Tolerance Project
Tolerating “Tolerance”
February 18th, 2011 by Kelly Klaasmeyer
Houston’s new public artwork by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa was unveiled last week in a ceremony that included the artist, Mayor Annise Parker, former Mayor Bill White, Mica Mosbacher (Honorary Consul to Iceland ) and the Aga Khan Foundation’s Dr. Mahmoud Eboo, representing the Aga Khan, who apparently offered up some extremely generous support to complete the project. (Tolerance was privately funded through donors working with the Houston Arts Alliance and Greater Houston Community Foundation.) Channel 13 even gave its arts-supporting anchor Melanie Lawson time off from the evening news to host the event — during sweeps week, no less.
Located along Allen Parkway at Montrose, Tolerance is a series of seven sculptures mounted on large rocks. Each is approximately ten feet high and in the shape of a kneeling figure. The figures are formed from thin sheets of stainless steel cut out into patterns of letters and characters assembled from an international range of languages. This “alphabet mesh” is a “signature” material for Plensa. As one viewer remarked “It kind of looks like that ‘coexist’ bumper sticker.” But that same viewer liked the work, and many people do, especially if they view it while driving by at night when the sculptures are lit up.
(Original Article Link)
“Tolerance” sculptures along Allen Parkway promote Houston’s diversity
February 21st, 2011 by Steven Thomson
Barcelona-based artist Jaume Plensa’s septuplet of sculptures, “Tolerance,” was dedicated last week, accompanied by addresses by Mayor Annise Parker, former Mayor Bill White, Mica Mosbacher, a representative of the Aga Khan Foundation and the artist himself.
The Houston Arts Alliance-commissioned sculptures of kneeling human figures, composed of multi-lingual melded metal letters resting on Spanish boulders, have been installed at the corner of Allen Parkway and Montrose Boulevard, and will soon serve as the locus of Harmony Walk and the Rosemont Bridge.
With the downtown skyline as a backdrop, the sculptures encourage Buffalo Bayou joggers and commuters on Allen Parkway to give pause and consider the city’s dynamic diversity.
(Original Article Link)
