TRUE NORTH 2022, a Heights Boulevard sculpture project

True North 2022

Visit the official True North Website:

www.truenorthheightsblvd.com

We humbly seek your support, as an underwriter, for True North 2023. Thanks to the enthusiasm and support of our generous community—one that has always enjoyed and embraced its abundance of gifted artists and galleries—True North 2023’s exhibition will usher in our TENTH Anniversary! It’s a nostalgic year for the team, and we can’t wait to announce the eight sculpture artists selected from among the very first exhibitions on the boulevard! This super-star line up of Texas artists will create all new sculpture for this special celebration.

Public art continues to be sought after and beloved, providing wonder and joy for the community, the City and our visitors who walk, run and bike along the boulevard’s beautifully-forested trails of sculpture. True North’s significant publicity and social media generated each year continue to attract visitors and highlight the Heights as a close-knit neighborhood that continues to cultivate its unique and art-centric spirit. Additionally, we were recently invited to become part of Houston First/Visit Houston’s promotional media campaign, which has included photos and video of the True North project as part of the City’s campaign to promote Houston as a destination.

True North is proud of its affiliation with its non-profit/fiscal partner, the Houston Heights Association, a 501(c)(3) organization—and long-time custodian for the boulevard’s esplanade. All underwriting donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law.

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Thank you for your consideration!
True North 2023 Team
Donna Bennett, Gus Kopriva, Dean Ruck, Chris Silkwood, Kelly Simmons

TRUE NORTH MISSION STATEMENT—

❝ TRUE NORTH’s mission is to organize and install a temporary public sculpture exhibition on the esplanade of Heights Boulevard – featuring works by Texas artists – to advance the accessibility, understanding and enjoyment of contemporary art for the community and general public. ❞

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ABOUT TRUE NORTH—

Named for the compass bearing of Heights Boulevard, True North is a temporary outdoor public art installation on designated sites along the winding trails of that boulevard’s beautifully-forested esplanade. Working in cooperation with the City of Houston Parks and Recreation and Public Works Departments and the Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, True North is organized by an all-volunteer team, along with the Houston Heights Association—its nonprofit sponsor and the long-time benefactor of that historic boulevard’s esplanade. The team chooses a range of eight sculptures for each project—based on media, theme, color and visibility—and sculptures remain in place for a nine-month permitted period from March to December.

True North took root in 2013 when Gus Kopriva, owner of Redbud Gallery and devoted arts advocate, 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—representative of works by distinguished Texas artists—on sites throughout the City and particularly along the esplanade of Heights Boulevard. Kopriva says, “Art adds an economic value to the area through inward investment and tourism and fosters civic pride, confidence and quality of life.”

Team members behind the 2022 sculpture project are Donna Bennett, Gus Kopriva, Dean Ruck, Chris Silkwood and Kelly Simmons. The project is underwritten entirely through private donations from art- and community-minded individuals, businesses and professionals who wish to support the popular public art project and its ongoing success. Team member and True North 2014 sculpture artist Dean Ruck says, “Temporary public sculpture brings vitality to communities and liberating opportunities to artists amongst us.”

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, with its own website and Facebook and Instagram pages. True North has become even more meaningful during the pandemic as people seek solace and entertaining outdoor activities.

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, the 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 treescapes and one of the most popular foot trails in the City.

Sculptures are accompanied by signage, 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 future exhibitions.

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TRUE NORTH 2022 ARTISTS

True North 2022 is proud to feature eight extraordinary works by these distinguished Texas artists:

ELIZABETH AKAMATSU

“Cumulus”

“Cumulus” Photos Kolanowski Studio

Elizabeth Akamatsu was born in Yokuska, Japan, and grew up in California. She earned her Bachelor of Art degree in painting from California State University, Fullerton, and M.F.A. from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. Akamatsu ran the sculpture and metals program at Midwestern State University, Wichita Falls, and headed the sculpture program at Sam Houston State University, Huntsville. Now living and working in Nacogdoches as a full-time artist, her work has been shown extensively throughout the United States and internationally.

Combining old-fashioned elbow grease with the latest technology in fabrication and design, Akamatsu’s works are true to the material and straight from the heart, creating objects which captivate and bring joy into people’s lives. She says, “My aesthetic reflects my Japanese heritage, celebrating a passion for precision and a reverence for nature. Examining my surroundings I find endless examples of beauty. When I carefully observe the fragility of the bountiful environment in which I dwell here in the pine forest of East Texas, I am compelled to create forms that reveal the precarious state of life on earth and the complex challenge we all face living on a precious planet. My goal is to continue my search for truth and beauty, celebrating our precious connection with others and the world around us.”

We can all remember lying on the ground, watching white fluffy clouds—cumulus—drift by and recognizing likenesses in their forms. Akamatsu’s interpretation for her True North 2022 sculpture invokes those memories. “Cumulus,” in the 1200 block of Heights Boulevard, is made of steel, stainless steel, with a sparkly white powder coating—and a semblance that’s wide open to the viewer’s imagination.

ART FAIRCHILD

“Sphericity”

“Sphericity” Photos Kolanowski Studio

A resident of North Texas for most of his life, Art Fairchild’s creative nature and aptitude for conceptualization and engineering were clearly apparent from an early age. He has always loved working with his hands—possessing an avid intrigue for construction and a deep-rooted desire to discover how things worked. In his youth he learned to paint with oils, produced numeral pencil sketches and sculpted with clay. During his college years, this overwhelming interest led him to major in art and later build a successful full-service trade show design and production business—using his creativity, engineering and craftsmanship to produce nationally-renowned exhibitions for high-profile clients—and all the while creating his own works of art.

Wonder. Intuition. Realization. Joy. These are the hallmarks of Fairchild’s sculptural visions. Working these days as a full-time artist in his busy Dallas studio, Fairchild says, “The driving force behind my work is the interaction and intricacies of shape, form and balance: contrasting simplicity with complexity. My designs range from simple forms to intricately detailed compositions. Familiar themes include repetition of elements and mathematical arrays. They are often kinetic, both apparent and virtual. I combine rigorous engineering, aesthetic intuition and self-imposed parameters to shape my works.”

Located in the 1300 block of Heights Boulevard, Fairchild’s True North 2022 sculpture “Sphericity,” made of over 350 linear feet of 3.5” mild steel tubing—coming together with a sense of oneness—freely rotates on a vertical axis. A composition of wonder, intuition, realization, joy.

RACHEL GARDNER

“Night Hare”

“Night Hare” Photos Kolanowski Studio

Rachel Gardner received her BFA from Stephen F. Austin State University and M.F.A. from Houston Baptist University. She is assistant professor of sculpture at Houston Baptist University and a mixed-media artist specializing in sculpture and painting—her home and studio located in the Houston Heights. Gardner’s works have been shown in museums and galleries throughout the United States and internationally.

Growing up in suburbia, Gardner witnessed the depletion of our natural world in the name of “progress,” defining her artistic devotion to themes that explore the connection and disconnection to nature in our modern world. Her primary medium in papier-mâché (and known for her life-size wolf sculptures), Gardner creates her own “wild” through sculptural creatures and beasts—often integrating found objects from nature into her works.

Gardner says “Our modern world does not require physical interaction with the wild and its creatures. As city walls form around us, there is a loss of connection to the natural world and ultimately to ourselves as human beings.… I am challenging the viewer to journey beyond their concrete walls and connect to something greater than themselves.”

Gardner’s True North 2022 sculpture “Night Hare,” in the 900 block of Heights Boulevard, is created with foam, metal, rubber, resin and plaster. The oversized and shadowed woodland creature could be straight out of the imagination, while walking through a dark, lonely forest—or along a populated and well-lit urban trail of art.

GUADALUPE HERNANDEZ

“La Pesqueria”

“La Pesqueria” Photos Kolanowski Studio

Houston-based artist Guadalupe Hernandez was born in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico, and received his BFA and M.F.A. from Houston Baptist University. His works explore aspects of his Mexican identity through the lens of people, places and memories from his childhood in Mexico and have been exhibited in several museums and juried exhibitions, including Houston Holocaust Museum. Hernandez has participated as a Changaritto artist in residence with the Mexic-Arte Museum, an Artist on Site with the Asia Society Texas Center (where he created a large-scale papel picado installation) and a Summer Studios Resident with Project Row Houses.

Hernandez says of his work, “I often think about my own cultural identity. What is my place in the culture? What do I not understand? How am I influenced by my culture? These questions have guided me to focus on the rich culture of Mexico which is often overlooked. My work celebrates the beauty found in scenes from everyday life and explores subcultures found throughout Mexico.”

Hernandez’s sculpture for True North 2022, titled “La Pesqueria”and located in the 1600 block of Heights Boulevard, is inspired by the designs found in Hernandez’s cut paper works (papel picado) and captures a moment in the everyday life of workers in a Mexican fishery. The brightly-painted and elaborate, waterjet-cut steel design interacts with natural sunlight—projecting the image onto the surface below—and is illuminated at night with the use of solar-powered lighting.

SUGURU HIRAIDE

“Maneki Cat Altar”

“Maneki Cat Altar” Photos Kolanowski Studio

Suguru Hiraide teaches sculpture and metals as a tenured professor of art at Midwestern State University, Wichita Falls. He was born and grew up in Okaya City on the shores of Suwa-ko (Lake Suwa) in Nagano Prefecture in Japan and moved to the United States in 1993, where he studied sculpture and received his BFA from West Virginia University and M.F.A. from California State University. Hiraide has shown his work nationally and internationally, including solo exhibitions in Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Tokyo, and in international group shows at Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Fukuoka Asian Museum in Fukuoka and Kanagawa Prefectural Gallery in Yokohama, Japan.

“Maneki Cat Altar,” found in the 800 block of Heights Boulevard, is a towering stainless steel and aluminum sculpture—turning with the wind like a whirligig—with the maneki cat’s solar-powered paw beckoning visitors for a closer look (and a dose of good luck). In Japanese folklore, the maneki cat (also called “beckoning cat”) symbolizes good fortune and life successes. The traditional maneki cat waves with its palm facing forward, however, Hiraide decided to westernize the piece by turning the palm inwards—the way Americans wave their hands to beckon. Hiraide says, “It’s a subtle change, but a meaningful one. I like to add a little bit of playfulness and humor to my work.”

WILL LARSON

“the sun will always find you here”

“the sun will always find you here” Photos Kolanowski Studio

Will Larson studied at San Antonio Art Institute and obtained his BFA in sculpture at Kansas City Art Institute. After spending the following two years at Academy of Art and Design in Braunschweig, Germany, Larson returned to his hometown of Austin, where he runs his business in architectural steel fabrication and creates sculpture of his own. Larson’s focus is in public art and has instlaled his works in Austin and San Antonio. He was project manager for international artist Bill FitzGibbons on large-scale projects and worked closely with Bob “Daddy-O” Wade for over 20 years on installations throughout Texas, including Wade’s last sculpture “El Gallo Monument,” installed posthumously for True North in 2020.

Larson says, “Sculpture in public spaces has always been a passion of mine. I’m interested in sculptural concepts that utilize light and shadow to create a sense of movement. The essential idea is not that different from many time-honored examples, such as sundials and other structures designed to align with the sun and stars, often informing agricultural cycles.”

Larson’s True North 2022 sculpture in the 400 block of Heights Boulevard, “the sun will always find you here,” is made of steel with a naturally-oxidized patina. Its circular shape sits on an axial tilt and throws its shadow to the surface below—invoking the perception of an avant-garde sundial. Its circular shape sits on an axial tilt—its shadow indicating the sun’s position.

ISRAEL MCCLOUD

“Everybody Me”

“Everybody Me” Photos Kolanowski Studio

Israel McCloud is a multi-disciplinary, third generation Houston artist. His recent works include a monumental mural, commissioned by The Station Museum of Houston, highlighting social injustice issues and humanitarian disparities in the wake of the death of Houstonian George Floyd. McCloud was also commissioned by the City of Houston to create several installations in various historic neighborhoods, including “Acres Homes Rocks”—four life-size rocking chair sculptures reanimating public spaces to share the rich history and cultural legacy of that historic community. The Malone Park Renovation Project, also commissioned by the City, features four exterior column murals by McCloud that serve as visual catalysts for preservation of an historic space and its revitalization.

McCloud says, “For me, art is a mechanism for change, for identifying and for identity. For the propagation of culture, and for the preservation of heritage and identity and all those things. And, you know, it is the way by which we are able to articulate our emotions and our needs and to examine things from a place or a plateau that is disconnected from the standard or the norms, if you will. I mean, because the beauty of art is its timelessness and its universality—its ability to speak to, you know, all people and to speak to humanity.” Evans, A. 2020. Houston in 2020.

Made of polished medium steel and painted traffic yellow, “Everybody Me” is all of us—its iconic human form and motivational “tattoos” reminding us of our social and globalconnectedness and reflecting on the theme of universal humanity. McCloud says, “For me, art is a mechanism for change, for identifying and for identity. For the propagation of culture, and for the preservation of heritage and identity….” Evans, A. (2020). The Painter. Houston in 2020.

JIM ROBERTSON

“Zig Zag”

“Zig Zag” Photos Kolanowski Studio

Soon after Jim Robertson graduated from his high school in Houston, he joined the Army and served our country for three years—two of those in Vietnam. After returning to the states, he earned his BFA from University of Houston and M.F.A. from University of Texas, Austin. His education and art career began in painting and drawing, and his works were shown in numerous galleries and museums, including Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

While continuing to paint, his interests gradually turned toward three dimensional works. In the early 1990s, he took metal working classes at The Glassell School of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, welding at Lone Star College and began experimenting with steel and found metal objects. Robertson says, “I spent a lot of time cruising industrial salvage yards and had access to several dumpsters at metal fabrication shops.” His works are more or less figurative and evolve from one or two “starter” pieces, where he begins selecting or modifying more pieces to reinforce the original theme suggested by the starter piece. He says, “A few subjects reoccur in my work: surrealistic vehicles, fanciful weapons, animals and architectural structures.” Other works are conceived from scratch, without found objects—non-objective and more formal in nature—using readily available steel material.

Robertson was a professor of art at Lone Star College for 29 years, retiring in 2009, and works full-time as an artist in his studio in Trinity. His ten-foot sculpture for True North 2022, “Zig Zag”—a futuristic-appearing geometric column—was created using welded steel, with a coating of bright teal enamel paint—a medium he sometimes uses to emphasize plane and form separation within the sculpture.

TRUE NORTH 2022 ARTIST RECEPTION HELD AT REDBUD GALLERY IN THE HEIGHTS

ARTIST RECEPTION PHOTOS Gary Milnarich/John Everett

The True North 2022 Artist Reception was a great night of fun and camaraderie—pulling out all the stops with around 100 party-goers in attendance at Redbud Gallery in the Heights. With abundant food and libations and a special performance by flamenco guitarist Guillermo Serpas, guests were also treated to two extraordinary exhibitions currently open in the gallery: “Willie and Shirley’s Son” by Houston (and True North 2021) artist Anthony Suber, up until June 28, and “Western Skies” by Austin-based artist Darden Smith, up through May 3.

There to celebrate the project’s ninth installation were 2022 True North sculpture artists Elizabeth Akamatsu of Nacogdoches, Rachel Gardner, Houston, Guadalupe Hernandez, Houston, Suguru Hiraide, Wichita Falls, Will Larson, Austin, Israel McCloud, Houston, and Jim Robertson, of Trinity. (2022 artist Art Fairchild, of Dallas, couldn’t attend, but was there in spirit!) Past True North artists there to support the project were Joseph Havel, David Adickes, Dean Ruck, Sharon Kopriva, Dan Havel, Jack Massing, Steve Murphy, Jill Bedgood, Susan Budge, William Cannings, Bill Davenport, Chris Silkwood, Vincent Fink, Bill Peck, Jeffrey Forster, Jack Gron, Meredith Jack, James Ciosek, Keith Crane and Damon Thomas.

The exhibition simply does not happen without the generosity of the individuals, businesses and professionals who throw their support behind it. There to celebrate with the artists were Fady Armanious and Bill Baldwin of Boulevard Realty, Linda Eyles, Laura Menefee and Paula Johnson, Anne Caroline Fant, Jim Bennett, Mark Williams of Circa Real Estate, John Bernhard and William Hanhausen of ArtHouston Magazine, Carol and Buddy Welter, Tyri Centanni, Cathy Coon and Nick Purday, Jeremy Craft, Johanna Craft, Allison Craft and Andrew Chu of CraftChu, Yasuyo Maruyama, Rich and Amanda Anhorn, Theresa Hill, Eileen Hartman and Susanne Wheat of Greenwood King Properties, Susan and Chris Dray, June Barth, Diane Easley, Dee and Mel Melancon of Heights Pages Magazine, Dr. Marylou Erbland and Robert Woods, Necole Irvin, Cultural Arts Liaison to Mayor Turner, former Cultural Arts Liaison Debbie McNulty, Tanja Peterson of Redbud Gallery and the True North team of Donna Bennett, Gus Kopriva, Dean Ruck, Chris Silkwood and Kelly Simmons.