HOUSTON – A new installation, "The Act of Doing: Preserving, Revitalizing and Protecting Third Ward" at Project Row Houses is tackling the controversial topic of gentrification, something that many say is reshaping the social and physical landscape of Third Ward, and not for the better.
"I think there are a number of people who have felt devalued with the gentrification that's going on but also feel very empowered by the efforts that we have continued to make in this neighborhood and really championing the residents who have lived here," said Ryan Dennis, curator and programs director for Project Row Houses.
The exhibit, located in seven art houses, features works by artists, Right to Stay, Right to Say (Zeinab Bakhiet, Olutomi Subulade, & Melanie Meleekah Villegas); Brian Ellison; Danielle Fanfair, Harrison Guy, Marlon Hall, & Anthony Suber; Nikita Hodge; Sofia Mekonnen; and Marc Newsome. Round 47 also features Collaboration Timeline House, designed by Adelle Main.
All of the installations focusing on the challenges and opportunities surrounding gentrification.
"Change can be great, change can be wonderful, but why does it have to be so expensive? Once the changes are made why does it have to affect residents who have been there forever, why does it become more expensive for me to live in my own house?" said artist Marc Newsome whose installation is called the "I Love 3rd Ward House."
The interior features walls painted into a "gentrified-edition" of a Monopoly game board.
"I made a physical manifest of an emotion people have about Third Ward. Living in a gentrified area, it could be anywhere it could be Brooklyn, it could be Harlem, the whole changing tide, the expenses going up, the land grabbing, it's kind of like a big board game, that's how it feels," Newsome said.
#Click2Daily The theme of Round 47 at @PRH_Houston is "The Act of Doing: Preserving, Revitalizing and Protecting Third Ward. Through a variery of interactive exhibits in the art houses, local artists tackle #gentrification. pic.twitter.com/rlnARqVQOv
— Syan Rhodes (@SyanRhodes) November 29, 2017
You can visit the interactive art houses Wednesday through Sunday from noon until 5 p.m.
The exhibit runs until Feb. 11, 2018.
Follow reporter Syan Rhodes on Facebook and Twitter as she explored the interactive exhibit creating important conversations in the community.
