ART IS ALL AROUND US: DOWNTOWN
-- NEW HOUSTONPBS SPECIAL
HOUSTON -- Downtown Houston is a treasure trove of civic
art, both well-known and obscure. Now, Houstonians have
a chance to find out more about some of these hidden gems,
through "Art Is All Around Us -- Downtown" on
HoustonPBS April 24.
Hosted by the Art Guys, Michael
Galbreth & Jack Massing, the program, airing at 8 p.m.
on Channel 8, will showcase art representing a variety of
styles, media and cultural influences that are accessible
and free to all. Artists and experts in public art and urban
planning will provide background and context for the works,
while the audience point-of-view will be represented during
the half-hour episode by man-on-the-street interviews.
"As downtown has been transformed over the past decade,
an enormous emphasis has been placed on the street-level
experience, with the inclusion of sculpture, photography,
water features and other iconic elements," said Bob
Eury, executive director of the Downtown District. "We
hope this program will inspire Houstonians that work, live
and visit downtown to take their own self-guided art tours."
Works of art that will be spotlighted include: Floyd Newsum's
Planter & Stems on Main Street; David Adickes' Virtuoso
at Lyric Center; Paul Kittelson's Disappearing Gnomes at
Allen Center; Dean Ruck's Big Bubble at Sesquicentennial
Park; Mel Chin's Seven Wonders at Sesquicentennial Park;
Elena C. Wortham's Fountain at Prairie & Travis; and
creations at Market Square Park by James Surls, Malou Flato,
Paul Hester, Richard Turner and Doug Hollis. The footage
was shot in a high-definition format, so art lovers with
HD-capable TVs are in for a special treat.
Local arts professionals recommended art for the show and
area composer Brad Sayles wrote
the musical accompaniment, creating an episode that captures
the splendor and diversity of downtown art in a manner that
is distinctively Houstonian. Art experts interviewed include
Debbie McNulty with the Art League of Houston, Diane Barber
of DiverseWorks, Terrie Sultan of Blaffer Gallery and Kimberly
Davenport of Rice Gallery.
"We want to encourage active participation in the
artist/art lover relationship and further appreciation for
the cultural resources in our own backyard," said John
Hesse, general manager of HoustonPBS. "This is just
a small taste of the rich civic art resources that Houston
has to offer."
The episode will be repeated at 10 p.m. on April 25
on HoustonPBS Channel 8. For more information about
HoustonPBS, visit http://www.houstonpbs.org.
HoustonPBS/KUHT-TV is a service of the University of Houston
supported by the Association for Community Broadcasting
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