Grab a last look or first glimpse at opening and closing museum exhibits and installations throughout Greater Houston in August 2021.
This month, Project Row Houses reopens their doors for Round 52, vivid artifacts of the Central Andes go on display at Menil Collection, and resident artists feature at Archway Gallery and at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft.
Several exhibitions are also on their way out this month, including the thought-provoking work by teen artists at CAMH, nearly 200 artists on display at Lawndale’s The Big Show, a deep dive into the unconscious at Museum District’s Jung Center, and more.
Click here to check out more ongoing installation and exhibitions in museums around Greater Houston.
First Look: Opening Exhibitions in Houston This Month
- Enchanted: Visual Histories of the Central Andes at the Menil Collection | Opens Friday, July 30 | FREE – This collection explores pre-Hispanic archeological finds, including textiles, ceramic vessels, ceremonial works and religious painting, in combination with photographs by Pierre Verger taken during trips through the Central Andes.
- Round 52: Gulf Coast Anthropocene at Project Row Houses | Opens Saturday, July 31 | FREE – The Third Ward arts and community institution reopens to the public for the first time since closing in March 2020. Round 52 tackles the Anthropocene, a geological era associated with humans’ impact on the earth, as it relates to disastrous weather and pollution events experienced on the Gulf Coast. Through the work of 8 artists, Project Row Houses looks to what we can learn about this era, how we connect to built and natural environments, and the need for a more just and sustainable world.
- Respite: New Paintings by Margaret Miller at Archway Gallery | Opens Saturday, August 7 | FREE – With this exhibition looming in 2021, oil artist Margaret Miller spent the pandemic painting through it as a form of self expression and working through the tension of the times. The resulting works on display represent the artist’s journey through the pandemic and reflect the turbulent times of the past year and a half.
- In Residence: 14th Edition at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft | Opens Saturday, August 14 | FREE – The annual exhibition of resident artists at HCCC presents works in paper, metal, clay, fiber, and stone by 7 artists; Chloe Darke, Abbie Preston Edmonson, Hong Hong, Hillerbrand + Magsamen, Stephanie Robison, Michael Velliquette, and Kirstin Willders.
Click here to check out more ongoing installation and exhibitions in museums around Greater Houston.
Save on 1-Day & Multi-Day Museum Passes Around Houston
Last Chance: Closing Exhibitions in Houston This Month
- 13th Annual Juried Exhibition at Archway Gallery | Ends Wednesday, August 4 | FREE – Explore prize-winning works and original creations from area artists at one of Houston’s best-known artist-owned spaces at Archway Gallery.
- Turn On, Tune In, Tap Out at Contemporary Arts Museum Houston | Ends Monday, August 9 | FREE – This group exhibition presents works in paint, sculpture, video, and photography from more than 30 Houston-area teen artists in response to the shifting way of life during the pandemic. The works reflect on questions such as “How do you define ‘The Screen’?” and “How does ‘The Screen’ protect you or hold you back?”
- The Big Show 2021 at Lawndale Art Center | Ends Saturday, August 14 | FREE – The annual open-call juried show returns to Lawndale, offering visitors a chance to view works from local and regional artists that practice within a 100-mile radius of Houston. This year’s edition curated by Cecilia Fajardo-Hill features 212 artworks by 182 artists, culled from more than 500 submissions.
- Robert Hodge: Will They Reminisce Over You? at Lawndale Art Center | Ends Saturday, August 14 | FREE – Featured on the Main Street–facing windows of Lawndale, this work by Third Ward–raised artist Robert Hodge explores themes of memory and commemoration as part of the Sankofa Project, which aims to examine historical events that lead up to our current moment of social unrest and racial reckoning.
- Spanish Colonial Paintings from the Thoma Collection at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston | Ends Sunday, August 15 – On view since 2018, this collection of Spanish colonial paintings traces back to a period from 16th century to 19th century Latin America, where Spanish colonialism brought with it a flood of religious artwork by artists from the region and those who traveled from Europe to meet the huge demand. Included with general admission.
- Styling by the Sea: 140 Years of Swimwear at the Bryan Museum | Ends Saturday, August 21 – Launching in conjunction with the return of the Galveston Island Beach Revue, the closing summer exhibit consists of a unique selection of swimwear, sunglasses, beach bags, hats, totes, sandals and other accessories from across several decades of fashion and function.
- Sheila Hicks: The Questioning Column at Moody Center for the Arts | Ends Saturday, August 28 | FREE – Known for their work in fiber, Sheila Hicks transforms the vertical column of the Pitman oculus, an architectural feature of the Moody Center building, by using vibrant colors of textiles that reveal a complex structure when viewed from different sides.
- Brie Ruais: Movement at the Edge of the Land at Moody Center for the Arts| Ends Saturday, August 28 | FREE – This first solo exhibition of the Brooklyn-based ceramicist features works that engage with topics concerning the American landscape and its deterioration. Her sculptures point to the effect industrialized civilizations have had on landscapes, and the disregard for environmental, human or spiritual concerns.
- What I Did on My COVID Vacation at Art Car Museum | Ends Sunday, August 29 | FREE – In the 15th annual open call show, local artists offer one piece, created in the last year, that helped to explore and relieve the pressures of COVID lockdown.
- Welcome Aboard: Colorful Nostalgia of Commercial Flight at Lone Star Flight Museum | Ends Sunday, August 29 – Take flight for Lone Star Flight Museum’s latest exhibit, Welcome Aboard, which highlights the colorful history of commercial flight with vintage aircraft, early industry inflight amenities, and more. Included with general admission.
- Following General Sam Houston: Etchings by Bernhardt Wall at the Printing Museum | Ends Sunday, August 29 – Artist and historian Bernhardt Wall was a producer of fine press books who treated a vast array of subjects, including Texas and the Southwest. Today, Wall’s books are highly collectible and may be found in private collections, libraries and universities around the world. The etchings for this pictorial biography of Sam Houston were made in 1935 while wintering in La Porte, near the San Jacinto Battleground.
- Light from the Darkness: The Art of Peter Birkäuser at the Jung Center | Ends Tuesday, August 31 – Following a bout of depression, the Swiss artist sought answers through analysis with Marie-Louise von Franz and Carl Jung, which led him to illustrate images from his dreams that emerged from his deep unconscious. These works on display, while not well-received by the art community at the time, provide a vivid insight into the disruptive and transformative reality of the individuation process.
Click here to check out more ongoing installation and exhibitions in museums around Greater Houston.
Save on Multi-Day Museum Passes Around Houston
Find More Things to Do in Houston All Year Long
You can find more fun in our interactive event calendar and 365 Weekend Guides.
Be sure to subscribe to our free Weekend Guide email to receive a round-up of great things to do this weekend in Houston in your inbox every Thursday.
If you don’t want to miss a thing, you can also opt in to our Daily Update emails (emailed 5 days a week).
