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A: The pyramids are part of what is probably UHV’s most public art display. The outdoor art, “Millennium Plaza” by William Fitzgibbons, starts in front of the University Center, 3007 N. Ben Wilson, and continues behind the building as a series of pyramids with seating areas.
UHV also features art and artifacts inside both the University Center and the University West buildings. Area residents can view the art and artifacts during regular business hours.
Most of the art was either donated to the university or purchased by UHV as part of the University of Houston System’s Percent for Art program. The program was established by the UH Board of Regents on Sept. 6, 1966, and mandates that UH System institutions dedicate 1 percent of the construction costs of all future building projects for works of art, said Mike Guidry, UH System curator of university art collections.
The Pre-Columbian and Asian artifacts on display at UHV were either donated to UH-Clear Lake and are on loan to UHV, or are part of the UH System public art collection. The displays are rotated every couple of years, Guidry said.
Pre-Columbian artifacts are located in the University Center inside the President’s Conference Room on the third floor and in the foyer on the first floor. Asian artifacts are located in the first-floor foyer of the University Center and on the first floor of University West.
Notable Asian artifacts include a Ming white and blue porcelain stem cup with a carrying case from the 15th or 16th centuries and three seated Kuan figures from the 11th and 14th centuries, Guidry said.
Inside the University Center hanging above the foyer are six pieces from “Tools of Thought,” a body of artwork by Neil Harshfield consisting of garden implements made of glass and found objects.
On the second floor of the University Center is a wall display of three quilt panels created in 1999 as part of UHV’s 25th anniversary celebration. There are two quilted photo panels and a quilt with the UHV seal in the middle. The side panels contain university pictures from 1993 to 1999 with a mortarboard at the base of each panel. UHV’s seal on the quilt in the middle of the display is Gen. Sam Houston’s coat of arms.
There are many other pieces of art inside UHV’s two buildings that the public is invited to view, so come on by.
Do you have a question about the University of Houston-Victoria? Contact Paula Cobler, UHV communications manager, at (361) 570-4350 or coblerp@uhv.edu.