A reader sends a few shots of a developing piece along Fannin St. composed of traffic signal poles and discarded Museum of Fine Arts visitor stickers. The section above can be viewed from the intersection of Fannin with Montrose Blvd. (just south of the Mecom Fountain near the name change to Hermann Park Dr.) To the southwest lies Hermann Park’s Grand Gateway corridor (the string of light-rail-divided esplanades that started getting jazzed up as part of Hermann Park Conservancy’s 100th birthday present to the space); the landscaped strip runs directly north-south from the fountain roundabout to the Sam Houston statue.
Poles in the vicinity have been accumulating stickers since at least 2013. Here are a few more artsy angles on the scene:
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Photos: Swamplot inbox
This intersection is out of the way for MFAH visitors returning to the parking garage or to the Museum District light rail station. Assuming this wasn’t a top-down organized activity, I find this fascinating. Why choose this pole?
For the outrageous admission prices charged by the MFAH ($15 for general, $23 for special exhibitions), they could pay for the steam-cleaning of the stickers off of the poles. Just saying.
Yeah, I was oddly intrigued by this as well. However, as I unfortunately tried to visit Hermann Park last Friday when every school within 50miles of Houston was trying to visit the zoo I have a theory. Could have been the result of a bunch of young hoodlums/perpetrators walking back to school buses parked at the front lot next to Fannin in the case they couldn’t park at MFAH lot.
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And for last Friday, thanks Houston Zoo for making a mess of the parking situation and not saying a word about the school visitations on your website. Fortunately visited centennial gardens instead and spent the zoo money at Papa’s.
for anyone wondering, while this isn’t exactly on the way from the mfah to the parking lots for the mfah, the park is a perfect excursion to hit up after you catch an exhibit in the museum in the early afternoon.
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so next time you’re at the museum, rather than just piling back in the car, take a stroll over to the park. on your way, adding your contribution to this pole will make perfect sense.
2013? People have been putting MFAH stickers on those poles since at least 2003. Source: lived around the corner.
Hermann/museums/zoo are best in non-school days and definitely avoidt Thursday (free admission day). Everyone knows that ;)
LOL @ people complaining about a $15 admission fee. Imagine the pearl clutching if you ever try to visit a major museum elsewhere and discover what it costs.
@Troy McClure, Interesting. The Louvre is $10, Orsay $14. In London, the National Gallery and British Museum are free. I would consider all of these major museums.
@ Troy McClure
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I’m sorry that not all of us are able to throw money around – my point was that, for a family of 4, it would cost them $60 for regular admission and up to $92 for the special exhibitions.
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Art should be accessible to all people – and particularly for lower-income people. The museum is a non-profit (paying no taxes) yet cannot seem to price its admission within reach of those who may not have many chances for museum visits. I guess I’m old fashioned in believing that everyone should have art in their lives, not just the affluent.
Go on Thursdays. It’s free :)
They have poor people day already, y’all. Also, memberships are the way to go if you have a family. You even get reciprocal discounts with a bunch of museums in other cities.
Actually, for a family of 4, 6, or 20 admission would be around $30 as long as the kids are 12 years or younger. If the kids are older they are still discounted to $7.50 each, so a family of 4 pays $46 if they can’t take advantage of any of the admission perks under the giant “MFAH for FREE” tab on their website.
College students are also free if they either go to a participating school or have an assignment, discounted if they don’t, and seniors also get a discount. The Museum of Fine Arts is the only one that offers a whole free day, not just an afternoon, and I have been there in the mornings with nonmembership holders and found the crowds very reasonable. Usually we’re attending with family who pretty much can budget for the free days. I do miss the days back when Free Day was Sunday, though – it’s been a few years.
Major Market, I’d just note that the museum is open late and free every thursday in addition to throwing one or two free days every year. Not sure if they have a low income program similar to the zoo where SNAP holders get in free, but I’d assume they do. I think they do a tremendous job of making themselves open with that free thrusday, but not sure how much of that is really Shell’s money.
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I’d agree it’s high if you’re just looking to go on a short visit, but a $15 barrier to entry is typical for most everything of this nature. The kids museum is same price (for a lot less return on value). Same for a movie or those bounce houses and the like around town. In my experience most all museums are typically in the $10 – 15 range.
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While art is important, we shouldn’t put too much emphasis on the activities of bloated cultural arks like the MFAH in as much as ensuring this city has a robust and high value library system which is much better at providing access to and disseminating such interests. In that respect we’ll always be behind the game due to the nature of our revenue.
@HeyHey, the museums you mentioned are highly subsidized by the French and UK national governments.
I think the Met and MOMA in New York are in the $25 dollar range. The Art Institute in Chicago is about $20.
MFAH is not expensive, but in a city with so many very deep pockets, I wonder why the general collection isn’t free. The Cleveland Museum of Art (yes, as in Ohio) has free admission to its general collection, which is pretty massive. And the Dallas Museum of Art also has free admission to its general collection. I guess there is a limit to the benefits of living in a city with no zoning.
“I guess there is a limit to the benefits of living in a city with no zoning.”
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Ding! Troll achievement unlocked.