art

Heights Boulevard Will Undergo Fanciful Artistic Makeover

Heights Boulevard Will Undergo Fanciful Artistic Makeover

Rachel Gardner (photo by Jhane Hoang)

CITYBOOK READERS MIGHT remember artist Rachel Gardner from our “A Day in the Life of the Arts” photo essay, where we caught her in action late at night inside her Heights studio, very pregnant, and surrounded by papier-mâché sculptures of antlered children, coiled snakes and howling wolves.

Though now doubly busy with two little ones, Gardner has found time to sculpt a big, black rabbit in her signature spooky style for True North: A Heights Boulevard Sculpture Project, a public art exhibit scheduled for installation in March. Sculptures by eight artists, including Houstonians Guadalupe Hernandez and Israel McCloud, will be installed on the 60-foot-wide esplanade dividing Heights Boulevard, offering joggers, dog walkers and tourists a chance to view art outside of the doubly-masked, triply-vaxxed world of indoor galleries and museums.

True North was founded in 2014 by mosaic artist Chris Silkwood and Redbud Gallery owner Gus Kopriva, who, along with Heights community leaders, understood how public art fosters a sense of community, while also stimulating tourism and economic growth.

Along with Kopriva and Silkwood, True North’s all-volunteer team includes Kelly Simmons, Donna Bennett and artist Dean Ruck, one of the first artists to participate in the project. Now in its ninth year, True North is sponsored by the Houston Heights Association, with additional support from the City of Houston Parks and Recreation and Public Works Departments and the Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.

Journalist Dan Rather, who grew up in the Heights in the 1940s, has described the boulevard of his youth as “our Champs-Élysées” with a “small-town feeling that might have come out of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town.” While it’s doubtful Rather ever imagined a giant rabbit beneath the esplanade’s canopy of live oaks, the provocative art selected each year by True North has never felt incongruous with the surroundings, and always brings a smile to those living in and visiting the neighborhood. As Kopriva says, “Public art is good for the soul and for the mind.”

Night Hare by Rachel Gardner

From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
Art + Entertainment
promoted

Chlorophyll Water, Special Spa Treatments, More: Tips for Mom Bods Emerging from Long Winter’s Nap

Chlorophyll Water, Special Spa Treatments, More: Tips for Mom Bods Emerging from Long Winter’s Nap

The author suggests Pilates as part of her plan for ‘mom bods’ to renew for spring.

AS WE SWAP out our warm comfy PJs for swimsuits, the thought of showing off our bodies can stir up all kinds of emotions, especially for us moms. Here are a few strategic steps to stride into the spring and summer months with confidence and feeling your best.

Keep Reading Show less
music

With New Concept Album, Jacob Hilton Processes Mental-Health Struggles

Dakota Garrett

Jacob Hilton, a.k.a. Travid Halton, at home in his kitchen, where he enjoys cooking as a form of therapy.

PINK FLOYD'S THE Wall. Sinatra’s In the Wee Small Hours. Beyonce’s Lemonade. Three divergent examples of the album as a cathartic, psychological, conceptual work, meant to be experienced in a single sitting. Houston singer-songwriter Jacob Hilton, 37, who records as Travid Halton, a portmanteau of his mother and father’s names, might balk at being mentioned in such company. (This is a thoroughly unpretentious man, who describes himself as an “archaeologist turned singer-songwriter.”)

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment
promoted

Leadership in Action: ‘Family, Community and Spiritual Connection’ Drives Success for Henry Richardson

Al Torres

How did you get to where you are today? The present moment is a combined history of my family, my time as an athlete, my passion for learning, and my desire to see the world be better. I grew up as a successful springboard and platform diver, however, an injury caused me to seek alternative treatments to heal my body. In that process, I discovered the power of yoga, exercise, meditation, mindset, and nutrition. This holistic approach eventually led me to open a Pilates and cycling studio called DEFINE body & mind. I opened studios around the nation, and after selling most of my business between 2017-2019, I was ready to explore how I could make an even greater impact on the wellbeing of our community. In 2023, I started actively working on a brand new multi-family/apartment concept called, Define Living. The idea focused on offering health and wellness services within a beautiful apartment setting to increase the wellbeing of our residents. Having a strong sense of community is the number one factor in living a happy life, so why not build a community where daily fitness, cooking classes, and social connection are the norm? We opened Define Living in March of 2024, and we couldn’t be happier with how things are being received. We are already looking at building more concepts like this in the Houston area and beyond.

Keep Reading Show less