True North 2019Save
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TRUE NORTH 2019 Art Catalog is Now Available
You can now order the TRUE NORTH 2019 art catalog via Bookemon. The catalog details the history of TRUE NORTH, tells the artists’ stories, and of course captures the images of the 2019 sculptures.
Houstonia Magazine Launches TRUE NORTH 2019
The sculptures were in and it was time to celebrate the months and months of planning and work that went into the Boulevard sculpture project.
Perfectly hosted by Houstonia magazine—TRUE NORTH 2019’s official media sponsor—in their beautiful headquarters on Heights Boulevard, underwriters, artists (past and present), organizers, and the HHA Board attended the Launch Party on Wednesday, March 27.
The party has become a tradition for the sculpture project as an opportunity to show our deep appreciation to the artists for their hard work and dedication and to thank the underwriters for the essential support that gives the project life—year after year.
2019 artists, along with past artists, attending the Launch Party at Houstonia (photo courtesy of Bill Day)
Check out the full gallery from the Launch Party on Houstonia’s website.
TRUE NORTH 2019 featured in The Leader
2019 ARTISTS (in order of appearance from south to north)
John Runnels | 400 block | “What goes around, Comes around…”
Jill Bedgood | 600 block | “Oar: Barnacles”
Jeffie Brewer | 800 block | “Zorro”
Damon Thomas | 900 block | “Home Fire”
Peter Mangan | 1200 block | “Metamorphosis”
Michelle O’Michael | 1300 block | “Moon Tree”
Meredith Jack | 1600 block | “Rediscovering Cubism in an Age of Anxiety 3: Big Boy Is Anxious Too”
Jeffrey Forster | 1800 block | “North Space Ruin”
Sculpture photography by Gary Griffin
More about the artists and their sculptures:
JILL BEDGOOD…
lives, creates, and teaches art in San Antonio, Texas. Ms. Bedgood has a BFA in painting and art history from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and an MFA in mixed media sculpture and art history from the University of Texas at Austin. Her cast concrete sculpture depicting objects we keep, “Oar: Barnacles,” located in the 600 block of the Boulevard, explores the things we hold onto—what objects are most precious, worthy of carrying and passing on into the future—and reminds us of the transience and temporality of life versus these eternal possessions.
Making this art has been a journey for me in so many ways….
JEFFIE BREWER…
lives, creates, and teaches art in Nacogdoches, Texas. Mr. Brewer grew up in a small, rural town in East Texas. The son of eccentric junk yard owners, he learned to spot beauty in the mundane, developed an array of industrial skills, and discovered he has a knack for drawing. Those early revelations have influenced his artistic trajectory ever since. He earned an MFA in sculpture and metals and an MA in sculpture and painting from Stephen F. Austin State University and holds a BFA in drawing, printmaking and jewelry from Sam Houston State University. Mr. Brewer’s sculpture, “Zorro,” an eightfoot-tall, orange-and white-painted steel fox, is located in the 800 block of the Boulevard.
We are given a brief amount of time together. As an artist, I consider it a gift to be able
to share my vision and experience.
JEFFREY FORSTER…
was immediately drawn to ceramics’ rich history—objects that document cultures that are now completely extinct. Mr. Forster is the Department Head of Ceramics at The Glassell School of Art, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. He grew up in rural Minnesota and received his BA from St. John’s University, Minnesota, and an MFA (Ceramics) from Southern Illinois University. His clay/ceramic sculpture, located in the 1800 block of the Boulevard, “North Space Ruin,” is indicative of a Stonehenge of sorts—a series of columns and other smaller objects that speak to industrial and architectural ruin.
Living in a time of mass-production and disposable materials has led me to develop a
deep appreciation for the hand made. Furthermore it feeds concern for the environment
and the impact our actions will have on future generations.
MEREDITH JACK…
grew up in the small town of Tonganoxie, Kansas, which gave him a wealth of experiences, including construction work in the family business building grain storage facilities and the appreciation of flight and its relationship to space, alongside his father, a private pilot, as they traveled to job sites all over the country. Mr. Jack graduated from the University of Kansas in 1967 and—after a tour in the US Army—graduated in Sculpture from the MFA program at Tyler School of Art in 1972. From his Houston studio, his sculpture, “Rediscovering Cubism in an Age of Anxiety 3: Big Boy Is Anxious Too,” an abstract sculpture of heavy steel and painted “safety yellow,” is located in the 1600 block of the Boulevard.
…with help from Caleb and Adam.
PETER MANGAN…
lives and operates his sculpture studio in Blanco, Texas. He spent the first 35 years of his career as an artist living and working amidst the vibrant gallery and museum scene of the Bay Area. For 16 of those years, he split his time between San Francisco and Texas, and in March 2014, he made the permanent move back to Texas. Mr. Mangan received a BFA from the University of Texas at Austin in 1978. In 1987, he received an MFA degree in Sculpture from San Jose State University. His eight-foot sculpture, “Metamorphosis,” made of copper, steel, multi-colored fused glass with brass inclusions, and limestone, is located in the 1200 block of the Boulevard.
Thanks to artist, Janice Andersen, who donated the glass prisms of her late husband, Bob
Jones, for the apex of “Metamorphosis.”
MICHELLE O’MICHAEL…
was raised in windy West Texas, where cacti and oil rigs dotted the wide-open landscape—those youthful visions influencing her work today. She is a long-time resident of the Houston Heights, and her studio is in Houston’s art warehouse district. Ms. O’Michael’s undergraduate degree is from University of Texas at Austin, and she holds a degree from Houston Baptist University’s prestigious Masters of Fine Arts studio program. Her sculpture, “Moon Tree,” made of steel, glass, and solar-powered lighting, is located in the 1300 block of the Boulevard.
I am grateful for Steve Archer, my O’Michael Studios, Inc. Technical Partner. He keeps the studio and sculptures on track, in alignment with Charles Mingus’s philosophy: Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.
JOHN RUNNELS…
was born near Hot Coffee, Mississippi, and in 1984, he co-founded MotherDogStudios, today’s oldest surviving artists warehouse in downtown Houston. He says, “Art is a four letter word: Idea. to make something from nothing is an old fashioned yet romantic idea that i think is noble.” Mr. Runnels obtained his BFA from the University of Southern Mississippi, and, in 1979, was awarded a Ford Foundation Scholarship to study painting in Cortona, Italy, with the University of Georgia. Working with his talented grandson, Tristan, and an amazing team of artists and professionals, his sculpture, “What goes around, Comes around…,” a 12-foot-diameter sphere of found hubcaps, is located in the 400 block of the Boulevard.
This public Art project made possible with the generous support of ASTRO Fence Co, Monterrey Tire Co, Auto Xper Tees, Charlie Jean Sartwelle, Louise Schlachter, and Ken Crimmins.
DAMON THOMAS…
a native Houstonian and 20-year Houston Heights resident, creates ceramic sculpture from his Houston Heights studio. Mr. Thomas has a BA from the University of Houston, an MA from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Certificate of Achievement in Ceramics from The Glassell School of Art in Houston. His sculpture, “Home Fire,” installed among the old-growth trees in the 900 block of the Boulevard, is a ceramic and steel depiction of campfire logs and flames in a glazed palette of oranges, yellows, and hints of white and blue. Mr. Thomas says, “Today, the campfire still represents community, with an added layer of meaning for our hectic lives.”
The campfire has long been a powerful image for humans, starting as a source of warmth, tribal belonging and survival. … The very image of a campfire can transport us back to a less stressful time, or inspire the idea to escape, if only to the backyard firepit.
See the 2018 Installation
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[The exhibition] “…delivers smiles, selfie opportunities and a reason to get outside and enjoy the Heights Boulevard esplanade.” —Houston Press
”It’s not every day that you drive down a street and find it decorated with oversize artwork so inspiring you have to pull the car over.” — AFAR [travel mag]
”At once quirkily out-of-place and naturally right-at-home….” — 365thingsinhouston.com
Named one of Houston’s most popular public art exhibits by the Houston Chronicle
Currently featured in the Houston PBS News Channel’s lead-in segment
Great appreciation and many thanks to the TRUE NORTH 2019 Underwriters:
Miró
Boulevard Realty
Marsha Dorsey-Outlaw
ENGIE North America Inc.
Linda and Simon Eyles
Laura Menefee and Paula Johnson
Kelly Simmons and Keith Crane
Calder
Steve and June Barth
Donna and Jim Bennett
Craft Chu PLLC
Anne and Ken Culotta
Robert Woods and Dr. Marylou Erbland
Greenwood King Properties
Gus and Sharon Kopriva
Sue and Ken Korthauer
Morris Strategic Investments, LLC
MouerHuston PC
Chris Silkwood and Gary Milnarich
Carol and Buddy Welter
Southern Green Builders
Braun Enterprises
Tyri and David Centanni
Greystar
Denise Martin and Anita Goff
Trudy Waguespack Nelson
Newberry Architecture
PrimeWay Federal Credit Union
Official Media Partner
Please let us know if you have any questions by email at boulevardart@houstonheights.org or by phone at 713.864.2474.
Thank you so much for your consideration!
Linda, Simon, Chris & Kelly
