TRUE NORTH 2023, a Heights Boulevard sculpture project

True North 2023 Announces Artists for Tenth Anniversary Exhibition

Visit the official True North Website:

www.truenorthheightsblvd.com

This year will be the sculpture project’s tenth installation, and for the first time, eight (of the 74) previous artists are returning with all new sculptures for this special anniversary exhibition. We are very proud to announce these extraordinary artists for True North 2023.

Marsha Dorsey-Outlaw of Houston, “Street Cred” – in the 400 block
Dean Ruck of Houston “Brancouchi” – in the 600 block
Ed Wilson of Houston “Cyclone” – in the 800 block
Paul Kittelson of Houston “Wild Horses” – in the 900 block
Patrick Medrano of Houston [Heights], “Io” – in the 1200 block
Sharon Kopriva of Houston [Heights], “Snakes and Ladders” – in the 1300 block
Dan Havel of Houston [Heights], “Cascade” – in the 1600 block
Joe Barrington of Throckmorton, “It always rains in Vicinity” – in the 1800 block

We’re also excited this year to introduce a virtual tour experience for the exhibition through Otocast—an app-based program that can be accessed by a QR code found at each site or on the website. Through the app, visitors will be able to learn all about the sculptures—materials, themes and inspiration and artist backgrounds—in the artists’ own words.

Stay tuned to the Newsletter in coming months, and please follow/like us on Instagram and Facebook for more about the artists, sculptures and project.

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.

Donate Now | Underwriting Details

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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