Long before the public launch of the Buffalo Bayou East Master Plan (link), BBP has been active in neighborhoods east of downtown, engaging with community leaders and learning about how amenities such as trails and green space can serve neighborhood residents. Now, we are delighted to announce the hiring of Juan Antonio Sorto as BBP’s new full-time Community Engagement Manager.
Named “Houstonian of the Year” by the Houston Chronicle in 2013, Juan holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston and a master’s degree from Texas Southern University. Currently, he is a doctoral candidate in Urban Planning and Environmental Policy at Texas Southern University. Juan chairs the Houston Super Neighborhood Alliance and has volunteered with Houston Independent School District and Star of Hope. Much of his career has been spent as a community supervision officer at Harris County Community Supervision and Corrections Department. Juan has received numerous recognitions including a Shell Hurricane Harvey Heroes Award, a George and Barbara Bush Points of Light Award, a Houston Dynamo Charities Award, and TEA Heroes for Children Award. He contributes regularly to the Rice University Kinder Institute’s “Urban Edge” and other publications. December 15, 2020 was proclaimed by the City of Houston as Juan Antonio Sorto Day. See a special profile of Juan here.
At BBP, Juan will build and maintain relationships in neighborhoods along Buffalo Bayou, represent Buffalo Bayou Partnership in the community, and ensure that area residents have a voice in Buffalo Bayou East programs and initiatives.
Grant to accelerate transformative development for Buffalo Bayou East
Houston, Texas – December 9, 2020 – Houston Endowment announced today that it has granted $10 million to Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP). The grant will provide funds towards the Buffalo Bayou East Master Plan to transform the waterway’s East Sector over the next 20 years with new bayou parks and trails, dynamic recreational and cultural destinations, as well as bikeways and “green fingers” into surrounding neighborhoods. In addition to extending the western network of Buffalo Bayou parks, trails and open space, the plan connects the historic Fifth Ward and Greater East End neighborhoods to the bayou and to each other. Development of the plan comes after nearly two years of engagement with residents throughout the area based on four core principles of authenticity, inclusivity, connectivity and resiliency.
“This project will play a major role in the City of Houston’s Complete Communities initiative, which seeks to improve neighborhoods so that all of Houston’s residents and business owners can have access to quality services and amenities,” said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. “The grant from Houston Endowment is another exciting step forward in the creation of a more equitable city for all Houstonians. We are grateful to both Buffalo Bayou Partnership and Houston Endowment not only for their inclusive vision of a better Houston, but their commitment to making it a reality.”
Houston Endowment joins other foundations, corporations, individuals and government agencies that have enabled BBP to implement more than $200 million in improvements for the redevelopment and stewardship of the waterfront over the past 30 years. The $10 million grant from Houston Endowment will enable Buffalo Bayou Partnership to deliver initial Buffalo Bayou East improvements and build a strong foundation for future projects and initiatives that offer economic, social and environmental benefits for both residents of the Fifth Ward and Greater East End neighborhoods as well as the broader Houston community, including:
“The Buffalo Bayou East Master Plan is strategically aligned with Houston Endowment’s mission to work with others toward a vibrant community where all have the opportunity to thrive,” said Houston Endowment President and CEO Ann B. Stern. “We are pleased to support this work and to help set the effort in motion.”
“The Buffalo Bayou East Master Plan will transform the East Sector and over time, touch the lives of all Houstonians,” said BBP President Anne Olson. “It will pay tribute to Houston’s industrial roots, celebrate culturally rich neighborhoods, and serve as an important symbol for the city’s continuing commitment to accessible park space for all.”
“Fifth Ward Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ 18 is proud to be working with BBP on this visionary East Sector Master Plan,” said Kathy Flanagan Payton, FWRA/TRIZ 18 Board Member. “These improvements provide greater access to the waterfront for Fifth Ward residents and help to enhance the neighborhood’s cultural legacy and sense of place.”
In addition to new and improved waterfront trails and on-street bikeways, as well as hundreds of acres of new and improved parks, the Buffalo Bayou East Master Plan project will include the creation of new boat landings and bridges; the development of a Downtown Gateway that will link northeastern downtown to the East Sector by utilizing green space and detention ponds; a 20-acre expansion of the City’s Tony Marron Park to act as an open space anchor; restoration of an urban creek that will connect the bayou to the historic Fifth Ward; the rehabilitation of BBP-owned industrial sites including Turkey Bend and the Lockwood Water Treatment Works; the creation of an eastern trailhead, linking the County’s Yolanda Black Navarro Buffalo Bend Nature Park to the City’s Hidalgo Park; and the development of a mixed-income housing project at Lockwood Drive and the bayou.
About Houston Endowment
Established in 1937, Houston Endowment advances equity of opportunity for the people of Greater Houston and enhances the vibrancy of our community so that our region and its people thrive. In 2020, the Endowment will grant more than $80 million to the area in support of our community and advancing our mission.
About Buffalo Bayou Partnership
Established in 1986, Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP) is the non-profit transforming and revitalizing Buffalo Bayou, Houston’s most significant natural resource. The organization’s geographic focus is the 10-square mile stretch of the bayou that flows from Shepherd Drive, through the heart of downtown into the East End, and onto the Port of Houston Turning Basin. Thanks to the generous support of foundations, corporations, individuals and government agencies, BBP has implemented more than $200 million in improvements for the redevelopment and stewardship of the waterfront – spearheading award-winning projects such as Buffalo Bayou Park, planning for new parks and green space east of downtown, constructing hike and bike trails, and operating comprehensive clean-up and maintenance programs. Buffalo Bayou Partnership also activates the waterway through pedestrian, boating and biking amenities; volunteer activities; and wide-ranging tours and programs that engage tens of thousands of visitors each year.
Houston, TX – November 19, 2020 – Buffalo Bayou Partnership is pleased to announce a newly commissioned artwork for the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern by the internationally renowned multi-media artist, Anri Sala. This immersive new film and sound installation, titled Time No Longer, will occupy the Cistern for a period of nine months, transporting visitors into an other-worldly environment within this vast, subterranean reservoir.
Time No Longer will incorporate film projected onto a translucent, 22 by 150-foot (7 by 45-meter) screen with a soundtrack emanating throughout the space, its reverberations creating ripples on the surface of the water. Visitors will encounter the work in 360 degrees by making their way around the full perimeter of the 87,500-square-foot Cistern, hearing, feeling, and watching it through the Cistern’s 221 supporting columns.
The film depicts a weathered turntable floating in a space station. It is tethered only by its electric cord, which allows it to keep playing a vinyl record. There appears to be no human presence to listen to it, and an uneasy quiescence around it suggests it may be spinning in the aftermath of a catastrophe – a custodian of that absent humanity. With its own acrobatic intelligence, the tonearm moves from place to place on the record, the needle’s touch and rise resuming and ceasing its music. In a manner that seems not entirely at the mercies of gravity or chance, it continuously conducts itself. From its position in space, it observes 16 earthly sunrises and sunsets each day.
The turntable plays a new arrangement of French composer Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time that draws on the unique history of the quartet’s composition. During the Second World War, Messiaen (1908–1992) was captured at Verdun and incarcerated at a prisoner-of-war camp in Germany. While imprisoned he wrote Quartet for the End of Time, premiering it in 1941 – with three fellow musician prisoners – to an audience of captives and guards. Scored only for instruments they could each play and find, this extraordinary piece of chamber music remains the most searingly haunting and memorable work composed through incarceration. Sala recognized in Messiaen’s elegiac piece not only a sense of overwhelming loneliness at a time when the world’s crises seemed insurmountable, but also the need to bring something – however fragile and soft-spoken – into that numbness. For Time No Longer, Sala was particularly drawn to the only solo movement of the quartet, ‘The Abyss of the Birds’, which was written for clarinet and played by Messiaen’s fellow prisoner of war, Algerian musician Henri Akoka. As Messiaen put it, “The abyss is Time with its sadness, its weariness. The birds [clarinet] are the opposite to Time; they are our desire for light…”
Sala found a natural complement to this isolated clarinet in another remarkable musical event, the story of Ronald McNair’s saxophone. In 1986 McNair, one of the world’s first Black astronauts to have reached space, was also a professional saxophone player who had planned to play and record a saxophone solo on board the Space Shuttle Challenger. This would have been the first original piece of music recorded in space had not that journey been suddenly and tragically curtailed; the spacecraft disintegrated seconds after take-off, killing everyone on board. Sala felt that composing a saxophone part for ‘The Abyss of the Birds’ would subtly re-envisage a piece that was never played where it was intended, and also form a duet between two instrumental voices – empathetic and interdependent through what they have endured. The saxophone is introduced in Time No Longer only when the needle leaves the vinyl, granting McNair a ghostly presence, refracted into space via Akoka’s clarinet. The powerful acoustics of the cavernous Cistern also indicate the vastness and loneliness of what connects McNair and Akoka, respectively outer space and incarceration.
“We are in awe of what Anri Sala has created for the Cistern and cannot wait to share this poetic project with the public,” said Karen Farber, Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s Vice President of External Affairs. “From the moment he saw the space, Sala was taken with it, and he has created an artwork that truly responds to both the Cistern’s uniqueness, and the story of the City of Houston. We are so fortunate to play host to this exciting work.”
Houston provides an appropriate setting for Time No Longer, Sala’s most ambitious project to date. It is both the origin and fulcrum of two endeavors at the extent of our vertical frontiers: one boring deep into the earth to extract its riches, another venturing upwards into improbable space exploration. For nine months, the Cistern’s underground chamber will become the dwelling place for a symbiosis steeped in suffering, but never bound by it.
The sound arrangement for Time No Longer is made in partnership with two of Sala’s long-term collaborators, Hungarian-American musician André Vida, and French sound designer Olivier Goinard. The saxophone is performed by Vida himself, while the clarinet is performed by French clarinetist Raphaël Sévère. Time No Longer is curated in collaboration with Weingarten Art Group.
This project is organized by Buffalo Bayou Partnership with lead underwriting provided by Suzanne Deal Booth Cultural Trust, John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation, and Marian Goodman Gallery. Free Thursdays at the Cistern sponsored by KBR. Major support provided by Radoff Family Foundation, Scott and Judy Nyquist, and [N.A!] Project, with additional support from Weingarten Art Group. Buffalo Bayou Partnership is funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance. (as of November 19, 2020)
ABOUT THE ARTIST Anri Sala constructs transformative, time-based works through multiple relationships between image, architecture, and sound, employing these as elements to fold, capsize, and question experience. His works investigate ruptures in language, syntax, and music, inviting creative dislocations which generate new interpretations of history, supplanting old fictions and narratives with less-explicit, more-nuanced dialogues. His work has been the subject of solo exhibitions at the Castello di Rivoli, Turin (2019); Museo Tamayo, Mexico City (2017); the New Museum, New York (2016); Haus der Kunst, Munich (2014); Centre Pompidou, Paris (2012); Serpentine Gallery, London (2011); Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami (2008); and ARC, Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (2004). He has also participated in major group exhibitions and biennials internationally, including the Fifty-seventh Venice Biennale (2017), documenta (13) (2012), the Twenty-ninth São Paulo Biennial (2010), the Second Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art (2007), and the Fourth Berlin Biennale (2006). In 2013, he represented France in the Fifty-fifth Venice Biennale. Anri Sala has an upcoming solo exhibition at Kunsthaus Bregenz, Austria, opening July 2021.
André Vida is a saxophonist and composer living in Berlin. Vida has created performance pieces augmenting the physical gestures and energies present in the instantaneous moments of improvisation. Vida has performed widely as a soloist and has also collaborated with a diverse group of artists. Vida has been commissioned by Hyper! at The Deichtorhallen, the Tri-Centric Foundation, Global Art Forum 7 and 10, the 8th Berlin Biennale, Eyebeam, and the European Sax Ensemble. A three-volume set of his work from 1995 – 2011 was released on PAN, his piece for 41 saxophones, Minor Differences, was released on Entr’acte, and he has been featured in The Wire, TANK, Monopol, and Electronic Beats.
Olivier Goinard is a French sound designer who started his career collaborating with many French filmmakers (Olivier Assayas, Benoît Jacquot, André Téchiné, Cédric Kahn, Mia Hansen Löve, Julie Bertucelli, Deniz Gamze Ergüven, Agnès Varda). Since 2007 he has been mixing the films of award-winning directors in Cannes and other major international film festivals (Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Xavier Dolan, Naomi Kawase or Jia Zhang Ké). In 2020, Olivier Goinard received the César (National Film Award of France) for best sound for his work on The Wolf’s Call, a film by Antonin Baudry. Besides his work for the cinema, a close collaboration with Anri Sala started in 1998 and continues through sound design and the monitoring of the artists diverse projects.
ABOUT BUFFALO BAYOU PARTNERSHIP Established in 1986, Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP) is the non-profit transforming and revitalizing Buffalo Bayou, Houston’s most significant natural resource. The organization’s geographic focus is the 10-square mile stretch of the bayou that flows from Shepherd Drive, through the heart of downtown into the East End, and onto the Port of Houston Turning Basin. Thanks to the generous support of foundations, corporations, individuals and government agencies, BBP has implemented more than $200 million in improvements for the redevelopment and stewardship of the waterfront – spearheading award-winning projects such as Buffalo Bayou Park, planning for new parks and green space east of downtown, constructing hike and bike trails, and operating comprehensive clean-up and maintenance programs.
Buffalo Bayou Partnership also activates the waterway through pedestrian, boating and biking amenities; volunteer activities; and wide-ranging tours and programs that engage tens of thousands of visitors each year. The organization has long been dedicated to presenting arts projects along the bayou – working with a coterie of local, national, and internationally recognized artists as well as collaborating with a broad spectrum of organizations on film, music, dance and cultural events. BBP’s vision for its public art program is to present inspiring and original art and cultural experiences, engage our diverse communities, promote opportunities for connection and dialogue, and celebrate the unique character of Buffalo Bayou.
ABOUT BUFFALO BAYOU PARK CISTERN A structure reminiscent of the ancient Roman cisterns in Istanbul, the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern is a cavernous, 87,500-square-foot-space featuring more than 200 slender, 25-foot high concrete columns. BBP rediscovered the Cistern in 2010 when it was developing the $58-million Buffalo Bayou Park project, a 160-acre green space west of downtown Houston. Recognizing the significance of the highly unusual site, BBP took a bold step to repurpose the Cistern into a magnificent public space. In addition to tours highlighting the history and architecture of the Cistern, BBP presents an ambitious program of changing art installations in this iconic space. This will be the Cistern’s third major art installation, following Rain: Magdalena Fernández at the Houston Cistern in 2016 and Carlos Cruz-Diez at the Cistern: Spatial Chromointerference in 2018.
HOUSTON – The City of Houston planted 600 native trees today to kick off its new tree planting goal established by the City’s Resilient Houston strategy and Houston Climate Action Plan. The effort centered on communities with the highest rate of health conditions that can be worsened by pollution and climate change.
“Our goal of planting 4.6 million new native trees is the equivalent of two new trees for every Houstonian,” said Councilmember David Robinson. “As a resilient and sustainable city, we need to plant the seeds today for future generations to fully reap the benefits.”
From left to right: Loren Hopkins (City of Houston Health Dept.), Chris Sadler (Harris County Precinct Two), Council Member Robert Gallegos, Anne Olson, Council Member David Robinson, Deborah January-Bevers (Houston Wilderness), Marissa Aho (City of Houston Resiliency Office)
Representatives from the City of Houston, the newly formed Tree Strategy Implementation Group (TSIG), led by Houston Wilderness, Buffalo Bayou Partnership and approximately 100 volunteer tree-planters from Bank of Texas, Shell Oil, Dow Chemical, ALJ Lindsey and interested Houstonians participated in the event commemorating Texas Arbor Day at Buffalo Bend Nature Park.
“Trees improve our ability to combat many of the health, equity, climate, and built environment challenges that we face,” said Marissa Aho, Chief Resilience Officer. “These include helping to cool and shade in the face of urban and extreme heat, improving air quality and capturing carbon, supporting rich biodiversity, improving health and wellbeing, and enhancing the built environment.”
Houston’s Climate Action Plan focused on how the City’s tree planting goal will help restore, protect and enhance our natural ability to capture and store carbon to help mitigate climate change.
The area selected for the first 600 trees includes communities that experience twice the rate of cardiac arrest and six times the amount to asthma attacks compared to the rest of the city.
“This planting of native trees with the highest capacity to reap environmental benefits provides the opportunity to proactively address both climate change and its implications for health”, said Dr. Loren Hopkins, Chief Environmental Science Officer for the Houston Health Department. “Air pollutants absorbed by trees include nitrogen dioxide, ozone and particulate matter, all pollutants associated with increased risk of cardiac arrest and asthma attacks in Houston.”
Planting 4.6 million new native trees in 10 years will need every Houstonian to play a role, but some local leaders have volunteered to begin coordinating implementation of this ambitious target with public and private partners.
“The Tree Strategy Implementation Group, comprised of all the major large-scale native tree planters in the region, came together in early 2020 to create a strategy to accomplish the planting of 4.6 million native trees by 2030,” said Deborah January-Bevers, President of Houston Wilderness. “Based on data analyzed by TSIG members to be most beneficial to the region, 40% of the native 4.6 million trees are targeted for Urban Heat Islandareas with tree species with large leaf canopies, and 60% of the native trees are targeted for native ‘Super Trees’ species, such as the Live Oak, American Elm and Sycamore, Tuliptree, Maple and Ash trees and Loblolly Pine, that provide high levels of air pollution reduction, water absorption, erosion control and carbon sequestration.”
Resilient Houston also sets a target to conserve 24% of undeveloped regional land as natural spaces by 2040.
“We look forward to continuing to facilitate progress on the three key goals under the eight-county Gulf-Houston Regional Conservation Plan, which mirrors goals under the Resilient Houston Plan,” said Graciela Gilardoni, Houston Wilderness Board Member. “The City of Houston, Harris County and other regional partners recognize that the urban forest is a critical part of the resilience goals to benefit residents now and in generations to come.”
The Arbor Day tree planting was hosted by the Buffalo Bayou Partnership at their Buffalo Bend Nature Park.
“Buffalo Bayou Partnership worked with Harris County Precinct Two and other governmental agencies to acquire and develop this abandoned industrial property,” said Anne Olson, President of Buffalo Bayou Partnership, “And the 600 native Super Trees planted on November 6th are part of the transformation taking place on this riparian green space in Houston’s East End.”
Exposición del 22 de octubre de 2020 al 23 de abril de 2021 Buffalo Bayou Park
HOUSTON, TX, 3 de septiembre de 2020. Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP) tiene el placer de presentar Estructuras Monumentales, una importante exposición de esculturas al aire libre de la artista de 105 años de edad Carmen Herrera (nacida en La Habana, Cuba, en 1915). Con la presentación de cuatro esculturas creadas recientemente, que la artista concibió hace casi cinco décadas, Estructuras Monumentales es la primera exposición pública del arte de Carmen Herrera en Houston, y es tan solo la segunda vez que estas obras de gran formato se muestran a nivel mundial. Organizada en colaboración con Public Art Fund, una entidad sin fines de lucro de la ciudad de Nueva York, Estructuras Monumentales se presentó por primera vez en el City Hall Park de Manhattan en 2019. Esta importante exposición es una reseña de la artista que ofrece al público de Houston una experiencia impactante e invita a la reflexión a la vez que rinde homenaje a la completa variedad de la obra de Carmen Herrera en tres dimensiones.
La artista, radicada en Nueva York, es conocida por sus vibrantes pinturas geométricas abstractas, y comenzó a concebir la serie Estructuras —la manifestación física de su pintura en tres dimensiones— en los años sesenta. Las estructuras de aluminio resultantes se caracterizan por sus intensas líneas y formas, con vivos colores monocromáticos. Con un tamaño desde los 7 pies de alto hasta los 12 pies de ancho, las esculturas de colores llenarán de vida Buffalo Bayou Park a una escala monumental. Las vívidas esculturas de color rojo, azul, verde y blanco se encuentran en Fondren Foundation Meadow, y se trata de la segunda exposición temporal de arte en este lugar, tras la presentación en 2019 de la instalación New Monuments for New Cities, (Nuevos monumentos para nuevas ciudades), un proyecto artístico de colaboración pública que organizaron BBP y High Line Network.
La exposición de Estructuras, de Carmen Herrera, en Houston, forma parte de la conmemoración del quinto aniversario de Buffalo Bayou Park. Durante todo el mes de octubre, BBP ofrecerá una variedad de eventos virtuales e instalaciones de arte que destacarán la manera en la que este emblemático espacio verde urbano inspira la creatividad y la innovación. Esta exposición tiene una especial consonancia con el aniversario del parque, ya que se suman cuatro de las esculturas de Carmen Herrera, complementadas por una quinta y emblemática obra existente, Large Spindle Piece (Gran pieza en forma de huso), de Henry Moore (1969), que se encuentra situada de manera permanente en el centro de este espacio. Los carteles de esta exposición estarán tanto en inglés como en español, y se organizarán programas para el público mientras se exhiba la muestra.
“Tenemos el honor de presentar esta exposición de Carmen Herrera, una de las artistas contemporáneas más importantes del mundo, y de colaborar con Public Art Fund y el MFAH (Museo de Bellas Artes de Houston) para rendir homenaje al legado de la artista”, afirmó Judy Nyquist, miembro de la Junta Directiva de BBP y copresidente del Comité de Arte Público de la organización. “Como este es un espacio del parque que goza de gran visibilidad, miles de habitantes de Houston tendrán la oportunidad de admirar estas obras e inspirarse con ellas de manera gratuita en un entorno al aire libre que es atractivo para todos”.
Ángulo Blanco (2017) es la primera Estructura que ha diseñado Carmen Herrera en más de tres décadas. Esta composición dinámica con forma de “V” invertida transmite movimiento y ritmo, a la vez que evoca las abundantes formas de triángulos y diamantes de sus emblemáticas pinturas. Presenta tanto la solidez de un objeto escultórico como la ausencia de gravedad de una figura celestial pura que asciende rumbo a lo alto. Pavana (1967-2017) es una obra solemne y contemplativa que fue concebida originalmente como un dibujo, en 1967, en homenaje al hermano de Carmen Herrera, quien tenía cáncer. Con un título que hace referencia al término musical, una danza de movimientos pausados, Pavana está formada por tres elementos entrelazados de color azul profundo que se alzan con firmeza casi tres metros hacia el cielo y casi tres metros a lo largo del césped. Géminis (1971-2019) se exhibe por primera vez en el mundo en la exposición de Houston. Esta escultura, fabricada recientemente, y Estructura sin título (1962-2018) se basan en diseños históricos desde los años sesenta hasta inicios de los setenta. Ambas obras están compuestas por dos partes entrelazadas o abrazadas que demuestran el delicado equilibrio geométrico, la paleta pura y el atrevido uso del color que caracterizan a Carmen Herrera. Al enmarcar el paisaje circundante e incorporarlo a sus formas, las Estructuras de Carmen Herrera crearán un diálogo fascinante entre las esculturas de aluminio pintado y su entorno natural en el parque.
“En un momento en el que el arte público es más importante que nunca, nos entusiasma colaborar con Buffalo Bayou Partnership para que Estructuras Monumentales, de Carmen Herrera, llegue al público de
Houston”, afirma Daniel S. Palmer, curador de Public Art Fund. “Las esculturas impresionantes de Carmen Herrera encajarán perfectamente en este entorno natural complementado por el paisaje urbano geométrico y vivaz de Houston. Se trata del marco ideal para destacar la obra de Carmen Herrera, una artista eminente que por fin recibe su más que merecido reconocimiento”.
En conjunto con la exposición de Buffalo Bayou Partnership, se exhibirán obras de Carmen Herrera en el Museo de Bellas Artes de Houston del 21 de octubre de 2020 al 18 de enero de 2021. Titulada Carmen Herrera: Structuring Surfaces (Carmen Herrera: superficies estructuradas), es la primera exposición que el Museo dedica a la obra de esta artista aclamada a nivel mundial, y presenta más de 30 de sus obras desde los años sesenta hasta la fecha, incluyendo pinturas, dibujos, grabados, estructuras murales y objetos. En la actualidad, hay exposiciones de Carmen Herrera en la Galería Lisson, Nueva York (del 10 de septiembre al 21 de octubre de 2020) y The Perimeter, Londres (del 25 de septiembre al 8 de enero de 2021).
Nacida en Cuba, en 1915, Carmen Herrera se trasladó a París después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, lugar donde trascurrieron los primeros años de su carrera y dónde su práctica adquirió toda su forma. Se instaló de manera permanente en Nueva York en los años cincuenta, aunque a pesar de convertirse en parte del escenario del arte abstracto neoyorkino, su obra fue en gran medida ignorada hasta pasados sus ochenta años de edad. Fiel a la abstracción geométrica pura que desarrolló en el París de la posguerra, en los últimos años ha sido reconocida como una figura de vanguardia de los movimientos del abstracto y el minimalismo. Estructuras Monumentales rinde homenaje a la vasta carrera de Carmen Herrera y a su interés por las formas tridimensionales.
Carmen Herrera: Estructuras Monumentales es una exposición con curaduría de Daniel S. Palmer, de Public Art Fund. Public Art Fund presentó esta exposición por primera vez en el City Hall Park de la ciudad de Nueva York entre el 11 de julio y el 8 de noviembre de 2019. La presentación de Carmen Herrera: Estructuras Monumentales en Houston fue organizada en colaboración con Buffalo Bayou Partnership y Public Art Fund.
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ACERCA DE LA ARTISTA
Carmen Herrera nació en La Habana, Cuba, en 1915. Se trasladó frecuentemente entre Francia y Cuba durante los años treinta y los años cuarenta. Tras haber iniciado sus estudios de Arquitectura en la Universidad de La Habana, La Habana, Cuba (1938-39), se capacitó en la Liga de Estudiantes de Arte de Nueva York, EE. UU. (1942-43) antes de exponer cinco veces en el Salon des Réalités Nouvelles, Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Francia (1949–53). Se instaló en Nueva York en 1954, donde sigue viviendo y trabajando.
La obra de Carmen Herrera fue objeto de una reseña de la artista en una exposición a gran escala en el Museo Whitney de Arte Estadounidense (2016), y más adelante se exhibió en el Centro Wexner para las Artes, Columbus, Ohio (2017) y en el Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen (K20), Düsseldorf, Alemania (2017–2018). Una selección de las pinturas recientes de la artista y Estructuras inauguró el espacio de exposición de 24th Street de la Galería Lisson de Nueva York en mayo de 2016. Carmen Herrera también ha tenido exposiciones individuales en el Museo Pfalzgalerie Kaiserslautern, Alemania (2010), la Galería Ikon, Birmingham, Inglaterra (2009) y el Museo del Barrio, Nueva York (1998). Ha formado parte de muestras
grupales en el Museo de Bellas Artes de Houston (2017); The Underground Museum, Los Ángeles (2017); Haus der Kunst, Múnich, Alemania (2016); el Museo de Arte de Phoenix, Arizona (2013) y el Museo de Arte de Sheldon, Nebraska (2012), entre otros. Su obra fue presentada en la exposición Epic Abstraction: Pollock to Herrera (Abstracción épica: de Pollock a Herrera) en The Met Breuer (2018-19).
ACERCA DE BUFFALO BAYOU PARTNERSHIP
Establecida en 1986, Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP) es una entidad sin fines de lucro que se dedica a transformar y a revitalizar Buffalo Bayou, el recurso natural más importante de Houston. El enfoque geográfico de la organización abarca el área de 30 kilómetros cuadrados de Buffalo Bayou, que recorre Shepherd Drive, atraviesa el corazón del centro de la ciudad hasta el Sector Este y desemboca en la cuenca de navegación del Puerto de Houston. Gracias al generoso aporte de fundaciones, corporaciones, individuos y organismos gubernamentales, BBP ha implementado más de 200 millones de dólares estadounidenses en mejoras de reurbanización y administración de las zonas verdes de las riberas, entre las que se destacan proyectos premiados, como el Buffalo Bayou Park, la planificación de parques y espacios verdes nuevos al este del centro de la ciudad, la construcción de senderos para caminar y andar en bicicleta, y la ejecución de programas exhaustivos de limpieza y mantenimiento.
Buffalo Bayou Partnership también aporta vida al paseo de las riberas a través de servicios para peatones, paseos en barco y ciclismo, actividades de voluntariado y excursiones y programas de gran alcance en los que participan decenas de miles de visitantes cada año. La organización cuenta con una amplia trayectoria en la presentación de proyectos artísticos a orillas de Buffalo Bayou, y ha trabajado con una serie de artistas reconocidos a nivel local, nacional e internacional, además de colaborar en una gran variedad de organizaciones en muestras de cine, música y danza, así como en otros eventos culturales. La visión de BBP con respecto a su programa de arte público es presentar experiencias artísticas y culturales originales e inspiradoras, involucrar a nuestras diversas comunidades, promover las oportunidades de conexión y diálogo, y conmemorar el carácter único de Buffalo Bayou.
ACERCA DE PUBLIC ART FUND
Como el líder en su campo, Public Art Fund acerca el arte contemporáneo dinámico al gran público en la ciudad de Nueva York y otros lugares al montar exposiciones gratuitas de gran envergadura y de alcance e impacto internacionales que ofrecen experiencias intensas con el arte y el entorno urbano.
PATROCINADORES
Los principales patrocinadores de Estructuras Monumentales en Houston fueron Erika y John Toussaint. La Farrell Family Foundation, así como Susan y Leonard Feinstein fueron benefactores. Además, se recibieron fondos adicionales de Leslie y Brad Bucher y de la Galería Lisson. Buffalo Bayou Partnership es financiada en parte por la ciudad de Houston a través de Houston Arts Alliance.
Movado Group Foundation fue el patrocinador que presentó Estructuras Monumentales en el City Hall Park de la ciudad de Nueva York.
Public Art Fund cuenta con el respaldo de la generosidad de individuos, corporaciones y fundaciones privadas, que incluye el importante apoyo de Bloomberg Philanthropies, así como el gran apoyo de Charina Endowment Fund, Con Edison, Joseph and Joan Cullman Foundation for the Arts, The Marc Haas Foundation, Hartfield Foundation, NYC COVID-19 Response and Impact Fund en The New York Community Trust, Donald
A. Pels Charitable Trust y The Silverweed Foundation.
Las exposiciones y los programas de Public Art Fund también se financian en parte con fondos públicos de organismos gubernamentales, entre ellos, el Consejo para las Artes del Estado de Nueva York, con el apoyo del gobernador Andrew M. Cuomo y la Legislatura del Estado de Nueva York, y el Departamento de Asuntos Culturales de la Ciudad de Nueva York en asociación con el Concejo de la Ciudad.
VISITAR LA EXPOSICIÓN
Fondren Foundation Meadow en Buffalo Bayou Park Allen Parkway en Gillette Street
En exhibición durante el horario del parque: de 6 a. m. a 11 p. m.
Créditos de la fotografía:
Carmen Herrera
Estructura sin título (Rojo), 1962-2018 Acrílico y aluminio, 2,44 x 3,25 x 1,17 m.
En exhibición como parte de Carmen Herrera: Estructuras Monumentales, presentada por Public Art Fund en el City Hall Park de la ciudad de Nueva York entre el 11 de julio y el 8 de noviembre de 2019. Fotografía: Nicholas Knight, Cortesía de Public Art Fund, Nueva York
With ROCO on Buffalo Bayou, the ensemble curates site-specific audio streams of ROCO’s past performances, accessed via posted QR codes along Buffalo Bayou trails.
Houston, TX – September 21, 2020 – ROCO is excited to announce a new project with Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP), a non-profit organization that has spearheaded the revitalization and transformation of Buffalo Bayou, Houston’s most significant natural resource. Through this collaboration, visitors can explore the miles of trails lining Buffalo Bayou to discover QR codes posted at 40 landmarks and public art works. Each code links to a recording of music performed by ROCO, specially selected for the location or art installation and curated by the ROCO team.
Chosen from ROCO’s 15 years of live performance recordings, the repertoire features a mix of pieces by historical and contemporary composers – including 13 of ROCO’s own commissioned world premiere works, seven pieces by female composers, and ten by composers of color. A recent study from the Institute of Composer Diversity found ROCO is the number one ensemble in the US for performing the works of women and number two for the works of composers of color.
“We can now physically weave our music through our community, providing a soundtrack for Houston! ROCO has always offered our recordings for free listening and now you can also enjoy the wonders of Buffalo Bayou while on a musical scavenger hunt,” said ROCO’s Founder, Artistic Director, and principal oboist Alecia Lawyer.
“We are thrilled to host this project by ROCO along the Buffalo Bayou Park trails,” said Karen Farber, BBP’s VP of External Affairs. “Now those walking or riding along the bayou can experience their surroundings in a whole new way. We hope our visitors will explore all 40 sites throughout the fall.
The initiative will be in place from September 25 – December 31, 2020. More information can be found at roco.org or buffalobayou.org.
About ROCO
ROCO is a dynamic and innovative professional music ensemble that flexes from 1 to 40 players from all over the US and Canada, with guest artists from around the world. Performing intimate concerts in dozens of venues, ROCO’s musicians don’t just give concerts – they challenge preconceptions, create extraordinary experiences, and foster new relationships with audiences through the language of music. ROCO’s debut album, Visions Take Flight, was recognized for a GRAMMY® Award for Producer of the Year for Blanton Alspaugh.
Widely recognized for diversity in programming, a recent study from the Institute for Composer Diversity found ROCO is the number one ensemble in the US for performing the works of women and number two for the works of composers of color. Additionally, ROCO has the third-highest number of commissions in the United States and has premiered nearly 100 commissions from living composers. ROCO embraces technology, with free worldwide concert livestreams and real-time artist commentary via a smartphone app, as well as on-demand recordings of past concerts via popular music streaming services. A vital part of the community, ROCO concert DVDs are sent to nursing homes and hospitals to bring music to those immobile communities, and their music education/childcare program attracts multigenerational audiences.
HOUSTON – September 10, 2020 – Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP), the non-profit organization transforming and revitalizing Buffalo Bayou, Houston’s historic waterway, will mark five years since Buffalo Bayou Park’s opening with the series, Artful Anniversary. Artists will animate the park with five unique experiences and virtual performances throughout the month of October.
Over the past half-decade, Buffalo Bayou Park has been recognized with twenty national and international awards for its thoughtful design, contribution to the community, innovations, public/private partnership, environmental protection and enhancement, response to societal needs, and financial viability. The park has positioned Houston as a leader of the nation’s critically-needed efforts to enact progressive environmental methods of flood control and storm water management. Since its opening in the fall of 2015, the park has withstood the destructive forces of several major flooding events including the catastrophic Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Its resiliency is a testament to the careful attention paid to design components in the planning of the park.
Buffalo Bayou Park has breathed new life into a long-neglected area, and, most importantly, changed how Houstonians from all walks of life view their city. Many have joined the Buffalo Bayou Partnership team in its mission to care for this iconic urban green space – about 1,500 to 2,500 volunteers turn out each year to help with various projects throughout the park.
Now a focal point for our city, Buffalo Bayou Park is used by millions of visitors for recreation, gathering, and quiet contemplation. The park has also been a site of inspiration for countless artists who respond to the park’s natural beauty, flowing waterway, and wide open spaces. This prompted BBP to invite five visual and performing artists to create works at landmark sites throughout the park, to be documented and viewed on BBP’s website.
All fiveArtful Anniversaryprograms will appear in video and photographs on BBP’s website, posted at the times listed below.
October 10, 7 PM at buffalobayou.org Artful Anniversary: Houston Grand Opera Songs on the Water The 5-Year Anniversary series opens with a one-of-a-kind virtual boat ride down Buffalo Bayou that will have you shouting, “BRAVO, BRAVA!”. Singers from Houston Grand Opera will perform on the BBP pontoon boat-turned-stage, and audiences are invited to join the cruise from the comfort of their own homes.
October 17, 7 PM at buffalobayou.org Artful Anniversary: Urban Souls Dance Company Take Me to the Water The park performances continue underground with Urban Souls Dance Company, a creative social arts organization. With the art of dance, movement and physical expression, Urban Souls will make use of the vast, cavernous space of the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern for a virtual subterranean performance like the 94-year old Cistern has never seen.
October 24, 7 PM at buffalobayou.org Artful Anniversary: Da Camera An innovative virtual music program curated by Da Camera wraps up the 5-Year Anniversary series. Performances by musicians of different genres will be compiled into a film, recorded at three iconic spaces in Buffalo Bayou Park.
They include a jazz quintet at Lost Lake, a string quartet at Anthony Shumate’s Listen sculpture, and a solo harpist at the Hobby Family Pavilion at The Water Works.
October 3 – 31 at Rosemont Bridge Artful Anniversary: Urban Yarnage Knitscape Throughout October, stop by the colorful and intricate Knitscape by Urban Yarnage at Rosemont Bridge. This nature-themed knitted art commemorates Buffalo Bayou’s ecological diversity and makes for an Insta-worthy picture to say “Happy 5-year anniversary” to Buffalo Bayou Park! Images will also be available for viewing on BBP’s website.
October 22, 2020 – April 23, 2021 in the Fondren Foundation Meadow Artful Anniversary: Carmen Herrera Estructuras Monumentales Walk among the larger-than-life shapes of Estructuras Monumentales, an exhibition of outdoor sculptures by the 105-year-old, New York-based artist Carmen Herrera (b. 1915, Havana, Cuba).
On view in Fondren Foundation Meadow through April 2021. Estructuras Monumentales is co-presented with New York’s Public Art Fund.
Visit the exhibition from October 22, 2020 to April 25, 2021 in Fondren Foundation Meadow in Buffalo Bayou Park (Allen Parkway at Gillette Street) during park hours (6am-11pm).
Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP) is pleased to announce Estructuras Monumentales, a major exhibition of outdoor sculptures by 105-year-old artist Carmen Herrera (b. 1915, Havana, Cuba). Featuring four newly-created sculptures that were first envisioned nearly five decades ago, Estructuras Monumentalesis Herrera’s first public art exhibition in Houston and only the second time that these large scale works have been presented globally. Organized in partnership with the New York City-based non-profit Public Art Fund, Estructuras Monumentales was first presented at Manhattan’s City Hall Park in 2019. This major survey exhibition offers Houston audiences a powerful and reflective experience that celebrates the full breadth of Herrera’s work in three dimensions.
New York-based Herrera is known for her vibrant, abstract geometric paintings, and first began conceiving her Estructuras series — the physical manifestation of her painted form in three dimensions — in the 1960s. The resulting aluminum structures feature strong lines and shapes, with bold monochromatic colors. Ranging from seven feet in height to over 12 feet in width, the colorful sculptures will enliven Buffalo Bayou Park at a monumental scale. The vivid red, blue, green, and white sculptures are sited in Fondren Foundation Meadow, the second temporary art exhibition to be featured in this location, following the 2019 installation New Monuments for New Cities, a collaborative public art project organized by BBP and the High Line Network.
The Houston exhibition of Herrera’s Estructuras is part of BBP’s celebration of Buffalo Bayou Park’s fifth anniversary. Throughout the month of October, BBP will offer a range of virtual events and art installations that showcase the manner in which this iconic urban green space inspires creativity and innovation. This exhibition is especially resonant with the park’s anniversary because of its inclusion of four of Herrera’s sculptures, and complemented by a fifth, existing landmark, Henry Moore’s Large Spindle Piece (1969), that is permanently situated at the center of the site. Signage for this exhibition will be offered in both English and Spanish, and public programs will be organized throughout the run of the exhibition.
“We are honored to host this exhibition by Carmen Herrera, one of our world’s most important living artists, and to collaborate with Public Art Fund and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston in celebrating Herrera’s legacy,” said Judy Nyquist, BBP Board Member and Co-Chair of the organization’s Public Art Committee. “As this is a highly-visible site in the park, thousands of Houstonians will have the opportunity to experience and be inspired by these works for free, in an outdoor environment that is inviting to all.”
Angulo Blanco (2017) is the first Estructura Herrera has designed in more than three decades. The dynamic chevron composition conveys movement and rhythm and is reminiscent of the many triangular and diamond forms from her iconic paintings. It presents both the solidity of a sculptural object and the weightlessness of a stark celestial shape ascending towards the sky. Pavanne (1967/2017) is a solemn, contemplative work that was conceived originally as a drawing in 1967 as a memorial to Herrera’s brother who had cancer. With a title that refers to the musical term for a slow dance, often as part of a funeral procession, Pavanne features three interlocking elements in a deep blue that solidly extends nine feet into the air and nine feet across the lawn. Gemini (1971/2019) receives its world debut in the Houston exhibition. This newly-fabricated sculpture and Untitled Estructura (1962/2018) are based on historic designs from the 1960s-early 1970s. They are each composed of two interlocking or embracing parts that demonstrate Herrera’s careful geometric balance, distilled palette, and bold use of color. Framing and incorporating the surrounding landscape into its forms, Herrera’s Estructuras will create a compelling conversation between the painted aluminum sculptures and their natural setting in the park.
“At a time when public art is more vital than ever, we are thrilled to partner with Buffalo Bayou Partnership to bring Carmen Herrera’s Estructuras Monumentales to Houston audiences,” says Public Art Fund Curator Daniel S. Palmer. “Herrera’s breathtaking sculptures will fit perfectly within this natural environment complemented by the geometric and lively skyline of Houston. This is the ideal setting to highlight Herrera, an eminent artist who is finally receiving well-deserved recognition.”
Opening in concurrence with Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s exhibition is a presentation of Herrera’s works at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, on view from October 21, 2020 – January 18, 2021. Titled Carmen Herrera: Structuring Surfaces, it is the first exhibition at the Museum exclusively devoted to the work of the internationally celebrated artist and showcases more than 30 of her pieces from the 1960s to the present, including paintings, drawings, prints, wall structures and objects. Other Herrera exhibitions are currently on view at Lisson Gallery in New York (September 10-October 24, 2020) and The Perimeter in London (September 25, 2020 – January 8, 2021).
Born in Cuba in 1915, Herrera moved to Paris after World War II, where she spent the early part of her career and where much of her practice became fully formed. Settling permanently in New York in the 1950s, although Herrera became a part of New York’s abstract art scene, her work was largely overlooked until Herrera was in her 80s. Staying true to the pure, geometric abstraction she developed in post-war Paris, in recent years, Herrera has been recognized as a leading voice in the abstract and minimalist movements. Estructuras Monumentalescelebrates Herrera’s long career and interest in three-dimensional form.
Carmen Herrera: Estructuras Monumentalesis curated by Public Art Fund Curator Daniel S. Palmer. This exhibition was first presented by Public Art Fund in New York City at City Hall Park from July 11 – November 8, 2019. The Houston presentation of Carmen Herrera: Estructuras Monumentales is organized in collaboration with Buffalo Bayou Partnership and Public Art Fund.
Programming for Estructuras Monumentales is supported by the Nyquist Family.
ABOUT THE ARTIST Carmen Herrera was born in Havana, Cuba in 1915. She moved frequently between France and Cuba throughout the 1930s and 1940s; having started studying architecture at the Universidad de La Habana, Havana, Cuba (1938–39), she trained at the Art Students League, New York, NY, USA (1942–43), before exhibiting five times at the Salon des Réalités Nouvelles, Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, France (1949–53). She settled in New York in 1954, where she continues to live and work.
Herrera’s work was the subject of a large-scale survey at the Whitney Museum of American Art (2016), which traveled to the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio (2017) and Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen (K20) in Düsseldorf, Germany (2017–2018). A selection of Herrera’s recent paintings and Estructuras inaugurated Lisson Gallery New York’s 24th Street exhibition space in May 2016. Herrera has also had solo exhibitions at Museum Pfalzgalerie Kaiserslautern, Germany (2010); Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, UK (2009); and Museo del Barrio, New York (1998). She has been included in group shows at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (2017); The Underground Museum, Los Angeles (2017); Haus der Kunst, Munich, Germany (2016); Phoenix Museum of Art, Arizona (2013); and Sheldon Museum of Art, Nebraska (2012), among others. Her work was featured in the exhibition Epic Abstraction: Pollock to Herrera at The Met Breuer (2018-19).
ABOUT BUFFALO BAYOU PARTNERSHIP Established in 1986, Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP) is the non-profit transforming and revitalizing Buffalo Bayou, Houston’s most significant natural resource. The organization’s geographic focus is the 10-square mile stretch of the bayou that flows from Shepherd Drive, through the heart of downtown into the East End, and onto the Port of Houston Turning Basin. Thanks to the generous support of foundations, corporations, individuals and government agencies, BBP has implemented more than $200 million in improvements for the redevelopment and stewardship of the waterfront – spearheading award-winning projects such as Buffalo Bayou Park, planning for new parks and green space east of downtown, constructing hike and bike trails, and operating comprehensive clean-up and maintenance programs. Buffalo Bayou Partnership also activates the waterway through pedestrian, boating and biking amenities; volunteer activities; and wide-ranging tours and programs that engage tens of thousands of visitors each year. The organization has long been dedicated to presenting arts projects along the bayou – working with a coterie of local, national, and internationally recognized artists as well as collaborating with a broad spectrum of organizations on film, music, dance and cultural events. BBP’s vision for its public art program is to present inspiring and original art and cultural experiences, engage our diverse communities, promote opportunities for connection and dialogue, and celebrate the unique character of Buffalo Bayou.
ABOUT PUBLIC ART FUND As the leader in its field, Public Art Fund brings dynamic contemporary art to a broad audience in New York City and beyond by mounting ambitious free exhibitions of international scope and impact that offer the public powerful experiences with art and the urban environment.
SUPPORT Leadership support for Estructuras Monumentales in Houston provided by Erika and John Toussaint. Benefactor support provided by Farrell Family Foundation and Susan and Leonard Feinstein, with additional funding from an Anonymous Donor, Tony Bechara, Leslie and Brad Bucher, and Lisson Gallery. Buffalo Bayou Partnership is funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance.
The Movado Group Foundation was the presenting sponsor of Estructuras Monumentales at City Hall Park in New York City.
Public Art Fund is supported by the generosity of individuals, corporations, and private foundations including lead support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, along with major support from the Charina Endowment Fund, Con Edison, the Joseph and Joan Cullman Foundation for the Arts, The Marc Haas Foundation, Hartfield Foundation, NYC COVID-19 Response and Impact Fund in The New York Community Trust, the Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust, and The Silverweed Foundation. Public Art Fund exhibitions and programs are also supported in part with public funds from government agencies, including the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
City of Houston, Houston Parks Board and Buffalo Bayou Partnership collaborate on new Buffalo Bayou trail segment
Houston Parks Board and Buffalo
Bayou Partnership, in cooperation with the Downtown Redevelopment Authority,
the City of Houston, and the Houston Parks and Recreation Department, have
begun construction on a new park and 0.4-mile hike and bike trail along Buffalo
Bayou from Fannin Street to McKee Street. When complete, this segment will tie
directly into the proposed Austin Street Bikeway and provide important
connections to Buffalo Bayou Park and to trails east of downtown.
The trail will
begin at Allen’s Landing Park and continue east under the Fannin Street Bridge,
transverse up the slope along Commerce Street before passing under the San
Jacinto Bridge to the Wilson Building on Commerce Street. The trail will
continue through the second basement level of the Wilson Building and under the
Harris County Sheriff’s Inmate Processing Center.
From there the trail opens to a new
park on former parking lots along the bayou on either side of Austin Street. As
part of the park, the current Austin Street cul-de-sac will be converted into a
public plaza.
East of the new
plaza, the trail continues under the newly rebuilt Elysian Viaduct to McKee
Street. There the trail will extend along the waterfront property owned by
CenterPoint as a separate Buffalo Bayou Partnership project. These combined
efforts will connect downtown and the south side of Buffalo Bayou to the MKT
Trail and White Oak Bayou Greenway.
Rendering: SWA Group
“We are delighted to collaborate with Buffalo Bayou Partnership to create this new park and trail segment along Buffalo Bayou. There are so many opportunities for exploration along the bayou and this new open space system will provide an important access point for Houstonians to engage with our beautiful bayous,” said Beth White, President and CEO of Houston Parks Board. “The trail will help connect Buffalo Bayou to White Oak Bayou, one of nine bayous transformed by Bayou Greenways 2020.”
“This will be one of, if not the most unique trail in Houston,” said Anne Olson, Buffalo Bayou Partnership President. “Instead of removing urban infrastructure, our organization has a history of incorporating it into our projects.” She added that the trail is a vital link in the historic waterway’s trail system and will play an important role in connecting Buffalo Bayou Park to parks, green spaces and cultural destinations east of downtown.
“We are thankful
to all the partners who have made this project possible,” said Steve Wright,
Director Houston Parks and Recreation Department. “It is an example of how,
working together, we find ways to add opportunities for all Houstonians to
remain active.”
Notable features along the
segment include:
Pole lighting with blue orbs that reflect the
lunar cycle continuing the lighting system along Buffalo Bayou Park
Special art lighting under the San Jacinto
Bridge to complement the pole lights
Safety lighting under the San Jacinto Bridge, in
the Wilson Building, and under the Inmate Processing Center
A stairway connection from Commerce Street
leading down to the trail
Two trail connections at La Branch Street and
McKee Street
Wayfinding signage
Benches, bike racks, and trash and recycling receptacles
The total cost
of the project is $8 million. Buffalo Bayou Partnership project donors are
Barbara and Gerald Hines, Wendy and Jeff Hines, and Sis and Hasty Johnson.
Partner funding comes from the Downtown Redevelopment Authority, a public
entity that facilitates positive economic development within downtown’s TIRZ #3
boundaries, and Bayou Greenways 2020, a public-private partnership between
Houston Parks Board and the City of Houston through the Houston Parks and
Recreation Department, with catalyst funding from the Kinder Foundation.
“While we are
excited that construction is underway, the Buffalo Bayou Partnership Board of
Directors and staff are saddened by the recent passing of Gerald Hines, one of
the major donors to this project.
Mr. Hines was a visionary who shaped Houston’s skyline, and this critical trail connection through downtown will be a fitting tribute to his remarkable legacy,” said Anne Olson, Buffalo Bayou Partnership President.
Following
approximately one year of construction, Buffalo Bayou Partnership will maintain
the park and trail under contract with the Houston Parks Board as part of the
Bayou Greenways 2020 maintenance agreement with the City of Houston.
HOUSTON – May 14, 2020 – Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP) announces that Karen Farber, long-time Director of the University of Houston Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts, will be joining the organization as Vice President of External Affairs. In this newly-created BBP position, Farber will be responsible for developing and overseeing a strategic and comprehensive development, communications, programming and public art program.
“We are extremely excited that Karen is joining our team,” said Anne Olson, BBP President. “Her 21-year career in non-profit management will be invaluable as we advance BBP’s mission and take the organization to new levels of success and impact.”
During her tenure at the Mitchell Center, Farber created CounterCurrent, an annual festival of live performances, installations, talks and participatory events by artists from throughout the world. She also hosted residencies and programs with internationally-known artists including Laurie Anderson, Philip Glass, Theaster Gates and The Yes Men. Farber is a well-respected arts leader in Houston and has worked closely with curators and directors at Houston museums and organizations such as Project Row Houses, The Menil Collection, Aurora Picture Show, and DiverseWorks.
“I’ve partnered with BBP for many years on joint programming and public art projects,” notes Farber. “I’ve always enjoyed working with the highly competent team at BBP and admire the organization’s programming and vision. It’s an honor and privilege to now be part of this well-respected organization.”
Before coming to Houston to serve as Major Gifts Officer at the Houston Grand Opera, Farber worked in non-profit management including serving as Director of Development at the legendary Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival based in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts and working in development and programming for multiple organizations in New York City. She has served as a consultant, panelist and board member for many local and national cultural organizations, and from 2002-2003 she was an arts management fellow at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
A New York City native, partly raised in Los Angeles, Farber is a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with an M.A. in Performance Studies and a B.F.A. in Experimental Theater.
She joins BBP on May 18.
For press inquiries, email Trudi Smith, Director of PR and Events, or call 713.752.0314 ext. 103.
