HOUSTON — If you’re the kind of person who always wants to know what’s next in art, a museum on the University of Houston campus is here to help.
"The Blaffer Art Museum has been here since 1973, so we’re celebrating our 50th anniversary here in 2023," said Jane Dale Owen director & chief curator Steven Matijcio.
That's 50 years of celebrating and amplifying local, national and international artists via two floors of galleries.
"We love the idea of discovery. We’re not presenting household names here," Matijcio said. "You’re not coming to the Blaffer Art Museum necessarily because you recognize the artist’s name. We want you to come here for an experience."
For many of the artists, an exhibition here is their first in a museum.
"I think John Guzman is an excellent example of that, of an artist who has really catalyzed and been active in the San Antonio art scene," said Cynthia Woods Mitchell assistant curator Erika Mei Chua Holum. "We’re very honored to bring him to Houston and really give this homecoming celebration to a Texas artist."
When KHOU 11 stopped by the museum, Guzman’s work was on display upstairs, showcasing how his technique has evolved over the years.
Downstairs, visitors could take the opportunity to soak up the tapestries and stained glass lightboxes of Christopher Myers.
"What you’re going to see is this kaleidoscope of vivid textures and elements, but always storytelling is at the core," Matijcio described.
Exhibitions rotate throughout the year; the museum likes to have six to eight. A staple is the unique Blaffer Art & Design store.
"All the objects are created from students from industrial design and graphic design," said Matijcio. "We fund all the fabrication and production and every year we have a new crop of products to offer."
The store is simply another way to connect students and the Houston community.
"Everything we do here is free. We want it to be accessible. We want it to be inclusive," Matijcio said. "We really do see ourselves as an intersection, as a nexus, as a hub where the very vibrant University of Houston, which is 47,000 students here, plus the larger City of Houston really do come together."
Fifty years on, Blaffer Art Museum is maintaining that identity with the help of every visitor who steps through those doors.
"We show up for you. That’s why we do this work," stressed Holum. "That’s why we take this time to think about what’s important to the campus community, the Houston community. It only makes sense for us to present it directly to you."
For more information about the Blaffer Art Museum, click here.
Hidden Gems is sponsored by Dairy Queen.