the art of nature

Blooming new outdoor art exhibit celebrates Houston's natural and creative worlds

The blossoming exhibit will be held at Houston Botanic Garden.

Photo courtesy of Houston Botanic Garden

To mark the one-year anniversary of its opening, the Houston Botanic Garden has planted a new exhibit in collaboration with Lawndale Art Center.

“Art in the Garden: Celebrating BioDiversity!” brings together things Houstonians love to celebrate, including supporting Houston-based artists, finding beauty across our wide cityscape, and heading outdoors.

Visitors can expect to see themes of biodiversity, community, and relationship on display in the site-specific installation, which will be on view from October 1 through next summer.

Pieces for the exhibit were selected by the Houston Botanic Garden Art Task Force through an open call for entries, as well as invitations to individual artists. The selected artists and their works are:

Lina Dib, “The Weather Station”
Liss LaFleur, “Mother”
Virginia Lee Montgomery, “Butterfly Birth Bed” and “Honey Moon”
Gerardo Rosales, “Tree of Life”
Jen Rose, “Texas Bee Oasis II”
Joyce Matula Welch, “Fiery-necked Nightjars”

Admission to the exhibit is included with entrance to the garden. Attendees can also expect an ongoing series of artist talks, hands-on workshops, guided twilight walks, and a children’s discovery trail for visitors of all ages and abilities, which can be found on both the Houston Botanic Garden's and Lawndale's websites for the duration of the installation.

This exhibit is designed to encourage visitors to consider a deeper understanding between our community and the natural world, especially the diversity of life and beauty within it, according to a press release.

It also dovetails with the missions of the two hosting organizations. Houston Botanic Garden, according to a statement, “emphasizes enriching life through discovery, education, and the conservation of the natural environment.” Meanwhile, Lawndale seeks to “support Houston artists and the role their art plays in inspiring and informing the world.”

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The Houston Botanic Garden is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm. Admission to “Art in the Garden: Celebrating BioDiversity!” is $12.50 for adults and $8 for children, Monday through Thursday, and $15 for adults and $10 for children Friday through Sunday. For more information, visit the official site.

openings nature

MFAH expands

Houston museum acquires historic Masonic lodge property for new greenspace

Holland Lodge No. 1, A.F. & A.M./Facebook

The building at 4911 will be torn down for the new greenspace.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston has acquired a prime parcel to expand its campus in the Museum District. On Tuesday, December 23, the museum announced it has purchased a two-acre parcel of land at 4911 Montrose Blvd that will bring its total footprint to 16 acres.

Located just north of the Glassel School of Art, the property will be developed as a greenspace that will serve as a community lawn as well as be utilized for future museum events and parking. MFAH has retained landscape architects Nelson Byrd Woltz — the firm responsible for work at Memorial Park and the recently-opened Ismaili Center — to create the design for the new greenspace.

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston greenspace rendering A rendering offers a bird's-eye preview of the new greenspace.Image by by Cong Nie/Courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

At this time, the museum does not have plans to build anything on the property, according to a press release.

To make way for the greenspace, the property’s existing building, Holland Lodge No. 1, will be torn down. Built in 1954 as a home for the oldest Masonic lodge chapter in Texas, the building features a sandstone mural facade. It has been for sale since at least 2005, according to a report in the Houston Chronicle.

Demolition on the site is expected to begin in spring 2026 with the greenspace opening in approximately two years, according to press materials. In addition to the Glassell School, the museum’s campus includes the Audrey Jones Beck Building, the Caroline Wiess Law Building, the Lillie and Hugh Roy Cullen Sculpture Garden, and the Nancy and Rich Kinder Building.

“We are delighted to contribute to Houston’s greenspace access with this new initiative, which will expand the museum’s 14-acre campus to a thoroughly walkable 16 acres,” Gary Tinterow, director and Margaret Alkek Williams chair of the MFAH, said in a statement. “While the primary objective for the purchase of this property is to secure land for any potential future expansion of the museum, our priority now is to create a welcoming community lawn. Thoughtfully designed by Nelson Byrd Woltz, one of the leading firms in sustainable landscape practice, the site will serve as public greenspace and provide additional parking for museum visitors.”

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