Julia Barbosa Landois, As Above Below, 2020. Houston’s Civic Art Collection.
The Houston Airports System (HAS) is celebrating its largest ever one-time art acquisition, according to an announcement from the Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs. The 74 artworks included in this accession were selected by a committee of artists and art professionals from among 670 applications from across Texas. The purchase includes work by established Texas and Houston artists such as Dorothy Hood, Jesús Moroles, Mel Chin, and Gael Stack, and was made using Houston Airports’ Enterprise Fund, a non-taxpayer source of revenue.
Dorothy Hood, Untitled, 1990. Houston’s Civic Art Collection.
“Art helps to define a city, and this is an important investment in our creative community,” states Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner about the acquisition. “This is the largest number of artworks the city has acquired, at one time, in its history, and, we will explore future opportunities to add artwork from Houston artists into the Civic Art Collection at Houston Airports.”
Houston Airports’ Curator of Public Art, Alton DuLaney, adds: “I’m beyond thrilled with the diversity and quality of these new works coming into our award-winning airports… . This new acquisition is monumental. We are grateful to the new artist and for the legacy pieces that reflect Houston’s thriving art history and culture.”
Fooladi, Farima. Mirage, 2020. Houston’s Civic Art Collection.
The 74 “ready to hang” works enter the HAS’ Portable Works collection, which are curated on a rotating basis “to enhance the aviation experience for passengers.” They will be installed at Houston’s two commercial airports, George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) and William P. Hobby Airports (HOU).
Find a full list of newly acquired artworks here.
