Blaffer Gallery
Encyclopedia
Blaffer Gallery is the art museum of the University of Houston
. It was founded in 1973 and has won several awards, including the Coming Up Taller Award as part of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities
.
The museum created and hosts education and outreach programs. In 1988, UHReach was founded and in 1998 Young Artists Apprenticeship Program (YAAP) was founded.
In 2008, the gallery acquired 149 photographs taken by Andy Warhol
as a gift from the Andy Warhol Foundation. The photographs were featured in an exhibition entitled “Celebutants, Groupies and Friends” at the gallery. The collection included photographs of Jamie Lee Curtis
, Billy Squier
, late Studio 54
owner Steve Rubell
, Pia Zadora
, and others.
The Blaffer Gallery was honored by the Institute of Museum and Library Services
on November 4, 2009 when first lady Michelle Obama
awarded the gallery with the Coming Up Taller Award. The award gives $10,000 to art programs that help underprivileged youth.
Exhibitions organized by Blaffer Gallery include the Houston Area Exhibition, presented every four years and open to artists residing within 100 miles of downtown Houston; jurors for the 2000 Houston Area Exhibition honed 1,600 entries down to a dazzling presentation of emerging and established local talent. The 1997 exhibition, Michael Ray Charles: An American Artist's Work drew more than 10,000 visitors and traveled to the Austin Museum of Art and the Contemporary Art Center in Cincinnati, Ohio; the two-volume catalogue won the First Prize for Publications from the American Association of Museums. Traveling exhibitions, selected for specific regional interests, have also proven to be blockbusters: the fascinating paintings, works on paper and assemblages of Spirited Journeys: Self Taught Texas Artists (1998); Luis Jimenez: Working Class Heroes (1999); Donald Lipski
: A Brief History of Twine (2001) and the Here & There/Aquí y Allá: Six Artists from San Juan (2002).
In 2008, the gallery attained a gift of photographs by Andy Warhol. They were featured in the exhibit: “Celebutants, Groupies and Friends” in 2008.
Blaffer Gallery is free to the public and attracts over 30,000 visitors annually.
are extensively trained and employed as docents for UHReach. They lead dialogue-based tours of the exhibitions and also visit school classrooms to conduct pre- and post-tour activities.
In 1998 the Blaffer Gallery founded the Young Artists Apprenticeship Program (YAAP), which provides a free after-school arts program to at-risk and special needs high school students. It is a six-week, after-school workshop and provides an in-depth exploration of an artistic medium, such as printmaking
or videography
. Students work with Blaffer staff and University of Houston students to create art, study current exhibitions and take field trips to local museums and galleries. The program finishes with a final project which is displayed in a museum exhibition and the top two students in the program win college scholarships.
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
. It was founded in 1973 and has won several awards, including the Coming Up Taller Award as part of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities
President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities
The President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities was established in Washington, DC in 1982 by an Executive Order from President Ronald Reagan and works with each Administration to incorporate the arts and the humanities into White House objectives....
.
History
The Sarah Campbell Blaffer Gallery was founded in 1973, named in honor of the late Sarah Campbell Blaffer, who during her lifetime made available to the University a collection of major artworks dating from the fifteenth century to modern day. This collection was purchased in 1979 by the Blaffer Foundation, an independent organization which is unrelated to the museum and the University. The income from the investment of the sale proceeds provides a portion of Blaffer Gallery's program budget. The Blaffer Gallery has presented over 250 exhibitions. The current exhibition policy, adopted by the Advisory Board and University Regents in 1986, focuses upon art of the past 100 years and its artistic, cultural and intellectual antecedents. In 1999, the museum expanded.The museum created and hosts education and outreach programs. In 1988, UHReach was founded and in 1998 Young Artists Apprenticeship Program (YAAP) was founded.
In 2008, the gallery acquired 149 photographs taken by Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
as a gift from the Andy Warhol Foundation. The photographs were featured in an exhibition entitled “Celebutants, Groupies and Friends” at the gallery. The collection included photographs of Jamie Lee Curtis
Jamie Lee Curtis
Jamie Lee Curtis is an American actress and author. Although she was initially known as a "scream queen" because of her starring roles in several horror films early in her career, such as Halloween, The Fog, Prom Night and Terror Train, Curtis has since compiled a body of work that spans many...
, Billy Squier
Billy Squier
William Haislip "Billy" Squier is an American rock musician. Squier had a string of arena rock hits in the 1980s. He is best known for the song "The Stroke" on his 1981 album release Don't Say No...
, late Studio 54
Studio 54
Studio 54 was a highly popular discotheque from 1977 until 1991, located at 254 West 54th Street in Manhattan, New York, USA. It was originally the Gallo Opera House, opening in 1927, after which it changed names several times, eventually becoming a CBS radio and television studio. In 1977 it...
owner Steve Rubell
Steve Rubell
Steve Rubell was an American entrepreneur and co-owner of the New York disco Studio 54.-Early life:Rubell and his brother Don spent their childhoods with their parents in Brooklyn, New York. His father worked for the U.S. Postal Service and later became a tennis pro...
, Pia Zadora
Pia Zadora
Pia Zadora is an American actress and singer. After working as a child actress on Broadway, in regional theater, and in the film Santa Claus Conquers the Martians , she came to national attention in 1981 when, following her starring role in the highly criticized Butterfly, she won a Golden Globe...
, and others.
The Blaffer Gallery was honored by the Institute of Museum and Library Services
Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is an independent agency of the United States federal government established in 1996. It is the main source of federal support for libraries and museums within the United States, having the mission to "create strong libraries and museums that connect...
on November 4, 2009 when first lady Michelle Obama
Michelle Obama
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama is the wife of the 44th and incumbent President of the United States, Barack Obama, and is the first African-American First Lady of the United States...
awarded the gallery with the Coming Up Taller Award. The award gives $10,000 to art programs that help underprivileged youth.
Exhibitions
It presents and originates between six and eight exhibitions annually. The annual schedule may include major traveling exhibitions that have a particular relevance to Houston audiences; mid-sized retrospectives of national and international artists; exhibitions of regional artists; thematic surveys which place artists' work into new contexts; and special projects by local artists. Blaffer Gallery is dedicated to conducting original scholarship and research in contemporary art history. The museum frequently forges collaborative partnerships from among Houston's wealth of cultural organizations and educational institutions. Exhibition-related public programs and activities complement and elucidate each exhibition, from casual Brown Bag Lunch Tours to lively audience interaction during their "Contemporary Salons."Exhibitions organized by Blaffer Gallery include the Houston Area Exhibition, presented every four years and open to artists residing within 100 miles of downtown Houston; jurors for the 2000 Houston Area Exhibition honed 1,600 entries down to a dazzling presentation of emerging and established local talent. The 1997 exhibition, Michael Ray Charles: An American Artist's Work drew more than 10,000 visitors and traveled to the Austin Museum of Art and the Contemporary Art Center in Cincinnati, Ohio; the two-volume catalogue won the First Prize for Publications from the American Association of Museums. Traveling exhibitions, selected for specific regional interests, have also proven to be blockbusters: the fascinating paintings, works on paper and assemblages of Spirited Journeys: Self Taught Texas Artists (1998); Luis Jimenez: Working Class Heroes (1999); Donald Lipski
Donald Lipski
Donald Lipski is an American sculptor. He is best known for his provocative works with objects, his installation work and his large scale public works.- LIFE :...
: A Brief History of Twine (2001) and the Here & There/Aquí y Allá: Six Artists from San Juan (2002).
In 2008, the gallery attained a gift of photographs by Andy Warhol. They were featured in the exhibit: “Celebutants, Groupies and Friends” in 2008.
Blaffer Gallery is free to the public and attracts over 30,000 visitors annually.
Programs
In 1988, Blaffer Gallery began a unique educational program for school children, UHReach. This program is now recognized nationally as an exemplary, multi-faceted outreach initiative. Blaffer has built intensive relationships with 18 elementary, middle and high schools in the neighborhoods surrounding the museum and UHReach serves schools from 24 area districts. Students from University of Houston and Texas Southern UniversityTexas Southern University
Texas Southern University is a historically black university located in Houston, Texas, United States....
are extensively trained and employed as docents for UHReach. They lead dialogue-based tours of the exhibitions and also visit school classrooms to conduct pre- and post-tour activities.
In 1998 the Blaffer Gallery founded the Young Artists Apprenticeship Program (YAAP), which provides a free after-school arts program to at-risk and special needs high school students. It is a six-week, after-school workshop and provides an in-depth exploration of an artistic medium, such as printmaking
Printmaking
Printmaking is the process of making artworks by printing, normally on paper. Printmaking normally covers only the process of creating prints with an element of originality, rather than just being a photographic reproduction of a painting. Except in the case of monotyping, the process is capable...
or videography
Videography
Videography refers to the process of capturing moving images on electronic media even streaming media). The term includes methods of video production and post-production...
. Students work with Blaffer staff and University of Houston students to create art, study current exhibitions and take field trips to local museums and galleries. The program finishes with a final project which is displayed in a museum exhibition and the top two students in the program win college scholarships.