HPL - Visit Us at Houston Public Library

Detail from Stella Sullivan, Reflections in a Glass Door, 1967, oil on canvas. Houston Public Library, City of Houston Civic Art Collection. Photograph by Earlie Hudnall, Jr.

August 24 - October 8, 2024

The Julia Ideson Building | Exhibit Hall

“A public library has a greater opportunity of fulfilling the purpose to which it is dedicated, namely, that of enriching the higher life of the community, if it has in addition to a generous supply of inspiring and helpful books, some objects representing other lines of artistic development, examples of those works of art, which, together with books, have ever been a source of joy and inspiration to the soul of man.”

“The Library as an Art Center,” The Houston Post, August 2, 1908

On March 2, 1904, the Houston Lyceum and Carnegie Library opened at the corner of Travis Street and McKinney Avenue. Within three years, over 10,000 Houstonians owned a library card. Shortly after opening its doors, the library began to acquire pieces for its permanent art collection and became a venue for temporary exhibits.

In 120 years, Houston Public Library (HPL) has grown from one location to over 40 locations. The Library as an Art Center: Celebrating 120 Years of Art at Houston Public Library is a rare opportunity to view selected works from HPL's permanent art collection in one location. This exhibition also covers the history of HPL's long-standing commitment to providing free art exhibits to Houston residents and visitors. We hope you enjoy The Library as an Art Center and continue to visit us to see what we have in store for the next 120 years.

Featured artists include Charles Baugh, John Biggers, Mary Anita Bonner, Emma Richardson Cherry, Marian Ford, Frank Freed, David Hickman, Dorothy Hood, Earlie Hudnall, Jr., Grace Spaulding John, Sven Lukin, Leila McConnell, Claes Oldenburg, Charles Pebworth, Edward Muegge (Buck) Schiwetz, Mary Ellen Shipnes, Anna Francis Simpson for Newcomb College Pottery, Bernard Sleigh, Stella Sullivan, Trudy Sween, Ruth Pershing Uhler, Van Briggle Pottery, and Sidney Van Ulm.

EXPLORE THE COLLECTIONS

E. Richardson Cherry Papers (MSS 0027)

Emma Richardson Cherry resided in Houston between the years of 1892 and 1954. Her works, primarily created in oil or watercolor, depicted landscapes, still lifes, and portraits. She was perhaps the city's best-kown artist for half a century. This collection of correspondence, notes, newspaper clippings, and memorabilia detail her family's history, her own travels and artistic achievements as well as her role in the founding of what has become the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Houston Public Library Records (RG A 0013)

The Houston Public Library Collection contains records of the institution's history and activities. Included are reports, photographs, internal and external correspondence, budgets, publicity, scrapbooks, branch building construction documents, brochures, borrower's registries, strategic plans, agendas and meeting minutes. Also included are documents relating to partnership initiatives, contracts and purchase orders, and technology additions and upgrades to the library system.

Houston Municipal Arts Commission Records (RG A 0033)

The Houston Municipal Art Commission Collection contains artwork and operational records from approximately forty years of the Commission's existence. The artwork records consists of background information on proposed artists and pieces of art, conservation histories, and other published and unpublished information about artwork owned by the City of Houston. The operational records consist of financial data, personnel records, correspondence, minutes, and other information about the Commission as a whole.

Recent Posts

Mexican Fiestas

Sendero de maravillas. A trail of marigold petals has been laid out for el Día de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead), leading to the door of a home in Zinacapan, Puebla. Photo by Geoff Winningham.September 14 - December 5, 2024 Central Library | 1st Floor Gallery Featuring striking images by Houston photographer Geoff Winningham, Mexican Fiestas presents a vivid chronicle of the historic and diverse traditions of Mexican festivals-deeply rooted expressions of the country's religious and cultural heritage. Beginning with his first trip to the state of Michoacán for Día de los Muertos, Winningham's work spans decades, documenting a wide array of festive traditions in villages throughout Mexico, highlighting how these celebrations unite communities through centuries-old traditions of art, music, dance and worship. ARTIST STATEMENT In order to appreciate the cultural importance of the popular fiestas of Mexico, one must go back to the 16th century, to the years immediately following the Spanish conquest, when the indigenous religious celebrations of the Amerindian civilizations of Mesoamerica began to fuse with the Catholic rites of the Spanish conquerors. Beginning at that time, over five centuries ago–and continuing to the present day–Mexican fiestas have served as living reminders of the country’s turbulent history, as well as celebrations of its religious and spiritual foundations. Through music, dance, art, and storytelling, Mexican fiestas have passed ancient knowledge and customs from one generation to the next, while providing platforms for artisans, musicians, and performers to showcase their talents, thus ensuring that cultural legacies continue to flourish and evolve in the modern world. The elaborate costumes, masks, and rhythmic dances of the Nahual people of Zinacapan, Puebla, the vibrant music and intricate artistry of the Day of the Dead celebrations in Oaxaca and Michoacán, the solemn processions and ceremonial rituals of the penitents at Atotonilco, Guanajuato, each offers a window into the soul of Mexico. In 1983, I drove across the border from Texas into Mexico for the first time, where I discovered a New World at my doorstep. Fascinated by the culture, amazed by the diverse beauty of the landscape, and enthralled by the fiestas I witnessed, I traveled for almost a year, exploring and photographing virtually every region of Mexico. A year later, I returned on another driving trip, specifically to see and to photograph the famous celebration of el Día de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead) in the region around Lake Pátzcuaro. Shortly after that trip, a Mexican photographer friend gave me a copy the Calendario de Fiestas Populares. Published by the Mexican Office of Popular Culture, roughly the size of a large Bible, the Calendario is a unique volume, listing over 7,000 traditional fiestas with historic roots, located in every region of Mexico. Each of these fiestas is celebrated annually, some in cities, but most in villages so far off the beaten track that the Calendario includes maps, guides for those who wish to find and observe these remote celebrations. Since discovering the Calendario, I have traveled to photograph several hundred fiestas in 22 Mexican states. The most famous of these festivities, the Day of the Dead, is now widely promoted by the Mexican government, bringing more tourists to those celebrations each year. Still, most Mexican fiestas are barely known beyond the tiny villages in which they are celebrated, and many are struggling to survive, as their rural communities face the eroding effects of television, internet, and the migration of their inhabitants from their homes, often across the US border, in search of work. In addition to the historic and cultural importance of the popular fiestas of Mexico, there is another, more profound reason that fiestas have continued to exist and seem certain to survive as an essential part of Mexican culture. Writing in In the Eye of the Sun: Mexican Fiestas, the eminent Chicano writer Richard Rodriguez observed: On the day of the fiesta, everything is different. . . On any other day of the year the will of God may be hard to decipher, harder to bear. Why has God allowed a drought to wither the fields? Why did He allow our mother to suffer with cancer . . . there are no answers. The fiesta impersonates a divine motive. If not an answer, the fiesta supplies a droll rhyme—tears become sequins. The pleasure of the fiesta is that for one day the link between heaven and earth is certain. The air in the early morning seems different, sweeter. The sky hangs at a slant unlike any other day of the year. I offer the photographs in this exhibition as a visual record of the Mexican fiestas I have witnessed, as personal memoir of the trail of marvels that I have followed across Mexico over the past forty years, and as a love poem to this beautiful country and to its people, who have welcomed me so generously. SUGGESTED READING Winningham, Geoff, Along Forgotten River: Photographs of Buffalo Bayou and the Houston Ship Channel, 1997-2001Winningham, Geoff, Traveling the Shore of the Spanish Sea: The Gulf Coast of Texas and Mexico Kid/Juvenile- Aranda, Ana, Our Day of the Dead Celebration- Barner, Bob, The Day of the Dead - El Día de los Muertos- Garza, Xavier, Just One Itsy Bitsy Bite - Sólo una mordidita chiquitita- González Pérez, María Alma, ¡Todos a celebrar! A Hispanic Customs & Traditions Alphabet Book- Silva, Sadie, Day of the Dead- Stuart-Campbell, Melanie, Celebrating Día de los Muertos: History, Traditions, and Activities (A Holiday Book for Kids) Adult- Andrade, Mary J., Day of the Dead in Mexico - Día de Muertos en México- Beezley, William H., Mexico in World History- Marquez-Sharpnack, Yvette, Muy Bueno Fiestas: 100+ Delicious Mexican Recipes for Celebrating the Year- Meyer, Michael C., The Oxford History of Mexico- Shorris, Earl, The Life and Times of Mexico Check out our Library of Things!- Halloween skull pan- Haunted skull cakelet pan- Tonie box Family Matters Mexican Fiestas is a traveling exhibition by Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, created in collaboration with Houston photographer Geoff Winningham. ...

For Whence We Stand

Image courtesy of Priscilla T Graham October 19, 2024 - January 14, 2025The African American History Research Center at the Gregory School | Gallery For Whence We Stand is a documentary exhibit designed to create awareness, inform, educate, and stimulate learning through positive imaging and storytelling using mixed media, photography, and cinematography. The exhibit tells the story of the people fighting to preserve the cultural heritage of their community and the African American experience in Houston. Freedmen's Town, a living laboratory of African American history and life, was founded after the Civil War in 1865. The Freedmen, originally from small farms and plantations south and southwest of Houston along the Brazos River, migrated to Houston via the San Felipe Road, a significant migration route that symbolized their journey to freedom and opportunity. Many settled on the Buffalo Bayou's swampy banks, where they established their community.The Freedmen, a community of skilled stonemasons and carpenters, built their homes, businesses, churches, and even paved their streets with bricks they paid for themselves. This original settlement evolved into the economic, spiritual, and cultural heart of Houston's African American community. The self-sufficient Freedmen's Town boasted its businesses, hospital, and unique and intriguing architecture that continues to fascinate visitors today. Schools, a library, YMCA, YWCA, and various denominational churches were also part of this vibrant community. More than 95% of Houston's first African American businesses were located in Freedmen's Town, a testament to the community's entrepreneurial spirit and resilience. About Priscilla T Graham, The Visual Historical LyricistPriscilla T Graham is an American documentary photographer, author, and filmmaker who specializes in storytelling through the lens of the camera, capturing timeless moments of life. Her work is not just about capturing images, but about preserving the rich history and culture of the African American experience in Houston. It is a testament to her love for the community and her commitment to its history. EXPLORE THE COLLECTIONSElbert Howze Collection (MSS 0171)The Elbert Howze Collection contains newspaper articles, photographs, drawings, and his “Fourth Ward” photography book. The contents of the collection primarily focuses on structures, people, and life in Fourth Ward, Houston during the 1980s.Freedmen's Town Association Collection (RG 0052)The Freedmen's Town Association Collection contains documents and published materials pertaining to the efforts of the Freedmen's Town Association in preserving the Fourth Ward from 1983 to 1986.General S. and Mary L. Johnson Collection (MSS 0129)The General S. and Mary L. Johnson Collection is reflective of Mrs. Johnson's life and career, spanning mostly through the 1920s to the 1970s. The papers include original writings, correspondence, biographical material, and newspaper clippings. Significant portions of the collection represent her time as a teacher and educator, showcase her editorial writings, and signify the Johnson's involvement with the Antioch Baptist Church in Houston. Other items in the collection include photographs and objects, such as a paddle board from Phillis Wheatley High School, a swagger stick, and school ribbons from Mrs. Johnson's time as a student at the Houston Colored High School in 1917.Ken Breisch Photographs (MSS 0187)The Ken Breisch Collection consists of 60 35mm slides showing buildings and streets in Fourth Ward Houston, Texas between 1983 and 1999. The collection includes images of Ruthven, Mathews, Andrews, and Robin Streets.Records of the Gregory School Project (RG 0008)The Records of the Gregory School Project contains records, plans, meetings, reports, and correspondence that document the collaborative process of the City of Houston, the Mayor's Office, the Houston Public Library, architects, contractors, and the surrounding community in their efforts to completely restore the building into the African American Library at the Gregory School.Reverend Jack Yates and Antioch Baptist Church Collection (MSS 0281)This collection is an assortment of church and school ephemera such as programs, memorials, yearbooks, and directories; correspondence and documents; along with historically important photographs of Reverend Jack Yates and Fourth Ward scenes and people. SUGGESTED READINGGraham, Priscilla T., 150 Years, Standing StrongNational Register of Historic Places, Freedmen's Town Historic District, Houston, TexasThe Red Book of Houston: A Compendium of Social, Professional, Religious, Educational and Industrial Interest of Houston's Colored PopulationWilliams, David A. (Editor), Bricks Without Straw: A Comprehensive History of African Americans in Texas This exhibition is partnership with Priscilla T Graham and generously supported by City of Houston, Houston Public Library, and Houston Public Library Foundation. ...

"And there's the humor of it!": Shakespeare and the four humors

Left image: “Globe Theater,” Londinium florentissima Brittaniae urbs, Claes Jansz Visscher, 1626. Courtesy Folger Shakespeare Library. | Middle image: William Shakespeare, 1633. Courtesy Folger Shakespeare Library. | Right image: Anatomy of Melancholy, Robert Burton, 1628. Courtesy National Library of Medicine.October 14 - November 23, 2024 Central Library | 1st Floor English poet and playwright William Shakespeare (1564-1616) created characters that are among the richest and most humanly recognizable in all of literature. Yet Shakespeare understood human personality and health in the terms available to his age—that of the now-discarded theory of the four bodily humors—blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm. These four humors were understood to define peoples' physical and mental health, and determined their personality, as well. "And there's the humor of it!": Shakespeare and the four humors explores the language of the four humors and their influence in Shakespeare’s plays. The National Library of Medicine produced this traveling banner exhibit, guest curated by scholar Gail Kern Paster, PhD (director emerita, Folger Shakespeare Library), and historian and educator Theodore M. Brown, PhD (University of Rochester). The National Library of Medicine produced this exhibition and companion website. ...

Straight Flexin', No Plexin': A Hip Hop Exhibit

Lester Roy, Blindside, Chamillionaire, Archie Lee, Paul Wall, Michael "5000" Watts, Lil Ron, and Le Marcus. Image courtesy of Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University. | Big Pokey, Paul Wall, and Big Hawk at the Sittin' Sideways video shoot. Image courtesy of Mike Frost. June 1 - November 9, 2024Vinson Neighborhood Library Once considered a fad by early detractors, hip hop honored its 50th anniversary on August 11, 2023. Promoters, historians, fans, libraries, and media outlets across the United States sponsored celebrations, events, and concerts to pay homage to the art form. However, the global impact of hip hop is undeniable and worthy of celebration beyond this milestone. Straight Flexin’, No Plexin’: A Hip Hop Exhibit, on view at Vinson Neighborhood Library, includes memorabilia, artwork, and photos of hip hop artists and creatives from Houston, Atlanta, New York, and California (Bay Area). The items on display are from the Center for Engaged Research and Collaborative Learning (CERCL) Hip Hop Archival Collection, housed at Rice University's Woodson Research Center at Fondren Library, and from private collectors. Although 2023 marked the 50th birthday of hip hop, the growing music genre is still young and has more milestones to reach. This exhibit serves as a reminder that as the culture continues to evolve and influence the world, it will be showcased and celebrated. Yes, yes y’all. SUGGESTED READING AND MEDIAFaniel, Maco L., Hip-Hop in Houston: The Origin and the LegacySerrano, Shea, The Rap Year BookWalker, Lance Scott, DJ Screw: A Life in Slow RevolutionWalker, Lance Scott, Houston Rap Tapes: An Oral History of Bayou City Hip-HopWesthoff, Ben, Dirty South: Outkast, Lil Wayne, Soulja Boy, and the Southern Rappers Who Reinvented Hip-HopWilkins, Langston Collin, Welcome 2 Houston: Hip Hop Heritage in Hustle Town Don't forget that you can check out music! Exhibit Director: Dr. Anthony Pinn Curators: Chinara Butler, Corey ‘Co’ Garrett, Center for Engaged Research and Collaborative Learning (CERCL), Woodson Research Center at Fondren Library Strategic Panel: Dr. Portia Hopkins, Maya Reine, Corey ‘Co’ Garrett Collaborating Organizations: CCM Foundation Special thanks to CERCL Hip Hop Archive members: HaviKoro Crew, Swishahouse, Pimp C, Mike Frost, K-Rino, Scotty ATL, Damon ‘Dame’ Dash, KRS-ONE...