Comments on: Fifth Ward Journey: Since When Did This House Become Art?

By: Daniel

Daniel — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 21:59:26 +0000

Hello Dan and Dean just following up on the House, please let me know when the house is done . I think the way you turn an old House into art the way you both do is amazing.Don’t forget to let me know.
Thanks Daniel H.
WOOTEN HOUSE MOVERS

By: ricemilitaryboy

ricemilitaryboy — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 04:55:54 +0000

I don’t understand what passes for “art” these days. At all.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 00:32:59 +0000

Jessica1: I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to come off as scolding you. Of course everyone has every right to call any art ridiculous, or lame, or brilliant, or whatever they want. I was addressing people whose knee-jerk reaction to hearing the word “art” is to start shouting about public funding. That wasn’t you. I only brought in the Sharpstown project because it appeared to be a similar situation. I just wish more people who appreciate the value of these kinds of projects in general would speak up more regularly when they’re attacked, rather than leaving the comments sections to the “my tax dollars”-obsessed.

Jgriff: Are you in favor of publicly supported parks? Recreation programs? Swimming pools? Music programs? Education? Is there anything with the word “art” in it that you would support any amount of public funding for?

By: Robert Boyd

Robert Boyd — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 22:36:18 +0000

I just realized that DD DEMO is Havel Ruck Projects (right?). Glad you are stepping up to defend what you do and how it is financed–in these times of austerity, I suspect you and other artists will have to do this a lot.

By: DD DEMO

DD DEMO — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 22:27:05 +0000

jgriff, the HAA receives money to allocate, through competitions and review boards, to arts organizations and artists through the Hotel and Occupancy tax. This is a tax paid by people who stay in local hotels, probably out of town tourists. This money helps fund many arts organizations, not just the civic arts program. Hopefully, a culturally active city attracts more tourists, thus more tax money made by the city to help out in many areas, not just the arts. So, unless you are staying in local hotels, the civic arts program is not being funded by your tax dollars. And, yes, the HAA had their budget slashed by the city this year, too. If you want to know more, follow this link. hope this helps.
http://impactnews.com/northwest-houston/328-news/10872-local-arts-unincorporated

By: Darby Mom

Darby Mom — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 21:12:33 +0000

Art builds brain cells. No art, no brains.

By: jgriff

jgriff — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 19:59:02 +0000

Andrew: You’ve made me hate publicly supported art even more now.

Can someone verify if there is City of Houston money involved in this?

By: kg

kg — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 19:39:09 +0000

you do realize they’re going to tear a big hole in that thing and reuse all the pieces to turn it into an art piece right? how about we wait until they’re finished with the project to critique it?

By: Jessica1

Jessica1 — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 19:01:38 +0000

Andrew, thanks for the scolding, I haven’t been belittled in days! Last time I checked it was OK for me to have and share an opinion about art. Honestly I didn’t know that the house turning thing was associated with a community center – so perhaps it does have a “point,” but I still think it’s lame as art.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 17:32:38 +0000

Dear Anti-Public-Art Grumpies,
This project is creating an inviting public park in a depressed area, on the cheap. Is that difficult to understand? And the Sharpstown project is creating a community center and lab for new building materials, also in a depressed area, funded by lots of grants from private sources. Both have terrific potential to attract larger improvements to the areas around them. Both projects provide terrific leverage for what little public investment they might require — a bargain even under budget constraints. Apologies that the artists are unable or unwilling to speak about their work in purely budget-oriented terms. Maybe they should spend more time explaining the resulting benefits of their work to people, but there will always be people who are going to whine every time they hear the word “art” anyway. The job of explaining should go to all the people who have benefited from projects like this in the past. Both the 5th Ward and Sharpstown projects follow in the ridiculously successful tradition of Project Row Houses. (Where were you when we needed you to tell Rick Lowe he was just wasting paint?) Now go find something else you have only a vague understanding of to complain about.

By: jgriff

jgriff — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 16:40:21 +0000

I sure hope the City of Houston isn’t funding this. Aren’t we in the middle of a budget crisis? From what DD DEMO says it sounds like they have a contract with the City. We’re doing stuff like this and the Mayor is having a hard time finding things to cut?

By: Jessica1

Jessica1 — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 16:30:25 +0000

Whatever it evolves into will likely be a hell of a lot more interesting than that ridiculous turned-around house. I still fail to see the point in THAT.