Its Supposed To Be Too Big

Overgrown, Saturday, October 13th, 12-8 pm

Overgrown is one in a series of growing exhibits which span the last three years of the resurgent Westheimer Block Party. Over two dozen young artists will exhibit their sculpture, performance, paintings, and interactive art October 13th in, on and around the 300 block of Westheimer to push the limits of artistic space and community interaction.

The exhibition will blend into the social environment of the street and the Montrose neighborhood’s lush and elegant organic growth. The gradual, deliberate evolution of flora throughout the city explodes out of concrete and frequently overtakes houses, power lines and interstitial space, as well as acting in concert with the humid bayou environment. The changing face of architecture and urban planning across Houston seems to act as a foil for the natural overgrowth wrestled against since Allen’s Landing.

The work of eight artists, including Betsy Askew, Robert Hodge, The Rick Brothers, Matthew Dupont, and Tina Hernandez will be presented as large signage, engaging the cars inadvertently thrown into the social space of the Block Party. Across the rest of the festival many installation works will be exhibited in unexpected places and performance works by Chloe Stewart, Caleb and Frank Olson are scheduled. The will be an art map of the festival area available for visitors at the Free Press Houston booth in the parking lot of Numbers (300 Westheimer)

Artists living here in the city are constantly aware of the long reach of human construction and manipulation, as well as the organic effects of an overactive natural environment that seems to find ways to envelop and adjust to anything in its path. Overgrown focuses on the abundance of Houston grown, both technological and ecological, outside of the gallery space. The American Wandering Club has organized Westheimer Block Party exhibits since 2004, including our first show SOLID: the State of Things as well as stoned. in 2005 in response to Hurricane Katrina and the “Texodus” after Hurricane Rita. Our last exhibit Formicide featured artists exploring the neighborhood as a medium, hanging signs from store windows, placing sculptures in trees and experimenting with invented musical instruments.

Presented in conjunction with the Westheimer Block Party; Saturday, October 13th from 12 noon until 8 pm. Between the 300 and 500 block of Westheimer, near Taft Street. Participating spaces include Numbers Nightclub, La Strada Fine Dining, Mango’s Cantina and Avant Garden (Helios). Contributing arts organizations are ABC Bodyart, Art League Houston, Artshouston Magazine, Case Magazine, the Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston Free Press, and The Mexican Arsenal. Organized by the American Wandering Club; proud sponsor of B.S. Houston ArtBlog.

Featured artist include Paula Anicete, Betsy Askew, Eli Brumbaugh, Joey Bender, Vonetta Berry, Caleb, James Ciosek, Bryan Cope, Sasha Dela, Matthew Dupont, Norberto Gomez Jr., Tina Hernandez, Robert Hodge, Mark Hougham, Chad Jessel, Mary Keene, Cody Ledvina, Amye MacCarther, Cheyanne Ramos, Patrick Renner, The Rick Bros., Brian Rod, Derek Shumate, Jeff Smith, Chloe Stewart, Anonymous, Frank Olsen, and David Waddell