The Buffalo Bayou Artpark
by Linda C. Gorski and Louis F. Aulbach
The metal triangle and other still life objects lie along the
hiking trail west of the Sabine Street bridge.
Click on image to enlarge.
Here's the dilemma.
You'd love to paddle Buffalo Bayou. But you don't know about put-ins, take-outs or landmarks along the way. You're concerned about the water levels and potential obstructions. You can't get anyone to run a shuttle for you. Why not do the next best thing and walk or cycle along the bayou? There's a lot to see.
One of the areas we particularly enjoy visiting is the area near Sabine Street Bridge known as the Buffalo Bayou Artpark.
For those of you who have never experienced the random art and sculpture along the bayou, you're in for an unexpected treat. Located at 500 Allen Parkway and at several other locations along the bayou, the Buffalo Bayou Artpark showcases installations from artists across the country. The Artpark attempts to merge nature and art, placing significant pieces on the edge of the Bayou, right smack dab in the middle of hectic Houston!
Does this Winnebago stroller tell us something?
Click on image to enlarge.
The Buffalo Bayou Artpark traces its history to a "spontaneous guerilla show" co-founded by Charlie Sartwelle and John Runnels about 15 years ago. Rumor has it that the International Festival did not have enough money left in its coffers at that time to fund their annual sculpture exhibition. So a group of young and innovative artists banded together to promote their own show. They chose the site along Buffalo Bayou that was historically a farmer's market known as Watermelon Flats in an area between Fire Station No 1 and Buffalo Bayou on Bagby Street. In 1992, however, the site was occupied mainly by the homeless and had been neglected for years. That first guerilla show grew into a "happening" involving hundreds of people. From that initial event sprang the art car movement and the creation of the Buffalo Bayou Artpark.
Linda Gorski wrestles the
Bayou Alligator into submission
Click on image to enlarge.
Working with the Municipal Arts Commission and the Houston Parks and Recreation Department, the park leases space along Buffalo Bayou from the city to use as a permanent area for site-specific projects by local artists. The Artpark has been relocated from its original location to an area east of the Sabine Street Bridge and under I-45 due to construction of the 2nd phase of Sesquicentennial Park. It also has an artist-in-residence program, which has hosted, among others, Herb Parker and Patrick Dougherty over the last few years.
Right now paddlers, cyclists and walkers are in for a real treat. According to a recent blurb in the Houston Chronicle the Buffalo Bayou Artpark is hosting a "Watermelon Flats Reunion Show" through Spring 2003. The main area of sculptures will be at the Sabine Street Bridge, but the art and sculptures extend along both sides of the Bayou.
Your guess is as good as mine.
Is it a safety razor?
Click on image to enlarge.
Much of the artwork and sculptures along the bayou changes frequently, but some of the permanent fixtures are Side.Walk.Poems by John Runnels, Bayou Alligator by Greg Bruegger, and Doors by Kathamann. The Winnebago/baby stroller, the triangle and several other pieces of sculpture grace the slopes along the bayou.
Take the kids on your walk through the Artpark. This is a great, fun way to introduce them to the joys of art and sculpture.
Doors by Kathamann adorn the banks of Buffalo Bayou
beneath the Sabine Street bridge
Click on image to enlarge.