point of Departure: Inconic Yard Art in Houston

I admit, it's probably weird to begin a blog about the Heights with a bunch of photos from not-the-Heights. The Heights may boast a particularly concentrated collection of yard art, but it's certainly not the only neighborhood in Houston to find these hidden gems.  Consider these familiar Houston icons:

Just south of the University of Houston, on an otherwise ordinary residential street, sits The Orange Show.

Conceived and constructed over decades from salvaged materials by one man, The Orange Show was dedicated to sharing with the world the many virtues of the orange.  Today, it is the name sake of the non-profit Orange Show Center for Visionary Art.

The Orange Show Center also cares for the famous Beer Can House, the singular vision of a man who loved to drink beer and had a talent for metal-working.

And then there's the brightly painted home of Cleveland Turner in Houston's Third Ward, which is decorated with a changing array of found objects.

Turner is known as "The Flower Man" for his participation in another of Houston's folk art pastimes - the Art Car Parade.  Turner parades on a bicycle adorned with festive fake flowers.

Many thanks to my dear friend and accomplished curator Sofia, who took many of the photos shared in this post, and who inspires me to make art appreciation an everyday event.

Inaugural Post!

Welcome, neighbors!

This blog is dedicated to celebrating one of the many charms of the Houston Heights: the proliferation of yard art.  From plastic flamingos to full-scale sculptural installations, the Heights boasts a unique culture of publicly sharing private artwork.  This blog aspires to catalog the yard art of the Heights, street by street, and along the way to create a community gathering space for residents to share their stories and their treasures.