When your experience is created by more than the art you see, the architecture that houses it or the concept behind it...

Back in November, cabin-fever was becoming a real thing in my life. It’s not that I was complaining about being “stuck” in this sub-tropical paradise, but I do needed a change of air. Something that would show me that the world was still running outside my own backyard.

The sign that I was waiting for came in the form of an invitation to the ribbon cutting ceremony of the new Kinder Building, the MFAH’s campus new addition. That is how I found my mask-wearing self back in Houston, enjoying one of my favorite private art collections in the USA.

The Menil Collection holds a very special place in my heart.

My affection for it extends beyond the artwork, and probably has a lot more to do with the campus itself. It’s the mix of the new and old buildings, plus the residential homes braided into them along the streets.

There’s something about Houston that takes me back to my childhood. Talking about it during this trip, and trying to pinpoint what it is we ended up agreeing that it’s that sense of abundance that came with the oil boom era.

It almost feels like I grew up there, and that I’ll find my grandparents’ homes at the end of any given street.

The campus felt vibrant on this second visit.

The green areas were filled with Houstonians enjoying the autumn weather, musicians played under the new Drawing Institute plaza, and elderly friend couples chitchatted under the trees keeping a safe distance among them. Like a postcard.

Thanks Houston, for always making me travel back in time.