The Orange Show (Houston, Texas)

 museum, folk museum, art museum / art gallery

A classic "folk art" project originally constructed by retired postal worker Jeff McKissack, located at 2402 Munger Street in the East End community of Houston, Texas, and operated by the non-profit Orange Show For Visionary Art.

McKissack transformed a small urban lot near his wood frame house into The Orange Show to honor the orange, his favorite fruit. Between 1956 and 1980, McKissack used common building materials and recycled junk such as bricks, tiles, fencing, and farm implements to build an architectural maze of walkways, balconies, arenas and exhibits decorated with mosaics and brightly painted iron figures.

After McKissack died in 1980, Houston arts patron Marilyn Oshman formed a non-profit foundation to preserve The Orange Show. The 21 original donors represent a diverse cross-section of Houston, including Schlumberger heiress Dominique de Menil, members of the legendary Texas rock band ZZ Top and East End funeral director Tommy Schlitzberger.

By 1982 the restored site was opened to the public, and newly-hired staff began to integrate The Orange Show into Houston’s cultural life through a wide variety of programs involving artists, musicians and literary figures.

www.orangeshow.org/