The Art of Ups and Downs

Come fly with us: 3 cranes, the national birds of Houston seen from roof top garden. Houston’s skyline towards Medical Center complex.(Not downtown) The cranes hang over the foundation of the MFAH’s next expansion. We used to park under the trees in that space, then dash across the street to the main museum building.(Image.©)

Life is a Möbius.

Baffling. Alien, if you’ve new to it.

Just as baffling and alien to those at the end of their line, the ones who have seen too much.

Probably only the very young and very old have any comprehension of it at all.

Houston southwest skyline from the roof garden. No, that’s not downtown. On the very far right just above the tree line, Rice University’s football stadium light poles can be seen.(©Image)

We were unsure at 5 yrs. Walking carefully over the polished parquet floors.

Been warned by parents to behave.

Trying not to rattle the sheets of paper as big as we were.

“Sit.” (Oh, relief. We could do that. Crossed legged on the floor.)

Only to have the nervousness to return as boxes of new crayons were handed to each of us.

The big white pages spread out like picnic blankets across the gleaming impressive floor.

“Go ahead. Draw.”

A wave of quiet anxiety – uncertainty – drowning us.

One tiny voice, “But what if we color off the paper and it gets on the floor?”

Unable to breath, we were.

“Oh, we won’t worry about that. This is your museum, your floors.

“I’m sure you’ll be as careful as you can, but if it accidentally happens, we’ll just clean it and it will be fine.

This is you museum. Everything in it belongs to you and you belong here.”

Set free, we set our crayons to work. Museum owners at such a young age.

Up to the roof garden. On left is the triangle roof of an air-conditioned tent put up over part of the plaza for the event. It was some 98F that day. New plants on ramp seemed to be thriving anyway.(©Image)

And down the ramp. The new plaza on the right. The trees in the middle are shading the sculpture garden. No, not the downtown skyline. It’s behind us.(Image ©)

Over the years, the Museum of Fine Arts Houston has grown – with growth actually outpacing many of us who attended the Saturday art classes as kids or wondered behind teachers on school field trips.

We struggled up the big steps of the original classical building which grew up and out (Caroline Weiss Law Building), then over to a new towering building (Audrey Jones Beck building) connected by a tunnel with fabulous light art.

We thought it couldn’t get any better.

The Glassell School of Art moved into their new studios across the street recently. (Facebook page here)

Last weekend was the big reveal of the new building, plaza, and performance stage. The Cullen Sculpture Garden which has been redone acts as a gateway to the Brown Foundation Plaza, and the BBVA Compass Roof Garden with couches and a fabulous view.

Oh, I know Chicago’s annoyed. Seriously. You’re not the only place with a Kapoor sculpture. Reflective silver “Cloud Column” by Anish Kapoor and Joan Miró’s “Bird (Oiseau)” (Image.©)

The MFAH art collections are quite extensive and a pleasant surprise to new residents.

Major traveling exhibits are frequent – and crowded. Currently hosting: Naples’ Michelangelo and the Vatican, Peacock in the Desert: The Royal Arts of Jodhpur of India’s Rathore dynasty, and Arts of Islamic Lands: Selections from The al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait among others. Something for everyone.

Wander this sculpture garden path, it will lead you to the main building across the street where the parquet floors are.(©Image)

As one of the museum “owners”, I’d be happy to invite you over anytime. 

(Except maybe in August. We never invite anyone we like to visit Houston in August).

The museum has great AC and the shade of the sculpture garden makes it a popular spot to sit after visiting the food trucks. That rooftop deck does have a nice afternoon breeze and should be spectacular this fall.

Let me know and we’ll slip into one of the museum’s Sketch in the Galleries days. Crayons and paper. (We know you’ll be careful.)

Drawing on,

Phil, the Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge

Related MFAH posts:

• Light. Headed. (Oh, that tunnel!)
• Cruise worthy. Auto go (for an exhibit sin gas)

 

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