BOX of Curiosities – Portable On Demand Art Project

Houston Arts Alliance, American Association of Museums (AAM), PODS Houston and Discovery Green present the Portable On Demand Art Project (PODA). The P.O.D.A. Project is a temporary public art exhibition featuring the work of Aerosol Warfare, BOX 13 ArtSpace, Jillian Conrad, The Joanna, Lynne McCabe, Gabriel Martinez, Metalab, and Anthony Shumate. Each artist or collective of artists has uniquely transformed a PODS® container into a work of art.

BOX 13 ArtSpace artists Heather Bause, Elaine Bradford, Dennis Harper, Michael Henderson, Kathy Kelley, Emily Link , David McClain, Tudor Mitroi, Dennis Nance, Kia Neill, Mark Ponder, Jenny Schlief, Emily Sloan and Maria Smits transformed their PODS container unit into a Box of Curiosities. Artists worked collaboratively and independently to create a time capsule of culturally significant artifactsreferencing both true and imagined knowledge of local history, science, geography, space exploration and beyond. The installation explores the role of museum collections and their influence on artistic practice while introducing visitors to the vibrant East End Houston art community at BOX 13 ArtSpace.

Created in conjunction with the 2011 American Association of Museums (AAM) Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo™ and in partnership with PODS Houston, the City of Houston, Discovery Green and the Houston Arts Alliance, the P.O.D.A. project provides a non-traditional platform for artists to explore the cultural, ecological, political, scientific and socio-economic forces shaping Houston’s aspirations for the future, and showcases our city as a vibrant arts and cultural capital and museum mecca for locals and visitors alike.

The P.O.D.A. Project was first revealed on May 19, 2011 at Discovery Green and after six weeks at the park the containers were moved to six Neighborhood Centers, Inc. locations throughout Houston through the end of 2011. The P.O.D.A. Project is generously funded by PODS Houston and a grant from the City of Houston’s Special Initiative Grant Program through the Houston Arts Alliance and Houston Museum District Association.

For more information, please visit www.portableondemandartproject.com.

BOX of Curiosities Venues:

Discovery Green
Cleveland-Ripley Neighborhood Center
Ripley House Neighborhood Center
Friendswood Public Library
Houston Fine Art Fair
University of Houston