“Monumental Moments” to be installed in 160-acre park
Houston artist Anthony Thompson Shumate will soon install“Monumental Moments,” a series of six human-scale word sculptures in Buffalo Bayou Park. The public art project was commissioned by Buffalo Bayou Partnership, through Houston Arts Alliance, and is part of the $58 million park project between Shepherd Drive and Sabine Street scheduled to be complete in June 2015.
The single word thoughts – Explore, Pause, Reflect, Listen, Emerge, and Observe – will be placed at ground level in unexpected areas along the new bayou-side asphalt footpaths. The four-foot-tall sculptures feature turn-of-the century capital serif type and are crafted from 4” high density polyethylene (high-grade plastic), a material used in marine dock bumpers.
According to Shumate, “Each word site is specific and engages its surroundings and its contextual movements where viewers will first see the works. They will be installed in various locations throughout the park to give maximum impact for the community and its viewership experience.”
“Anthony’s concept embraced the entire park. His thoughtful pieces are intended to be discovered by park users as they explore everything Buffalo Bayou Park has to offer,” said Anne Olson, president, Buffalo Bayou Partnership.
“Houston Arts Alliance is honored to be a part of this major effort to revitalize Buffalo Bayou Park and to provide Houstonians with extraordinary works of public art,” says HAA President + CEO Jonathon Glus. “Anthony’s work is being added to the city’s collection of artwork along Buffalo Bayou, which includes such global artists as Jaume Plensa (Tolerance) and Henry Moore (Large Spindle Piece), as well as important Houston artists such as Jesus Bautista Moroles (Houston Police Officer Memorial),” adds Glus.
Installation of “Monumental Moments,” will occur over a two-day period in late May/early June 2015.
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About Shumate
Shumate is well-regarded for his civic art projects in Houston as well as exhibitions at Barbara Davis Gallery. In 2013, he was one of four artists to create the nation’s first art parking meter sculptures. Three of Shumate’s “Wind Blown Meters” were installed in Houston’s Warehouse District. He was commissioned by the Greater East End Management District in 2012 to develop creative bus shelters, bike racks and trash receptacles along the Light Rail Line and also developed a temporary art golf hole for the Insperity Golf Experience at Discovery Green in 2011. No stranger to Buffalo Bayou, Shumate created a temporary exhibit at Buffalo Bayou Art Park that featured 450 food cans, hand-engraved can openers and plywood that the public slowly disassembled over five weeks in 2007.
About Houston Arts Alliance
Houston Arts Alliance (HAA) is a public-private initiative that invests in Houston’s arts and cultural sector, advances Houston’s reputation as an arts and culture destination, and works to elevate the quality of life for all Houstonians through arts and culture. As the city’s designated, nonprofit, local arts agency, HAA provides programs and services for the arts and cultural sector and awards approximately 225 grants annually to nonprofit arts and cultural organizations and individual artists. The Alliance is the custodian of the city’s art collection; takes permanent and temporary art to Houston’s public spaces; presents free Folklife + Traditional Arts programming; nurtures up-and-coming arts organizations through its capacity building programs; bridges business with the arts; convenes the field as necessary, and provides the latest information and research on cultural policy, economic development and Houston’s folklife. For more information, visit houstonartsalliance.com. For events in the region, visit Artshound.com.