Meet the Artist for Windbloom, the outdoor permanent public artwork coming to the new Alief Neighborhood Center.

7979 S Kirkwood Rd, Houston, TX 77072

March 17, 2022 | 4-6pm

About the Artwork

Windbloom is a permanent public artwork for the new Alief Neighborhood Center, commissioned by the City of Houston's Civic Art Program and the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs on behalf of three partnering City departments: the Houston Public Library, the Houston Health Department, and the Houston Parks and Recreation Department.

As a pavilion-type sculpture, like an umbrella, Windbloom is meant to be experienced up close from underneath as a colorful shading device or from a distance as a supersized flower map. Inspired by the native ecology of the building site as an open coastal prairie, it creates a colorful map of the site’s prevailing winds with colorful “petals.” Constructed of painted carbon steel, polycarbonate resin panels, and customized attachments, all components of the sculpture are envisioned as “plant-like” with the structural supports taking on the form of plant tendrils and the plates modeled after a flower calyx (the plant part between flower petals and leaves). Interdisciplinary artist Falon Mihalic will invite the community to interact with the work both through firsthand experience of the piece and through the community engagement wind map diagrams housed in the public library.

About the Artist

Falon Mihalic is an interdisciplinary artist based in Houston whose projects include site-based installations, light art, and permanent public art commissions. Working across painting, sculpture, interactive public art, and landscape design, she uses color, light, and space to investigate the human connection to natural systems. Falon has a Master of Landscape Architecture degree from the Rhode Island School of Design and a B.A. in Natural Sciences from New College of Florida. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and public spaces in Houston, Dallas, Chicago, Providence, and Boston. Falon owns and directs Falon Land Studio LLC.

About the City of Houston’s Civic Art Program

New artwork commissions for the City are funded by the City of Houston Civic Art Program. The program was established in December 1999, when City Council adopted the Civic Art Ordinance, which mandates that 1.75% of qualified Capital Improvement Project dollars be set aside for artwork for qualifying projects.  

The City’s Civic Art Program provides exciting opportunities for Houstonians and visitors to engage with art in parks, public spaces, libraries, and local airports. The primary objective of the program is to enhance the environment through the inclusion of artist-designed features in new municipal facilities, contributing to a sense of community pride. The Civic Art Program supports the City’s commitment to neighborhood enhancement and improving overall quality of life. As projects are completed, they will add to Houston’s image as a vibrant and culturally rich metropolis, both nationally and internationally

About Our Commissioning Partners:

This commission project is managed by the Houston Arts Alliance on behalf of the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs. 

The City of Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs guides the City’s cultural investments with policies and initiatives that expand access to arts and cultural programs in the community, attract visitors and leverage private investment. For more information about the City’s Civic Art Program visit www.HouCityArt.org or follow MOCA on Facebook & Instagram: @HoustonMOCA.

The Civic Art and Design Division an HAA team, under contract with the City of Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, administers the acquisitions, commissions, and conservation of the City’s Civic Art Collection. To learn more about HAA, visit www.houstonartsalliance.com and follow on Facebook & Instagram @HoustonArtsAlliance.