Sawyer Yards Silos Transformed for 'Sculpture Month,' Which Starts Saturday

Sawyer Yards Silos Transformed for 'Sculpture Month,' Which Starts Saturday

Sculptures by Jessica Kreutter and Sarah Sudhoff

THE TOWERING, INDUSTRIAL grain silos at Sawyer Yards are the site of The Sleep of Reason: The Fragmented Figure, Sculpture Month Houston’s seventh annual group show of provocative sculptural and installation art. The dark, dank, cylindrical silos are the antithesis of the traditional “white cube” gallery space, and each year challenge and inspire the participating artists to experiment and expand their creative vision, with results that range from strange and disturbing, to humorous and pretty weird.


On view Oct. 7 through Dec. 2, The Sleep of Reason includes works by Frances Bagley, Rabea Ballin, Jimmy Canales, Elizabeth Chapin, Colette Copeland, Jeff Gibbons, Suguru Hiraide, Allison Hunter, Jessica Kreutter, Yuliya Lanina, Nadin Nassar, Steve Parker, Kris Pierce, Hugo Santana, Sarah Sudhoff, James Sullivan, and the late great Jesse Lott, who passed away at age 80 last July.

Upon entering The Sleep of Reason, visitors are encouraged to explore the individual silos and engage with the art at their own pace. All manner of materials are on display, with many artists augmenting their three-dimensional constructions with sound, light, and video. Houston artist Sarah Sudhoff uses photographs and video projections of her body to create startling, three-dimensional images that explore contradictory and harmful societal norms regarding motherhood, healthcare, and physical intimacy. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Chapin’s mixed-media portraits on stuffed canvases use fringe, silk, and neon to transform what would be a traditional flat image into a wild, unruly, and very recognizably “Southern” pantheon of three-3D belles and buds. Meanwhile, lurking somewhere in the silos is one of Jesse Lott’s iconic, large-scale, humanoid figures, created out of wire and other found objects, standing in tribute to Lott’s legacy and as an oracle, its presence offering the viewer a way out of the pervasive angst and anxiety of our age.

The Sleep of Reason coincides with Sculpture Month Houston’s fourth Biennial Festival, where over 40 galleries and art spaces across Houston are invited to exhibit a range of three-dimensional art. For more details, and information about upcoming curator and artist tours and musical performances, follow Sculpture Month Houston or visit their website.

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

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

Photo by Lynn Lane

HOUSTON GRAND OPERA’S second fall repertoire production is Gioachino Rossini’s Cinderella. The colorful, commedia dell'arte-inspired production opens Friday, Oct. 25, and stars Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard — a breathtaking brunette beauty, even when doused in soot — in bel canto role of Angelina, known to her mean step-sisters as “Cenerentola.”

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment

BRETT MILLER WAS just 10 years old when his parents took him to a screening of the 1925 silent film, The Phantom of the Opera, starring Lon Chaney as “The Phantom” of the Paris Opera House, with an accompanying soundtrack played live by an organist. The film contains one of the most famous “reveals” on celluloid (We won’t give it away!) and is all the more shocking when accompanied by live music played on the Phantom’s favorite instrument.

Keep Reading Show less