Did you know that The Woodlands boasts one of the largest outdoor art collections in the nation for a community its size? Peppered throughout its nine villages, The Woodlands boasts nearly 90 public art pieces!
This diverse collection ranges from sculptures and public art benches to mosaics and murals. Through these dynamic works of art, many feelings and moods are evoked by the myriad of artworks.
The Howard Hughes Corporation has contributed to an Art Fund, created in 1973, which has resulted in the collection of outdoor art in The Woodlands. The Woodlands Arts Council also supports and promotes arts in our community and has commissioned and installed art benches in The Woodlands.
Here’s a round-up of fun facts about several of the public artworks in The Woodlands that residents and visitors enjoy:
- Located at the main entrance to The Woodlands, the 40-foot tall sculpture The Family by Charles Pebworth was the first artwork installed for the grand opening in 1974 to kick off our community’s incredible public art collection! It remains the largest and tallest sculpture in The Woodlands today.
- Firefly sculpture by Jon Clement is located at Three Hughes Landing. Its bright yellow coil of steel pipe, loops through space to create circular motion.
- Acrobática, by artist Rafael Barrios, is constructed of stainless steel and acrylic lacquer. At nine feet, six inches tall by 13 feet, four inches long by four feet wide, Acrobática weighs 1,760 pounds. From a distance, the sculpture appears to be a composition of three-dimensional, solid rectangular shapes or cuboids, which are delicately balanced on one another. As one approaches the sculpture, the true shape of the sculpture is revealed as two-dimension flat plates with three very slight bends, which form shallow concave shapes.
- Why Sit When You Can Play, a musical art bench by The Urban Conga, is an invitation to play music along the shoreline of The Woodlands Waterway. It is an interesting combination of a functional piece of artwork, a bench, and a musical instrument—the xylophone! Perhaps you can play a special ditty for a nearby duck or turtle swimming along the water!
- As the newest art addition in The Woodlands, Flowers 2022, is 35,000 square feet and is one of the largest murals in Texas. Created by internationally recognized Alez Katz, the mural transforms the northeast corner of Waterway Square, engaging the last remaining inactive streetscape within the one-acre downtown public plaza that serves as a vibrant, walkable urban core in The Woodlands Town Center.
- Uniquely creating movement from the wind, Ibis is a modern sculpture found in Creekside Park Village Green. Created by renowned artist Pedro S. de Movellán, it features three red leaf-shaped aluminum elements that rotate freely in response to surrounding airflow. As you feel the wind in your hair, do you simultaneously connect to the movement of this piece?
- As the only art piece in The Woodlands set in water, Rise of the Midgard Serpent by Mark Rothsenthal is a 35-foot-long, dragon-like steel sculpture that protrudes in multiple green humps from Lake Woodlands just offshore from Southshore Park. How far beneath the surface can you imagine the rest of this monster’s body lingers?
How lucky are residents and visitors of The Woodlands to be surrounded by a vast collection of incredible outdoor public art! As part of the late George Mitchell’s vision for The Woodlands, art is embraced art as a fundamental component of the values and quality of life experiences that The Woodlands represents.
Download the Art in Public Places Brochure here.