The Dreamcatcher
Collection: Houston Health Department (HHD)
2022
Steel, wire, and found objects
Location:
Sunnyside Health and Multi-Service Center, Jesse Lott, The Dreamcatcher, 2022
4410 Reed Rd.
Houston, TX 77051
About the Artwork:
The Dreamcatcher (2022)
by Jesse Lott
Jesse Lott, born in 1943 in Louisiana and died in 2023, whose family moved to Houston’s Fifth Ward in the 1950s. In 1993, Lott co-founded Project Row Houses. His artworks have been exhibited at Art League Houston, Oakland Museum of Art, Lawndale Art Center, and more. Here is one of his public art installations at the Sunnyside Health and Multi-Service Center that measures 11 feet high, 12 feet wide, and one foot deep. It is made of steel, wire, and found objects, or items that are not normally considered materials for art since they have non-art functions. The sculpture is in the form of a large-scale dreamcatcher. Dreamcatchers, innovated by Native American and First Nations peoples, are hoops with a net or web often hung over beds to catch bad dreams while allowing good dreams to pass. In this case, Lott has created a dreamcatcher that has captured: skillets, trophies, horseshoes, bells, toy cars, ceramic figures, and more. Lott said: “Transforming trash into a classical figure is a political action… Rich people don't have time to go through the garbage - their job is to make the garbage.” Are these the discarded dreams of the community that have been saved?
Un Atrapasueños (2022)
por Jesse Lott
Jesse Lott, nacido en 1943 en Luisiana y fallecido en 2023, cuya familia se mudó al Fifth Ward de Houston en la década de 1950. En 1993, Lott cofundó Project Row Houses. Sus obras de arte han sido expuestas en la Art League Houston, el Oakland Museum of Art, el Lawndale Art Center, y más. Aquí se presenta una de sus instalaciones de arte público, ubicada en el Centro de Salud y Multiservicios de Sunnyside que mide 11 pies de alto, 12 pies de ancho, y un pie de profundidad. Está realizada en acero, alambre, y objetos encontrados, es decir, elementos que normalmente no se consideran materiales artísticos, dado que cumplen funciones ajenas al arte. La escultura tiene la forma de un atrapasueños a gran escala. Los atrapasueños, una innovación de los pueblos nativos americanos y de las Primeras Naciones, son aros provistos de una red o telaraña que a menudo se cuelgan sobre las camas para atrapar los malos sueños, permitiendo al mismo tiempo que pasen los buenos. En este caso, Lott ha creado un atrapasueños que ha capturado: sartenes, trofeos, herraduras, campanas, coches de juguete, figuras de cerámica, y más. Lott dijo: “Transformar la basura en una figura clásica es un acto político... Los ricos no tienen tiempo para rebuscar en la basura - su trabajo consiste en producirla.” ¿Son estos los sueños descartados de la comunidad que han sido rescatados?
The Dreamcatcher (2022)
by Jesse Lott
Jesse Lott, born in 1943 in Louisiana and died in 2023, whose family moved to Houston’s Fifth Ward in the 1950s. In 1993, Lott co-founded Project Row Houses. His artworks have been exhibited at Art League Houston, Oakland Museum of Art, Lawndale Art Center, and more. Here is one of his public art installations at the Sunnyside Health and Multi-Service Center that measures 11 feet high, 12 feet wide, and one foot deep. It is made of steel, wire, and found objects, or items that are not normally considered materials for art since they have non-art functions. The sculpture is in the form of a large-scale dreamcatcher. Dreamcatchers, innovated by Native American and First Nations peoples, are hoops with a net or web often hung over beds to catch bad dreams while allowing good dreams to pass. In this case, Lott has created a dreamcatcher that has captured: skillets, trophies, horseshoes, bells, toy cars, ceramic figures, and more. Lott said: “Transforming trash into a classical figure is a political action… Rich people don't have time to go through the garbage - their job is to make the garbage.” Are these the discarded dreams of the community that have been saved?
Un Atrapasueños (2022)
por Jesse Lott
Jesse Lott, nacido en 1943 en Luisiana y fallecido en 2023, cuya familia se mudó al Fifth Ward de Houston en la década de 1950. En 1993, Lott cofundó Project Row Houses. Sus obras de arte han sido expuestas en la Art League Houston, el Oakland Museum of Art, el Lawndale Art Center, y más. Aquí se presenta una de sus instalaciones de arte público, ubicada en el Centro de Salud y Multiservicios de Sunnyside que mide 11 pies de alto, 12 pies de ancho, y un pie de profundidad. Está realizada en acero, alambre, y objetos encontrados, es decir, elementos que normalmente no se consideran materiales artísticos, dado que cumplen funciones ajenas al arte. La escultura tiene la forma de un atrapasueños a gran escala. Los atrapasueños, una innovación de los pueblos nativos americanos y de las Primeras Naciones, son aros provistos de una red o telaraña que a menudo se cuelgan sobre las camas para atrapar los malos sueños, permitiendo al mismo tiempo que pasen los buenos. En este caso, Lott ha creado un atrapasueños que ha capturado: sartenes, trofeos, herraduras, campanas, coches de juguete, figuras de cerámica, y más. Lott dijo: “Transformar la basura en una figura clásica es un acto político... Los ricos no tienen tiempo para rebuscar en la basura - su trabajo consiste en producirla.” ¿Son estos los sueños descartados de la comunidad que han sido rescatados?