Simbha Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 (edited) I'm just curious about which public fountains/statues/sculptures/murals/etc in the Houston area are HAIFers favorites. Here are some of mine... Gus Wortham Memorial Fountain, Buffalo Bayou/Allen Parkway: The fountains within Tranquility Park: The Treebeards' mural at Market Square: This mosaic (which I haven't seen in-person) at Ryan Middle School, done by the folks at MOCAH: Edited July 8, 2011 by Simbha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marmer Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 All of them. I LOVE public art and fountains. I'll try to come up with pics of some of my favorites. One that comes to mind right away is the "waterwall" on the Main Street side of the MFAH's Beck Building. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 -Gus Wortham fountain above, hands down-Cotswold Fountains-Kugel Ball at Hermann Park (http://www.houstontx.gov/municipalart/kugelball.html)-Gargoyles at Market Square (http://www.houstontx.gov/municipalart/gargoyles.html)-Lauren's Garden fountain at Market Square (http://www.houstontx.gov/municipalart/laurensgarden.html)-rail water screen (http://www.houstontx.gov/municipalart/waterscreen.html) Oh, and that bubble in the bayou is kind of neat when it's working (http://www.houstontx.gov/municipalart/bigbubble.html) and the Tolerance sculptures are interesting (http://www.houstontx.gov/municipalart/tolerance.html) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simbha Posted July 8, 2011 Author Share Posted July 8, 2011 (edited) Great choices! I can't believe I forgot one of my absolute favorite pieces of public art anywhere - the Seven Wonders next to Wortham: They represent the city, and the artist was assisted by 1,050 local schoolchildren in the design. In my mind, this is Houston's monument. I just wish more people paid attention to them. I know native Houstonians who don't even know of their existence. Edit: I'm editing this to say that I generally really love Sesquicentennial Park. Perhaps the most underrated park in the city, in my opinion. I recently (a few months back) went to visit the Baker Monument. It was such a relaxing place to be, despite being in such close proximity to major thoroughfares and the skyscrapers of downtown. Rather than posting a photo of the actual sculpture, I'll post this beautiful painting done by a (to me) unknown artist: Edit2: Edited again to provide what I consider is a better picture of Seven Wonders (this time showing all seven). Edited July 8, 2011 by Simbha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simbha Posted July 8, 2011 Author Share Posted July 8, 2011 Oh, and that bubble in the bayou is kind of neat when it's workingMy understanding is that it's purposefully built to not work, at times - in order to give passers-by a feeling of curiosity about the function of the button. I've never actually seen/pushed it myself, so I don't know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkultra25 Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 Henry Moore's "Large Spindle Piece" along Buffalo Bayou between Allen Parkway and Memorial: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houstonian in Iraq Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 The Treebeards' mural at Market Square: Didnt they paint over this? I'm hoping Im wrong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simbha Posted July 10, 2011 Author Share Posted July 10, 2011 (edited) The Treebeards' mural at Market Square:[...]Didnt they paint over this? I'm hoping Im wrongMaybe. I haven't been by there in a while. If so, it'd be a shame - but even that picture shows that it's got some tears, so I wouldn't be surprised. Edited July 10, 2011 by Simbha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 I always kind of liked the fountains at the old Shamrock Hilton site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KinkaidAlum Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 (edited) I've always loved the Wortham Fountain. Here are some of my faves, University of Houston Public Art Double Physichromie (Welcome Center on Main Campus) Edited July 10, 2011 by KinkaidAlum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KinkaidAlum Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 (edited) A Moment in Time (Wortham Theatre Box Office on Main Campus) Edited July 10, 2011 by KinkaidAlum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KinkaidAlum Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 Landscape With Blue Trees Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KinkaidAlum Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 Cloud Deck (UH Downtown's new Biz School Lobby) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simbha Posted July 10, 2011 Author Share Posted July 10, 2011 Landscape With Blue Trees The UH campuses (especially the main campus) have some extraordinary art, for sure. When I was about 12 years old, my brother (who is 11 years older than me) was a grad student in materials science here. I remember visiting and going with him to his lab. It was boring to me, so I'd wait outside - finding ways to climb onto these 'trees' and just generally goofing off... as, perhaps, all children should do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simbha Posted July 10, 2011 Author Share Posted July 10, 2011 Here's some more great pieces from UH, in my opinion... Collegium, by William King. I remember my days as a student here, when I'd walk by and find that some mischievous pranksters had somehow climbed up and 'installed' backpacks on these guys: Gerhard Marks' most 'seen' piece at UH is probably Albertus Magnus in front of the Law Library, but I like his Orpheus more; it stands in the Fine Arts courtyard: Tower of the Cheyenne, by Peter Forakis - which stands in Butler Plaza in front of the MD Anderson Library. (This is an old pic which doesn't show the remodeling of the library's facade.) And, finally, the Orbits by Masaru Takiguchi. #1 (left) is in S&R I and #2 is in the law library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simbha Posted July 10, 2011 Author Share Posted July 10, 2011 I always kind of liked the fountains at the old Shamrock Hilton site. When my now-wife and I were dating, a friends' mother asked us to 'model' for her new photography business, in order to get some sample shots. She chose this plaza for its beauty and the variety of shots she could get from inside. I think most people don't even notice this plaza, but it's a nice haven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highway6 Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 I always kind of liked the fountains at the old Shamrock Hilton site. I've always thought this was a waste of a public space. It's on the wrong side of Main and Holcomb to get any visitors from the TMC. No benches, no shade. I pass here multiple times a week and I've never seen anyone even attempting to enjoy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simbha Posted July 11, 2011 Author Share Posted July 11, 2011 I've always thought this was a waste of a public space. It's on the wrong side of Main and Holcomb to get any visitors from the TMC. No benches, no shade. I pass here multiple times a week and I've never seen anyone even attempting to enjoy it.I believe this space is owned by the Texas A&M facility next-door. As such, it's probably just intended as a grove for the employees that work there.I agree that it would be nicer if it were closer to the 'center' of the TMC activity but... oh well.I have seen some people there occasionally, but I think it would be used more often by the public if it were better-connected to the rest of the facilities around it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KinkaidAlum Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 UH was the first campus in the state to start a fund for public art pieces back in 1966. There are so many jewels out there. The newest piece is by Houston's own Art Guys and is part of the recently opened freshman dorm complex off of Calhoun. It's not my favorite but it's nice to see that the campus keeps adding to its impressive collection.Other things that I enjoy but haven't been mentioned yet;The Beer Can House + Orange ShowThe reflection pool with rapids at the newly revamped Hermann ParkMecom FountainProject Row Houses (architecture and preservation as art)Sunset, North, and South Blvds. (landscape architecture as art... nothing is as pretty as the live oak canopy) I aslo really enjoyed the "Blue Bayou" sidewalk when it first opened but it's a mess now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 I've always thought this was a waste of a public space. It's on the wrong side of Main and Holcomb to get any visitors from the TMC. No benches, no shade. I pass here multiple times a week and I've never seen anyone even attempting to enjoy it. But what about this section? Benches and shade. The fountains spurt up in rhythmic patterns there. It's enjoyable to watch. The reason the park was built there was it was a bit of an act of atonement on the part of the Medical Center for gratuitously tearing down the Shamrock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simbha Posted July 11, 2011 Author Share Posted July 11, 2011 But what about this section? Benches and shade. The fountains spurt up in rhythmic patterns there. It's enjoyable to watch. The reason the park was built there was it was a bit of an act of atonement on the part of the Medical Center for gratuitously tearing down the Shamrock. This is the section in which we took the photos to which I referred previously. It's gorgeous within these walls. Serene, despite being in proximity to two major thoroughfares and the world's largest medical center. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highway6 Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 But what about this section? Benches and shade. The fountains spurt up in rhythmic patterns there. It's enjoyable to watch.The reason the park was built there was it was a bit of an act of atonement on the part of the Medical Center for gratuitously tearing down the Shamrock.I stand corrected on the benches and shade... but location still sucks.If it's located such that only one building is going to benefit from it, I guess it shouldn't even considered a 'public space'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marmer Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Its corporate qualities are a little off-putting, like the tripod police, but the Galleria Waterwall and the smaller one in the Med Center are pretty cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkultra25 Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Richard Lippold's Gemini II, which has hung in Jones Hall for 45 years: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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