Photo: Blaffer Art Museum

When you think of Houston museums, you might not think of the Blaffer Art Museum. Not at first, anyway. It’s not a huge institution, it doesn’t host blockbuster exhibits, and it’s not even in the Museum District.

Founded in 1973 and named for the late art patron and collector Sarah Campbell Blaffer, the $5.3 million arts center at the University of Houston presents, supports, and celebrates the art of our time through exhibits, publications, artist support programs, and learning and engagement programs, some of which are virtual. It is a free gathering place for artists and art lovers. Blaffer exhibited world-renowned artists such as Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque (1976), Edvard Munch (1976), Willem de Kooning (1977), and Frida Kahlo (1978). In 1976, the separate Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation initiated a touring exhibition program. The inaugural exhibition, American Abstract Expressionism, included important works by artists Jackson Pollock, Franz Kline, and Willem de Kooning. The program was one of the first of its kind in the nation to underwrite all major exhibition costs, offering exhibitions to museums and universities throughout Texas free of charge. The Blaffer Art Museum has no permanent collection of its own and instead offers a rotating exhibition of international contemporary artists.

Its mission is to serve as a bridge between the university and the general public, and, while supported by the university, it’s the public generosity that helps it achieve its mission. So, if you’re feeling charitable, you can donate here.

Photo: Blaffer Art Museum

The Blaffer Art Museum kicks off the new year with two new exhibits in January. The Uncanny In-Between runs January 10 through March 14. The exhibit, curated by Sso-Rha Kang and featuring the work of several Korean ceramics artists, includes Audrey An, Wansoo Kim, Hoon LEE, Hayun Surl, and Hae Won Sohn.

Up next is Mud + Corn + Stone + Blue, opening January 17 and running through March 14. A traveling exhibit (it moves to Lawndale Art Center next), Mud + Corn + Stone + Blue traces stories of major conflicts between the U.S. and Central America, including the Tractorcade of 1979 when American farmers drove more than 900 tractors to Washington, D. C. to protest the Cold War agricultural policy. Besides its beautiful art and historical significance, the exhibit also seems relevant to the farmers’ plight today.

by Marene Gustin