Caterpillar traffic jam: Museum of Cultural Arts Houston hauls mosaic insect to Greenspoint

A creepy crawler had rush hour traffic temporarily crawling on the northside of downtown on Thursday morning as the Museum of Cultural Arts Houston rolled out a new mosaicked caterpillar en route to a children's playground in Greenspoint.

The sculpture was designed by MOCAH president and CEO Reginald Adams, who drew upon seven assistants to complete the tiling process while he served a residency at a children's cancer clinic in Lyon. 

Employees of Able Movers were lashing ropes around the undulating form before its haul north. Notably, Able Movers is a contract company for the transportation of oil and gas equipment, but the work's scale demanded a heavy duty moving agency.

Once a blighted neighborhood, Greenspoint has been resuscitated by the Greater Greenspoint Redevelopment Authority. The organization has redesigned crime-ridden abandoned apartment complexes as family-friendly Thomas R. Wussow and CityView Parks.

"There are several other artistic elements in the park's playscape themed around insects and small creatures," says Adams of the caterpillar's context.

A giant butterfly greats visitors, and meandering through the sidewalk are 13 mosaic inlays leading to the caterpillar, which Adams describes as the park's focal point. The object is designed to be scaled by children with the aid of rock climbing elements.