you can't park there, Freddie

Art Cars honoring two legendary musicians roll into Houston airports

Houston is famous for its art cars, and now travelers will have the opportunity to see some of them on display at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and William P. Hobby Airport (HOU).

“Art has the power to transform spaces and create memorable experiences,” said Alton DuLaney, curator of public arts for Houston Airports, in a statement. “We are thrilled to collaborate with the Orange Show to showcase an Art Car at our airports, providing passengers with a delightful visual journey that captures the spirit of Houston's eclectic artistic community.”

Art cars have been a Houston institution since 1986 when the first art car parade was held with just 11 vehicles. Now, it has grown to be the largest art car parade in the world, featuring hundreds of entries.

Thanks to a partnership with the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, a few art cars are always on display at the Art Car Museum. However, the small space can only accommodate a few pieces at a time on a rotating basis. A chance to catch more examples of this unique art form at another venue is more than welcome.

At Bush, visitors can find the art car in the Terminal A Ticketing Lobby. The car is a tribute to Freddie Mercury, the legendary lead singer of the rock band Queen. Mercury died of bronchial pneumonia in 1991.

The car features a statue of Mercury on the roof wearing his famous yellow jacket and branding a British flag. It was created by Rebecca Bass and the students of the Art Car Club at Reagan High School (now known as Heights High School). Mercury is a Houston icon thanks to a stop at The Summit in 1980 when he sang “We Will Rock You” sitting on the shoulders of a man dressed as Darth Vader from Star Wars.

Hobby will sport another car dedicated to a music legend. This one features a statue of Texas guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. Another Bass creation, it debuted at the 2019 parade to great acclaim. Vaughan is a slightly odd choice to showcase in an airport considering he died in a helicopter crash in 1990, but he is undoubtedly a piece of Texas history ready to welcome travelers from all over the world. His car can be found in the Ticking Lobby near TSA Security.

The Houston Airport System is renowned for its art, winning the inaugural World's Best Art in the Airport from Airport by Skytrax in 2023. Both Bush and Hobby were highlighted in the award for having exceptional art displays that celebrated Texas culture.

Courtesy of Houston Airports

SRV is near Hobby's TSA checkpoint.

The 37th annual Art Car Parade will take to the streets of downtown Houston on April 13.

bowled over

Houston artist dishes on Food Bank fundraiser happening this weekend

Picture of several artists at a table with a bunch of handmade ceramic bowls.

Photo courtesy Paula Murphy

Ceramics professor Cori Cryer and her students from Lone Star College Kingwood and the bowls they donated to the 20th Empty Bowls fundraiser

On Saturday, May 16, shoppers have an opportunity to feed those in need by purchasing unique, handcrafted items. The 20th Empty Bowls event takes place at Silver Street Studios at Sawyer Yards from 10 am to 3 pm. A preview party takes place on Friday, May 15 from 6-8 pm (buy tickets here).

The fundraiser is a collaboration between Houston-area ceramists, woodturners, and artists working in all media and Silver Street Studios.

Shoppers can purchase one-of-a-kind bowls for $25 each (larger bowls are priced accordingly). A simple lunch from Salata, a sweet treat from Ben & Jerry’s, and iced coffee from Katz Coffee is served until it runs out. Every dollar of the purchases goes to the Houston Food Bank, which estimates that for every dollar donated, it’s able to provide three meals to Houstonians in need. Since its inception, Empty Bowls Houston has raised $1,208,959 for the Houston Food Bank, which equates to more than 3.6 million meals.

The event also includes live music and art demos. More than 2,000 bowls will be available for purchase, donated by area artists.

Empty Bowls began as a grassroots effort started many years ago at a high school in Michigan and is now held all over the world. Nearly everything for Empty Bowls events, from the food served to the venues hosting events and the bowls for sale are donated.

Cori Cryer, a professor of ceramics at Lone Star College Kingwood, is one of those who, along with her students, donated bowls for the fundraiser. She’s been involved with the effort for all of its 20 years in Houston, and before that in other cities.

“When I started donating, I didn't have a whole lot of money,” Cryer tells CultureMap. “I was a graduate student, and so this was a way for me to give back to the local community. And I think my students today kind of recognize that same feel. You know, they may not have money to send a check off to someone, [but this is] an easy way for them to be able to contribute to the community.”

Cryer teaches Ceramics I and Ceramics II to a variety of dual-credit high school students, college students, and continuing education students. Those in her Ceramics II classes are required to create five bowls to donate to Empty Bowls. But her students in her introductory class often end up donating as well. This year, she and her students provided approximately 150 bowls for the event.

Cryer said that the style of bowls for sale range from something as small as a condiment bowl to much larger serving bowls As each bowl is an individual work, they represent a variety of styles and themes. One of her students this year designed a glazed, ceramic leaf-shaped bowl with ceramic insects on it.

“There's a ladybug and a caterpillar and a spider,” she says, each created out of clay and positioned around the bowl.

Cryer loves seeing how the artists use their imaginations and abilities.

“Most of my students do throw their bowls on the pottery wheel, but that's not required,” she says. “They can hand-build them. It’s completely up to them what kind of construction technique they use.”

Cryer loves knowing that this event is a way for students to see that their artistic efforts can have lasting impact on the community around them. In addition to being able to support the Houston Food Bank, the bowls her class donates, she knows, take on special meaning for those who purchase them.

“I tell my students there is a pot for every person and a person for every pot,” she says.

In fact, one of her personal favorite bowls is one she purchased from an Empty Bowls sale.

“It's a very small bowl, maybe like three inches in diameter, and two inches tall, and it's a little pink pig that I think an elementary student made,” she said. “He has no tail, and he has no ears, but he has a snout, and it is definitely a pig. And I love that little bowl. I have it sitting on my desk at home.”

Cryer knows shoppers attending the Empty Bowls sale will find similar, soon-to-be-beloved items.

The Saturday event is free. Those wishing to attend the preview party on Friday, May 15 from 6-8 pm, which offers light bites, beer and wine, and the first chance to purchase bowls, can purchase a $50 ticket online. In addition, Archway Gallery is hosting an exhibition of 30 one-of-a-kind bowls that can be purchased as part of the Empty Bowls fundraiser. The exhibit runs through May 30.