Discovery Green welcomed the return of Maravilloso!, a contemporary circus and dance event featuring talent from all over the world and from Houston on June 5-6, 2015. More than 5,000 park goers attended the two-day event featuring graceful performances on Kinder Lake created by Belgium’s artistic company Chanson d’Eau. The festival also included a new commissioned dance performance celebrating water, called “DRENCH,” by Karen Stokes Dance. Maravilloso! was made possible by grants from the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Kinder Foundation.
Richard Kinder – the Kinder-Morgan CEO who has spent millions of dollars beautifying Houston’s public spaces – says philanthropists should be careful to take a deliberate, targeted approach when using their money to improve their communities.
The park hosts hundreds of events per year including live music events, films, lectures on the Anheuser-Busch stage.
The downtown Houston park, Discovery Green marked its seventh birthday in April 2015. Supporters of the park marked the occasion on April 9 with an Art Car sneak preview and concert by Aaron Neville. Read more in this CultureMap story.
Park officials also collected favorite memories of and made at the park. Below is just a sampling of what park visitors have shared when asked “What is your favorite memory at Discovery Green?”
“When my husband proposed to me one year ago near the fountain.” – Brenda M.
“Gathering our family together for a small reunion.” – Steven S.
“Introducing my daughter to [the] joy of writing through WITS on Saturday mornings.” – Carrie P.
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston recently revealed plans for updated its 14-acre campus. The project, announced in January, includes a 164,000 square foot building for 20th and 21st century art, a new 80,000 square foot home for the Glassell School of Art, a new center for conservation and a unifying master plan to tie the entire campus together. The project – supported by a $450-milion capital and endowment campaign and slated for completion in 2019 – will transform not only the museum, but also the surrounding neighborhood, by relocating neighborhood parking underground, and enhancing the pedestrian experience of this cultural hub.
Rich Kinder, who serves as the chairman of the Museum’s board of trustees and of its long-range planning committee, said, “This is the most exciting single project in the history of the Museum, not only marking the completion of the campus but also the Museum for years to come.”
The new gallery will be named the Nancy and Rich Kinder Building in honor of the Kinder Foundation’s principal gift of $50 million.
You can learn more about the project from Houston Public Media’s news story.
Work continues by the Houston Parks and Recreation Department on the $33 million renovation of Emancipation Park, one of Houston’s most historically significant parks. Over the summer, the interior pool house was demolished; the old pool was removed and excavation began for the new pool; excavation began for the perimeter parking; and foundation work began on the recreation center and underground detention. A temporary walk has been installed so that community center patrons can safety access the building while construction continues.
The Kinder Foundation’s gift of $2 million focuses on renovations to the historical pool house and pool shade structure. Read more.
Bill Fulton, a prominent expert and commentator on urban planning in California, has been named Director of the Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research. The Institute conducts multidisciplinary scientific research, engages in public outreach and sponsors educational programs that advance the understanding of pressing urban issues and fosters the development of more humane and sustainable cities. Fulton joins the leadership team of Stephen Klineberg, Michael Emerson and Ruth Lopez Turley at the Institute.
Kinder Foundation and Kinder Institute Advisory Board Chair Rich Kinder said, “we believe the Kinder Institute for Urban Research has the potential to be a premiere contributor to an understanding of the issues affecting Houston, as well as other cities in America and around the world…and we are delighted that Bill Fulton has accepted the challenge to lead our efforts in the coming years.” Read more.
Clark Cooper Concepts and Buffalo Bayou Partnership will develop a multi-purpose private event space in Buffalo Bayou Park, the $58 million urban green space project currently under construction west of downtown Houston and made possible with a catalyst gift from The Kinder Foundation.
Slated to open in mid-2015, The Dunlavy, overlooking the banks of Buffalo Bayou and Lost Lake, will be a private event and dining space, but will also offer counter service breakfast and lunch seven days a week. The building will house a park visitor center and a canoe and kayak rental facility, operated by Buffalo Bayou Partnership. Read more.
ersity’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research. The Institute conducts multidisciplinary scientific research, engages in public outreach and sponsors educational programs that advance the understanding of pressing urban issues and fosters the development of more humane and sustainable cities. Fulton joins the leadership team of Stephen Klineberg, Michael Emerson and Ruth Lopez Turley at the Institute.