Orange Show Center for Visionary Art

This surreal piece of hand-made architecture is one of the most significant folk-art environments in the country.  The sculptural home was built by a Houston postal worker named Jefferson Davis McKissack for the purpose of relating his theory for achieving a long and healthy life.  He believed that through hard work, healthy nutrition and eating oranges, longevity of life would be increased exponentially.  The creation of this epic piece of outsider art began in 1956 and continued through 1979. It’s made from thousands of found objects, as well as concrete, brick and steel.  Look out for mannequins, wagon wheels, bottles, cans, gears, and tractor seats all fashioned together into a divinely resourceful and labyrinthine castle of art.  The complex covers 3,000 square feet and runs through an oasis, a stage (where there are often counter-culture concerts), a museum, a gift shop, a pond and several upper decks. The Orange Show was the birthplace of Houston’s internationally recognized Art Car Parade and is about all things funky and sometimes inexplicable.