A few weeks back, I invited you to explore The Museum District with me. We visited three destinations and experienced quite a lot. Today, I have three more spots to share with you in this continuing series.
Dan Flavin Installation at Richmond Hall
This is something you’ll drive by every day and never realize it’s there. The building is inconspicuous with tinted windows and a teeny tiny sign. However, once you discover it and make it inside, it’s seemingly, the largest, most enrapturing thing you’ve ever experienced. My initial thoughts when hearing about the Flavin Installation was how great can a bunch of fluorescent tubes really be? I was wrong. When I entered Richmond Hall, I was mesmerized by the enormous room that seemed to wrap around me with brightly colored lights that almost guided my every step through the great hall. Tube after tube of color placed just perfectly in a huge white room. It doesn’t take very long to walk through the dancing lights from the entrance to the back, and there’s more. In a back room, are four small installations of white fluorescent tubes. These didn’t capture my attention as well, but worth a look nonetheless. Flavin, one of the founders of Minimalism, preferred light as a medium and Richmond Hall is one of the few permanent installations. You can easily visit the Dan Flavin Installation at Richmond Hall for free on a lunch break. Open Wednesday through Sunday from 11-7.
“SOTO The Houston Penetrable” at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston is quite possibly my favorite place to visit. It’s a collection of 6 campuses located in the Museum District and in River Oaks. The main campus is comprised of 2 buildings and houses multiple permanent galleries varying from antiquities to The Wilson Tunnel. One of my favorite stops is the Cullen Sculpture Garden found directly across from the law building. It’s a great place to people watch, read, or have lunch. This summer, the must see installation is “SOTO The Houston Penetrable.” Flocks of Houstonians and visitors have already experienced this difficult to explain interactive piece. The installation is much bigger than you imagine from photos. When I took the first step into the main entrance of the Law building and looked ahead, I was stunned by the massive beacon of light almost staring back at me. And, then, I just had to get closer as if it had called out to me. It’s something you want to touch, have to touch,and then you find yourself deeper and deeper inside the tubes. They’re hanging all around you and the museum floor turns into speckled gold. You can’t help but look up into the light, spread your arms and twirl through the tubes. The whole installation is packed full of playful children, romantic hopefuls, silly friends, and a few hipsters with cameras, yet, it’s almost as if there’s no one s with you at all. I have been three times already, and just can’t get enough. The Houston Penetrable is included with your general museum admission which is free on Thursdays courtesy of Shell.
Lord Shiva
Asia Society Texas Center
The Asia Society Texas Center is something new for me. It has been around for a while, but it doesn’t sound like a museum and I’ve never seen directional signs for it in the museum district. So, I fear that it is often overlooked; which, is unfortunate. This museum is small like the Houston Museum of African American Culture, but it appears more together. Like a smaller museum, it only has one permanent exhibition, but the temporary exhibitions are phenomenal. I had the long awaited pleasure of finally visiting to see the “Transcendent Deities of India” exhibition. It featured graphic novel style digital drawings and sketches by Abhishek Singh, amazing photographs from Manjari Sharma, and embellished chromolithographs from Raja Ravi Varma Press. If you aren’t mesmerized by the fantastical nature of the gods and goddesses of the Hindu faith and the vibrant colors used in Indian culture, I’ll give you your $5 back. There aren’t any upcoming exhibitions at this time, but you can enjoy the sculpture garden, water garden and downstairs exhibition for free, Tuesday through Sunday from 11-6. You can also pop in for a bite to eat at The Jade Stone Cafe or attend one of the many educational events scheduled.
This Post Has 0 Comments