TIRZ 8, the Gulfgate Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (the Zone), has been working diligently behind the scenes to improve the quality of life for the citizens of the Zone for 31 years through infrastructure improvement and rehabilitation.

 

From streets to drainage, sidewalks to parks, TIRZ 8 is working to improve mobility and safety throughout the Zone’s 8,000 acres. In an effort to highlight some of those improvements, TIRZ 8 has partnered with the City of Houston, Redbud Arts Center, and numerous local artists to bring much needed public art to the Zone.

 

Redbud gathered a coterie of international and local artists to represent the Zone’s many rich and diverse communities in sculpture. Each installation is specifically chosen to showcase the Zone, it’s inhabitants, and Houston’s South/Southeast corridor through art.

 

With 10 sites within the Zone, each art installation is specifically placed to highlight infrastructure work, front local parks, community centers, and give “pride of place” to our community.

 

TIRZ 8 would like to thank our many partners including the City of Houston, Redbud Arts Center, and the TIRZ 8 Board for their support in bringing these dynamic and artful representations to the Zone for the betterment of its citizens.  

 

M. Sonny Garza

Chairman, TIRZ 8

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Curator’s Statement
 

The Redbud Arts Center team is pleased to invite you to the inaugural exhibition of the Gulfgate Public Art Trail.

 

Redbud Arts Center has curated and managed temporary sculpture shows since 2013, but this exhibition marks an exciting series of firsts for us. At the direction of Sonny Garza and the board, we expanded beyond our previous model of placing works along a single boulevard. Instead, sculptures are now installed throughout the entire district, allowing the public to encounter art in a wide variety of settings.

 

This new approach brought significant logistical challenges — from designing and constructing multiple concrete foundations to coordinating crane installations — because each artwork required its own unique site criteria. The pieces are now situated along major boulevards as well as within City of Houston parks, creating a diverse and engaging trail of public art.

 

We also made a deliberate effort to bring new voices into the exhibition. Many of the participating artists live and work in southeast Houston, and several created newly fabricated sculptures specifically for this show. For a number of them, this marks their first public art installation, adding an exciting sense of discovery and momentum to the project.

 

Although this exhibition was complex to plan and execute, we are proud of the result and delighted to share it with the community. We hope you enjoy exploring the Gulfgate Public Art Trail and experiencing the sculptures placed throughout the area.

 

Gus Kopriva

President, Redbud Arts Center

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SPECIAL THANKS

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City of Houston

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Gulfgate Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ 08

M. Sonny Garza, Chairman

Houston Parks and Recreation Department

Kenneth Allen, Director

Jeatawn Degelia, Sr. Project Manager

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Hawes Hill & Associates

Naina Magon, Managing Principal

Don Huml, Sr. Project Manager

Redbud Arts Center

Gus Kopriva, Curator and President

Tanja Peterson, Executive Director

Joel Jebhani Vargas, Project Manager

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Photographs of Sculptures

Tanja Peterson

 

Catalog Design and Photo Editing:

Lynet McDonald