Rice University Moody Center For The Arts

It's a joy to visit the Moody. Their spaces are filled with provocative installations, 2-D & 3-D pieces, and video. Their choices of art pieces (and artists) regularly blow my hair back (think Maxell Commercial), and get my mind working in unexpected directions. The interior of the building is filled with all kinds of contemporary nuggets! It's a personal space, no crowds, amble room to breathe & visually explore.

Before you visit here, you must consider this important point: While this site IS a museum to a certain extent, it is first and foremost a place of learning. This is an art school, populated with students, teachers and professors who's first occupation is not customer service. They're here NOT primarily to serve the public as much as to serve the University. If you keep that in perspective you may enjoy your visit, but if you're going to nit-pick the service quality, or if you come here with a chip on your shoulder about the students, faculty and staff, there are better places in Houston to see. An art school where the community is intentionally allowed to experiment and nurture developing skills may not be for you. The things on display here are a nice combination of student work, faculty work, and exhibits from outside. The building itself is wonderful. If you're on campus, take some time to explore some of the outdoor art pieces that are scattered around.

I'm not sure why people are raving about this place. The staff and students are rude as can be. I have been here twice and never going back. Keep your attitude The art is mediocre at best. There are plenty of great museums in Houston, including a lot of niche and cultural ones The Moody family trust needs to fire the arrogant professors. The curator needs to go to the museum of modern and contemporary arts and learn The lady professor from the earth exhibit needs to learn that calling people early birds is rude as 15 minutes before opening is not outrageous. Your staff should have been ready before that. Opening on time is fine, but some of us come long distances. We were just sitting at tables outside Rice students have rarely contributed to anything spectacular, so please take a humble pill Texas is a welcome state, not rude

Went there for a nice Valentine’s Day with a friend and ended up leaving early due to a rude staff member who made us extremely uncomfortable. I did not get his name, as we were trying to get out of there as quick as possible. He followed us around the exhibit and proceeded to approach us 3 separate times to tell us something. We were not touching any of the art work, we were not speaking loudly, we did not disrespect anyone or anything in there. Just simply wanted to see the art. The first time he approached us, my friend and I were taking pictures of a piece of artwork when he suddenly stops us to say “maybe you should read what this is about before taking pictures like that” …meanwhile this exhibit was about climate change. after that, he kept peeking around the corner, looking at us, then going back around the wall, as if he thought we were going to do something. I do not appreciate being treated like a child. we felt very uncomfortable and he ruined the moment for us. We did make a complaint but I wish I had his name to mention here. Hopefully they get it handled because I would not go back again.

Thrilled to have contributed musical vibes alongside maestros like @hesam_dianpour @dukehunter and @arslen_metouii at the breathtaking Mudhif event by @archaeologynowhouston . This monumental project, a replica of an ancient reed guest house from Iraq, is the FIRST of its kind in the USA, showcasing authentic materials and traditional craftsmanship. Major props to #CasaCazadorAdvanceAssemble for harmonizing this cultural ode! Huge thanks to @5301.18a for fostering these unique cross-cultural connections! #kmilodrumsenpai #CulturalPreservation #LiveMusicHouston #MudhifCelebration#5301CulturalLab

Free art! Just not free parking... $2 for each 15 minutes ($12 max) at the visitor parking right outside. Recently, I went to view the flower and people installation... It was very cool and the flowers move as it senses your movement. On the way out, I saw green light art lantern that are made by Syrian refugees and profits will go back to help others!

I visited about a month with my friend for an art exhibit. Very nice facility for exhibits and also as a workspace.

This building just opened earlier this year in February. They have a huge space in the front for revolving artists. Currently, they have a giant colorful tile exhibit. You can step on it, touch it, take as many pictures as possible too. Right now not a lot of people know about the space so you can enjoy it at your leisure. The best part? It's FREE. There is a private lot next to the building that is $1 per 10 minutes with a max of $12 per day. We were in there for about 30 minutes. I'll keep an eye on the next revolving installation.

First time at the Moody Center for the Arts. I came with a friend to see the Yoshimoto Nara exhibit that they have on display from February through May. The building itself is pretty large, located on campus at Rice University. There is paid visitor parking right outside the building for convenience. The yoshimoto nara exhibit itself only comprised of the three paintings displayed. However they have a few other art installations available for viewing. The rest of the building is comprised of offices and board rooms for students and professors of the university.

Sip & Stroll Art Tour. Have you ever wondered how art is selected for a certain space? Was it commissioned? Donated? Was it made specifically for a space? Was it already designed? So interesting to join the Moody Center for the Arts Executive Director Allison Weaver on a walk to explore the art on the Rice University campus. An art gallery. Tents with murals. Indoor and outdoor stops. So much fun to stroll through the campus and enjoy works by Jaume Plensa, James Surls, Beverly Pepper and Mark di Suvero. Love the classic giant people formed by huge letters sculpted by Jaume Plensa. The Crown Fountain in Chicago is another well loved piece by Jaume Plensa. Interesting to hear how a work of art either fits or does not fit into a space. For example, Po-um by Mark di Suvero was in a place where the kinetic sculpture did not get the wind it needed to be able to move. Imagine having to uproot and transplant a twisted steel work that weighs hundreds of pounds, but that is what was done. Jaume Plensa wanted his sculpture Mirror to be along a walkway that would have been sweltering in the Houston heat. It looks so much more inviting nestled among the oaks. In fact, you can walk into the sculpture and sometimes students bring chairs to study near the piece. Interesting to hear also about the sea-saws that were used during the pandemic to allow students to interact while keeping them safely six feet apart. The tents served a similar purpose, but also served as a canvas for oversized murals. Don't miss James Turrell's Twilight Epiphany Skyspace. Climb the stairs to reach the second floor. Our tour ended at sunset just in time to watch the sunset sequence which lasts for about 40 minutes. So beautiful. Check out the Moody Center for the Arts Calendar. Admission and tours are free. Parking is available on paid lots on the Rice University Campus.

A very anticipated exhibit fell extremely short. Very disappointed by the managerial staff. Although the Yoshitomo exhibit was something we were highly looking toward to, the experience was cut short when Jason Evan's rudely dismissed our group. We called ahead of time to ensure the museum would have regular house and were not informed that a concert would be happening. Jason's behavior was unacceptable and unfair. The kids we came with were very excited to take pictures at the exhibit and Jason instructed to end the "photo shoot". To have a no photos rule is one thing but there was no instruction previously that it was not allowed. To dismiss and mock young children is unacceptable. To speak negatively to a group of people that drove 4+ hours and planned their trip around a particular exhibit is disappointing. Very disappointed in this management approach and as a visitor services manager - we expected better for this experience.

It was an interesting experience. It gave off the feel of the Contemporary Art Museum and a studio space for artists. There is currently three exhibits and an open space where Refugees are working together to make green lanterns. It just opened so things are still being organized and added but it was amazing to visit. Plus it's free! Currently they have teamLab's Flowers&People, Cannot be Controlled but Live Together which is an interactive art exhibit. It was amazing to stay in a space and see the flowers begin to surround you. It doesn't happen right away since the purpose is to show the year of the flower in an hour so the flowers will slowly creep up near you if you're in a space without flowers. The flowers are projected onto carpet so the images are not as sharp as they could be. They also have an exhibit called Nature&Politics which is perfect for anyone who is taking a liberal arts class that is mixed with the sciences. It was a very humbling exhibit since it showed how our society uses technology as symbols of power. Parking in the nearby parking lot is $5-8 It is also walking distance from the rail!

Even though they don't have a lot of exhibits on display, it's still a great place to visit. There's always information of the artists on the front desk and the space is just nice. It's still one of my frequent places I gotta check up on occasionally for updates. It doesn't disappoint and always something to see.

This building just opened earlier this year in February. They have a huge space in the front for revolving artists. Currently, they have a giant colorful tile exhibit. You can step on it, touch it, take as many pictures as possible too. Right now not a lot of people know about the space so you can enjoy it at your leisure. The best part? It's FREE. There is a private lot next to the building that is $1 per 10 minutes with a max of $12 per day. We were in there for about 30 minutes. I'll keep an eye on the next revolving installation.

Contemporary art building right on Rice University's campus! They feature rotating art displays, and the most popular one right now is Flowers & People, Cannot be Controlled but Live Together, created by teamLab. They are a creative group that works collectively to co-create works of art using animation, programming, engineering, mathematics, and more! This artwork is interactive with the audience in the room. When the room it's empty, it's completely empty. As people enter, flowers start to gather near where they stand and start to bloom. Should they stay in one place for a while, the flowers sprout more. When movement has been detected, the flowers decay and wither. Everything is determined in real time by a computer program, and patterns vary based on the amount of people in the room and their movements. The purpose of this exhibit is to showcase the thin line that separates the work of nature and humans, both working endlessly to create a safe and working ecosystem for their kind, and for others. Like nature, humankind will continue to grow, learn, improve, and fade, the cycle never-ending. It is amazing just how much time you can spend in the exhibit, looking at the flowers, not realizing just how much time has passed. I'd recommend visiting this exhibit, and best of all, it's free!

Great stuff goes on there. The Night of Philosophy and ideas was fabulous. I think it is cool to have TA that start early and end late

Free art museum on Rice's campus. Pleasantly surprised! and a nice addition to Rice over the past years. Exhibits modern art. Nice place to walk around for a bit.