COMPLETION DATE
May 2023
LOCATION
Sunnyside Health and Multi-Service Center
4410 Reed Rd
Houston, TX 77051
District D
CLIENT
City of Houston
SPONSORING DEPARTMENT
Houston Health Department
PROJECT BUDGET
$208,000.00
Image Credit: All images courtesy of the Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs; Photographer: Alex Barber; Video Production: Zainob+Matthew Create
The Dreamcatcher is a sculpture installed on the exterior of the Sunnyside Health and Multi-Service Center. It was created by Jesse Lott, a legendary Texas artist and longtime Fifth Ward resident.
In Lott’s words, “The Dreamcatcher is a manifestation of my understanding of a crossroads between drawing and sculpture. The illusion is presented as a drawing in space, but in reality, it is a sculpture.”
Visually, the piece can be perceived differently based on the changing perception and illusion as the light passes through the sculpture and the viewer’s distance varies. Everyone will see something different in the various intersections of line and color.
The basic structure of The Dreamcatcher is a 15’ circular stainless-steel pipe with fastenings that Lott used to attach wire and found materials by hand. The interior contains colored glass that catches sunlight and throws beautiful spots of color. Through a collaborative process, the artist invited Sunnyside residents to donate objects to be included in the infill portion and build toward the final imagery.
Lott’s collaborative efforts were to ensure that the residents of Sunnyside and, therefore, the patrons of the Multiservice Center would have ownership of the piece and a sense of pride in their creative input. The scale, color, and engagement process involved in constructing the work created the inclusive, colorful, visible community destination that the community asked for.
HAA oversaw the artist selection, design, fabrication, and installation process for this artwork. Working diligently with sponsoring city departments, Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, and the selected artists, HAA created and publicized the opportunity, coordinated the panel process, managed artist communications, and monitored on-site installation. Recommendation reports were submitted at the conclusion of Artist Selection and Design phases, and a robust closeout report was provided upon project completion detailing project summary and ongoing maintenance requirements.
The new Sunnyside Health and Multi-service Center offers more than 57,000 square feet of combined community service-oriented, multi-service center, and health center programs in one facility. The facility is the first of its kind for the Sunnyside community with a large two-story indoor atrium connecting the health and multi-service areas. The new $25.8 million center replaces the nearby 30-year-old former Sunnyside Health Center and Sunnyside Multi-Service Center.
The health and multi-service center showcases two original public art pieces created by local artists commissioned by the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (MOCA). The pieces will provide Houstonians and visitors an opportunity to engage with art in public spaces.
Sunnyside Stories: Narratives of a Historic Black Neighborhood on Vimeo
Video Production: Zainob+Matthew Create
This project was funded through Houston’s Civic Art Ordinance, which requires 1.75% of the budget for eligible City-funded construction projects to be spent on integrating artwork and artists’ ideas in public spaces and conserving the City of Houston’s Civic Art Collection. The Houston Arts Alliance administers the civic art program for the City of Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.
ARTS REPRESENTATIVES
Kheli Willetts, Director of Professional Development, Mid-America Arts Alliance
Ayanna Jolivet McCloud, Executive Director, Bayou City Waterkeeper
Sebastien Boncy, Artist, Educator
COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVE
Melanie Young, Founder, Young Community & Culture Group
SPONSORING DEPARTMENT REPRESENTATIVE
Roy Villareal, Administrative Manager, Houston Health Department
Jesse Lott (1943-2023) was a distinguished African American sculptor and longtime Fifth Ward, Houston resident. He began his artistic career by creating and selling his works as a student at E.O. Smith Elementary School in 1957. This helped form the beginnings of his artistic career.
He worked on paper, metal, and wood, as well as with armature and wire, all the while building with his artistry a visionary capacity for emotional power and creating awareness about the human condition and humanity. His technique is derived from collecting and recycling discarded materials, a type of urban archeology fused with scientific methodology.
Lott was one of Texas’ most respected artists. He has exhibited in major museums and universities in Texas and throughout the South. His art has also been shown at The Studio Museum in Harlem and the Alternative Museum in New York. In 2016, Art League Houston named Lott the Lifetime Achievement in Visual Arts Award recipient.
Jesse Lott has influenced many artists, including Texans as well-known as James Surls, Bert Long Jr., Rick Lowe, Robert Pruitt, Angelbert Metoyer, and Robert Hodge. The all-ages workshops he held over the years in his studio as a community service inspired many students who would otherwise have had no exposure to art. Lott’s community-oriented philosophy and ‘Artists in Action’ program helped create the now-famous Project Row Houses. Jesse Lott was appointed the 3-D Texas State Artist for 2021- 2022 by the Texas State Legislature and the Texas Commission of the Arts.
