Lawndale Art Center

This unique venue host a variety of art events. Free parking many shows are pay as you wish. The art is world class and as with most art event dress varies from evening wear to cut-offs . Unlike most art or concerts they start on time. There is plentiful parking easy to find on Main. The ambience is brilliant interesting people friendly staff a court yard to have a beverage after all this with great art and music

Small museum, it feels like you get to know the artists, a nice space and good displays of artwork. Free to go and you can read or relax on seats. Nobody else was there on the Friday I went.

This is a fantastic place to take friends, to meet creatives, to get inspiration and to enjoy Namelesssound live performances when they happen. It's a multistory gallery with frequent rotations of artists and their works.

I've been going here for years.

This place definitely was worth going to for my daughter and I. She loves art and is actually very good herself. So as a mom I'm supporting her in her journey until she really take her skills to new heights. We were able to bond and share our artistic ideas and we had great conversation when discussing each piece. It was free to visit making it a very good idea to take your family. I do recommend this place very much if you're into art.

Small gallery but they do really cool work. Recently they held a display on comic artists from the 1970s after the exhibit travelled to Germany. During my last visit only one floor had works on display as the second floor was under construction. Regardless, cool center presenting unique collections.

An institution well worth a visit.

It's a very interesting place, the kind that you may find inspiration and I love its art pieces from the past

This unique venue host a variety of art events. Free parking many shows are pay as you wish. The art is world class and as with most art event dress varies from evening wear to cut-offs . Unlike most art or concerts they start on time. There is plentiful parking easy to find on Main. The ambience is brilliant interesting people friendly staff a court yard to have a beverage after all this with great art and music

Totally FREE. In fact, there is no front desk. We didn't encounter a single employee during our visit (although someone may have been inside an office or something). There are two floors of art. I found their selection to be fairly diverse. A few pieces really stood out to me while others did not. That's usually how it goes. Generally, I judge these small contemporary art centers positively if the selection is varied enough to offer something that strikes my fancy. Easy parking in the back. FYI: The entrance is in the back as well. Since this is a very small museum, I recommend combining it with the Center for Contemporary Craft next door. They have their own parking lot but it's so close that you can just walk over.

Bottomline: I often choose Lawndale and it basically does not choose me. The art/curating: There are mostly familiar forms and styles to what I've seen gallery hopping in Williamsburg and Chelsea spaces (for rising artists) years ago in NYC. However, I get artistically satisfied enough w 1-2 works often enough per visit here. If you've ever gallery hopped w regularity in Manhattan and Brooklyn, you know odds of inspiration are about the same. The spaces: Lots of great spaces for all kinds of art. Three are open spaces. There is one enclosed room. Non-traditional spaces (like stairs and windows and bathrooms), exterior side of building and lawn is available for art. The openings/receptions: Lawndale always has a nice gathering of all kinds of art people and admirers. They are always generous in celebrating the newest exhibition and its artists. The workshops & seminars: Well-organized, informative, and graciously led. Workshops are fairly priced. The AIR: I've visited a few times. It seems nice enough. Fascinating w the new goals, as I learned from a presentation this past spring. Looking forward to seeing what comes out of it.

I went here on a date. And Lawndale has proven itself to be my favorite place to visit this year. It's a clean, open space with a fine showcase of local artists. I was there before their new exhibit but I plan on going back to see it. There were so many different and evocative pieces ranging from Black Southern memorializing to abstract sculptures flexing using texture. It's a free space so donations are welcome. Please support your local museums, especially the small ones!

I've always enjoyed coming here for the various art events that they have. It's a large building but can get crowded for more popular events. Parking is a bit of a challenge but I always manage to find something on the street at least.

Lawndale Art Center USED TO BE a charming art-deco building which was a friend to the community. While it has recently added a lovely outdoor area, it has changed its policy on being for the people. Instead it has become pretentious, self-serving, and unwelcoming to anyone who does not love their specific type of art. It's a shame that such a lovely place has changed so much.

This is a small, three story building that is confusing. You walk in and wonder what's going on since there is no one there and a variety of pamphlets. We were here on a Thursday afternoon and we were the only people in the place. There was a large teepee exhibit on the first floor. Some of the information was readily available about the exhibit, and other stuff you just had to wonder about. In the back part of the first floor was another exhibit with some interesting things with paper. There is also a second and third floor with significantly smaller spaces. On the third floor, there was one exhibit space. I walked up and saw the door open but the lights were out. I walked in and the lights came on by themselves. There was nothing and no one to tell me it was ok to go in, good thing I'm not scared to invade people's space and found another exhibit in there. Overall, I wasn't too impressed with the exhibits in the Lawndale Art Center. The best thing I saw here was the huge graffiti piece on the north side of the building. Daniel Anguilu, a street artist, has used the exterior wall as his canvas. The exhibit named "Famous Monsters" will be on view through June 2012. It's really cool! Loved it but I would have totally missed it if I hadn't gone over to the Center for Contemporary Craft and looked back. If you go here before June 2012, make sure to take a look at the North side of the building. Free Admission.

Three story gallery tucked away in the museum district with its own parking lot. Like Liz S. says, they seem to display more contemporary pop art stuff. I went for a friend's work on display that just got taken down over the weekend. I'd helped in some of the painting process and was excited to see the final product, but sorry I had missed his opening reception due to travel. Other stuff they were showing included crochet-wrapped taxidermy, a collection of gay romance novels, and a collection of robot toys. Free parking, free admission--good way to spend an afternoon exploring culture away from the museum district biggies.

very cool and different vibe from all of the other museums. it is free which is a big plus to me. i think all the museums should be free if we pay taxes on them. this museum is eclectic so it was definitely fun to people watch while there. parking is in street or parking garage nearby

I happened to stumble in here on a random Museum Crawl. When I walked in I was a bit confused, I'm not sure if they were installing pieces or what but nobody was around. I felt like I was breaking in but the door was open. There were a few exhibits already set up so I went ahead and looked around. There is a lot of contemporary art inside. My favorite this day was a bottle cap exhibit. I believe they were setting up for the "big show" I will be back again on a time where I'm not questionably trespassing.

My favorite thing about this museum is the awesome pop art on the side of the building! The human hamster wheel is pretty cool too. It's free and located next to the Contemporary Craft Museum so I would recommend checking that museum out as well if you visit.

FREE museum that hosts modern/contemporary art. They also do art events here. I will never understand modern art, but it's fun to look at. Some of this stuff can get weird. I'm just saying, I definitely would not pay for this place. The mural outside the building is also popular Instagram spot. The murals rotate, so I'm not sure how long the current rock mural will still be around. The museum does have a free parking lot as well. And if you come on a random weekday afternoon you may be the only one here like we were. The contemporary craft museum is also nearby within walking distance. I would recommend doing both at the same time. Both are pretty small, and would take ~30 minutes altogether.

Sadly, I usually only catch the Big Show here. Yes, that's what it's called the Big Show. It's open call to Houston area artists that happens every year around summer time. If you are in the art scene you will here people damn it, but I think it's one of the coolest things the art scene does here in town. Rejection is a killer though and that's why it's sometimes loathed. About 700-800 pieces usually make it into the monster show (usually curated by an out of town juror). Always eclectic and exciting in my opinion! Other shows that I have seen here have been interesting. Lawndale is spacious--and a perfect and interesting place to showcase this city's artwork.

I was lured in by an exhibition opening that featured all the regular free snacks and a performance by local musical artist. We arrived early (about 5 minutes after 6) but were informed that there was an artist talk going on at the time...But apparently they were just kidding. We showed up to a small awkward room of people but no artist talk. I think the space downstairs is wonderful and has a lot of potential for exhibitions. The space on the third floor is not easily conducive to exhibition; the tight square rooms and low ceilings made me think I was in an office space not an art gallery. Although it's a challenge to arrange works in those rooms, at least the staff makes the best of out all their space, including hallways and stairwells. But maybe, they can view this as a chance to edit some of the exhibitions. I would definitely come back to check out another show, even if I wasn't particularly intrigued by the current one. The music was really awesome if somewhat detached from the space.

This place is free and open to the public-just in case you were wondering. It also shows some excellent exhibitions with it's maze like interior. I like that they have variety always and they change exhibitions rather quickly. One of the definite stops for gallery spaces. It's right next door to the Contemporary Craft and pretty near MFAH and the CAM. So you can pretty easily park and walk (Houstonians are laughing at me for even mentioning walking). They are NOT open on Sundays

Tried to rent space there, which I thought would have been the perfect venue for a nice professional mingle/expo but was told, "I don't think we would be suitable for you". I'm not quiet sure why I was SHUT down so "quickly" because what I was looking for is exactly what this venue offered. In my opinion, they have selective guests who they would like to serve in the community,,, if you get my drift. I take it the Cosmetology industry is not a good enough fit.

It's a fun museum, that has funny pieces. I saw a box of cereal with a bowl full of bullets here..lol I also saw a wall with Lego (s), and also a white paper dog on the inside. There is also a picture of a minion with one big yellow eye hanging on the walls. It's not big, but nice.Did I mention, it's free! Yeah!

One of my favorite art spaces in Houston. I try to go to every opening night. It's a good time to people-watch in addition to enjoying the art. On opening nights, there are sometimes food trucks, drinks/refreshments, Saint Arnold's... it varies. Fun to go with a date, a friend, or by yourself. Always interesting and fresh. The instillation pieces are my favorite. And it's FREE! how could you go wrong?

5 star for the huge mural on the outside wall of the building. It's different than the photo shown here so I guess it changes? The current mural has so much detail and different themes, it's wonderfully modern. Great for photos (portrait or just the mural by itself), if you are into photography I highly recommend it. I'm always glad to see old buildings being utilized again, however I have to say a bit more attendance / signage would be good, since we had no idea whether we were trespassing or not. There was very little explanation of what we were looking at, and the space doesn't have a good flow from floor to floor. Lots of potential, just need some loving care and marketing / setup to make the place shine. But if you are in the neigbourhood it doesn't hurt to stop by.

Went here on a whim bc of their Dia de los Muertos exhibit. Almost drove right past it it but thank god for Yelp bc I saw the graffiti on the side wall and I instantly recognized it. The wall is more vibrant in person. So beautiful; great work! The exhibit was free! My friends and I were the only people there at the time. We entered from the back (bc we didn't know) and there was a tiny hallway filled with stuff from various schools around the area ranging from elementary to high school kids. I loved it! Seeing the creatively from all ages. Then we entered the main hall and it was cool seeing 'professional' work. Then a high school (?) group came and it got crowded so we left . The place isn't that big so we weren't there that long. But it was a really nice exhibit. Really thorough and vast in creativity. I'd def check this place out if they have any other exhibits!

I have attended two shows at the Lawndale Art Center and both times have been an awesome experience! There is free parking attached. Cocktails and beer. The most incredible art. And I meet some fabulous new friends.

Recently attended the Big Show slideshow where artists get up and talk about their work. I was astounded by the quality of all the artists. I could do this every week. The problem is in the execution of this event. Twenty artists presenting in a room with barely 40 chairs and poor air conditioning was terrible. There were people against all the walls which increased the temperature in the room and magnified the lack of decent A/C After all the artists had finished presenting, some of them were in a real hurry to get away and most did not stay to mingle. Here are my suggestions for next year. I wouldn't doubt that the artists and their supporters/family members probably made up 70% of those in this small room . This tells me there is a serious issue getting more members of the public out. This can be rectified with better social media and advertizing. Why have 20 artists each night over two weeks? I would gladly show up for just 5 each night/week so each artist could talk for longer than 5 mins. Spread this over a full month, and make it more interesting by changing out some of the works each week. It needn't be the large installations but could certainly be the paintings etc. And allow the artists talking about their work that evening a larger section to exhibit. Finally, make the artists stay behind after the talk, for questions about their work. One really shouldn't have to 'make' them stay, because art is about fostering relationships with the viewer and potential patron. If we could also sip a beer or wine and donate it could be a win for all.

This museum district gallery staple focuses on the works of Houston artists in its three galleries. The art tends to be more pop-y/disposable than I usually favor, but the openings are worth attending. The Big Show is their annual juried show, open to pretty much any local artist. The Lawndale also hosts parties from time to time that aren't tied to openings, as well as meet-the-artist or make-art-with-the-artists events that can be fun and good for local networking. (Their website doesn't currently work in Firefox, just FYI.)

Lawndale Art Center never disappoints. They consistently bring the art and I always go away feeling that the world is a much more magical place after having been there. Whether it's a room that looks like a party exploded in it, a giant quilted tent, or a stuffed anatomically correct giant Teddy bear, I'm always all smiles after I take a tour drink in hand through the rooms. I love the Big Show which they host every year.

I came for the first time to Lawndale Art Center for the Big Show opening reception July 2014. I came pretty late but it was still packed! DJ was playing music; loads of people from all age groups roaming, mingling, and admiring the art; free beer, 2 buck Chuck wines, and Deep Eddy Vodka mixed drinks. The art was fantastic. I was astonished at how good the local artists are. I loved the variety of art. There were even animations, a crocheted cake, and sculptures! I can definitely see a lot of this art being museum worthy. Props to the artists in town for being selected to be part of the Big Show. The paintings were real inspiring. I will definitely return to look at the art again here and there. So I give a 4/5 star only because I've gone once and don't want to overstate my experiences. Despite this rating, you should definitely come see this gallery at some point in your life. Plus, it's free and only a 5 minute walk from the Museum of Fine Arts!

A great gallery/ contemporary art space and a wonderful staff make Lawndale Art Center one of Houston's true treasures. Stop by and say hello to Executive Director Christine or just say thanks to the Exhibitions/Programming Director Dennis for putting together great shows for us to enjoy. Better yet, BECOME A MEMBER!

Lawndale shows the most exciting contemporary Texas art around. I love their shows.