The Heritage Society is proud to celebrate a new outdoor exhibit “Faces of the Other” by Joe C. Aker
The Heritage Society is featuring a free, outdoor exhibit that personifies Houston’s diversity. “Faces of the Other” by Joe C. Aker is displayed at Sam Houston Park, along the gated fence lines on Allen Parkway outbound and 1100 Bagby.
“Sam Houston Park has come alive with a series of 42 3’ x 5’ portraits showing the diversity of Houston’s community,” The Heritage Society’s executive director, Alison Bell said. The exhibit expresses faces of 7 different religions, 8-10 different races, LGBTQ (and non-Binary) and different social classes.
“Aker is famous in Houston for his architectural contributions and his art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston,” The Heritage Society’s board president, Minnette Boesel said. “We have been admiring his life-like outdoor photography exhibits displayed along the fences of churches in inner Houston and feel that locals and tourists will see the faces and embrace how diverse our city really is.”
The artist’s intention is– to use the large portrait photographs to demonstrate our similarities rather than our differences. Each portrait brings viewers into its space in an intimate and loving way and, in this highly technological age, portrays our humanity in an analog medium.
The exhibit will also be on display for the FotoFest Biennial that begins on September 24. FotoFest, founded in 1983, organizes a city-wide biennial project in the form of large-scale central exhibitions, curated lectures, performances, a symposium, and film programs. Activities represent about 400 artists and 150 professionals working in the field of art and photography. The eye-catching outdoor exhibit by Aker will be on display until December 1, 2022.
More about The Heritage Society: The Heritage Society is a non-profit organization founded in 1954 whose mission is to tell the stories of the diverse history of Houston and Texas through collections, exhibits, the arts, educational programs, film, video, and other content. A number of public-spirited Houstonians formed in order to rescue the 1847 Kellum-Noble House from demolition. The Heritage Society has since saved an additional nine historic buildings, moved them from various locations to join the Kellum-Noble House in Sam Houston Park, and restored them to reflect their respective eras. These 10 buildings, along with the museum gallery, serve as historic reference points and exhibition spaces for more than 23,000 artifacts that document life in Houston from the early 1800s to the mid-1900s. To see a 2022 calendar of events, head here. For more information, please contact info@heritagesociety.org.
More About the Artist:
Joe C. Aker is an internationally recognized Architectural Photographer and Artist. His architectural work has appeared in all the major architectural magazines, and he has photographed projects for major architects and developers. He was recognized as Artist of the Year by the Houston AIA chapter in 2007. He grew up in Oklahoma City and has degree in Marketing and Economics from Central State University in Edmond, Oklahoma and a degree in Photography from the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York. He opened his own photography studio in 1978 and continues to operate it today as Aker Imaging. In 2005, Joe began to exhibit his own fine artwork. His work has appeared in numerous museum group shows and is now in the permanent collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. He has lectured on photography worldwide. More info at www.facesoftheother.com.
