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USA
Southwest
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Houston, TX
Orange Show - Jeff McKissack
1902-1980
Environment and Organization
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Information:
Built: 1959 - 1979
The Orange Show billows up from among the modest residences of the East End like a giant ship, flags aflutter, whirligigs a-twirl. Bright red gates and a turnstile made of bicycle handles lead to a journey through a complex, colorful maze.
Narrow stairways and passages open unexpectedly onto observation decks and amphitheaters. Wrought-iron railings, iron birds, and wagon wheels flaunt carnival colors.
Brightly painted tractor seats stand in rows, while a steamboat on wheels plies an empty reservoir. Mosaics and narrative displays extol the virtues of the orange. "Love Oranges and Live." "Be Smart - Drink Orange Juice."
The riotous displays form one man's tribute to the orange. Retired postal worker Jeff McKissack began creating the site in 1959 and opened it to the public, as a "health show," 20 years later.
The Orange Show Foundation, founded in 1980, is a non-profit organization that preserves and operates The Orange Show as a cultural and educational resource. The organization sponsors a variety of performances, workshops, and community-oriented events that encourage children and adults to become involved in the creative process. Varying levels of memberships are available and volunteers are appreciated.
On November 21, 2006, The Orange Show was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Orange Show Foundation Home Page has lots of great info including a section on art cars and articles on preserving folk art environments. For their page on The Orange Show, visit The Orange Show Monument.
The information presented here is from "Whimsical Wonders and Fanciful Forms: Folk Art Houses of Houston" by Elizabeth Haywood with photos by Stephan Mayers; Texas Highways Magazine, May 1993
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Bibliography:
"Detour Art—Outsider, Folk Art, and Visionary Folk Art Environments Coast to Coast, Art and Photographs from the Collection of Kelly Ludwig" by Kelly Ludwig, Kansas City Star Books, 2007.
"Rare Visions & Roadside Revelations" (the book), by Randy Mason, Michael Murphy and Don Mayberger, Kansas City Star Publishing, 2002.
On DVD - Rare Visions and Roadside Revelations, "Miles and Miles o' Mo-Tex-Arkana", KCPT, Kansas City Public Television, 1996-2001.
"20th Century American Folk, Self Taught, and Outsider Art" by Betty-Carol Sellen, Cynthia J. Johnson, Neal-Schuman Publishers, New York, 1993.
"Self-Made Worlds: Visionary Environments" by Roger Manley and Mark Sloan, Aperture, New York, 1997.
"Contemporary American Folk Art - A Collector's Guide" Chuck and Jan Rosenak, Abbeville Press, 1996.
"Raw Creation: Outsider Art and Beyond" by John Maizels, 1996.
"American Self-Taught Art: An Illustrated Analysis of 20th Century Artists and Trends with 1,319 Capsule Biographies" by Florence Laffal and Julius Laffal, 2003.
"Rare Visions and Roadside Revelations Coast to Coast Travel-o-Pedia" by Randy Mason, et. al., Kansas City Star Books, 2009. |
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