True North 2021
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True North 2020 and 2021 Artists’ Reception
Attending artists – Will Larson (for the late Bob “Daddy-O” Wade, 2020 TN artist), Danville Chadbourne (2021 TN artist), Bill Peck (2021 TN artist), David Adickes (2021 TN artist), Bill Davenport (2020 TN artist), Vincent Fink (2020 TN artist), Cary Reeder (2021 TN artist), Julia Ousley (2021 TN artist), William Cannings (2021 TN artist), Sherry Owens (2020 TN artist)
We were finally able to celebrate our 2020 and 2021 artists and supporters with the True North Artists’ Reception on October 21. Attending were sculpture artists for those two years, including David Adickes, William Cannings, Danville Chadbourne, Bill Davenport, Vincent Fink, Julia Ousley, Sherry Owens, Bill Peck, Cary Reeder, and Will Larson for the late Bob “Daddy-O” Wade. Many of the sculpture project’s friends and supporters stopped by to show their support, including June and Steve Barth, Tyri Centanni, Diana Chadbourne, Amy and Kevin Chenevert, Mary Wassef and Mark Williams, Circa Real Estate, Glenn Clements, Morris Strategic Investments, Cathy Coon and Nike Purday, Keith Crane, Angela DeWree, HHA, Dr. Marylou Erbland and Robert Woods, Theresa Escobedo, Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, Caroline Fant, Rich Anhorn and Theresa Hill, Greenwood King Properties, Emily Guyre, HHA, Staci and Damian Ogier, ICON Home, Denise Martin, Gary Milnarich, Jon Ousley, Gus Kopriva, Sharon Kopriva and Tanja Peterson, Redbud Gallery, Amber Slaughter, Anne Sloan and Peter Weil, Anya Tish, Mark Tish, Anya Tish Gallery, Delfina Vannucci, Dr. and Mrs. Andres Villasenor, Carol Welter and Linda Wiley.
Linda Eyles, Simon Eyles, Chris Silkwood, and Kelly Simmons
True North team
View the event photos
by Quy Tran Photography
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Photos: Kolanowski Studio
TRUE NORTH MISSION STATEMENT—
❝ TRUE NORTH’s mission is to organize an outdoor public exhibition on the esplanade of Heights Boulevard — representative of regional works of contemporary art — for the enjoyment of our community and visitors and to advance the understanding and appreciation of art. ❞
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ABOUT TRUE NORTH—
TRUE NORTH 2021, a Heights Boulevard sculpture project, is a temporary public art installation organized by an all-volunteer team, along with the Houston Heights Association (“HHA”)—its nonprofit sponsor and long-time custodian of Heights Boulevard’s esplanade—and in cooperation with City of Houston Parks and Recreation and Public Works Departments, the Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs and Houston Arts Alliance. The official opening of the sculpture project is March 15, 2021, and sculptures remain in place through December 15, 2021.
Going into its eighth installation, TRUE NORTH 2021 is comprised of extraordinary and diverse works by distinguished Texas artists David Adickes, William Cannings, Danville Chadbourne, Julia Ousley, Bill Peck, Cary Reeder, Jamie Spinello and Anthony Suber. The sculpture project is co-curated by Linda Eyles, Simon Eyles, Chris Silkwood and Kelly Simmons, and Gus Kopriva of Redbud Gallery is its engineering and project consultant. TRUE NORTH is underwritten entirely through private donations from art- and community-minded individuals and businesses who wish to support the popular public art project and its ongoing success, and honorariums are given to the artists for their participation.
Heights Boulevard’s esplanade is a “Scenic Right of Way” which runs right through the heart of the Houston Heights. Patterned after Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, Heights Boulevard’s 60-foot-wide esplanade was the site of Houston’s first electrified streetcar system, ferrying Houston Heights residents the “considerable distance” of four miles to the big city. Fast forward and thanks to the Houston Heights Association and extensive community activism and fundraising over the years, the esplanade is now home to show-stopping architectural gardens, pavilions, old-growth tree lines and one of the most popular walking/jogging trails in the City.
Large enough in scale to be seen from passing vehicles and bicycles, with more intimate views along the winding trails of the esplanade, TRUE NORTH sculptures are seen by hundreds of thousands of residents and visitors to the Houston Heights. The sculpture project is wildly popular on social media feeds and has a website and Facebook and Instagram pages. The project has become even more meaningful during the pandemic as people seek fresh air, safe activities and solace.
“TRUE NORTH 2021 will celebrate a welcomed new year,” says co-curator Chris Silkwood. “These eight unique works by amazing Texas artists may be seen from afar, but you’ll want to experience them along the forested trails of the esplanade to truly appreciate the complexity, design, media and the luminous imagination of the artists.”
Sculptures are accompanied by signage with the artists’ names and titles of work, and artists generously agree to donate 20% of any sales back to TRUE NORTH, which goes back into the project’s budget to help fund the following year’s exhibition. Underwriters—vital to the success of the project—are also recognized with signage along the jogging trails.
PROJECT BACKGROUND—
The project took root in 2013 when Gus Kopriva, owner of Redbud Gallery, met with Chris Silkwood, an artist and former HHA President, and other community leaders to discuss his vision to expand the placement of public art pieces on sites throughout the City and particularly along the esplanade of Heights Boulevard. That vision soon became TRUE NORTH, a Heights Boulevard sculpture project. Kopriva says, “Art adds an economic value to the area through inward investment and tourism and fosters civic pride, confidence and quality of life.” Kopriva continues his work developing similar public art projects throughout the City and acts as consultant and professional engineer for the project. Co-curators Linda Eyles, Simon Eyles, Chris Silkwood and Kelly Simmons manage the project from A-Z.
The inaugural TRUE NORTH sculpture project—named for the compass bearing of Heights Boulevard—was installed in 2014 and past artists since that time are:
2020— Leticia Bajuyo | Bill Davenport | Vincent Fink | Jack Gron | Joseph Havel | Jack Massing | Sherry Owens/Art Shirer | the late Bob “Daddy-O” Wade
2019—Jill Bedgood | Jeffie Brewer | Jeffrey Forster | Meredith Jack | Peter Mangan | Michelle O’Michael | John Carroll Runnels/Tristan | Damon Thomas
2018—Fariba Abadin | Adela Andea | Susan Budge | Tommy Gregory | Susannah Mira | Marsha Dorsey Outlaw | John Ross Palmer | Anthony Thompson Shumate
2017—Dylan Connor | James Ciosek | Jon Clark | Noah Edmundson | Yuliya Lanina | Zak Miano | Randall Mosman | Nicola Parente
2016—Robbie Barber | Keith Crane/Chris Silkwood | Kelley Devine | David Graeve | Alex Larsen | Ariane Roesch | Patrick Renner | Kaneem Smith
2015—Joe Barrington | Mark Bradford | Tara Conley | Kermit Eisenhut | Tim Glover | Sharon Kopriva | Hans Molzberger | Emily Sloan
2014—Carter Ernst | Dan Havel | Paul Kittelson | Lee Littlefield | Patrick Medrano | Steve Murphy | Dean Ruck | Ed Wilson
TRUE NORTH 2021 ARTISTS (listed from south-north)
CARY REEDER | Houston
“Treeodesic Dome” | the 400 block
A Miami native, Cary Reeder has made Houston her home since 1996. She worked for more than a decade as a graphic artist and typesetter and received her fine art training at The Glassell School of Art, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Reeder is a self-described color nerd, and her favorite media are acrylic gouache paint and colorful adhesive vinyl. Her work has been included in numerous local, regional and national juried exhibitions and in solo shows at Mystic Lyon, Galveston Arts Center, Optical Project and Lawndale Art Center. In 2013, she was awarded an Individual Artist Grant from Houston Arts Alliance, was a Hunting Prize Finalist in 2014 and has been featured twice in “New American Paintings.” Reeder teaches at Art League Houston.
Reeder’s TRUE NORTH 2021 installation “Treeodesic Dome,” a geodesic dome of galvanized steel adorned with brightly-colored, hand cut translucent vinyl, is inspired by the beautiful tree-filled Heights neighborhood and an ode to the crepe myrtle in particular. Natural daylight casts the sculpture’s colorful shadows upon the surrounding terrain, and the sculpture is illuminated at night with solar lighting. Reeder says, “I love this media because it mimics stained glass, interacting with light and creating spontaneous color mixtures. My work offers the viewer a moment into a fragile, jarring, changing and hopeful space filled with color and light.”
DANVILLE CHADBOURNE | San Antonio
1) THE ACCIDENTAL SURROGATE OF THE LITERAL PROGENY
2) THE PERSISTENT ECHO OF THE HAUNTED NIGHT
3) THE PRESUMPTUOUS GROWTH OF UNCONSCIOUSNESS | the 600 block
Born in Bryan, Texas, Danville Chadbourne received his BFA from Sam Houston State University and M.F.A. from Texas Tech University. After teaching college-level studio art and art history for 17 years at various institutions, Chadbourne left academia to devote himself entirely to his art. With more than 100 solo exhibitions, his works have been featured in Sculpture Magazine, Ceramics Monthly and The Art of Found Objects: Interviews with Texas Artists by Texas A&M Press, and international residencies have included ArtSpace India and Atelierhaus Hilmsen, Germany. Primarily a sculptor in clay and wood, he works in a range of materials in both two- and three-dimensional formats. Chadbourne says, “I am concerned with the intellectual speculation we make regarding other cultures, especially primitive or ancient ones, based on our observation of their artifacts. This anthropological perception is a key issue in my work.” Chadbourne’s home and studio are in San Antonio.
Chadbourne’s TRUE NORTH 2021 triptych installation of stoneware and stone implies cultural attitudes that are harmonious with nature and the passage of time. He says that, “Clay has the most associative power in archeological terms and responds easily to the expressive needs of my ideas, as well as being rather permanent and durable.”
JAMIE SPINELLO | Austin
“Allochory” | the 800 block
Jamie Spinello, born in Lafayette, Louisiana, grew up in Jackson, Mississippi. She received her BFA in both graphic design and painting from the University of Southern Mississippi and M.F.A. in painting from the San Francisco Art Institute. She is a recipient of San Francisco Arts Foundation’s Murphy Cadogan Fellowship, the San Francisco Art Institute M.F.A. Fellowship and the Laurel Art League Scholarship. Spinello has participated in City of Austin’s Art in Public Places TEMPO Program, Hampton Hill and Milwood Libraries, Austin, LSU Museum of Art, Irene Pennington Sculpture Garden, Baton Rouge, AIPP Sculpture Exhibit, Rendon Park, Austin, and Femme Abstract Show, Austin. Spinello lives in Austin and works in aluminum, bronze, silver, ceramics and glass from her home studio.
Made of aluminum, Spinello’s TRUE NORTH 2021 sculptural installation Allochory”—named for a method of seed dispersal—was inspired by the triadic seed pod of the Red Yucca, a native plant of Central and West Texas. “I created this sculpture as a homage to humans dedicated to the proliferation of native Texas plants in our cityscapes and home gardens,” says Spinello.
WILLIAM CANNINGS | Lubbock
“Stacked Pillows” | the 900 block
William Cannings, a native of Nantwich, England, received his BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University and M.F.A. from Syracuse University. His exhibitions include Scope – Basel, Art Basel – Switzerland, Cherry-Picked: 2007 Survey of Texas Art and Artists, Wichita Falls Museum of Art, The Texas Biennial, Anya Tish Gallery, Houston, Pan American Art Projects, Miami, and Cris Worley Fine Arts, Dallas. Cannings is an Associate Professor of Sculpture at Texas Tech University.
Cannings’ TRUE NORTH 2021 sculpture “Stacked Pillows” is made from forms of flat steel that have been welded together with the precision of fine stitch work. The welded forms are then pneumatically inflated, like a rubber tire. The hard permanence of steel and the inherent industrial nature is transformed into softer, gentler forms embracing the qualities of fabric: pillowing, folding, stretching—seemingly temporary. The surface is addressed with automotive lacquer paints, making the subtleties more apparent within the form. Cannings says, “Inflated objects have become one symbol of our popular culture: cheap, disposable, fun, fleeting and iconic. I am lured by the visceral quality of inflated objects: the look, feel and smell. It permits a tangible, physical awareness of self and environment.”
BILL PECK | Houston
“Searching for Balance” | the 1200 block
Bill Peck’s interest in sculpture began at an early age when he began welding at his father’s fabricating company—finding inspiration in its piles of discarded metal. Classes at The Glassell School of Art, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and a keen interest in artists Ben Woitena, Bill Steffy, Dick Wray, Arthur Turner and others further sparked his lifelong passion for sculpture. After college, the Army, and running the family business for a while, Peck started his own fabrication and design business in Houston, creating custom metal furniture, light fixtures and decorative art for leading designers and architects. He sold the business after 35 years and now devotes all his spare time to sculpture.
Made of steel and finished with automotive paint, Peck’s delightful, brightly-colored and timely sculpture “Searching for Balance” is a snapshot of the complexity of a family’s daily life—balancing the many challenges—depicted through the medium of a beloved childhood playground apparatus—the seesaw. Peck says, “Digital devices—cell phones, computers, television—are continually utilized to connect the family to an expansive world but sometimes ultimately at the expense of family balance.”
ANTHONY SUBER | Houston
“Ancestor” | the 1300 block
A Texas native, Anthony Suber received his BFA from University of Houston and will receive his M.F.A. from Houston Baptist University this year. In the span of a 20 year professional studio practice, he has shown work regionally and internationally. Suber is on the advisory boards of Diverse Works and Art League Houston and is Instructor of Fine Arts at The Kinkaid School. He is also one of the founders of the nonprofit The Black Man Project. Suber says, “My work is derived from personal experiences of religion, relationships and stories I heard as a child…. The interdisciplinary character of my work allows me to reflect the intersecting arenas of my personal journey as a person of the African Diaspora living in America.”
Suber’s TRUE NORTH 2021 sculpture “Ancestor,” of patinaed wood and composite material, is a Cardinal mask with a human form standing in its shadow. Suber says, “Child-like exploration, anthropological discovery, and mysticism are the underpinnings of my work. Through personal interpretations of iconography and the reference of organic elements, I explore ways to preserve history while conveying mankind’s connections to the past.”
JULIA OUSLEY | Dallas
“Onward and Upward” | the 1600 block
Julia Ousley knew at an early age she wanted to be an artist but her path there was long and winding. She first sought a more practical and “expected” career, after receiving a B.S. from Baylor University, in the medical field. She later obtained her M.Arch from University of Texas and moved into the “practical art” of architecture. After years of success in that field, yet still unfulfilled, she returned to school where she received her M.F.A. from Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, and permanently moved to full-time sculpture giving her a way to both create and build her designs without the functional constraints of architecture. Ousley maintains studios in Dallas, primarily, and New York City.
Ousley’s TRUE NORTH 2021 sculpture “Onward and Upward,” depicting a cityscape and crouds of human forms, is made of CorTen steel. Ousley says, “The themes I most often explore are of the human body, the human condition and nature or the built environment. I am particularly interested in that place where they intersect, and my work is frequently marked with architectural as well as human symbols and signifiers.”
DAVID ADICKES | Houston
“Three Colorful Friendly Trees” | the 1800 block
David Adickes has been a vital part of the Houston art scene for over 65 years. A native of Huntsville, Texas, David moved to Houston upon his completion of two years of art studies at the Atelier Fernand Leger in Paris. By the end of that year (1951), he had garnered a first place finish and a one man show at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Longing to broaden his horizons even further—both geographically and artistically—Adickes expanded upon his world view with extended stays in France, a summer in Tahiti and a two-year, around-the-world odyssey.
A working artist, a professor of art with The University of Texas and once even a Houston night club proprietor—Love Street Light Circus and Feel Good Machine (1967)—Adickes’ biggest career break came in 1983 with the unveiling of “The Virtuoso,” his first monumental public sculpture. To this day, the whimsical 36-foot concrete sculpture of a semi-abstract cellist serves as a beacon to the Theater District of Houston. He later completed the renowned 76-foot statue of Sam Houston, and the years that followed saw his name become synonymous with monumental sculpture with works such as “The Beatles” and “Charlie Chaplin,” not to mention the ambitious presidents’ busts project (each 15-18’ tall, their poignant journey written about in The New York Times Magazine, 2019). In 2013, Adickes unveiled “We Love Houston”—its uplifting message and colorful design expressing not just his creativity, but the sense of joy that creativity brings. Adickes says, “My life has been devoted to creating paintings and sculpture which will last forever (or at least a very long time) and bring pleasure to those who see it, now and in the future.”
Anchoring the northern point of the TRUE NORTH 2021 exhibition, Adickes’ sculpture “Three Colorful Friendly Trees,” in his iconic style of cast concrete over steel armature and acrylic paint, is ideal for the beautifully-forested and very friendly Heights Boulevard esplanade.
TRUE NORTH IN THE MEDIA—
2021
HOUSTONIA December 2017 article, David Adickes
HHA Newsletter, January 2021, Underwriting Push, Happy New Year
The Leader, 2021 article, artist announcement
HHA Newsletter, February 2021, announcement
The Leader, March 31, 2021, Art Valet (Mitch Cohen)
HHA Newsletter, March 2021, general article
Houston Chronicle (online Lifestyle 3/18/21, print, Zest 3/23/21) by Andrew Dansby
Houston Chronicle, Art Picks, Andrew Dansby, March 11, 2021
HHA Newsletter, April 2021, featuring Cary Reeder
Houstonia Magazine Instagram, featuring David Adickes
HHA Newsletter, May 2021, featuring Danville Chadbourne
Lauren Kelly, Houston Life | KPRC 2, and Chris Silkwood, May 10, 2021, live
Houston Chronicle, Andrew Dansby, 5/30/2021, featuring David Adickes
HHA Newsletter, June 2021, featuring Jamie Spinello
Houstonia Magazine Instagram, featuring Julia Ousley
Houstonia Magazine Instagram, featuring Jamie Spinello
Glasstire article, July 2021, featuring 2020 True North artist Sherry Owens
2020
MOLLY GLENTZER, HOUSTON CHRONICLE
REBECCA HENNES, HOUSTON CHRONICLE
PIONEER, BIG RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, MAY 2020
ARTHOUSTON MAGAZINE, FALL 2020
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UNDERWRITING—This sculpture project cannot happen without the help of the community, and we wish to thank our generous TRUE NORTH 2021 Underwriters and Partners—
This sculpture project cannot happen without private donations from individuals, professionals and businesses. By becoming a TRUE NORTH 2021 Underwriter, not only do you help set the ongoing groundwork for this sculpture project, but Underwriters are recognized for their contributions in its marketing, social media, print ads and on signage alongside the sculptures on the boulevard. Underwriters are also invited to the private artists’ reception.
UNDERWRITERS (as of 04/13/2021)
Rodin ($5,000 level)—Lucas Craftsmanship
Miró ($2,500 level)—Boulevard Realty | Linda and Simon Eyles | Laura Menefee and Paula Johnson
Calder ($1,000 level)—June and Steve Barth | Donna and Jim Bennett | Braun Enterprises | Tyri and David Centanni | Circa Real Estate, LLC | Craft Chu PLLC | Diane and Mike Easley | Dr. Marylou Erbland and Mr. Robert Woods | Frost Bank | Anita Goff and Denise Martin | Greenwood King Properties | Kingshill Martini Group | gus kopriva/redbud gallery | Sue and Ken Korthauer | Morris Strategic Investments, LLC | MouerHuston PC | Trudy Waguespack Nelson | PrimeWay Federal Credit Union | Nick Purday and Cathy Coon | Chris Silkwood and Gary Milnarich | Kelly Simmons and Keith Crane | Anne Sloan, in memory of Joy Stapp | Southern Green Builders | Dr. and Mrs. Andres Villasenor | Carol and Buddy Welter
Nonprofit Sponsor/Partner—Houston Heights Association, a 501 (c)(3) organization
Special Thanks—Jim Bennett/ Boulevard Chair | Frank Keenan/Boulevard Realty/Newsletter Editor | City of Houston Parks and Recreation and Public Works Departments, the Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, and Houston Arts Alliance | Kolanowski Studio/Official Photographers
Official Media Partner—
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