“Tres Brisas” (Three Winds) is Art Uniti’s community public art celebrating Near Northside’s Latino culture withoversized, folkloric skirt sculptural installations. The project is a contemporary interpretation of whirling Folkloric skirts. Folkloric performances embrace storytelling, music, and gestural movements. “Tres Brisas” innuendos the winds of change. It’s a story of three generations from Latino immigrants to first and second-generation Northside families of which are facing gentrification and cultural shifts. The multi-disciplinary project connects the past and present together to illuminating a pathway of cultural preservation.
The three temporary public art skirt sculptures were each seven-foot in diameter created from a wire fencing core between two layers of vinyl. Each skirt had over fifty community made vinyl decals aligning the perimeter. A vibrant color palette was chosen to reflect the cultural spirit of Mexican Folklorico dance costumes. The large skirt forms occasionally spun with the breezes of the wind during live performances on a Sunday afternoon in Near Northside’s Irvington Park. Two clusters of park trees were also splashed with colorful two-layer painted vinyl skirts and ribbon wraps for the event. The outdoor park court became the stage where choreographer Adam Castenada presented a two-part modern dance performance by Pilot Dance. The Houston Ensemble performed a vibrant set of original contemporary Jazz music between dance performances. Initial community workshops were at the M.D. Andersen Family YMCA summer camp. The second workshops were open to the public at the YMCA’s Halloween festival. A third set of open public workshops was hosted by Art in the Heart art bus at Smither Park. The Halloween festival included performances by Folklorico Dance group from St. Patrick’s Church and a Mariachi band. The Art Uniti artist team was led by Tami Moschioni and contributing creatives included Jennifer Claussen, Vivianne Falco, Vanessa Sanez and craftsman Robert Alexander. The Houston Ensemble musicians were Armov Movsesyan on guitar, Chad Wesselcamper on bass, and Willie McCullen on drums. Dance troupe costumes were designed by Ashley Horn along with marketing flyers.
“Tres Brisas” project was funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance and the Rely Foundation. Other partners included M.D. Andersen Family YMCA, Houston Parks and Recreation Department, Art in the Heart Art Bus, Jerry’s Art Artarama and Amotol Productions.
