Dan Havel and Dean Ruck are on a roll. With their recent installation of Ripple, Havel and Ruck have transformed another building into a work of art. Earlier still, they transformed a space in Houston’s Fifth Ward into JAM Park, more similar to their iconic Inversion on Montrose. But JAM Park has more entryways and, more importantly, a stage.
The stage will be host to their second annual Fresh Fridays After Five Summer Music Series. Art workshops conducted by local artists will be held prior to each concert, with a fee of $5 per child. The workshops will begin at 5pm with the free concerts to follow at 7pm. Concert-goers are invited to come early and bring lawn chairs and coolers to best enjoy the activities from beginning to end. Fresh Fridays activities will also include yard games, with food provided by food trucks and local vendors.
The Houston Chronicle wrote in 2011, “But will people leave the street to come hang out there? Jam is supposed to last about two years before time and termites take their toll. In that time, will its newly, lightly landscaped lot function as a little park, as the Arts Alliance and CRC hope? Now that they’ve built it, will people come?” The JAM Park has outlasted that prediction and is in its second season of these productions. So go see it now! Below is the schedule of this summer’s events.
July 6 – Concert: Soul Creatures; Art Workshop: Mural Painting, Part 1 (Nicole Sinclair, artist) – Children will join Nicky in creating a unique mural at JAM Park.
July 13 – Concert: Los Guerreros de La Musica; Art Workshop: Painting, Rock Garden (Emily Sloan, artist and gallery owner of Mystic Lyon) – Emily will help your young artist to create rock art for a unique rock garden at the JAM Park! This will be fun (and maybe messy) wear comfortable clothes that might get creatively dirty!
July 20 – Concert: Camera Cult; Art Workshop: Mural Painting, Part 2 (Nicole Sinclair, artist) – Children will join artist in creating a unique mural at JAM Park.
July 27 – Concert: Annika Chambers; Art Workshop: Positive Words and Painting (Nicole Sinclair, artist) – Your child will work with Nicky to create a unique take-home painting.