howlin' good

Meow Wolf reveals Houston artists for highly anticipated opening exhibit

It looks like some Houston artists are going to get an amazing moment in the spotlight, and it’s all thanks to a group named (checks notes) Meow Wolf?

Yes, Meow Wolf Houston, to be exact. The visionary art collective turned pioneers in the experiential art world, are proud to unveil some of the creative minds behind the collective’s fifth permanent installation in Houston's historic Fifth Ward. A diverse ensemble of more than 40 contributing artists from Texas will collaborate with Meow Wolf’s in-house artist team for what promises to be an vibrant addition the city's art and cultural landscape..

"The brilliance and vision of these artists echo the heartbeat of Houston,” noted GONZO247, who serves as Meow Wolf’s Houston artist liaison, in a press materials (locals know him as our city's most famous graffiti artist). “Collectively, this exhibition will be a reflection of Houston culture as much as the fantastical realms of Meow Wolf that fans expect.”

Houstonians will recognize the roster of talent. Participants will include Kill Joy, the prominent international art activist; El Franco Lee, a Fifth Ward mainstay; Afsaneh Aayani, one of Houston's few female theater puppeteers; and Trenton Doyle Hancock, who weaves comic book elements, classical mythology, and multimedia installations into his work.

Han Santana-Sayles, Meow Wolf's senior director of artist collaboration, invited local curators and nonprofits to build artist lists for the exhibition. "I want each Meow Wolf exhibition to be a reflection of relevant contemporary artists in that region,” Santana-Sayles noted in a statement. “In order to find the best creatives to work with, we love consulting with local curators or nonprofits who support emerging artists to build artist lists with us."

Several curators contributed to the exhibition. They include Harrison Guy, director of arts and culture at the DeLUXE Theater; Christine West, an art administrator and curator with 20 years of experience focusing on public art access in Houston; Y.E.Torres, an interdisciplinary artist and the Public Programs and CAMHLAB manager at Contemporary Art Museum Houston; and Fresh Arts, a Houston-focused nonprofit that empowers local artists and public arts initiatives.

Meow Wolf has not yet revealed the name, theme, or opening date of the exhibition, but art fans can expect updates as they are announced.

Image courtesy of the artist

Afsaneh Aayani's dazzling works will be included.

Hodge Podge

Houston artist bids farewell, for now, with career-spanning new exhibit

Courtesy of Robert Leroy Hodge/SANMAN Studios

The exhibit shows a range of the artist's works.

Artist Robert Leroy Hodge is saying goodbye to Houston – well, not exactly.

The Houston-born multidisciplinary artist recently debuted his latest exhibit, Diamonds That Fall from the Treetop, at SANMAN Studios. Known more for his eye-catching, pop-art collages (in 2023, he collaborated with Austin artist Tim Kerr for the No Kings But Us exhibit at Blaffer Art Museum), this mini-retrospective will feature selected works from his two-decade career – including the early stuff.

“A lot of kids think I only make collages,” Hodge tells CultureMap. “And, also, I'm not making collages anymore like that. So, it's like the end of an era. I show where I started with these portraits and real paintings and drawings and how I kind of got into collage. It's a wide range of things I do, not just collage.”

Diamonds will also be his last exhibit in Houston, but he’s not moving away. Hodge will cut down on doing local exhibits and focus more on getting his art and his name out there in other parts of the world. He’s out to prove that serious art can come out of this place.

“When I interact with politicians and people in higher positions, they treat local artists like they're secondary, they're not good enough,” he says. “[They say] ‘They're in Houston because they can't be in New York and LA,’ and that's not the case. I could be anywhere, and I chose Houston.”

But Hodge wants to be known as an artist from Houston, instead of just in Houston. “There’s nothing wrong with being a local artist in your city, but that’s not what I want,” he says. “I live here, but for me to get to the next space I wanna get to, I need to be showing more in New York, LA, out the country. And it's nothing personal – when you do a lot of stuff here, you just can't keep doing the same thing. You start to feel stagnant.”

As much as he loves both the city and its art scene, Hodge knows that the visual arts isn’t a high priority around here. “We are an oil-and-gas city,” he says. “And because that's the main way money is being made, arts and culture is not primary. And, then, the new mayor is not really into art. So, it's like it all depends on who loves art and who's in office.”

Within city limits, Hodge says he will be more of a curator and mentor, helping young artists and working with galleries and studios on creating showcases for those artists and others. He also wants to continue collaborating with fellow art enthusiasts of color, like the folks at SANMAN.

“I wanted to do it with SANMAN because it's owned by two young Black men,” he says. “They got a staff of Black creatives, and I wanted to really show cohesiveness between Black men.”

But Hodge isn’t completely hanging up the idea of doing another big solo show in his hometown. “This is the last one for a while,” he says, “unless the Menil calls or something crazy happens.”

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Diamonds That Fall will be on display through Saturday, July 26.

Courtesy of Robert Leroy Hodge/SANMAN Studios

The exhibit shows a range of the artist's works.

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