John T. Biggers, Four Seasons, 1984, color lithograph, 22 ½ x 31 inches, collection of Dr. Sarah Trotty, reproduced with permission of Hazel Biggers.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Houston Public Library, Central Library, 500 McKinney
Vernacular Architecture and the Building Arts in Houston: The Gulf Coast Connection explores the multi-cultural traditions that have contributed to the development of Houston’s built environment.
This free all-day program includes presentations at the Central Library on the history and origins of the city’s vernacular styles and distinctive neighborhoods and live, interactive demonstrations of the building arts at The Heritage Society in Sam Houston Park.
Central Library, 4th Floor Program Place | 10 AM - 12 NOON
Shapes of Tradition | Carl Lindahl, University of Houston
Gumbo Style: A Taste of the Houston Vernacular | Gregory Free, Gregory Free & Associates
Shotgun Houses: Roots and Branches | John Michael Vlach, The George Washington University
Central Library, 4th Floor Program Place | 1 - 4 PM
Constructing Identities for Houston | Stephen Fox, Anchorage Foundation of Texas
Freedman’s Town: A Legacy of Aspirations | Barry Norwood, Prairie View A&M University
Catalogue Houses: The Vernacular Paradox | Margaret Culbertson, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Sacred Sites: A Developing Vernacular of Cultural and Religious Identity in Houston| Michelangelo Sabatino, University of Houston
The Heritage Society, Sam Houston Park, 1100 Bagby | 12 NOON - 4 PM
Architecture Center Houston, 315 Capitol, Suite 120 | 4 - 6 PM
For more information, please call the Houston Public Library, 832-393-1313, or visit this web site: www.houstonculture.org. This event is free and open to the public.
Vernacular Architecture and Building Arts in Houston: The Gulf Coast Connection is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, Humanities Texas and the Houston Arts Alliance. Co-sponsors are the Houston Institute for Culture, Houston Public Library, The Heritage Society, AIA-Houston, Greater Houston Preservation Alliance, Prairie View A&M School of Architecture, Rice Design Alliance, Texas Institute for the Preservation of History and Culture and University of Houston College of Architecture. Program advisory panel members include Minnette Boesel, Mayor’s Assistant for Cultural Affairs; Greg Free, historic preservation specialist; John Vlach and Carl Lindahl, folklorists; Margaret Culbertson and Stephen Fox, architectural historians; and Michelangelo Sabatino and Barry Norwood, architects.