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.
HOUSTON – January 29, 2020 – Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP) announced four new members to its board of directors during its annual meeting on January 28 at the Residences at The Allen, a mixed-use development under construction near Buffalo Bayou Park.
New board members include Andrea Alexander, Associate Partner, McKinsey & Co.; Bolivar “Bo” M. Fraga, Community Engagement Developer, BakerRipley; Alisha Nathoo, Head of Strategy & Transformation and Chief of Staff-North America Home, Direct Energy; Andrew Ziccardi, Principal, Fayez Sarofim & Co.
The following board members will continue their officer roles this year: Jeff Taylor, Chair; Ralph Abendshein, Vice Chair; Shawn Cloonan, Treasurer; and Kellie Jenks, Secretary.
“We are delighted to welcome this stellar group to our
board,” said Anne Olson, president of Buffalo Bayou Partnership. “Our new
members bring a wealth of experience and strong interest for protecting,
preserving and improving Buffalo Bayou.”
The 32-member board of directors also includes: Bonner Ball, Rev. Harvey Clemons, Jr., Roberto Contreras, Richard Dawson, Carolyn W. Dorros, Gaynell Floyd Drexler, Michael D. Fertitta, Cristina Garcia Gamboa, Stacey Gillman, Guy Hagstette, Samir Khushalani, Lisa Marshall, Erin Mincberg, Judy Nyquist, Winifred Riser, Shannon B. Sasser, Carson Trapnell Seeligson, Christof Spieler, Karl S. Stern, Saul Valentin, Anne Whitlock, Geraldina Wise, Renee Wizig-Barrios and Gloria Medina Zenteno. Chair Emeritus members include Chuck Carlberg, Brady F. Carruth, Collin J. Cox, Tom Fish, Mike Garver, Sis Johnson, Susan Keeton and Bob Phillips.
HOUSTON – October 10, 2019 – After developing Buffalo Bayou Park and other award-winning green space projects in Houston’s downtown, the non-profit Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP) is moving east. Encompassing a four-mile stretch of the waterway from US 59 to the Port of Houston Turning Basin, Buffalo Bayou East will continue the organization’s legacy of transformative parks, trails and unique destinations. The plan includes:
40 miles of new and improved waterfront trails and bikeways
200 acres of new and improved parks and open space
7 new boat landings
7 new pedestrian bridges
Development of the
soon-to-be-released Buffalo Bayou East Master Plan comes after nearly two years
of significant input received at meetings and other outreach events attended by
more than 700 people. Social media and
bilingual mailings reached more than 50,000 neighborhood households.
“This plan is about investing
in a community that hasn’t benefited from the same level of park funding that
more affluent communities in Houston have seen,” says Anne Olson, Buffalo Bayou
Partnership President. “Being true to
the context of the neighborhoods lining the bayou is very important to us. Buffalo Bayou Partnership wants to create
parks and destinations that really are ‘of’ the Greater East End and Fifth Ward
– two areas that have historically been separated from the bayou and each
other.”
Olson points out the bayou’s
east sector has a very different character and scale from the western stretch
of the waterway. With steep banks and a
wider channel, the bayou does not experience the flooding that occurs
upstream. And unlike the bayou’s western
stretch where the parkland is primarily in public hands, there are large swaths
of abandoned industrial sites privately owned.
Over the past 15 years,
Buffalo Bayou Partnership has purchased more than 70 acres of property in the
east sector, donating some parcels to the City and County for park space. Other sites, still owned by the organization,
include interesting industrial relics such as massive concrete silos, a barge
dock lined with gantries, and even an abandoned City of Houston sewage
treatment facility. The Master Plan
calls for repurposing these sites to celebrate the area’s industrial legacy and
Houston’s history as a Port City.
Gas Works Park in Seattle,
Concrete Plant Park in the Bronx, and numerous sites in Germany’s Ruhr Valley
are examples of former industrial sites that have been renovated into
attractions. BBP is a member of the High
Line Network, a coalition of park groups from throughout North America, all of
which are focused on industrial reuse.
The High Line in New York, The Underline in Miami and The 606 in Chicago
were repurposed from abandoned railroads, highways and other infrastructure.
“Buffalo Bayou East’s amazing
industrial sites serve as a unique backdrop for creating new public spaces
unlike anywhere else in Houston or in the country,” says Chris Matthews, lead
designer of the Buffalo Bayou East Master Plan.
“I applaud Buffalo Bayou Partnership for its commitment to seeing these
industrial relics remain and incorporated into the bayou’s landscape.”
Embracing the east sector’s
cultural heritage is another tenet of the plan.
Whether it’s the colorful murals and Tex-Mex cuisine of the East End or
zydeco music in the Fifth Ward, the parks and green spaces BBP envisions will
incorporate the area’s rich cultural traditions.
Because of its proximity to
downtown, Buffalo Bayou East is quickly becoming home to new residents and
creative entrepreneurs have converted industrial buildings to makerspaces. While Buffalo Bayou Partnership leaders
realize the area is in transition, they feel it is essential that existing
families from the area remain and participate in revitalizing this hidden
corner of Houston.
Buffalo Bayou Partnership
assembled a high caliber group of consultants to develop the 20-year Buffalo
Bayou East Master Plan, including Michael Van Valkenburg Associates (MVVA), an
internationally recognized landscape architecture firm and HR&A Advisors,
an industry-leading real estate, economic development and public policy
firm. Both firms have had recent design
and planning work in Houston. Other
master plan consultants included Houston’s Huitt-Zollars (Engineering),
LimnoTech (Hydrology), and Utile (Urban Design and Architecture).
Cary Hirschstein, a Partner
at HR&A Advisors, says Buffalo Bayou East is one of the most exciting open
space projects he’s seen across the country in recent years. “This is a once-in-a-generation endeavor to
reconnect communities to their bayou.
The scale of the Buffalo Bayou East waterfront, the rich industrial and
cultural legacy, and the bayou’s spectacular natural beauty – all just minutes
from downtown Houston – make for a unique opportunity. Houston has been a national leader in
creating transformative open spaces, but Buffalo Bayou East offers a special
opportunity to put equity, authenticity, and a community focus at the core of
park planning.”
Buffalo Bayou East can become
a precedent for how parks can be a catalyst for inclusive growth and
development. To address economic and
social inequities in the neighborhoods along the bayou, the Master Plan calls
for creating connections between communities long separated from each other and
integrating workforce housing and small neighborhood businesses into the park
and trail network.
Olson says, “Buffalo Bayou
East is a park plan but so much more.
It’s about creating a common meeting ground that long-time residents can
call home and visitors can enjoy.”
Buffalo Bayou Partnership is
hosting a free waterfront party to launch the Master Plan on Saturday, October
26, Noon-4 p.m. at 5803 Navigation Boulevard.
The event will include music, food and children’s crafts activities. Free bicycle helmets will be given to the
first 100 attendees.
To communicate the priorities
and progress of the Buffalo Bayou East Master Plan, Buffalo Bayou Partnership
will present:
Buffalo Bayou Park and Beyond: A Panel Discussion on Monday, October 28, 6:30-8 p.m. Panelists will include: Guy Hagstette, Kinder Foundation Vice President of Parks & Civic Projects; Cary Hirschstein, HR&A Advisors Partner; Scott McCready, SWA Principal; and Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence Director Anne-Marie Lubenau, who will be presenting Buffalo Bayou Partnership with The Rudy Bruner Award for Excellence 2019 Silver Medal for Buffalo Bayou Park. Serving as panel moderator will be Bill Fulton, Kinder Institute for Urban Research Director. The event is free and open to the public.
Free walking, boat and bike tours throughout November.
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, protecting land for future parks and green space,
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; permanent and temporary art installations; and
wide-ranging tours and programs that engage tens of thousands of visitors each
year.
Plan Focuses on Area from US 59 to Port of Houston Turning Basin
WHAT: Buffalo Bayou Partnership will be celebrating the culmination of a multi-year planning process for Buffalo Bayou’s East Sector – from US 59 to the Port of Houston Turning Basin. The event will feature live music, presentation of the master plan, and the opportunity to tour a new site overlooking Buffalo Bayou. There also will be neighborhood vendors, St. Arnold Brewing Company, face painting, piñata making, slabs and low riders.
The first 100 people to attend will receive a bike helmet, generously donated by BikeHouston.
People are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs.
WHEN: Saturday, October 26 from noon-4pm
12:30pm Presentation of the Buffalo Bayou East Master Plan 1:30pm Annika Chambers Band 3pm Roberto Rodriquez and Mas Pulpos
COST: FREE and open to the public; Food and drinks will be available to purchase
WHAT ELSE: BBP has developed a master plan for Buffalo Bayou’s East Sector, an area that spans the five-mile stretch of Buffalo Bayou from US 59 to the Port of Houston Turning Basin, bordering Houston’s Fifth Ward and the Greater East End, two of the city’s most historic neighborhoods. By partnering with local organization on programs that activate the Bayou in the short- term and development projects that will transform the waterway in the long-term, BBP will create new parks, trails and unique destinations reflecting the rich cultural and industrial legacies of the East Sector.
North York/Tony Marron Park TodayFuture Tony Marron Park expansion Rendering
Beginning in August, the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) in coordination with the Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP) will be completing major repairs along Buffalo Bayou, between Shepherd Drive to Sabine Street, to contain erosion and bank failures caused by Hurricane Harvey. While this work along Buffalo Bayou is not classified as a flood damage reduction project, the repairs are necessary to stabilize the channel and prevent further erosion and damage to the channel.
The total cost for these repairs is expected to be approximately $9.7 million and will be funded by grants from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The project will be divided into seven separate phases along Buffalo Bayou to minimize disruption, while maintaining access to recreational amenities in the area. The project is expected to take approximately one year to complete.
ABOUT THE HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT The Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) provides flood damage reduction projects that work, with appropriate regard for community and natural values. With more than 1,500 bayous and creeks totaling approximately 2,500 miles in length, the Flood Control District accomplishes its mission by devising flood damage reduction plans, implementing the plans and maintaining the infrastructure.
HOUSTON – June
14, 2019 – With global warming being at the forefront of international
discussion, Buffalo Bayou Partnership is pleased to present a conceptual
artwork, We Are the Asteroid III, by
the Brooklyn artist and environmental activist Justin Brice Guariglia. Using a solar-powered LED message board
typically used on roadways, Guariglia shares surprising poetry, metaphor, and
humor to break down barriers and enable important conversations about today’s planetary
warnings.
As
Guariglia notes: “The ecological crisis we face today is the moral imperative
of our time. At this critical juncture, art must be used as a positive force
for social and political change, and to help open our minds to new possibilities.”
By
utilizing the LED message board, Guariglia seeks to contrast the audience’s
expectations of the medium. Highway signs can evoke a feeling of tension and
change, typically used at construction sites to caution passers-by and draws
attention to our ecological issues.
“As an organization that cares deeply about the many threats to our
environment, We are the Asteroid III
is the perfect installation for us to present.
This work adds to Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s growing emphasis on public
art as a way to communicate the important issues of our time,” says Anne Olson,
Buffalo Bayou Partnership President.
Text
for We Are the Asteroid III comes
from philosopher Timothy Morton, Professor and Rita Shea Guffey Chair in English
at Rice University. Morton is considered one of the most important ecological voices
in writing today, exploring the intersection of object-oriented thought and
ecological studies.
Aphorisms featured
in the message board:
WE ARE THE ASTEROID
WARNING: HURRICANE
HUMAN
TRIASSIC WEATHER
AHEAD
GLOBAL WARMING AT
WORK
GOODBYE ARCTIC ICE
THERE IS NO AWAY
NEANDERTHALS ‘R’ US
DANGER:
ANTHROPOMORPHISM
FOR SYMBIOSIS: REDUCE
SPEED NOW
On
display through August 31, We are the
Asteroid III is located in Buffalo Bayou Park at
the Wortham Foundation Grove along Allen Parkway (between Waugh Drive and
Montrose Boulevard).
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, protecting land for future parks and green space,
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; permanent and temporary art installations; and
wide-ranging tours and programs that engage tens of thousands of visitors each
year.
Justin
Brice Guariglia (b. 1974) is a contemporary visual artist known for his work on
ecological
issues. His photographic, sculptural and installation works address the Anthropocene,
the name given to our current ecological period, in which human
activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment.
Sotheby’s has called Guariglia “one of the most prominent cultural figures working to
address climate change.”
Guariglia
has frequently collaborated with scientists, philosophers, and artists to forge
a deeper understanding of our climate crisis. REDUCE SPEED NOW!, Guariglia’s
2019 Somerset House UK commission, deployed 10 highway message boards placed in
the institution’s neo-classical courtyard, brought together the critical
voices of international activists, poets and philosophers to address the ecological
crisis as a catalyst for social and political change.
His
2017 solo exhibition at the Norton Museum of Art debuted work originating from
an ongoing series of missions flown with NASA over the glaciers of Greenland.
The exhibition traveled to the Fisher Museum of Art in 2018. WE ARE THE
ASTEROID, a collaborative project with philosopher Timothy Morton,
premiered at Storm King Art Center the same year. Iterations of the project
have been displayed in Chicago, along with various sites across New York City
in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of New York City, and the New York City
Parks Department. Before exhibiting We are the Asteroid III in Buffalo Bayou Park, the work was on view
at Rice University Moody Center for the Arts.
Timothy
Morton (b. 1968) is Rita Shea Guffey Chair in English at Rice University
and the author of many books and essays on philosophy, ecology, literature,
music, and art, notably DarkEcology: For a Logic of Future
Coexistence, Hyperobjects: Philosophy and Ecology after the End of the
World, and The Ecological Thought. Morton has also
written extensively about the literature of Percy Shelley and
Mary Shelley, Romanticism, and ecotheory.
PHOTO: Pictured left to right: Anne Olson, President of the Buffalo Bayou Partnership; Ed Emmett, Former Harris County Judge; Auggie Campbell, Fight Flooding PAC Treasurer and West Houston Association President & CEO; Sarah Bernhardt, President and CEO of BPA; and Robert Rayburn, Chair of Bayou Preservation Association
HOUSTON (June 24, 2019) Ed
Emmett, Former Harris County Judge, provided grants to the Buffalo Bayou
Partnership and the Bayou Preservation Association as his final act as the
Fight Flooding PAC Chairman. The Fight
Flooding PAC raised over $1.2 million and campaigned for the most successful
Harris County Bond Proposition on record, garnering over 85% of votes in favor
of a $2.5 billion flood control program.
“Since we raised this money to prevent flooding and make
Harris County more resilient, it is appropriate to give the remaining funds to
these two non-profit organizations that do so much to preserve our bayous for
future generations,” said Emmett.
Each of the charities received
over $64,000 from the PAC. Buffalo Bayou
Partnership will use the funds to restore green spaces and other areas damaged
in Hurricane Harvey.
“Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP) is so appreciative of the
Fight Flooding PAC fund,” said Anne Olson, president of the Buffalo Bayou
Partnership. “We thank the PAC’s leadership and especially former Harris County Judge
Ed Emmett. These funds will help BBP continue its restoration efforts in
Buffalo Bayou Park. Riparian planting along the water’s edge will be a priority
in the year ahead and the PAC’s funds will be invaluable.”
The Bayou Preservation Association will use the funds as part
of its Stream Corridor Restoration Program to restore the floodplains riparian
buffer zones, through the removal of invasive species in approximately 30 acres
of land and conduct workshops to help ensure that stakeholders maintain these
restored lands. Projects like these support Bayou Preservation Association’s
mission to celebrate, protect and restore the natural richness of all our
bayous, creeks and streams.
“We are honored that Ed Emmett and the Fight Flooding PAC
are supporting our efforts to support a return of function and resilience in
riparian buffer zones of the floodplains within three Harris County watersheds
heavily impacted by Hurricane Harvey – Cypress Creek, Clear Creek, and upper
Buffalo Bayou – and to increase public understanding and support for the roles
that healthy riparian areas play to the overall floodplains and ultimately the
bayous.” said Robert Rayburn, Board Chairman of Bayou Preservation Association.
The Fight Flooding PAC drew support from many local
organizations and businesses leaders, from the Greater Houston Partnership’s Ed
Wulfe and the Houston Association of Realtors’ Ed Wolfe to the Houston Hispanic
Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Houston Black Chamber. The bond proposition received endorsements
from nearly every state senator and representative in the region, regardless of
party.
“The community came together behind Ed Emmett’s leadership,”
said Auggie Campbell, Fight Flooding PAC Treasurer and West Houston Association
President & CEO. “We worked hard
with environmental leaders like Jim Blackburn and MaryAnne Piacentini because
we all want to make our region more resilient.
Judge Emmett’s decision to call the flood bond election and to put the PAC
funds that are left towards restoring land are legacies that will continue to
benefit Harris County.”
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, protecting land for future parks and green space, 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; permanent and temporary art installations; and wide-ranging tours and programs that engage tens of thousands of visitors each year.
About Bayou Preservation Association
The mission of the Bayou Preservation
Association is to celebrate, protect and restore the natural richness of all
our bayous and streams, with a vision of a network of healthy bayous, streams
and watersheds. It works to Increase understanding of area bayous and creeks
and their watersheds by providing educational programs and opportunities,
activities and events to engage all the region’s demographics. Bayou
Preservation Association also strives to expand stewardship and stewardship
opportunities to improve the health of our watersheds, creeks, and bayous. For
information, go http://www.bayoupreservation.org/Home or call 713-529-6443.
PHOTO: Pictured left to right: Anne Olson, President of the Buffalo Bayou Partnership; Ed Emmett, Former Harris County Judge; Auggie Campbell, Fight Flooding PAC Treasurer and West Houston Association President & CEO; Robert Rayburn, Chair of Bayou Preservation Association; and Sarah Bernhardt, Executive Director of BPA
Buffalo Bayou Partnership is excited to announce that Buffalo Bayou Park has been selected as a finalist for the Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence (RBA) 2019 Gold and Silver medal prizes. The Gold Medalist will receive $50,000, and four Silver Medalists will each receive $10,000 to enhance their projects. BBP extends our congratulations to the park designers and consultants as well as our sincerest thanks to the Kinder Foundation for its catalyst gift and to all of the generous funders that made Buffalo Bayou Park possible. Special thanks also to the Downtown Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) #3 that provides BBP with annual funding for the park’s operations and maintenance.
For more than 30 years, the biennial RBA has recognized transformative places that contribute to the economic, environmental, and social vitality of American cities. Seventy-eight projects in 27 states have been honored since its founding. The 2019 RBA finalists are:
Beyond Walls—Lynn, MA Grassroots public art and lighting initiative revitalizing a former industrial city. (Submitted by Beyond Walls)
Buffalo Bayou Park—Houston, TX Enhancement of a historic waterway into a resilient public greenspace. (Submitted by SWA Group)
Crosstown Concourse—Memphis, TN Rehabilitation of an abandoned Sears, Roebuck & Co. distribution center into a mixed-use vertical village and arts, education, and healthcare destination. (Submitted by Crosstown Arts)
Parisite Skatepark—New Orleans, LA Youth-driven DIY creation of a new public park on vacant land beneath a highway overpass. (Submitted by Administrators of the Tulane Educational Fund)
Sulphur Springs Downtown—Sulphur Springs, TX Renewal of a rural, small-town civic plaza and main street. (Submitted by Toole Design Group)
RBA entries comprise completed projects across the contiguous United States. Finalists and medalists are chosen by a nationwide committee of urban experts through an in-depth evaluation process involving input from the award application, site visits, interviews with project participants and community members, and committee discussions. The 2019 Selection Committee includes:
Libby Schaaf—Mayor, City of Oakland, CA Adrian Benepe—Senior Vice President and Director of National Programs at the Trust for Public Land, New York, NY Brenda Breaux—Executive Director for the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (NORA), New Orleans, LA Carol Coletta—President and CEO of the Memphis River Parks Partnership, Memphis, TN Marc Norman—Associate Professor of Practice at the University of Michigan, Taubman School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Ann Arbor, MI Carol Ross Barney, FAIA—Principal Designer, Ross Barney Architects, Chicago, IL
Next month, RBA staff will begin site visits to each finalist project in preparation for the committee’s selection of the medal winners in June. Metropolis magazine will tell the stories of each of these sites through a series of online features. Findings and lessons learned will be relayed through detailed case studies and published in book form in 2020 as a resource for educators, practitioners, and students. Past case studies are available here.
“The range of issues addressed in this year’s submissions reflect the evolution of our understanding of placemaking in cities,” says RBA Founder Simeon Bruner. “The five finalists illustrate the shifting role of design in response to the imperatives of social inclusivity and environmental resilience.”
The Rudy Bruner Award for Urban
Excellence (RBA) was created in 1986 by Simeon Bruner, founding
principal of Bruner/Cott Architects and Planners (Cambridge, MA), and is a
program of the Bruner Foundation. The RBA was named in
honor of founder Simeon Bruner’s late father, who established the Foundation
in 1963 with his mother, Martha. The Bruner Foundation is renowned for its
pioneering approach to social issues including health care, education,
evaluation, and the built environment.
Buffalo Bayou is one of five North American sites to host inaugural exhibition
Opens to the Public Wednesday, February 20, 2019
[A] part by Sin Huelllas Artists: Delilah Montoya and Jimmy Castillo
HOUSTON – January 30, 2019 – Houston’s Buffalo Bayou has been selected as the inaugural site for New Monuments for New Cities, a collaborative public art project organized by the High Line Network, a coalition of visionary North American industrial reuse projects that are transforming underutilized infrastructure into new urban landscapes and redefining what parks can be.
Debuting in Houston on February 20, the public art initiative’s theme is meant to stimulate discussion and community discourse on the evolving nature of monuments and ask questions such as “What does it mean to monumentalize a person, an idea or moment in time?”
In coordination with High Line Art, each High Line Network participant invited five of its city’s artists or artist groups to create proposals in the form of posters for new monuments. The resulting proposals span from traditional monuments, to revised historical statues, to newly imagined methods of public commemoration. There are drawings, photographs, renderings, Wikipedia pages, collages, and bold text-based statements.
Following Houston’s presentation, all 25 artworks will travel to Austin, Chicago and Toronto, culminating in New York on the High Line in September 2019. In Houston, the artwork will be displayed in the form of light boxes integrated into benches beckoning visitors to reflect and enter the discourse on the meaning of monuments. The structures will surround the cherished Spindle by Henry Moore in Buffalo Bayou Park along Allen Parkway at Gillette Street.
Major underwriting for Houston’s exhibition is provided by East River, a Midway development with additional support from the Susan Vaughan Foundation and TXRX.
“We are honored to be among a select group of cities that are exhibiting these thought-provoking artworks,” says Judy Nyquist, BBP Board Member and Public Art Committee Co-chair. “The theme, NewMonuments for New Cities, is so timely as our nation and its citizens are rethinking what form monuments should take today.”
Participating Houston artists are: Regina Agu, Jamal Cyrus, Sin Huellas: Delilah Montoya and Jimmy Castillo, Phillip Pyle, II, and Nick Vaughan and Jake Margolin. Artists selected by the other High Line Network participants include:
Austin: Nicole Awai, Daniela Cavazos Madrigal, Teruko Nimura and Rachel Alex Crist, Denise Prince, Vincent Valdez
Chicago: Eric J. García, Tonika Johnson, Chris Pappan, Richard Santiago (TIAGO), Zissou Tasseff-Elenkoff
Toronto: Susan Blight, Coco Guzman, Life of a Craphead (Amy Lam and Jon McCurley), An Te Liu, Quentin VerCetty
New York: Judith Bernstein, Guerrilla Girls, Hans Haacke, Paul Ramírez Jonas, Xaviera Simmons
In addition to the New Monuments for New Cities exhibition, Buffalo Bayou Partnership is sponsoring the following complementary programming and events:
Saturday, March 2, 1-2pm Monuments Monologue: Artists Talk Meadow surrounding the Henry Moore Spindle sculpture in Buffalo Bayou Park Allen Parkway at Gillette Street
Wednesday, March 20, 2019, 6:30pm Message and Meaning: Reconsidering Monuments Today Panel Discussion with New Monuments for New Cities Artists, Melanie Kress, Associate Curator, High Line Art and Moderator, Karen Farber, Executive Director, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts University of Houston Eldorado Ballroom 2310 Elgin Street, Houston, TX 77004
Saturday, April 6, 10-11 a.m. Monuments Monologue: Artists Talks Meadow surrounding the Henry Moore Spindle sculpture in Buffalo Bayou Park Allen Parkway at Gillette Street
Saturday, April 20, 10-11 a.m. Monuments Monologue: Artists Talks Meadow surrounding the Henry Moore Spindle sculpture in Buffalo Bayou Park Allen Parkway at Gillette Street
Saturday, April 27, 8-10 p.m. A Monumental Evening: Closing Party Buffalo Bayou Partnership Silos along Buffalo Bayou’s East Sector 801 N. Nagle Street, off of Navigation, Houston, TX 77003
New Monuments for New Cities Schedule in Other Cities
Waller Creek, Austin March-May 2019
The 606, Chicago May-June 2019
The Bentway, Toronto May-August 2019
The High Line, New York September-October 2019
About Buffalo Bayou Partnership Established in 1986, Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP) is the Houston nonprofit organization transforming and revitalizing Buffalo Bayou, the city’s most significant natural resource. Thanks to the generous support of foundations, corporations, individuals, and governmental agencies, BBP has raised and leveraged more than $150 million for the redevelopment and stewardship of the waterfront. The organization develops award-winning projects such as the $58 million Buffalo Bayou Park, protects land for future parks, constructs hiking and biking trails, and operates comprehensive clean-up and maintenance programs. BBP also seeks ways to activate Buffalo Bayou through pedestrian, boating, and biking amenities, volunteer activities, permanent and temporary art installations, and wide-ranging tours and events.
About High Line Network The High Line Network is a group of industrial reuse projects—and the people who help them come to life. As cities become denser and land for traditional parks becomes scarce, citizens are finding creative ways to bring greenspace to their neighborhoods. Projects in the High Line Network transform underutilized infrastructure into new urban landscapes. Redefining what a park can be, these hybrid spaces are also public squares, open-air museums, botanical gardens, social service organizations, walkways, transit corridors, and more.
The High Line Network is presented by Friends of the High Line, the nonprofit organization responsible for the High Line, raising nearly 100% of its annual budget. Owned by the City of New York, the High Line is programmed, maintained, and operated by Friends of the High Line, in partnership with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation.
The High Line Network is made possible by the founding support of The JPB Foundation.###
Happy New Year. If you’re like most people, we’re sure you’ve already started fulfilling your New Year’s resolutions. At Buffalo Bayou Partnership, we’ve started working on our list too and the coming year is full of new goals and projects that will help us continue our transformative work along Houston’s historic waterway. Here’s a sneak peek of what we have in store!
Buffalo Bayou East Sector Master Plan
For the past two years, we’ve been focused on developing a master plan for Buffalo Bayou’s East Sector. On-the-ground due diligence, rigorous technical analysis including a hydrological study, and a framework to guide our land acquisition program have all been part of the work we’ve accomplished. We spent a large part of 2018 sponsoring a robust community engagement process where Fifth Ward and East End residents shared their desires, dreams and concerns for their neighborhoods. In late spring, we’ll be releasing the final plan. We’re excited about the vision that will guide our park and trail projects east of downtown over the coming decades. Stay tuned!
High Line Network Joint Art Initiative
Broken Obelisk Elbows, Phillip Pyle, II.
BBP is honored to be part of the High Line Network, a coalition of infrastructure reuse projects across North America.
In collaboration with Friends of the High Line, the Network’s founder, BBP and three other Network members are presenting New Monuments for New Cities, a year-long public art project. Houston is the launch-site for this unique exhibition that will travel to Austin, Chicago, Toronto and end in New York on the High Line this fall. Each participating group invited five local artists to create proposals in the form of posters that respond to the evolving nature of monuments in our country today. The artists in the exhibition have designed monuments that question the format itself and envision its future. Participating Houston artists are: Regina Agu, Jamal Cyrus, Delilah Montoya and Jimmy Castillo, Phillip Pyle, II, and Nick Vaughan and Jake Margolin.
In addition to the exhibition which will be on view in Buffalo Bayou Park from February 20 until April 30, BBP will present complementary programming and events. In a few short weeks, you’ll be hearing more about New Monuments for New Cities.
BBP Membership Program
We want to keep our parks and trails growing and Buffalo Bayou flowing. That’s why we are launching a membership programin 2019. Members will not only provide vital support to help our organization continue to care for the bayou but will receive exclusive benefits including invitations to member-only events and special discounts on merchandise and tours. We also will continue to enhance our young professionals membership group, The Currents. We hope you’ll hop aboard and become a BBP member when the program is unveiled this spring.
Buffalo Bayou Walking and Boat Tours
We began expanding our walking tours in 2018 and will be offering even more in the coming year. If you want to learn about Buffalo Bayou’s natural landscape, history and public art or just want to get some exercise, we have a walk for you. You’ll also want to sign up for a boat tour. Our upcoming wine tastings and Luck of the Irish tours are sure to be sell-outs. Check our website and monthly e-newsletter for our offerings.
Trails
This spring, in cooperation with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and Houston Parks & Recreation Department, we’ll be opening the Clayton Homes Trail, just east of I69. In addition to the trail, a pedestrian bridge linking the north and south banks of Buffalo Bayou is being constructed. We also will break ground by early summer on a critical link in the trail system downtown. With these trail segments we will be one step closer to connecting Buffalo Bayou Park all the way to Lockwood Drive in the East End.
As you can see, BBP’s New Year resolutions are ambitious. We hope you will take part in our mission-focused projects and activities, and join us as we continue our long-standing work to transform Houston’s greatest natural resource. We look forward to seeing you out on the bayou.
Sincerely,
Jeff Taylor Anne Olson Board Chair President
For press inquiries, email Trudi Smith, Director of PR and Events, or call 713.752.0314 ext. 103.
