The Orange Show Foundation

Outreach Program: The Houston Art Car Parade (HACP) and weekend is the largest free public art and engagement event in Houston and one of the largest in the country. Launched in 1988, HACP is an important contributor to quality of life and serves as a unique expression of Houston's creativity and spirit. The weekend includes events across the city. In the Main Street Drag, artists bring their cars to area schools, nursing homes, developmental centers, and hospitals, providing arts access to diverse communities and offering education and awareness to those who might not attend the parade in person. Families and visitors can view art cars up close and meet the artists at the Sneak Peek at Discovery Green. The Art Car Parade draws over 250,000 spectators to view more than 250 dazzling mobile works of art, transforming Houston's streets into an open-air museum. Free Art Car Workshops, covering topics like welding, painting, sculpting, and K-12 curriculum integration, are offered in the months leading up to the parade, where attendees learn to create art cars from experienced artists. We also partner with the Houston Independent School District's art car program to match sponsors with young artists, consistently creating outstanding mobile masterpieces that garner top awards.

Sechedule OOrange Show Outreach Programs: inspired by outsider art and artist-built environments, creative programming brings the community together to create, teach, observe, and appreciate performing and visual arts. Programming focuses on four mission-centered areas: Environments, Education and Outreach, Experiences, and Exhibitions. Examples include the Conservation Corps, a conservator-guided, artist-facilitated preservation and maintenance program for the Orange Show Monument and Beer Can House outsider art environments. This year, the Orange Show was awarded a $500,000 Save America's Treasures matching grant for a $1 million planned restoration of the Orange Show Monument. The Mural Program unites artists from diverse backgrounds to transform our space with large-scale canvases, and we collaborate with at-risk youth on mural projects for their schools and neighborhoods. Performances at the Orange Show Monument feature unique, visionary talents and enliven the environment. The Happening, a free monthly performance art and open mic showcase, highlights some of Houston's most creative minds. Smither Park Sundays offers free concerts at the Lindley Fish Amphitheater, and site-specific exhibitions by Houston artists celebrate groundbreaking contemporary art as artists respond to our unique property.The Orange Show Monument: In the 1950s, retired postman Jeff McKissack began transforming an East End lot into a 3,000-square-foot monument to the orange. He crafted every inch of The Orange Show by hand as a testament to his belief in good nutrition and hard work. Adorned with gears, tiles, wheels, and mannequins, its intricate structure is considered one of the nation's most significant folk-art environments and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Each year, the Orange Show Foundation welcomes thousands of visitors from Houston and beyond to experience the Orange Show environment and visionary art through tours, workshops, and special events.The Beer Can House: In 2001, the Orange Show Foundation acquired the local folk art treasure known as the Beer Can House. Decades earlier, John Milkovisch had transformed his home and yard using more than 50,000 flattened beer cans, marbles, and pebbles. Consistently ranked as one of Houston's top attractions, the Beer Can House welcomes thousands of visitors from around the world. Private tours are offered year-round and have been arranged for senior citizen groups, civic organizations, and universities.