Humble, TX – September 1, 2004                    

First came the Art Cars.  Then the Cow Parade marched through town.  Now the city of Houston can prepare to have new doors opened to a world of creativity when the northeast Houston community of Fall Creek unveils 12 Art Doors designed by local artists. 

The original works of art will be installed in five downtown exhibition spaces Friday, September 10, through Thursday, September 30, and then auctioned at the “Opening Doors” preview party at Redstone Golf Club in Fall Creek, Friday, October 1.  The cocktail buffet kicks off at 6 p.m. with live music by the David Caceres Trio; the live auction begins at 8 p.m.  Proceeds from the event will benefit The Door, FamilyTime Foundation’s Humble, Texas, shelter for battered women and their children. 

The artists devoting their time and talents to the one-of-a-kind “door-nations” are:

Kermit Eisenhut.  Eisenhut finessed 14 Cow Parade commissions and is one of 10 artists and 65 celebrities tapped to design the six-foot-tall, 700-pound Mickey Mouse statues now touring the United States in The Walt Disney Co.’s “Celebrate Mickey:  75 InspEARations.”

Maggi Battalino.  Battalino designed the MetroRail station at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Fletcher Mackey.  Designer of the mosaic wall and two aviary totems at Lyons Avenue Health Center, Mackey also collaborated with the Graduate Design/Build Studio at the University of Houston’s Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture on the mosaic scheme for the outdoor theater at Roberts Elementary School.

Melissa Winter.  Winter is an award-winning artist and costume designer.  She has won first place in both the Houston Art Car Parade (Cycle Division) and the Seabrook Music Festival Pelican Promenade.  Her work has been exhibited at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and Saks Fifth Avenue and featured on Good Morning America.

Vera Schoepe.  Schoepe is an internationally acclaimed artist whose murals are displayed in France and Tunisia.  Her paintings recently were featured in a solo exhibition at Houston’s Windwater Gallery.

Lisa Hollins.  Hollins’ expressionist works capture the imagination with lush imagery and rich detail and are often accompanied by her poetry.  Hollins is an artist/principal with studioz.com and is a member of EBSQ, an Internet community of self-representing artists.  She also is affiliated with the Art League of Houston and the Kingwood Art Society.

Gina Hamperson.  Art Car artist extraordinaire, Hamperson was married during the 2003 Art Car parade.

Yaz Cowan.  Cowan is a jewelry designer whose work is inspired by the exotic cultures of the Far East.  Her pieces, shown in the gift shop of the Museum of Natural Science, reflect the intricate detailing of Asian art and architecture.  Her collection of prayer box necklaces will be displayed in conjunction with the museum’s October Tibet exhibit.

Caresse Eguileor.  Eguileor is a classically trained illustrator who has worked as an architectural illustrator for more than a decade.  She also teaches adults and children at the Houston School of Arts & Design.

Rachel Griffin.  A junior painting major at the University of Houston, Griffin also is an intern and workshop leader at Project Row Houses, teaching high school and college students how to create public art.  A collection of her life drawings and paintings is currently on display at Project Row Houses.  Her drawings and paintings also were exhibited in the 2002 “Earth Angels” show at Texas Southern University. 

Kym Kartiganer.  Kartiganer is an artist who worked in Hollywood for 17 years.  Her paintings have been featured in televisions series including “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “The OC,” and “Reality Bites,” and in movies including “Mortal Kombat.”  Newly arrived in Houston, she exhibits her work at Bering & James Gallery and Benson Gallery, as well as The Rice Gallery in Kansas City, Kansas.

Humble High School students.  First they tackled an Art Car.  Now they’re going to take on an Art Door.

The downtown exhibition spaces are:

Chevron Texaco Heritage Plaza, 1111 Bagby

One Allen Center, 400 Dallas

Continental Center I, 1600 Smith

J.P. Morgan Chase Tower, 600 Travis

One Houston Center, 1221 McKinney

Following the October 1 “Opening Doors” event, the artistic creations will be displayed in Fall Creek through the end of October, at which time the winning bidders will claim their doors.

Tickets are $50 per person for the “Opening Doors” preview party.  Harris County Commissioner Jerry Eversole is the honorary chairman of the event.  For tickets and information, call 281.458.8000 or visit online at www.fallcreekhouston.com.

“Opening Doors” will launch Fall Creek’s “Downtown at Your Doorstep,” a two-weekend event celebrating the renaissance of downtown Houston.  With the development of light rail and the explosion of entertainment, sports, dining and cultural arts venues, downtown Houston seems a vastly different place from even one year ago.