ABOUT THIS PROJECT:
Artists Tami Moschioni and Nicola Parente (artuniti.com) have created a symphony of visual art, dance, poetry and music in celebration of spring. “Color Bursting Hermann Park” is made possible by grants from the Houston Arts Alliance, the National Endowment for the Arts’ Our Town initiative, as well as The Brown Foundation, Wells Fargo, City of Houston and Hermann Park Conservancy, in partnership with Writers in the Schools, YES Prep Eastside, Thomas Printworks, and North American Plastics. The project encourages community involvement in a range of activities – “Dancing Trees” (playful vinyl tree skirts alternate with ribbons in vivid rainbow colors, created by Merrick and Parente), “Lyrical Trees” (colorful tree vests made by the community), “Refraction” (a dancing tour of Hermann Park choreographed by Lori Yuill), and “Shades of Blue” (performance by Texas Johnny Boy, Bluesician).
“Color Bursting Hermann Park” debuts in conjunction with the Hermann Park Conservancy Kite Festival Sunday, March 25 from 10 am to 5pm. Some majestic park trees will don colorful painted skirts alternating with vivid ribbon tree vests welcoming spring with “Dancing Trees” and “Lyrical Trees”. Drawing inspiration from Edgar Degas’ ballet dancers and Kenneth Noland’s contemporary concentric circle paintings, playful vinyl tree skirts alternate with ribbons in vivid rainbow colors wrapped around live oaks along the Marvin Taylor Trail. The skirts will “dance” in the breeze leading walkers on a prismatic display of rainbow colors.
SCHEDULE - Tree installations on view March - May 2018.
March 25th, 2018, 10 am to 5 pm in conjunction with the Hermann Park Conservancy Kite Festival
March 25th @ 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm, Choreographer Lori Yuill created “Refraction”, a dancing tour of Hermann Park. Twenty dancers will engage the public in performances.
March 25th @ 10 am to 3 pm, Writers in the Schools will host workshops at a tent adjacent to the Jones Reflection Pool. Vest weaving workshop occurs from 3 pm to 5 pm
March 25th @ 4pm to 5pm, Texas Johnny Boy, Bluesician, will have an all star seven piece band performing “Shades of Blue” at Miller Outdoor Theater.
Houston Arts Alliance announces awardees for Bayou Trails Project
Houston Arts Alliance (HAA) has selected "Color Bursting Hermann Park" by Tami Merrick and Nicola Parente as awardees for Bayou Trails, a special creative placemaking project funded by the National Endowment for the Arts’ Our Town initiative, as well as The Brown Foundation, Wells Fargo, and the City of Houston.
Through Bayou Trails, HAA brings community-responsive arts program to three signature parks that reside along lower Brays Bayou: Mason Park, MacGregor Park, and Hermann Park.
“The Bayou Trails project is an example of parks, neighborhoods, and artists collaborating on interesting and innovative projects,” says Houston Arts Alliance CEO, John Abodeely. “The Alliance is honored to help empower these impressive individuals and organizations to create and serve the community.”
Selected awardees working in Hermann Park are Tami Merrick and Nicola Parente. Their project, Color Bursting Hermann Park, is an infusion of color in celebration of the Spring Equinox to engage the community. The project occurs in four movements of dance, music, and temporary public art. Temporary pieces include wrapping vividly colored, synthetic ribbon on some 35 trees throughout the park. The artists will work with high school Eastside YES Prep students under direction of artists and teachers. A second piece will involve about 60 tree vests which will be scattered along walking trails to enhance public attention. Families will help to create these vests though community workshops led by the artists.
PRESS:
Staff Editors, Color Bursting Hermann Park, Parkside Hermann Park Conservancy Newsletter, Spring 2018
Hodge, Shelby, Broadway Stars Hit Houston for an Intimate Night, Paper City, May 13, 2018
Wozny, Nancy, Texas Lens: Arts Pedestrians, Arts and Culture Texas, April 23, 2018
Elliott, Amber, Art patrons score four-course dinner, two Broadway performances and Southwest Airlines swag, Houston Chronicle, April 12, 2018
Gaines, Tarra, 6 brand-new public art projects every Houstonian should experience, Culture Map Houston April 9, 2018
Staff Editors, Houston Arts Alliance Innovators — 7 Creative Forces Who’ve Used Grants to Make Magic, Paper City Magazine, March 22, 2018
Staff Editors, Color Bursting Hermann Park by Tami Merrick and Nicola Parente opens March 25, 2018 in Conjunction with the Hermann Park Conservancy Kite Festival, OutSmart Magazine, March 2018
Staff Editors, Bayou Trails Collaboration with City Parks, Art Houston Magazine, Spring/Summer 2018
Cohen, Mitch, Art Valet: Color is Bursting at Hermann Park, The Leader, February 21, 2018
The hand painted colorful tree Skirts were installed along the Marvin Taylor Exercise Trail, adjacent to the Cherie Flores Garden Pavilion, by the Hermann Park / Rice U Metro Stop, by Miller Outdoor Theater and the corner of Cambridge and Fannin.
Examples of the colorfully woven tree vests installed. The community was invited in creating over 100 woven tree vests displayed throughout Hermann Park.
In progress... YES Prep Eastside students - tree vest weaving workshop at Hermann Park.
In progress. Tami and Nicola at the studio painting tree skirts for Color Bursting Hermann Park.
With much gratitude we would like to thank Thomas Printworks and North American Plastics for partnering with us on this project and your generous contribution.
In progress. A successful workshop at Hermann Park's Cherie Flores Garden Pavilion. Participants wove vests for upcoming tree installation. A big thank you to the staff at Hermann Park Conservancy for all your efforts in making this such a successful project!
In progress: community workshop creating tree vests. Join us at our next workshop, drop us a line to sign up.
The artistic team conceived of four fundamental concepts in celebration of the Kite Festival to engage the community. The project articulation occurs in four movements titled: “Dancing Trees”, “Lyrical Trees”, “Refraction” and "Shades of Blues".
"Dancing Trees" - created by artists Tami Merrickand Nicola Parente. Large trees will be wrapped using vivid colored ribbon and colorfully painted skirts [INSTALLED BY MARCH 10]
"Lyrical Trees" - created by artists Tami Merrick and Nicola Parente is conceived for community outreach. Workshops (dates to be announced) at Hermann Park will invite community participation in creating woven tree vests. The vests will be scattered along walking trails. [INSTALLED BY MARCH 25]
"Refraction" - three public interactive dance performances by choreographer Lori Yuill [SUNDAY, MARCH 25]
"Shades of Blue" - An all-star Rhythm and Blues concert led by Texas Johnny Boy on the stage at Miller Outdoor Theater. [SUNDAY, MARCH 25]
"Refraction" - three public interactive dance performances by choreographer Lori Yuill [SUNDAY, MARCH 25]
Lori Yuill is an independent choreographer, performer and teaching artist. She did her undergraduate work at TCU and then skipped town to perform with Momentum Danza Contemporanea in Guatemala. In 2000 Lori returned to Houston and performed with Suchu Dance. She also madeFloating/Falling for DiverseWorks’ Houston Performing Artist Residency during this period of time. In 2003 Lori moved to Yonkers, NY to pursue a masters degree at Sarah Lawrence College. She spent the next decade bouncing between New York and DC performing for Sara Rudner, Anneke Hansen, Milka Djordjevich, Enrico Wey, Stephanie Miracle, UpRooted Dance and Daniel Burkholder/The Playground. Lori’s choreography challenges audiences to look at dance in new ways, and aims to create and connect to community through movement. She has recently returned to Houston where she is embracing the big skies and studying movement with the best teacher she knows, her daughter Lola Brooke Buck.
"Shades of Blue" - An all-star Rhythm and Blues concert led by Texas Johnny Boy [SUNDAY, MARCH 25]
Texas Johnny Boy is an old school rhythm n’ blues vocalist as well as a multi-instrumentalist who plays harmonica, saxophones and flute.
Site map of Hermann Park where the tree installations will be placed.
Thank you to the following organization for making this project possible, we could not have done this without you!
