Recently, I have been quite busy with work and travel. So, despite not being able to post recently, I was constantly making notes or taking photos for the last couple months with every intention to post!
Here's the first of more to come!
Sometimes, the most precious gems are found in our own backyard. There's an amazing art park in Houston called Smither Park that I stumbled across as I was out and about.
A Photo to Show Scale
More Urban Art Please
According to their website, the art park was created as a tribute to the late John H. Smither, a collector of self-taught art and supporter of the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art.
In addition to being a local family gathering place, the centrally located park is also a fantastic venue for scheduled concerts, weddings, corporate events, and community theater.
The park backs into a field and in front of the park is a quaint old neighborhood with small single-story clapboard houses. Can you imagine growing up with such a colorful park across the street? All other parks would pale in comparison.
My Slideshow
Because I took so many photos, I felt it was best to upload a slideshow. Enjoy!
Community
Finally, the story behind the creation of the park is what I consider to be the real story. The park was a collaboration of hundreds of volunteers from all around Houston. Everyone would bring whatever they could to break up into small pieces. Artists were given sections of the wall and park to design and the volunteers could exercise their creative muscles and piece the vision together, one shard, glass, marble and random part at a time... what a fun way to spend a beautiful day outside! Think of all the friendships formed. As you can see by my video, there are still certain sections of the wall, as well as sidewalks, lamp posts and picnic tables still in the process of being beautified by the community.
If you would like to see more photos, feel free to click this link.
Final thoughts
Because Steem is all about community, I thought it would be great to see if anyone in Steem has or is collaborating to create an Urban Art Park with Steemians!
