Houston museums with a twist

It is believed that the main attractions of Houston are Medical Center and NASA. But this is for tourists, right? And for us, living in Houston is not a year and not 10 years, sometimes I want to find "oases of madness" in our constructive and conservative city.

Orange sky over Houston

“I maintain that this is the most beautiful, the most colorful and the most unique place on Earth,” are the words of Jeff McKissack, describing his “Orange Paradise” (The Orange Show).

The magnificent architectural phenomenon called The Orange Show was built by Jeff McKissack, a retired Houston mailman. In 1956, he decided to immortalize the orange as God’s ideal creation and erect a monument to it.

Jeff McKissack adored oranges "for their beauty and nutritional value", as he himself said, and considered oranges to be the best product in the world, in a word, he was literally addicted to them. McKissack bought the 2 plot, adjacent to his home on Munger Street (Munger Street), and began construction. What he eventually built can be called the “educational and entertainment center” for him. Orange

It is difficult to explain what the Orange Show really is: a museum is not a museum, a theater is not a theater. Rather, it is a bright labyrinth consisting of buildings, many metal stairs, walkways, arenas, balconies, mosaic walls and sculptural compositions. The design perfectly fits 10 Texas flags, 2 American flags and awnings, like a circus tent, as well as “nostalgic” elements - those that McKissack encountered on his mail route: tiles for the roof of the Old Capital Theater, a fire escape from the Stowers Furniture store, a miniature replica of the San Jacinto monument from The State Hotel.

McKissack used both traditional building materials - brick, concrete and tile - and objects found in a landfill (the landfill next door still exists to this day) - old fences and pipes, iron wheels, chains, figures of lions, owls and squirrels. There are 85 wheels of various sizes at the “exhibition”. Some of the wheels, according to Jeff himself, are over 100 years old. By the way, most of the wheels are painted orange and yellow and resemble a cut orange.

About 100 tractor seats painted in different colors are displayed like an amphitheater. And in the makeshift arena, McKissack built a steam engine - a hybrid of a steamship and a skating rink, which rolled in a circle and from which he showed a theatrical performance. The steamer, as expected, is orange.

He somehow connected the strange objects that McKissack had acquired over the years - stuffed animals, butter churns, mannequins - with an orange theme and attached a sign to each exhibit explaining what and how.

The highlight of the exhibition was supposed to be the “mega-juicer” for oranges, the process of inventing which took Jeff an incredible amount of time, but never led to anything. But McKissack placed all sorts of slogans everywhere about the benefits of citrus fruits: “Orange is strength!”, “Be strong! Eat oranges! or “Drink orange juice - you will be slim and tall!”

In the “Orange Paradise” there is also a “well of wish fulfillment” - throw a coin and wish for your pleasure.

Jeff McKissak dreamed that his Orange Show would eclipse Disneyland with his popularity, but only 9 people came to the opening of 1979 on May 150. But Jeff was not discouraged, and he himself conducted excursions, demonstrated the work of mechanical objects, explained the history and symbolism of things at the exhibition.

After Jeff McKissack's death in 1980, his orange possessions were endangered. Fortunately, there were people interested in the existence of this strange and beautiful place. Houston philanthropist Marilyn Oshman created the Orange Show conservation fund, turning it into a non-profit organization called Orange Show Center for Visionary Art. Her initiative was supported by many, including Dominique de Menil, Nina Kalinan (Nina Cullinan) and members of the legendary rock band ZZ Top.

In 1982, the buildings were restored and the show reopened to visitors.

To revive the Orange Show and attract people there, programs were invented for children and adults - concerts, theatrical performances, poetry evenings, seminars and master classes. In other words, the foundation launched successful activities and attracted more than half a million visitors to Orange Paradise after the death of its creator.

The Orange Show is open on weekends at 2402 Munger Street. Entrance to the exhibition is only $1.

Drink with John Milkovish

Another Houstonian, John Milkovisch, believed in the healing properties of beer and in the artistic value of a beer can.

John Milkowish, a retired railroad worker, came up with an idea that only artistic souls can dream of: decorating the walls of his house with straightened aluminum beer cans. He also made garlands from the lids and bottoms and hung them around the perimeter of the house - beauty and nothing more! There were 2 reasons for this: one undoubted - a huge love for beer, and the second... “Our father never threw away anything,” admitted Milkovish’s sons, Ron and Guy. John Milkowish's Beer House in the Memorial District is a magnificent monument to man's fervent imagination and ... the unusual use of recycled materials.

First, John decided not to cut the lawns in front of the house any more, and lay tiles on his yard using concrete elements with fragments of metal, stone and marble. Then he decided to send all the energy to the house. As already mentioned, John could not bear to throw things away, so he began to accumulate empty cans of beer and put them in his attic, and then slandered and the attic of his mother's house.

Starting in 1968, it took Milkovish 18 years and 50 thousand beer cans to decorate his house. Moreover, according to him, John drank 39 thousand cans, and his neighbors helped him with the rest of the “building material.” Jax, Texas Pride, Pearl Light, Falstaff - this is not a complete list of finishing materials. The decor was also important - garlands made from the bottoms of cans hang from the edges of the roof and sway and rustle when the wind blows - the music of the wind delighted the whole block.

It’s interesting that John Milkovish himself never considered himself an artist: “The wise guys say that my house is a sculpture. But I didn’t graduate from university, I don’t know what it is.” He never really knew why he was decorating his house. In an interview in 1983, John said that inspiration came to him out of nowhere. “It was like the Lord himself told me: “Dude, it’s time to build something crazy,” so I did.” However, not everyone is capable of devoting 18 years of their life to a crazy and long-term business. John considered his work a pleasant pastime, not a creative process, but he was heartily amused by people’s reactions: “Some people brake their cars with a terrible squeak - from surprise, others drive in circles several times, others come the next day with a dozen friends.”

"Beer House" immediately gained widespread popularity among creative people, especially photographers, for whom it was a paradise. Janice Rubin, a famous photographer in Houston, took beautiful pictures of the Beer House and the Milkovish couple. John is a cheerful man with a characteristic beer belly, a broad gesture inviting to become a guest of his wonderful home.

In addition to artistic value, in all this beer creativity there was also a value and practical. According to Milkovish, the “beer shield” insulated the walls of the house, which unexpectedly led to considerable savings in utilities.

John Milkovish died in 1988, and his wife Mary in 2002. The house, under the influence of the Houston climate, began to fall into disrepair and would have completely disappeared if not for the same organization Orange Show Center for Visionary Art. She restored the “beer can house”, turned it into a museum and opened it to visitors. If you want to visit the "beer house", it is located at 222 Malone Street and is open on weekends from 12:00 to 17:00. Admission is only $2 per person.

Well, if the experience of John Milkovish will serve for someone as an incentive to collect recyclables and transform it into something unusual. As DI Kharms said: “Never throw anything away” and ... create! ”.

Look in both ("Field of Vision")

Bert Long was a cult figure in the artistic environment of Houston. Self-taught artist, he exchanged the lucrative profession of a restaurant chef for a life in art, and for good reason. His talent gained the respect of professionals and paved the way to the prestigious galleries of America and Europe.

One of the most famous sculptural compositions of Long "Field of Vision" (Field of Vision, 2002 g) is located in the Third Ward area, at the intersection of Elgin and Bastrop streets. It is 40 stone eyes mounted on multicolored concrete pedestals in a state of utterly disarray, as Lewis Carroll would say. Bert himself argued that the eyes mean different cultures.

Indeed, if you look closely, the pedestals are made in the form of columns, characteristic of various architectural styles - Greek, Roman, Spanish, African. This curious place immediately attracts the eye. It’s nice to sit in the shade of the trees and admire the fancy sculptural structures.

By the way, the sculptural park moved from Fifth Ward (where the artist was born and lived) to Third Ward. Periodically, the park suffers from vandalism and robbery (“eyes” sometimes disappear from pedestals, then scatter around the park, then split), but the administration does not sleep and patiently repairs and puts everything in its former places.

The sculptor Bert Long passed away from pancreatic cancer in January 2013. He was 72 of the year. This loss has become palpable not only for the Houston people of art, but also for the area to which the artist has devoted a large part of his life, and the whole city.

“Field of Vision” is located at: Bastrop @ Elgin Streets, Houston.

The material was first published in the newspaper. "Our Texas". Reprinted with permission of the author.

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