Recently closed Art Car Museum is coming back
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Fret not, the silver sculpture will be saved. Photo: Michael Paulsen/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images
The recently shuttered Art Car Museum will be revived, thanks to a donation from the late founder's family — though it may be some time before people can visit.
Why it matters: The closure of the Art Car Museum struck the heart of Houston's art community, and the project's revival preserves a piece of the city's history.
Driving the news: The Harithas family has donated $1.25 million to the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art in memory of their late mother, founder Ann O'Connor Williams Harithas, to integrate the collection into the center's upcoming campus expansion, Orange Show executive director Jack Massing said.
Between the lines: The Orange Show, which hosts the annual Art Car Parade, was previously a separate entity from the museum. The new arrangement will unite the parade and museum under one nonprofit, aimed at preserving the funky art form.
Flashback: The museum, often referred to as "The Garage Mahal," opened in 1998 but abruptly closed in April. The museum's announcement on its closing hinted at discussions to preserve its legacy.
The latest: The museum's new location will be near the intersection of the Third Ward and the East End, and the current Heights Boulevard building is being sold.
- The art cars are in storage.
The intrigue: The iconic silver sculptural entrance and exterior — artist David Best's accoutrements — will be preserved and retained by the Orange Show, Massing tells Axios.
The big picture: The new Orange Show campus will feature galleries, classrooms, outdoor sculptures and more.
- Massing says the nonprofit plans to launch a capital campaign in the coming months, with a rough estimate of around $30 million to support campus development.
Reality check: The campus plans and capital campaign are still in development, so securing funding and completing the project will take several years.
Fun fact: The Orange Show has an archivist who is documenting the history around the art center, the parade, the museum and visionary artists around the region.
- "We're going to basically be the library and the study and research center for anyone who's interested in working with those materials," Massing says.
What they're saying: "We couldn't be happier to entrust the Orange Show with our mother's legacy," Harithas' son Thomas Pascal "Will" Robinson said in a statement.