The Spring 2024 issue of Houston History magazine reflects on ways in which we celebrate and preserve our history.
Archive | Museums
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More than a Museum: Living History and a Vibrant Future at The Heritage Society in Sam Houston Park
Tucked between the high-rises that make up Houston’s iconic skyline sits Sam Houston Park. The city’s first municipal park, which was known as City Park until 1902, Sam Houston Park has long been a place where Houstonians go to escape the hustle and bustle of downtown, but it is more than that. With several of […]
50 Years of Blaffer Art Museum
In the early 1970s, Houston was shaking off its mid-century identity as a provincial backwater. The Johnson Space Center directed regular flights to the moon. The city’s major league ball club played in a futuristic, air-conditioned dome. The legalization of selling liquor by the glass in 1971 enlivened nightclub and restaurant culture. The rise of […]
Blaffer’s Education Programs
The Blaffer has a particular energy, sparked by intellectual freedom and curiosity that motivates the best programs. Programs often begin with a simple query, “What if?” Their subsequent development is driven by a combination of perceived community needs, availability of funding, strong leadership, collaboration, and teamwork. Directors and curators continually bring challenging new ideas to […]
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 […]
Table of Contents 19.2 Community Engagement
Download the full pdf here 19.2 Letter from the Editor, Debbie Z. Harwell 2Dr. Sue Garrison: The Inspiration Behind Generations of Educators and LeadersBy Debbie Z. Harwell8Latino cARTographies: Mapping the Past, Present, and Future of Houston’s Latino Visual ArtBy Pamela Anne Quiroz and Juana Guzman14Establishing the University of Houston: “May We All Cherish This School Always” By Grace Conroy17Shakespeare For All: The Spirit of the Houston Shakespeare FestivalBy Andrew Tello22From the ArchivesDr. Richard I. Evans […]
From Dumpster Diving to Dallas Buyers Club: Gulf Coast Archive and Museum of GLBT History
A conversation with Judy Reeves, Vince Lee, and Leandra Zarnow Judy Reeves, Vince Lee, and Leandra Zarnow discuss the history of GCAM’s origins. Judy Reeves—the lead curator who cofounded the Gulf Coast Archive and Museum of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender History (GCAM) in 1999—is a longtime Houston activist. Retired from the medical and banking […]
Table of Contents, 18.2, LGBTQ+ HOU: Bayou City Proud
Houston Manned Spacecraft Center: The Right Place with the Right Stuff
Remembering the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, we delve deeper into why and how Houston became the center for the first manned mission to the moon.