Art League Houston (ALH), in partnership with the City of Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, is pleased to announce Insta11ations, 11 distinct art experiences created in each of Houston’s 11 city council districts. Insta11ations is made up of artists who are experimenting with the ways people interact with public art, who reimagine public spaces, and who express stories of social justice and equity in their work. Artists were asked to respond to the specific needs and identities of communities that neighbor the proposed sites, and to create experiences that could engage and empower community members, and unearth, reinterpret and/or platform local histories.
Each artist will be provided with the technical support and education necessary to execute their site-specific experience from concept through fabrication and installation. Insta11ations is a project of the City of Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs and Art League Houston, with funding made available through Houston Arts Alliance. Experiences will open Spring 2020 and be on view through Fall 2021.
(Please visit the second installment of this series here.)
First up: Houston artists Israel McCloud and Mich S. describe their projects. Text via ALH.
Israel McCloud
Israel McCloud, District B, Acres Home Rocks:
Acres Homes Rocks is a dynamic and innovative mixed-media installation by artist Israel McCloud. The work has multiple components, including three welded art rocking chairs; two free-standing sculptural elements; one two-sided painted “A” sculpture; and one two-sided totem sculpture. McCloud’s installation, which is currently on view, is located in the median along South Victory Drive and can be viewed while carefully driving along South Victory Drive in Houston. McCloud, recognized for his iconic colors and aesthetic vibrancy, and known throughout Houston for his work on large-scale signs and murals, created Acres Homes Rocks as a tribute to the residents of Acres Homes in Houston. His multi-faceted installation celebrates the rural and urban diversity of the local community and encourages understanding and community growth through the acknowledgment of our shared histories. Additionally, Acres Homes Rocks honors the residents of historic Acres Homes — once recognized as one of the largest unincorporated African American communities in the South.
“It’s incumbent on artists to address these issues in as positive and proactive a way as possible.”– Israel McCloud
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Mich S
Mich S, District C, Pardon Me, Everyone:
Pardon Me, Everyone, created by artist Mich S, is a 112-foot installation located along the perimeter fence at College Park Memorial Cemetery on West Dallas Street in Houston. Currently on view, the installation features a series of life-size, semi-transparent acrylic silhouettes of soldiers from the 24th Infantry of the Historic Buffalo Soldiers. Pardon Me, Everyone pays homage to Reverend Jack Yates through UV screen-printed images on transparent acrylic panel; Reverend Jack Yates and the Yates Family plot are located in College Park Memorial Cemetery. The installation depicts the “Houston 13” soldiers of the Buffalo Soldiers 24th Infantry, marching from the west side of Houston (Camp Logan/Present Day Memorial Park) to downtown Houston — this time with a request for pardon and healing from the pain once existing in this city. This time from a city ready to hear and advocate for peace and restoration. Learn more at pardonme13.com and on KPRC coverage of the project here.
“I make work that seeks to have a conversation with the community at large about the realities that specifically Black people face.”– Mich S
