Houston’s Most Artistic Sunday Brunch Boosts Lawndale’s Lending Library and the City’s Creative Forces

Friends, countrymen, Houstonians, lend me your. . . art? Houston’s Lawndale Art Center hosted a beautiful brunch and inspired auction with pieces spotlighted from its art Lending Library. 

Chaired by Debra Barrera, Holland Horton and Regina Reggie, Sunday Brunch with Lawndale raises funds for the Houston-area alternative art space, founded in 1979. The event culminated in a silent auction, where eager supporters bid on a selection of coveted creations in diverse media, subjects and aesthetics. The auction is the one time of year the Library opens its collection up for purchase. 

Lawndale’s Lending Library houses a collection of more than 50 curated artworks, from which members can borrow for select periods throughout the year. Launched in 2018, the project allows local art lovers in the Houston and Gulf Coast region to both engage with contemporary artists and keep their own art collections fresh and exciting. 

The mood was upbeat and airy as 200 supporters admired artworks, feasted and enjoyed tunes by eagerly watched Houston artist and musician Alexis Pye (also known as Pink Matter). Tables were adorned with playful flowers from Third Ward Blooms, a nod to spring in Houston. Delicious light bites and mimosas were provided by The Lymbar, and the dessert was a serving of delectable cookies from The Bake Happening. 

One of the artists featured in this year’s auction was Tiffany Heng-Hui Lee, whose abstract paper collages are both sparing and dynamic. Drawing from Heng-Hui-Lee’s years of experience as an interior designer, her collages strike just the right balance between space and color. Her piece was snapped up by Michael and Scott Shaver.

Also spotlighted was Tay Butler, a multidisciplinary artist who engages with Black history and the archive via a lively collage practice. Butler’s work spans from physical paper to video, and his piece at the auction vividly incorporated images from a number of sources. Piper Faust was the lucky high bidder. 

The afternoon raised an impressive $40,000. Half of that went back to the artists themselves, supporting the creative Houston community at the heart of Lawndale. 

PC Seen: Lawndale original artist/founder James Surls’ studio assistant Sharon Kopriva with husband Gus Kopriva of Redbud Arts Center; Jonathan Beitler and Scott Yoder, acquiring a Claire Chauvin photograph; Lawndale director Anna Walker; collector Jereann Chaney; Adriana Butler; Ruby Projects’ Megan Olivia Ebel; artist Orna Feinstein; Ben Horton; Alex Bluebond; Winnie and Nic Phillips; Michelle Matthews; artist Lovie Olivia; Cheryl Looper; and Ryan LeVasseur.

The exhibition “Mud + Corn + Stone + Blue,” curated by Blaffer Art Museum director Dr. Laura Augusta, is on view at Lawndale Arts Center through Saturday, May 2. Learn more here. 

Additional reporting for this story came from Catherine D. Anspon.