Take a wander through Houston’s Museum District

By Evie Vu     9/25/24 12:07am

Numerous time periods and cultures await students in the Museum District, a mere mile from campus. Next time you are itching to venture outside the hedges, here are some walkable and affordable attractions to check out.  

Houston Center for Contemporary Craft

Despite being smaller than most Houston museums, the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft boasts some of the most unique artwork in the city. The museum creates a space for artisans to showcase their creative work in craft mediums like clay, wood and fiber. Their upcoming exhibition “Designing Motherhood” features a collection of craft and design objects and prototypes that highlight the work of the artist-mother. Pieces include knitted baby blankets and hand-carved rocking chairs. If you’re looking to get in touch with your creative side, the museum also offers free craft workshops.

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Contemporary Arts Museum

The Contemporary Arts Museum aims to document the role of art in modern life, and its rigid metal facade captures the modernity of the pieces inside it. The museum often touches on heavy subjects through art. Currently, the main exhibition — “Theaster Gates: The Gift and the Renege” — unpacks the dynamics of Freedmen’s Town, a predominantly Black community in Houston’s Fourth Ward. As a non-collecting museum, exhibitions are never permanent and are constantly rotated out, so if an exhibition interests you, see it as soon as possible.

Houston Museum of Natural Sciences

The Houston Museum of Natural Sciences brings Earth’s wonders to Houston. After taking a look at the largest paleontology hall in the United States, visitors should go upstairs and learn about petroleum geology, oil exploration and future energy sources at the Wiess Energy Hall. Then, visitors can check out “Death by Natural Causes,” if they’re interested in the weird and malevolent, followed by “Sharks!” if they wanted to be a marine biologist growing up. Finally, end the visit on a hypnotic note by viewing the Foucault pendulum, which demonstrates the rotation of the Earth. Bring your student ID for a free visit.

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Alongside the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s numerous indoor exhibits, the museum has an outdoor exhibit and sculpture garden. Just off of Montrose Boulevard, the Brown Foundation, Inc. Plaza centers around Anish Kapoor’s “Cloud Column,” which is basically Houston’s very own version of Chicago’s “The Bean.” Walk a little bit farther into the Cullen Sculpture Garden to see works by notable artists Henri Matisse, Auguste Rodin and Joan Miró. Heading back inside, the newly relocated Hirsch Library contains multitudes of arts-oriented books and periodicals that Rice students can check out for free. Contact Rice Program Council to pick up a pass to visit.

Menil Collection

The Menil Collection is housed in a small single-story building in the heart of Montrose. Visitors can easily navigate the well-curated main gallery, traveling all over the world and through time through art. The collection features art from communities that are typically under-represented in museums, like Native Alaskans and Pacific Islanders. Current temporary exhibitions include “Portraits of Women” and “Longing, Grief, and Spirituality: Art Since 1980,” a curation of mixed media artwork. After exploring the galleries, museum-goers should check out the outdoor sculptures in the collection’s yard. 

Rothko Chapel

Though temporarily closed due to damage from Hurricane Beryl, the Rothko Chapel is well worth a visit after seeing the Menil Collection. The chapel features 14 murals by American artist Mark Rothko. Outside, an obelisk dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr. captures the chapel’s mission to “illuminate our shared humanity”. The chapel also maintains a collection of holy books and spiritual texts, in line with its value of creating an inclusive and safe space for all.

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