Named for the compass bearing of Heights Boulevard, True North is a temporary outdoor public art installation on eight designated sites along the winding trails of that boulevard’s beautifully forested esplanade. Working in cooperation with the City of Houston Parks and Recreation and Public Works Departments and the Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, True North is organized by an all-volunteer team, along with the Houston Heights Association—its nonprofit sponsor/partner and the long-time benefactor of that historic boulevard’s esplanade. The True North team chooses a range of sculptures for each project—based on media, theme, color and visibility—and works remain in place for a nine-month permitted period from March to December.

 

True North took root in 2013 when Gus Kopriva, founder of Redbud Arts Center and devoted arts advocate, met with Chris Silkwood, an artist and community leader, and other neighborhood luminaries to discuss Gus’s vision to expand the placement of public art pieces—representative of works by distinguished Texas artists—on sites throughout the City and particularly along the esplanade of Heights Boulevard. True North 2014 and 2023 sculpture artist and team member Dean Ruck says, “Temporary public sculpture brings vitality to communities and liberating opportunities to artists amongst us.”

 

Heights Boulevard’s esplanade is a “Scenic Right of Way” which runs right through the heart of the Houston Heights. Patterned after Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, the boulevard’s 60-foot-wide esplanade was the site of Houston’s first electrified streetcar system, ferrying Houston Heights residents the “considerable distance” of four miles to the big city. Fast forward and thanks to the Houston Heights Association and extensive community activism and fundraising over the years, the esplanade is now home to show-stopping architectural gardens, pavilions, old-growth treescapes and one of the most popular foot trails in the City.

True North has inspired many other public sculpture projects throughout Houston and other Texas cities and continues to thrive and grow thanks to the many community- and arts-minded individuals involved with the project along the way—from its planning days to now. Current team members are Donna Bennett, Gus Kopriva, Dean Ruck, Chris Silkwood and Kelly Simmons. We hope you'll visit the sculptures and stay for the day enjoying the many local restaurants, cafes and eclectic boutiques this wonderful neighborhood has to offer.