ATLAS by Jen Lewin consists of 24 oversized and illuminated moths hanging from the canopy of the Brown Promenade in Discovery Green. The ethereal creations are attracting a lot of attention from park visitors who discover not only are the fascinating to look at, they’re also interactive. If you haven’t seen them yet, make plans now.
The installation is by Jen Lewin, a New York – based artist and Discovery Green’s inaugural ART LAB mentor. Together with co-creator and co-curator Weingarten Art Group, Discovery Green aims to reshape the landscape of public art in Houston by supporting local artists, fostering diversity and spurring innovation.
Lewin recently spoke about the ART LAB program with Forbes magazine on why mentorship programs such as ART LAB are vital for emerging artists:
“These pieces require footings and cranes and city shutdowns, so how to deal with the effective logistics for these large pieces. How to deal with city entities that are often commissioning you to do the public art piece. Contracting is a big one. What does contracting look like for a large, permanent public sculpture,” Lewin explained. “Unfun things like insurance and shipping. How do you produce a big public sculpture and then ship it reasonably? It’s not just about the creative vision and the ability to create (the artwork), then there’s this next piece which is how do you build it? How do you find a team to create it? Do you create it yourself? Do you bring in fabricators? How do you move it? How do you install it so that it can then be loved and experienced in the public art space?”
Not easy work, but meaningful work.
Read more at forbes.com
More about Art Lab:
Houston Public Media: Art Lab program mentors Houston artists
In an interview with Houston Matters, Lewin tells producer Mincho Jacob about the installation and about her work mentoring the two Houston artist fellows who were selected for the program’s first year: Karen Navarro and Gerardo Rosales. Jacob also speaks with both of them and Susanne Theis, the artistic director at Discovery Green.
JOIN THE TEAM:
PRISM members are a group of supporters who champion Discovery Green’s arts and culture programming. PRISM members invest in the park and Houston’s artists, musicians and other professional creatives. In exchange they get access to behind-the-scenes receptions, private art collection tours, culinary experiences and more. Become a member today at www.discoverygreen.com/prism.
