Houston’s ever-important art world is working hard to evolve with the times, turning to virtual experiences and livestream art tours. The Museum of Fine Arts launched #MFAHatHOME, a virtual museum experience including film screenings, exhibition tours, recorded lectures and more. And the Houston Museum of African American Culture is working to get its current exhibitions, Alonzo Williams’ Everyday Strangers and Cedric Ingram’s New Growth, online, while encouraging would-be patrons to “use this time to photograph and interview [their] family members, especially [their] elders.”
But an especially impressive showing has been made by local nonprofit Artists for Artists, which provides grant money and free medical programming to Houston artists who are experiencing a career-threatening medical emergency. Artists for Artists’ work is, clearly, more critical now than ever before — and to get the word out about its mission, the organization has released an impressive virtual gallery show using the innovative platform Exhibbit.
It's called Adaptation, and the title speaks to how artists have had to change the way they make and display their work. There are three “floors” on the 3-D tour, all showcasing works by both emerging and widely collected artists, across a variety of mediums. Viewers can stroll room-to-room and take in individual works, or they can click on a thumbnail image and be whisked quickly through hallways and lobbies to reach a specific painting on display. Find unique originals by Houstonians like collage artist Robert Hodge, abstract painter Peter Healy and wax-pastel illustrator Anne Byrd.
Artists for Artists is enhancing its virtual programming with Q&As, music and cocktails via Instagram and Facebook Live. For those who are able to financially contribute to the cause, the org offers different levels of sponsorship that include original commissioned artwork, tickets to events and more; individual donors are invited to give here.
AT TOP: “Liberated,” by Summer Lydick