Uniquely Houston
Leslie Gaworecki, Marlo Saucedo, and Emanual “Outspoken” Bean
COMPLETION DATE
2024
LOCATION
District B, George Bush Intercontinental Airport, D-West Pier
2800 N Terminal Rd
Houston, TX 77032
District B
CLIENT
City of Houston
SPONSORING DEPARTMENT
Houston Airport System
PROJECT BUDGET
$90.000.00
Photo: Shau Lin Hon, Slyworks Photography 2024
Leslie Gaworecki, Marlo Saucedo, and Emanual “Outspoken” Bean
Uniquely Houston are collaborative acrylic paintings combining the artistic styles of Leslie Gaworecki, Marlo Saucedo, and Emanual “Outspoken” Bean. Together, they create a vibrant and multi-layered expression of Houston’s distinct and unique character. Gaworecki’s colorful and uplifting canvases provide a backdrop for Saucedo’s imagery, rendered out of poetry written by Outspoken Bean that tells the story of Houston. Bringing words of welcome and inspiration, these artworks literally tell the story of the City.
-
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 Houston Airport System (HAS) is the City of Houston’s Department of Aviation, comprised of George Bush Intercontinental Airport, William P. Hobby Airport, and Ellington Airport/Houston Spaceport. The System served 54 million passengers in 2022 and nearly 60 million in 2019. HAS positions Houston as the international passenger and cargo gateway to the South-Central United States and as a primary gateway to Latin America. It contributed $36.4 billion to the local economy in 2019 and is responsible for creating 190,000 jobs.
-
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/PANELISTS
Alison de Lima Greene, Isabel Brown Wilson Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Melanie K. Brown, Division Manager for Customer Service, George Bush Intercontinental Airport
Andrew Czobor, Assistant Director, Terminal Management, Terminal D, George Bush Intercontinental Airport
Felicia Kizzie, Secretary, Heather Ridge Village Homeowners Association
Naiomy Guerrero, Graduate Center Teaching Fellow, The City College at The City University of New York
Nicole Mullen, Curator of Exhibitions at SFO Museum at the San Francisco International Airport
Nominating Committee
Christian Wurst, Assistant Curator of Exhibitions at the Sheldon Museum of Art
Marcela Guerrero, Jennifer Rubio Associate Curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art
Mari Carmen Ramirez, Wortham Curator of Latin American Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Rita Gonzalez, Terri and Michael Smooke Curator and Department Head of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Artists Bios
Leslie Gaworecki
Leslie Gaworecki is an abstract artist based in Houston, Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from The Ohio State University. Her work has been exhibited in the Galleries of Sawyer Yards, The Milam Art Wall at Bank of America Tower, Texas Tower, SEAD Gallery, Grogan Gallery, Reeves Art and Design. Her paintings are collected internationally and have been commissioned or purchased for public spaces including Chase Banks, Westin Hotels, and Houston Airport Systems. Leslie is co-creator of “Color:Story,” a biennial collaborative exhibition bringing together artists and poets from Houston and around the world.
Marlo Saucedo
Marlo Saucedo is a Houston, Texas based visual artist whose work has been exhibited at Sawyer Yards’ Silver Street, Winter Street, Spring Street and Silos galleries, Galveston Arts Center, Houston City Hall, DiverseWorks Art Space, Lawndale Art Center, and more. Saucedo has been featured City Lifestyle and PaperCity, among others. Her work is in international private collections and has been commissioned for private collections and public spaces by clients including Google Cloud, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Crown Castle, Houston Methodist Hospital System, UTHealth Houston, Boulevard Realty, The City of Houston, Houston Mounted Patrol, and Houston Airport Systems.
Marlo is also co-creator of “Color:Story,” a biennial collaborative exhibition connecting artists and poets from Houston and around the world.
Outspoken Bean
Emanuelee Bean, known as "Outspoken Bean," is a dynamic poet and mentor in spoken word. As the first poet to perform on Houston Ballet's main stage, he's an influential figure who has also collaborated with VICE Media. Bean's poetry is permanently installed at Houston's IAH international gate alongside visual artists Marlo Saucedo and Leslie Gaworecki. As Houston’s Poet Laureate, Bean nurtures emerging talent through the Meta-Four Houston Youth Poetry Fellowship, which won the Brave New Voices slam twice consecutively. His global impact includes performances at prestigious venues like Carnegie Hall.