FAMILY FUN
Here’s how to get your kids to dig some art exhibits.
Elizabeth Roath-Garcia calls “Cloud Column” Houston’s newest landmark.
Roath-Garcia, studio and gallery programs manager at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, is helping to organize the free, family-friendly event on Sunday that marks the official unveiling of the massive, gleaming sculpture by artist Anish Kapoor.
Kapoor created his “Cloud Column” sculpture before his “Cloud Gate,” which is commonly known as “The Bean” in Chicago. Roath-Garcia hopes the fanfare around the debut will make Houston’s artwork just as recognizable. “It’s going to become a piece that truly is Houston, because it’s reflective of everything that we do,” she said.
Kids, especially, could find the art enjoyable. They can use the oblong structure like a mirror to reflect their images while observing how a portion of the sculpture inverts its surroundings.
“It’s big, bright and shiny and done by one of the best artists of our time,” Roath-Garcia said.
After posing for a picture in front of the 21,000-pound piece of stainless steel for social media bragging rights, families can craft their own reflective sculpture, using metallic, gold and silver materials that Roath-Garcia said are similar to “Cloud Column” and other metal works in the nearby sculpture garden.
Roath-Garcia said the handson art project is a way for visitors to experience the process and materials the artists use. “We don’t touch our works of art, but when you’re able to get your hands on similar materials, you have a deeper understanding of what the artist experienced.”
The hand-held sculpture also doubles as a fan, which Roath Garcia said will come in handy at the outdoor event.
At other stations, young artists can make a brooch to wear. Only kids under 5 have the chance to practice printmaking using unconventional objects like shoelaces and bubble wrap. Local teen museum volunteers created a text-based scavenger hunt that families can play using their smartphones.
There also will be a jazz performance, flamenco dancers, lemonade stand and poems written on the spot. Using any prompt or theme they hear, three poets from Inprint Houston will write a custom poem visitors can take home. In living color
Also interactive for families, the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern’s new installation “Carlos Cruz-Diez at the Cistern: Spatial Chromointerference” is lighting up the dark, cavernous cistern.
Guests are loaned a white garment similar to a lab coat when they arrive, which allows Cruz-Diez’s brightly colored diagonal lights to project off their clothing before dancing around the space.
The artist’s son, Carlos Cruz Diez Jr., was in town for the opening last week. “All of it is really magical,” he said of the installation. “Children are the ones who most enjoy my father’s work because the message they receive is simple,” he said. “It has no referential connotation, only colors that children and adults can enjoy.” Though, children under 9 are not admitted to the cistern because of safety reasons.
There is a cost for admission, but admission is free on Thursdays. Online reservations are always required. Go to buffalobayou.org.