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Public Art of the University of Houston
By Mercedes Del Riego Benches by Scott Burton, pink granite (1985). Best known for blurring the boundary between utilitarian objects and art, Burton was a minimalist sculptor inspired by the Bauhaus and abstract movements. This set of two benches sit nondescriptly in front of the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design. All photos […]
A Surprise Discovery: Making Art History Public Art
By Mercedes Del Riego 22 February 1916 “Sunday Evening in a Village in the Ardennes.” Says “Dear Irma, many heartfelt thanks and greetings, your Otto. Have had no mail from you for days.” All photos courtesy of Irene Guenther. Peter Guenther and his wife, Andrea, died a few short months apart. “I should not have […]
Making Memories at Miller Outdoor Theatre: A Centennial of the Arts
By Samantha de León Miller Outdoor Theatre during a summer symphony night. All photos courtesy of Miller Outdoor Theatre. In February 1969, forty-six years after Miller Outdoor Theatre opened and a year after moving into its new facility, Houston Chronicle fine arts editor Ann Holmes questioned what was next for the outdoor amphitheater. Nestled in […]
A Place of Reinvention
By Marie-Theresa Hernández Pierced Heart by Daniel Galvez-Zuniga. The stained glass at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church carries intense symbolism with a heart pierced by a sword, bringing to mind church members and visitors who lived through enslavement, Reconstruction, and Jim Crow. In 2022, when University of Houston photography students from my World Cultures and Anthropology […]
Arte Público Press
By Aileen Mendoza Arte Público Press has become the largest publisher of U.S. Hispanic contemporary and recovered literature in the United States. All photo courtesy of Arte Público Press unless otherwise noted. “As a child, Nicolás Kanellos couldn’t find books that accurately portrayed his Hispanic heritage. As an adult, he sought out and published the […]
The Art Guys: Behind the Creators of The Statue of Four Lies
By Sydney Rose The Art Guys envisioned The Statue of Four Lies as an embodiment of themselves, their works, and the University of Houston. The duo spent over thirty years working together in Houston and exhibiting their work throughout Texas. Photo © Morris Malakoff, courtesy of Public Art UHS. A pair of bronze figures stand in […]
20.1 Innovative Thinkers: Letter from the Editor
Debbie Z. Harwell, Editor Do you ever wonder when you see a new product, “Why didn’t I think of that?” (Sometimes followed by, “I’d be rich!”). As Google search for the question, “how do we get ideas?” returned 4.4 billion responses. (That’s billion with a “B”!). So, I did what most of us do and […]
Community Engagement from Blackboards to Technology
This special spring issue of Houston History features five articles for 100 Years of Stories: Documenting a Century at the University of Houston! Click on Buy Magazines to purchase a print copy or subscribe. Houston Public Media tells the behind the scenes stories of the work our students are doing in collaboration with Houston Public Media and […]
Latino cARTographies: Mapping the Past, Present, and Future of Houston’s Latino Visual Art
“A 21ST Century Mode of Accessing Art and Experiencing Culture” By Dr. Pamela Anne Quiroz and Juana Guzmán Under the leadership of Dr. Pamela Anne Quiroz, Director of the University of Houston’s (UH) Center for Mexican American and Latino Studies (CMALS), plans are underway to launch the groundbreaking digital board, Latino cARTographies: Mapping the Past, […]