On October 19, artist Molly Gochman and the Red Sand Project will create Earth Installation, International Airport Houston. It will be a temporary earthwork designed to raise awareness of, and combat, human trafficking and will be on display at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. The outdoor trench filled with red sand will be accompanied by a selection of artworks by Gochman, which will be exhibited inside the airport. The intention is to raise important questions about migration, freedom of movement, and the various ways refugees are susceptible to exploitation. 

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Glassell and Fuller will be hosting an opening reception for the piece at the Marriott at George Bush Intercontinental Airport on Friday, October 19, 2018 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. Gochman will speak, and visitors will have the opportunity to tour the earthwork.

Additionally, the Wine Dine Dance art auction will be held at the Wynden on Thursday, October 25, 2018, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.  The evening will include dinner and dancing and will also be hosted by Glassell and Fuller. An artist meet and greet at 6:30 p.m. will precede the auction and dinner. Tickets range from $250 to $2,500.

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Participating Artists

Rania Daniel: Daniel’s paintings reconstruct narratives and examine transformed identities. Her first solo exhibition was held at the Deborah Colton Gallery in Houston. She has donated her art to worthy causes like UNICEF and Hurricane Harvey relief.

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Molly Gochman: The award-winning activist and artist brings together collective experiences to provide greater understanding.  She is the founder of the Stardust Fund, a philanthropic initiative, and of Stardust Equity, a mission-driven investment fund. In 2014, she created Red Sand Project, an international activist artwork that raises awareness concerning the vulnerabilities that lead to exploitation. Recently, Gochman was named one of New York’s New Abolitionists by the New York State Anti-Trafficking Coalition.

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David Graeve: Graeve’s art explores a wide range of media, including sculpture, installation, and performance. As well, he has developed a nonprofit arts organization, become a visual curator, been involved in lighting and stage design, and worked on commercial music videos. The artist is also known for media stunts for grass roots environmental organizations and other forms of social intervention. He is widely collected and has received a number of awards for his work.

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Terrell James: Known for her abstract paintings, prints, and sculptures, James enjoys working on both large-scale pieces and small-scale explorations. Using her unique abstract lens, she draws attention to landscapes, shapes, patterns, and colorful washes. James’ work has been featured in museums across the country, and her art has been honored with important awards.

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Sharon Kopriva: Kopriva creates both two- and three-dimensional art works, which she exhibits internationally and in the United States. She often uses papier-mâché and found objects in her investigations of pre-Colombian cultures, her Catholic faith, and the spiritual forests of the Pacific Northwest.

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Layla Love: Love uses her art to illuminate human consciousness and captures life as a series of adventures and expeditions into the unknown. Having experienced foreign prisons and royal palaces, she employs creativity as a means to transcend in the hope of igniting the spark of activation in others. Love believes that visual imagery has the greatest impact of all in our modern communication process.

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Angelbert Metoyer: Metoyer is at the forefront of Afrofuturism, a cultural aesthetic that has its roots in African-American art and music, with art that explores memory and social history. Using unusual materials like coal, glass, oil, and debris, his paintings and drawings incorporate themes of science, philosophy, and religion. He also creates installation and sound art. Metoyer’s work is in permanent collections around the world and has been exhibited in museums and galleries in the United States and abroad.

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Cruz Ortiz: Ortiz uses print, performance, and video to capture issues that relate to growing up in South Texas. Ortiz replaces classical icons with symbols of contemporary pop culture, creating works that combine dialogues on consumerism and heritage. The resulting art is multi-layered and cross-cultural. His solo shows are exhibited in Texas and abroad.

McKay Otto: Otto thinks of his paintings as meditations, contemplating themes of light, translucence, simplicity, and silence. His work has been displayed in galleries and museums across Texas and the United States, and he is included in Catherine D. Anspon’s contemporary arts book, Texas Artists Today.

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Weihong: Weighong’s art includes interactive performance, painting, and site-specific installation. A performance serving tea, which she has performed around the globe, brought her to a prominence even greater that what she already enjoyed.

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Both the installation and the auction are important as a means of bringing increased awareness to the terrible problem of human trafficking, and the auction will provide much-needed funds for CHILDREN AT RISK.

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To learn more about The Art of Stopping Human Trafficking, visit www.october252018.com or contact Eisha Khan at eishamkhan@gmail.com​.

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About CHILDREN AT RISK

CHILDREN AT RISK is a nonprofit organization that drives change for children through research, education, and influencing public policy. It serves as a catalyst for change to improve the quality of life for children through strategic research, public policy, analysis, education, collaboration, and advocacy. CHILDREN AT RISK stands out from other organizations of its kind by being the only nonprofit focused on the well-being of the whole child, tracking those indicators, and proactively driving change for children by educating legislators on the importance of improving each of the key indicators. Its focus is to make children’s needs a priority and to ensure ample resources are available for children and their families to thrive.