Insta11ations

A Citywide Public Art Initiative Across Houston’s 11 City Council Districts

Organized by Art League Houston
In Partnership with Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs
Project Timeline: 2019–2021

Insta11ations was a groundbreaking citywide public art initiative organized by Art League Houston in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs. Conceived as a large-scale experiment in public art, the initiative commissioned 11 temporary, site-specific projects, one for each of Houston’s City Council Districts, transforming parks, trails, gardens, transit hubs, cemeteries, and other unexpected public spaces throughout the city.

Originally envisioned to launch in Spring 2020 and remain on view through Fall 2020, the initiative ultimately evolved across 2019–2021 due to the unprecedented impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Artists adapted their proposals in response to lockdowns, fabrication delays, site restrictions, weather events, and shifting public realities, resulting in projects that reflected not only the unique identities of Houston’s neighborhoods, but also the resilience and creativity of artists and communities during a moment of global uncertainty.

Designed with guidance from an advisory committee of local artists, curators, and arts professionals, Insta11ations prioritized projects that challenged traditional notions of public art while fostering meaningful community engagement. The initiative supported artists whose practices explored social justice, equity, environmental awareness, public participation, and overlooked local histories. Artists were encouraged to respond directly to the specific needs, identities, and lived experiences of the communities surrounding each installation site.

At its core, Insta11ations embraced Art League Houston’s longstanding commitment to inclusivity, experimentation, accessibility, and artist-driven programming. The initiative also reflected a critical awareness of the evolving role public art plays in urban development and sought to support projects grounded in authentic and equitable community connection.

Through sculpture, sound, murals, social practice, photography, participatory installations, and digital storytelling, Insta11ations brought contemporary art to unexpected corners of Houston while encouraging residents to encounter art within their everyday environments. The resulting projects invited audiences to reflect on community, history, environment, identity, migration, memory, and collective imagination.

Featured Projects

Oakbrook Gateway

Artists: Sherry Owens and Art Shirer
District A
Installed at Oakbrook Greenspace along the White Oak Bayou Greenway Trail, Oakbrook Gateway featured a pair of welded steel sculptures abstractly inspired by trees. Positioned along a pedestrian walkway, the installation served as a symbolic entry point into the greenspace while encouraging outdoor engagement and exploration.

Acres Homes Rocks

Artist: Israel McCloud
District B
A dynamic mixed-media installation celebrating the history and identity of Acres Homes, this project included sculptural rocking chairs, painted totems, and freestanding works installed throughout the neighborhood. The work honored one of the largest historically Black unincorporated communities in the South while reflecting McCloud’s signature use of vibrant color and bold visual language.

Pardon Me, Everyone

Artist: Mich S
District C
Installed along the perimeter fence of College Memorial Park Cemetery, this 112-foot installation featured translucent silhouettes of Buffalo Soldiers from the historic 24th Infantry. The project explored the legacy of the Houston 13 soldiers connected to the Camp Logan uprising of 1917 and became part of a broader national conversation around historical memory and justice.

Sky Scrolls: Houston

Artist: Erika Blumenfeld
District D
Originally envisioned as a physical sculpture, Sky Scrolls evolved during the pandemic into a community-embedded artwork composed of personal stories about experiences under the night sky. Residents submitted narratives that were transformed into custom 3D galaxy-like forms etched inside crystal spheres and mapped across Houston as a conceptual constellation. The accompanying digital archive connected participants locally and globally through storytelling and shared wonder.

Sounds of Tomorrow – The Oracle Tree

Artist: Lina Dib
District E
Located at Exploration Green Conservancy, this immersive sound installation transformed a living pine tree into a poetic weather oracle. Hidden speakers embedded in the tree played recordings forecasting the following day’s weather using environmental sounds collected from the surrounding ecosystem, inviting visitors into a multisensory encounter with nature and climate.

Alief Art House

Artists: Antonius-Tín Bui
District F
Situated within the Alief Community Garden, Alief Art House transformed a shipping container into a flexible exhibition and community space featuring rotating installations, murals, performances, and artist projects highlighting the cultural richness of Alief’s diverse communities.

Barometer

Artist: Katrina Moorhead
District G
Inspired by historic “hunger stones” that emerge during droughts, Barometer featured a carved pumice boulder partially inlaid with copper leaf near Buffalo Bayou. The sculpture reflected on climate instability, environmental anxiety, and Houston’s complicated relationship with water and flooding.

Rethinking Your Neighborhood: A Collaborative Experience

Artist: Violette Bule
District H
Developed through extensive community engagement and neighborhood surveys, this interactive installation at Irvington Park invited residents to collectively imagine improvements to their community. The project incorporated seating, a micro-library, gardens, and publicly accessible survey data that was later shared with city leadership and local officials.

Trompe L’eoil Mural

Artist: Rabéa Ballin
District I
Installed at Hartman Park, this colorful mural project introduced bright fluorescent imagery into an industrial landscape surrounded by refineries. After multiple redesigns and permitting challenges, the final work transformed a neighborhood tennis court into a playful visual intervention focused on joy, energy, and public interaction.

The Altarpiece

Artist: Colby Deal
District J
Installed at the METRO Hillcroft Park and Ride, The Altarpiece featured large-scale portraits honoring multicultural women who influence and uplift their communities. The project reimagined traditional religious altarpieces through a contemporary urban lens while exploring representation and visibility.

Geo’d

Artist: Marsha Dorsey Outlaw
District K
Created in collaboration with 61 community participants, Geo’d was a monumental mosaic sculpture installed at Townwood Community Center. Inspired by geodes, the work celebrated collective identity, transformation, resilience, and neighborhood evolution through vibrant surfaces and reflective materials.

Legacy and Impact

Insta11ations demonstrated the power of public art to create connection during a period of profound isolation and uncertainty. Across Houston, artists transformed everyday spaces into places of reflection, conversation, joy, healing, and imagination.

By bringing temporary public art installations to all 11 City Council Districts, the initiative expanded access to contemporary art experiences across Houston while highlighting the city’s cultural diversity and creative communities. Today, Insta11ations remains one of Art League Houston’s most ambitious and wide-reaching public art initiatives, reinforcing the organization’s belief that art belongs everywhere and should be accessible to all.