Episode 6: Open to the Public (Works):

Artist: Rhonda Rubin
Twitter: The_Rhonda
"Exultation -- Pencil, colored pencils, pen & ink on sketch paper:
Nestled between the Houston Museum District and the Texas Medical Center lies Hermann Park, one of Houston's many green spaces. Hermann Park includes a golf course (because all big city parks need golf courses), the Houston Zoo, the Houston Museum of Natural Science/IMAX Theater/Cockrell Butterfly Center, and Miller Outdoor Theater. The latter sits in front of Hippie Hill, a grassy knoll that allows free access to theater and musical performances for those of us willing to schlep blankets, wine and food up the hill from our cars. During the day, kids and adults play and roll all over the hill, under the watchful eye of this little fellow, perched atop the hill, and looking down at the theater. Or away from it. It's really hard to tell. But I digress.

The last time we went to a performance at Miller, I remember thinking, "Wow, that sculpture just ate a fish." Did I mention there was wine? Then I thought, "It's totally standing there like Yul Brynner in 'The King and I.'" Then I imagined spikey-headed subjects just gathering around him to worship him. Because, Hello? Wine. Naturally, when challenged to pick a public art installation, I thought about my king of the hill, and imagined my Rasta stick figures being attracted to him as a leader, much like the Martians' reaction to Buzz Lightyear in "Toy Story." Why yes, this is how my brain normally works. No, I am not under the care of a mental health professional. Anyway, I researched the sculpture and learned this: Atropos Key refers to the Greek Goddess of Fate, Atropos, (the cutter of the thread of life). According to Greek mythology, Atropos, and her sisters Clotho (the spinner of the thread of destiny) and Lachesis (the measurer of the thread) were responsible for human destiny. Well crap. He's not a king. He's not even a guy. But she is a goddess, perfect for worshipping!"

Artist: Sean Kramer
Twitter: N/A
"I was inspired by the Williams Waterwall in Houston. It is an amazing place to go sit and relax.
My thoughts were to create a giant clock on the ground. There would be 12 stone fountains on the outside of the circle. On the top of the hour, the fountain will shoot up. At 4o'clock, it will shoot up four times. At 8 o'clock, eight times. The fleur de lis on the face of the clock represents light and life."




Artist: Becky Cochrane
Twitter: BeckyCochrane
"On the east wall of Houston's Wortham Center are seven 70-foot stainless steel columns, artist Mel Chin's Seven Wonders. By day, the sun illuminates them. At night, they're lit from inside. Each column uses art work designed by local children cut into 150 metal panels. The young artists were all born in the year of Houston's sesquicentennial, 1986, and their art illustrates specific themes relating to Houston's history.

My canvas, "Two of Seven," uses dark green and blue backgrounds in acrylics, a dusting of black and silver body glitter on the blue for the night sky, and torn and painted aluminum foil to represent two of the seven columns. To pay homage to the children's work, I designed rectangles of rough stencil art to represent some of the images that make me think of Houston: the Texas state silhouette; a butterfly to represent not only the city's gardens but the Cockrell Butterfly Center (and by extension, Houston's great museums); logos for the pro basketball and baseball teams; the longhorn as a symbol not only of Houston's past but the significance of the Livestock Show and Rodeo; a Live Oak in honor of all those that grace the city's neighborhoods; a Lone Star; the city's downtown skyline; and the shuttle to represent Houston's leadership in the space program."












*Click boombox to play*
Artist/Composer: Josh Newton
Twitter: Marquis66
"This piece is based on an installation at one of the Maine capital area buildings. The Maine Arts Commission has made a concentrated effort to get more public art works there, and this is based on a stained glass installation on the Williams Pavilion. I tried to capture the sense of the light dripping through the glass, and creating these fantastic shapes and images on the floor of the building itself."