LOCAL Houston | The City Guide JUNE 2016 | Page 67
FOOD | ARTS | COMMUNITY | STYLE+LEISURE
HOUSTON’S ART SCENE HEATS UP
continued from page 32
“If only we’d thought to buy the lot behind it!” Adickes lamented about the I-10 location.
When an apartment block was built behind the much-loved sculpture, he felt the piece no
longer worked in the space. “That’s just Houston. As quick as art goes up, something goes
up behind it and ruins it,” Adickes quipped cheerfully. Leave it to the veteran sculptor to
find a simple solution in an even larger project. He has designed a replacement – a verticallyoriented Art Everywhere Houston sculpture to live in the I-10 location, and as an
added bonus, a 34-foot tall sculpture of Charlie Chaplin to accompany it.
WHY CHARLIE CHAPLIN? “He’s one of the greatest figures in the history of cinema, but
so rarely seen in the United States.” Another problem solved as he’ll now be seen by millions
of commuters on the freeway each year.
James Victore Is an Interesting Man. And He’s Coming to Houston.
AIGA, the professional association for design, is bringing designer, artist, author and teacher
JAMES VICTORE to Houston June 23. His bold and rebellious work can be found in MoMA’s
permanent collection, as well as on the covers of Esquire, Entrepreneur, Wired and The New
York Times Magazine. An international name in the design community, Victore’s “Design
like you give a damn” philosophy has been inspiring designers (and anyone else with a
penchant for do-gooding) for years. We caught up with James to ask him some questions,
and trust us – you’ll dig it.
If you could provide your own caption for your headshot in a Houston
magazine, what would you say?
I may say, ‘Howdy. I am looking for a few people who want to change the world. Care to
join me?’ or possibly, ‘Don’t follow me, I’m lost too.’
What do folks in Houston need to know about your upcoming talk?
First of all, I think it’s important to let folks know that they haven’t seen anything like me –
an outspoken artist and designer who fights for their creative freedom. Be prepared to take
notes and write fast, because it will be a whirlwind of ideas, humor and inspiration that you
can’t rewind and replay.
As a designer, what’s something you wish non-designers knew?
As a designer, I’d like other designers to stop being designers. Designers tend to think alike
and even dress alike. I’d like them to work on expressing themselves, not just trying to make
their boss or client happy. This field used to be called the Graphic Arts – we let go of the
‘art’ part.
Where do you think we should take you to eat when you visit Houston?
Are there any honky tonks left?
In one sentence: What’s the idea behind “Design like you give a damn?”
The idea is about caring for something outside of yourself. We should design with the main
objective of changing the world – not just filling our 401ks. Take care of the important things
first, and let the universe take care of you.
Thursday, June 23, 2016 | 6:30pm Check In | 7pm Lecture Begins
Sundance Cinemas, 510 Texas Ave., Houston, TX 77