Nasher Sculpture Center continued the rollout of the upcoming Nasher Xchange program June 21, announcing the Vickery Meadow neighborhood as the location of a project from Houston artist Rick Lowe.
Lowe's piece will be called "Trans.lation," and it will be part of a series of Pop-up Markets designed to pay tribute to the cultural diversity of the neighborhood. The market will be open to the public one Saturday a month — October 19, November 23, December 21, January 18 and February 22 — letting the Vickery Meadow community come together to share their artistic talents and cultural traditions with each other and the greater Dallas community.
Rather than one man's vision, "Trans.lation" is being called a "social sculpture," meaning that its ultimate form is in shaping and molding an entire neighborhood by the unleashing of its individual and collective creative potential. Lowe has met multiple times with Vickery Meadow residents to get a sense of the area.
Calling the neighborhood diverse is an understatement, as the nearly 30,000 people in the 3-square-mile area stretching from Royal Lane to Northwest Highway just east of Central Expressway collectively speak as many as 27 languages.
Lowe is known for his community art project Project Row Houses, which transformed a series of shotgun houses in Houston's Third Ward neighborhood into places that brought the community together, like galleries, classrooms, studios for artist residencies, and community gathering spaces.
Lowe's project joins Ruben Ochoa's piece at the Trinity River Audubon Center as the only two artworks to be announced so far. The Nasher will announce the remaining eight artworks in the coming weeks.
Artist Rick Lowe in the Vickery Meadow neighborhood at the "Trans.lation" announcement.
