Current Museum Exhibits & Art Installations in Houston

Last updated on Friday, November 27, 2019.

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Houston Art Exhibition Venues

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston The Menil Collection Contemporary Art Museum, Houston Discovery Green & Avenida Houston Moody Center for the Arts Lawndale Art Center Blaffer Art Museum Houston Center for Photography  Art League Houston Station Museum of Contemporary Art Jung Center Houston Center for Contemporary Craft  Archway Gallery

Houston History & Science Exhibition Venues

Houston Museum of Natural Science The Health Museum Holocaust Museum Houston Asia Society Texas Center National Museum of Funeral History Bryan Museum Lone Star Flight Museum

Houston Kids Exhibition Venues

Houston Museum of Natural Science The Health Museum Discovery Green & Avenida Houston Lone Star Flight Museum

Current Museum Exhibits & Art Installations in Houston

Whether exploring the world-class museums and installations that fill the Museum District, or venturing through thought-provoking displays found throughout the Greater Houston area, there is no shortage of exhibitions that locals and visitors alike will find fascinating and engaging. 365 Houston has compiled a list of featured exhibitions currently on display at museums and renowned institutions throughout the city of Houston, including free offerings that are open to the public. Museums and exhibition venues have been organized by prominence in both ticketed and free admission categories. They're also listed by area of focus (art, history and science, and kid-specific) in the sidebar at the top of this page.

Current Ticketed Museum Exhibitions in Houston

These current exhibitions require a dedicated ticket—either included with general admission or as a separate ticket—at several of Houston's flagship museums, including The Museum of Fine Arts Houston (MFAH), Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS), The Health Museum, Holocaust Museum Houston, and more. Most museums offer free admission on certain days or during certain hours, though tickets to some exhibitions are still required.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH)

One of the Museum District's crown jewels, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) routinely hosts some of the most prominent Houston-area exhibitions each year. Joining the exhibits from the museum's permanent collection, these curated crowd-pleasers continue to draw Houstonians and visitors alike.

• Art of Islamic Lands: Selections from The al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait | Through Sunday, December 29, 2019 – On display since 2015, this renowned collection of Islamic art features carpets, ceramics, jewelry, and more that date back more than 1,000 years. Included with museum admission. Tickets are $17; $14 for ages 65+ and military; $10 for students and ages 13 to 18; free for ages 12 and under.
• An Impressionist Autumn | Through Sunday, January 12, 2020 – In this pair of exhibitions, MFAH explores pivotal works from art pioneers in Monet to Picasso: A Very Private Collection, including Mary Cassat, Paul Cezanne, Vincent van Gogh, Henri Matisse, Claude Monet, and Pablo Picasso. In addition, Berthe Morisot: Impressionist Original explores the life of women in 19th-century Paris and Morisot's role as a founding member of Impressionism. Tickets are $23; $18 for military, students, ages 13 to 18 and 65+; free for ages 12 and under.
• Beatriz González: A Retrospective | Through Monday, January 20, 2020 – MFAH examines more than six decades of work from the groundbreaking Colombian artist that emerged out of the "radical women" generation from Latin America. Included with museum admission. Tickets are $17; $14 for 65+ and military; $10 for students and ages 13 to 18; free for ages 12 and under.
• Jasper Johns: 100 Variations on a Theme | Through Sunday, February 16, 2020 – Centering on a series of 100 unique prints the legendary artist made in 2015, this exhibit provides the suite of prints for viewers to explore the creative process at work behind his trademark mixed media pieces. Included with museum admission. Tickets are $17; $14 for ages 65+ and military; $10 for students and ages 13 to 18; free for ages 12 and under.

Learn more about visiting the MFAH | Official Site

Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS)

Another must-see Museum District landmark, Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) is best known for its amazing halls of Paleontology and Ancient Egypt exhibit, along with the Cockrell Butterfly Center, gem and minerals hall, planetarium, and more. You can often find discounted admission to HMNS by clicking here.

• White Christmas at the Cockrell Butterfly Center | Through Sunday, January 5, 2020 – In the spirit of the holidays, the famed rainforest conservatory is filled with hundred of white tropical butterflies, including the rice paper butterfly and the white morpho, as well as beautiful white flowers that transform the environs into a winter wonderland. Tickets are $12; $10 for students, ages 3 to 11 and 62+; free for ages 2 and under.
• Moon by Luke Jerram | Through Monday, January 6, 2020 – In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Lunar Lander gracing the surface of the moon, Luke Jerram has created a stunning 23-foot in diameter sphere that projects high-resolution NASA imagery of the moon's pock-marked surface, including Apollo landing spots, and the elusive "dark side of the moon". This exhibit is included with general admission. Tickets are $25; $10 for students, ages 3 to 11 and 62+; free for ages 2 and under.
• Stonehenge: Ancient Mysteries and Modern Discoveries | Through Sunday, March 22, 2020 – Explore the ancient mysterious formation of these massive stones with a look at scientific research, hundreds of original artifacts (many of which make their U.S. debut), and modern discoveries. Tickets are $30; $21 for ages 3 to 11 and 62+; free for ages 2 and under.
• The Art of the Brick | Through Sunday, March 29, 2020 – Artist Nathan Sawaya transforms the playful LEGO brick into a sophisticated art form, with original sculptures and re-imagined versions of famous masterpieces like Van Gogh's Starry Night and Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa. Tickets are $30; $21 for ages 3 to 11 and 62+; free for ages 2 and under.

Learn more about visiting HMNS | Official Site

The Health Museum

In the Museum District, the Health Museum is a Smithsonian-affiliate kid-friendly staple that invites museum-goers to consider the human body in all of its capabilities and the ways we can keep it healthy, thanks in part to marvelous advances in medical science.

• Outbreak: Epidemics in a Connected World | Through Sunday, May 31, 2020 – Created by Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., this exhibit examines the origins of pathogens, how they spread, and the ways to address them in a world where humans, animals, and the environment have deep, intricate connections. Included with museum admission. Tickets are $10; $8 for ages 3 to 12 and 65+; free for ages 2 and under.

Learn more about visiting The Health Museum | Official Site

Holocaust Museum Houston

Through a reflective journey of the events in Europe in the 1930s and 40s, Holocaust Museum Houston (HMH) provides an educational experience that promotes responsible individual behavior, cultivates civility, and pursues social justice by exploring human rights and the horrors of hatred, prejudice, and apathy.

• Danny Lyon: Memories of the Southern Civil Rights Movement | Through Sunday, January 5, 2020 – HMH explores moments of the southern civil rights movement, both brutal and prayerful, through the lens of renowned post-War photographer Danny Lyon. Included with museum admission. Tickets are $15; $10 for military and ages 65+; free for college students and ages 18 and under.
• Dolores Huerta: Revolution in the Fields/Revolución en los Campos | Through Sunday, February 16, 2020 – Through photographs, interviews, and documentary footage, HMH traces the life of legendary activist Dolores Huerta and her efforts in the farm workers movement of the 1960s and 70s. Tickets are $15; $10 for military and ages 65+; free for college students and ages 18 and under.

Learn more about visiting HMH | Official Site

Asia Society Texas Center

One of twelve Asia Society locations in the country, the Asia Society Texas Center in the Museum District hosts public programs and exhibitions to increase knowledge of Asia, enhance dialogue, and generate new ideas across the fields of art and culture, business, and education.

• Tsuruya Kōkei: Modern Kabuki Prints Revised & Revisited | Through Sunday, January 19, 2020 – In celebration of the artist's thirtieth anniversary of his first solo show in the United States, this unprecedented collection of his contemporary actor prints explores broader questions of self-definition and identity in kabuki. Tickets are $8; $5 for students and ages 65+; free for ages 12 and under.

Learn more about visiting Asia Society Texas Center | Official Site

The Bryan Museum in Galveston

Located in the historic Galveston Orphans Home, The Bryan Collection is one of the world's largest collections of historical artwork, artifacts, and documents relating to the American West and Texas.

• Visions of New Mexico | Through Tuesday, December 31, 2019 – Drawn from the collection of the Panhandle-Plains Museum, this exhibition includes nearly sixty paintings from some of the most recognizable painters from the Taos and Santa Fe Schools, including Joseph Sharp, Walter Ufer, and Martin Hennings. Admission is $14; $12 for ages 65+ and military; $10 for students; $5 for ages 6 to 12; free for ages under 6.

Learn more about visiting the Bryan Museum | Official Site

Lone Star Flight Museum (LFSM)

Next to Ellington International Airport, Lone Star Flight Museum (LSFM) is home to more than 40 displays of significant flying vehicles, hundreds of artifacts related to the history of flight, and flying simulators. In additional, the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame pays tribute to the contributions of native Texans, including Howard Hughes and former President George H.W. Bush.

• Ellington Airport: Gateway to Space | Through Sunday, January 19, 2020 – Through historical photos, illustrations, and stories of the past, this exhibition explores the history of the historic airfield, and looks ahead to its future as a spaceport in the next frontier of aerospace travel. Tickets are $14.95; $12.95 for ages 12 to 17 and 65+; $9.95 for ages 4 to 11; free for ages under 4.

Learn more about visiting Lone Star Flight Museum | Official Site

National Museum of Funeral History (NMFH)

In North Houston, the National Museum of Funeral History (NMFH) houses the country’s largest collection of funeral service artifacts and features renowned exhibits on one of man’s oldest cultural customs. Visitors to NMFH can discover the mourning rituals of ancient civilizations, see up-close the authentic items used in the funerals of U.S. presidents and popes, and explore the rich heritage of the industry that cares for the dead.

• Icons in Ash | Temporarily on view in 2019 – NMFH further explores ways to memorialize loved ones with Icons In Ash, an exhibition of contemporary fine artist Heide Hatry’s memorial portraits, crafted from the cremated remains of the deceased subjects. Tickets are $10; $9 for ages 55+ and military; $7 for ages 6 to 11; free for ages 5 and under.

Learn more about visiting NMFH | Official Site

Free Exhibitions & Art Installations in Houston

Houston is home to many renowned institutions like the Menil Collection, Contemporary Arts Museum of Houston (CAMH), Moody Center for the Arts, and more where you can explore current exhibitions for free, with opportunities to donate to the institutions.

Menil Collection

The Menil Collection is a uniquely beloved art museum and campus housing the permanent collection started by John and Dominique de Menil. The main building anchors a campus that also features the Rothko Chapel, Byzantine Fresco Chapel, and Menil Drawing Institute. Two further buildings are dedicated to single artists (Cy Twombly and Dan Flavin) and another to year-long installation projects. Admission to the Menil Collection and its buildings on campus is free and open to the public.

• Mapa Wiya (Your Map's Not Needed): Australian Aboriginal Art from the Fondation Opale | Through Sunday, February 2, 2020 | FREE – This exhibition of significant Aboriginal artwork explores the concept of meaningful Aboriginal spaces that include diverse terrains and land—including areas on which cities have been built and painful histories of violent colonialism have taken place.
• Jean-Jacques Lequeu: Visionary Architect at Menil Drawing Institute | Through Sunday, January 5, 2020 | FREE – The Menil Drawing Institute hosts an exhibition of wildly imaginative architectural drawings for never-realized projects from Jean-Jacques Lequeu, one of the most inventive artists of post-revolutionary France.
• Collection Close-Up: Of Heaven and Earth | Through Sunday, March 15, 2020 – The Menil Collection surveys the representation of birds in the history of art since the third millenium BCE by highlighting pieces of its permanent collection, including paintings, sculptures, and works on paper from around the world.

Learn more about visiting the Menil | Official Site

Contemporary Art Museum, Houston (CAMH)

Located across the street from the MFAH campus, the Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston (CAMH) hosts ever-rotating exhibitions that its curators deem the most exciting international, national, and regional art of our time. Housed in a striking stainless steel building, the museum has two galleries. Admission is always free. Donations at the door are welcomed, but not required.

• Nari Ward: We the People | Through Saturday, November 30, 2019 | FREE – CAMH examines works that span the 25-year career of Harlem-based sculptural artist Nari Ward, who addresses topics that include historical memory, political and economic disenfranchisement, racism, and democracy.
• Will Boone: The Highway Hex | Through Sunday, February 16, 2020 | FREE – The Houston-born and Los Angles-based artist Will Boone explores the distance between these two locations with new works that include a site-specific installation, paintings, and sculptures.

Learn more about visiting CAMH | Official Site

Discovery Green & Avenida Houston

While it's far from a museum, Discovery Green and the adjacent Avenida Houston are well known for its interactive, striking, and compelling public art installations. The park's art installations are always free to the public.

• Sonic Playground: Yuri Suzuki | Through Sunday, February 23, 2020 | FREE – From Japanese artist and designer Yuri Suzuki, this temporary playground offers visitors a chance to twist, modify, and transmit sound in unusual and playful ways.
• Paloma | Friday, November 22, 2019 through Monday, February 24, 2020 | FREE – This site-specific installation by French creative studio Pitaya utilizes dynamic LED lights after dusk to illuminate a series of 200 colorful aluminum "origami" birds, creating the illusion of flight.
• Here and Now by Lina Dib | Friday, November 22, 2019 through Monday, February 24, 2020 | FREE –Accompanying Paloma, this sound installation from Houston-based artist and anthropologist Lina Dib explores ecological change and global migration with choreographed sounds that complement Pitaya's scultpures for an immersive installation.

Learn more about visiting Discovery Green | Official Site

Moody Center for the Arts

On the campus of Rice University, Moody Center for the Arts is a state-of-the-art architectural beauty, hosting multiple immersive exhibitions throughout the year, as well as workshops, classes, and special events. Admission is always free and open to the public.

• Moon Shot | Through Saturday, December 21, 2019 | FREE – Celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, Moody presents an exhibition of works from a selection of innovative artists from the 1960s to the present, that range from paintings to virtual reality.
• Geoff Winningham: Changing Houston | Through Tuesday, March 17, 2020 | FREE – With the support of a 2018 Houston Arts Alliance grant, Rice University professor of visual arts Geoff Winningham presents a set of photographs that document changing elements of Houston and the interaction of both the natural and man-made landscape of the city.
• Off the Wall: Harold Mendez | Through Monday, August 24, 2020 | FREE – The inaugural artist for Rice Public Art's new Off the Wall series, Harold Mendez's site specific Field (Encounter) draws from photographic archives to explore forgotten histories of the late nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries.

Learn more about visiting Moody Center for the Arts | Official Site

Lawndale Art Center

From its home in Midtown, Lawndale Art Center focuses on emerging, up-and-coming local and regional artists, giving them exposure in its four galleries, garden, and the massive 3,200-square-foot wall on the building's northeast-facing wall. Admission is free and open to the public.

• Michael Menchaca: The Codex Silex Vallis (The Silicon Valley Codex) | Through Sunday, December 22, 2019 | FREE – In an exhibition that includes a site-specific wallpaper installation, new paintings, drawings, videos, and virtual reality, Michael Menchaca explores how the growing tech industry has infiltrated traditional Latinx family customs in the United States.
• Saúl Hernández-Vargas: No queda nada para nosotros en la espesura (Nothing Left for Us in the Wilderness) | Through Sunday, December 22, 2019 | FREE –Mexican visual artist, editor and non-fiction writer Saúl Hernández-Vargas creates "plates" using distinct Oaxaca mud samples and wax repurposed from his grandfather's jewelry practice to explore how the Mexican State's use of pre-Hispanic jewels were used to promote a unified political identity.

Learn more about visiting Lawndale Art Center | Official Site

Blaffer Art Museum

On the University of Houston campus in Third Ward, Blaffer Art Museum offers free exhibitions, publications, and public programming for a participatory experience in understanding the force of contemporary art.

• Jacqueline Nova: Creación de la Tierra | Through Saturday, January 4, 2020 | FREE – A pioneering figure of electroacoustic music in Colombia, the late breakthrough musician created this crowning achievement in 1972, exploring the boundaries between music and noise in an immersive audio experience. Rarely exhibited, it is now on view at the Blaffer Art Museum.
• Gareth Long: Kidnappers Foil | Saturday, November 16, 2019 through Saturday, March 14, 2020 | FREE – In this immersive moving image installation, artist Gareth Long dives into the social, cultural, and media histories of amateur American filmmaking with simultaneous projections of existing copies of Texan filmmaker Melton Barker's work through its various mediums.
• Paul Mpagi Sepuya | Through Saturday, March 14, 2020 | FREE – The first major museum survey of contemporary artist Paul Mpagi Sepuya traces his work across the last thirteen years, exploring his deconstruction of traditional portraiture through layering, fragmentation, and the perspective of the black, queer gaze.

Learn more about visiting Blaffer Art Museum | Official Site

Jung Center

Located next to CAMH, the Jung Center offers more than 200 classes each year on topics including relationships, ethics, religious studies, expressive arts, writing, mediation and more. In addition, Jung Center also features a free art gallery with rotating exhibits from emerging and established local, regional, and national artists.

• Urban and Rural Dwellings by Silvia PintoSouza | Through Wednesday, December 18, 2019 | FREE – Silvia PintoSouza examines the cultural and historical  role of buildings in our society, and the stories behind their creation and who lives within them.

Learn more about visiting the Jung Center | Official Site

Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC)

Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) is one of the only museums in the country dedicated to the art of making things by hand. In addition to checking out its exhibits, visitors to HCCC can witness artists-in-residence from around the country as they create original art from materials like clay, fiber, glass, metal, wood or found/recycled materials. Admission is free and open to the public.

• Objects: Redux—How 50 Years Made Craft Contemporary | Through Sunday, January 5, 2020 | FREE – Commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of a seminal craft exhibition at the Smithsonian National Collection of Fine Arts in 1969, this exhibition reflects on the legacy of that influential survey, featuring work by artists in the original exhibition, as well as contemporary makers who have made their own contributions to the field.
• Nathalie Miebach: The Water Line | Through Sunday, January 5, 2020 | FREE – This solo exhibition addresses the scientific and emotional effects of three of the five most catastrophic hurricanes in U.S. history—all occurring in 2017, featuring a large-scale woven installation, sculptures, and watercolor musical scores that translate weather data into art.

Learn more about visiting HCCC | Official Site

Houston Center for Photography (HCP)

Since 1981, Houston Center for Photography (HCP) in Montrose has hosted ongoing exhibitions of renowned artists, up-and-coming photographers, and students that take part in classes or workshops offered at the small visual artists' organization. Admission is free and open to the public.

• Farah Al Qasimi | Through Sunday, January 12, 2020 | FREE – Born in the United Arab Emirates, Farah Al Qasimi's work pops with color and pattern in an exhibition that highlights places and people in her home country.
• 2019 Contemporary Practice | Through Sunday, January 12, 2020 | FREE – This exhibition features work from undergraduate photography students in colleges across Texas, highlighting varied approaches to the medium and promoting regional interactions within the state.

Learn more about visiting HCP | Official Site

Station Museum of Contemporary Art

Located in Midtown, Station Museum of Contemporary Art has spent two decades hosting local, national, and international exhibitions that seek to broaden public awareness of the cultural, political, economic, and personal dimensions of art. Admission is free and open to the public.

• Irvin Tepper: Evidence of Phantoms Made Real Between Thoughts | Through Sunday, January 12, 2020 | FREE – Through drawings, sculptures, and video, New York artist Irvin Tepper displays his work in a solo exhibition that explores motion, form, and the tension that exists between being and non-being.

Learn more about visiting Station Museum of Contemporary Art | Official Site

Art League Houston

One of the city’s oldest non-profit art organizations and a staple for contemporary visual art exhibitions and community classes, Art League Houston embraces contemporary approaches offering modern curatorial programming, community-building through art education, and outreach to the under-served communities. Admission is free and open to the public.

• Re-Membering is the Responsibility of the Living by Taja Lindley | Friday, November 15, 2019 through Saturday, January 4, 2020 | FREE – This multi-media, performance-based site-specific installation from Brooklyn-based artist Taja Lindley explores what has been abandoned, erased, silenced, or distorted in our individual and collective consciousness, surrounding the violent treatment of Black people in the United States.
• One by One by Arely Morales | Friday, November 15, 2019 through Saturday, January 4, 2020 | FREE – Nacogdoches-based artist Arely Morales relates her personal experiences as an immigrant through paintings that portray the grace and humanity of immigrant workers with a religious-like aura, inviting personal engagement from the viewer.
• Soft Listings by Daniela Koontz | Friday, November 15, 2019 through Saturday, January 4, 2020 | FREE – Informed by her work on an archaeological dig in Central America, Houston-based artist Daniela Koontz exhibits her recent works on paper in the form of illustrated lists of beautiful and interesting things united by themes of her own imagining.
• Just After by Ann Wood | Friday, November 15, 2019 through Saturday, January 4, 2020 | FREE – Galveston-based artist Ann Wood exhibits a site-specific installation that recalls the aesthetic elements of Rococo and Baroque excess combined with Gothic-style funerary monuments, informed by the passing of both of her parents in the summer of 2016.

Learn more about visiting Art League Houston | Official Site

Archway Gallery

Since 1976, Archway Gallery has been Texas' oldest artist-owned gallery, presenting monthly exhibitions of sculpture, pottery, and paintings across a wide range of media and styles. Admission is free and open to the public.

• Intangible References by Jane Ewen | Through Thursday, December 5, 2019 | FREE – The Heights-based abstract expressionist exhibits a series of layered paintings that explore the relationship between complex musical forms and the intangible response of the painter.

Learn more about visiting Archway Gallery | Official Site

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