YardWorks, a collaboration between Public Art of the University of Houston (UH) System and the UH School of Art, has announced Gabrielle Constantine as its 2023 invited artist.
Earlier this year, YardWorks launched an open call for a $20,000 commission of a temporary site-specific public art installation for the Louise J. Moran Fine Arts Courtyard at UH. Though this is not the inaugural YardWorks project, it marks the first time UH has put out a call for artists. In 2021, YardWorks featured Tay Butler’s We Are Still Searching, an installation originally on view at the Gregory School — a historic building that was the first school for African Americans in Houston, and is now a public library.
Gabrielle Constantine
Originally from Philadelphia, Ms. Constantine currently lives and works in Austin, Texas. She earned a double BFA in Sculpture and Fibers & Material Studies from Tyler School of Art and is pursuing an MFA at the University of Texas at Austin. For her YardWorks installation, Ms. Constantine will transform common construction materials, such as tarpaulin, Tyvek, and red cement, into domestic forms like lace and carpet. By working with these materials, her artistic practice explores labor issues while referencing social issues like gender, culture, and generational shifts.
An installation by Gabrielle Constantine. Image copyright Gabrielle Constantine.
The commissioned work will be on view from June 2023 through March 2024. Related programs and events around the piece will be announced at a later time.
