Sculpture Month Houston (SMH), a nonprofit organization that organizes a biennial festival and other exhibitions, will host a special event to commemorate the legacy of artist Jesse Lott, who died earlier this year. Prior to his death, Mr. Lott was invited to participate in SMH’s 2023 festival, The Fragmented Figure. His art will be on exhibit to honor his life’s work.
Jesse Lott at The Station Museum of Contemporary Art, 2021. Photo by Brett Coomer, courtesy of Houston Chronicle.
Mr. Lott was a Houston-based artist and mentor who co-founded the now-30-year-old organization Project Row Houses in the city’s Third Ward. Known for his sculptures made from found materials and his devotion to community enrichment, Mr. Lott was a significant figure in the Houston art scene and beyond.
After his death, Project Row Houses released a statement about his impact on the city’s art scene that read, in part, “He moved among us with grace and confidence, unbothered by convention and always focused on breaking down barriers for artists who, because of their heritage or practice, were not always immediately welcomed into the mainstream. He found beauty in what others discarded, spoke truth to power, and took time to mentor untold numbers of Houston artists…”
The special event honoring Mr. Lott will take place on Thursday, October 5, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Site Gallery at The Silos at Sawyer Yards (1502 Sawyer Street). Susan Chadwick, a journalist and former Houston Post art critic will be the featured speaker and will talk about Mr. Lott’s art and life. Additionally, Dean Andrew Davis will speak about a scholarship for art students at the McGovern College of the Arts at the University of Houston, which is being established in honor of Mr. Lott.
This isn’t the first event to honor Mr. Lott: shortly after his death, in August, the artist’s family and friends held a memorial for him at his longtime studio space on Lyons Avenue, just north of downtown. Mr. Lott’s work will additionally be featured this fall, in Project Row Houses’ Founders Round exhibition.
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Jess Lott’s studio is located in 5th Ward, the community he grew up in and loved. I would list that instead of North of Downtown.