Contact: David Crossley
713-523-5757
crossley@gulfcoastideas.org
Joan Wich & Co.Gallery
713-526-1551
Gulf Coast Institute to Open “Houston: Green City, Garden City”
at Joan Wich & Co. Gallery on March 10
An exhibition to explore the concept of “green” as a way to make Houston a more livable metropolitan region will be presented by the Gulf Coast Institute, beginning March 10 at the Joan Wich & Co. Gallery, 4411 Montrose. The Gulf Coast Institute is a non-partisan organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in the Houston region. This will be its second exhibition with Wich & Co. The Institute’s first exhibition, “Our Town: Houston Past Present Future,” in 2004, drew record crowds to the gallery. “Houston: Green City, Garden City” will use hundreds of large format images to show Houston’s current green richness, how green plays out in other cities, and how the concept of garden city building can improve the quality and vitality of life in Houston, while preserving hundreds of square miles of greenscape for recreation and agriculture.
David Crossley, president of the Gulf Coast Institute and curator for the show, commented that “the forecasts for growth over the next few decades show that Houston will lose massive amounts of greenspace. But these forecasts are based on recent trends and policies. We can change the way we grow to conserve the things we care about, and the way to do that is to focus on green.” The solution, according to Crossley, is to utilize Houston’s complex ecosystem and favorable climate, aggregate large green areas, and move toward more efficient, town- and village-like development patterns, significantly reducing stress and chemical effects on health through more scientific green design throughout the region.
“We’re blessed with a lot of green infrastructure,” says Crossley. “It’s the green infrastructure that cleans our air and water, and even feeds us. It’s a complicated system and we pave and fragment it at great risk. If we can concentrate on aggregating large swaths of greenscape, particularly natural areas, we can begin to address a great many of our urban issues, including mobility and access, flooding, social capital, and much more.”
The exhibition is being held in conjunction with FotoFest. The FotoFest opening will be from 6-8 pm on March 10. A second opening will be held in collaboration with other galleries in the 4411 Montrose building on March 17, from 6-8 pm. The exhibition continues through April 1.
Regular Joan Wich & Co. Gallery hours are 11-5, Tuesday through Saturday.
Sample photos and other images from the exhibition