Six months ago, Houston’s Art Car Museum rolled out the news that it would shutter at the end of April. But now, plans are revving up to not only keep it open, but give it a brand new home – one where its delightful quirkiness will find a kindred spirit in strangeness.
A $1.25 million gift from the Harithas Family through the South Texas Charitable Foundation will give the recently closed museum a new home on the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art’s soon-to-be-redeveloped campus, located at the intersection of two of Houston’s most culturally significant neighborhoods, the Third Ward and the East End. The gift will ensure a permanent space celebrating art cars.
Visitors can expect rotating exhibitions of mobile masterpieces designed by local, national, and international artists, as well as the personal art car collection of Ann Harithas, who founded the Art Car Museum in 1998 with her husband, Jim. Ann passed away in 2021. Jim followed in 2023 and the beloved museum was left to their heirs, son Thomas Pascal “Will” Robinson and daughters Madeline Merrill, Molly Kemp, and Stephanie Loeffler.
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The family says the Orange Show is a perfect place to carry on the art car legacy.
“The Orange Show was built on a foundation of supporting artists from all walks of life, and encouraging anyone to explore their personal creativity,” said Robinson, who sits on the Orange Show Center’s board. “We couldn’t be happier to entrust the Orange Show with our mother’s legacy and continue allowing Houston and the world.”
No opening date has been set, but it’s likely to be years in the future. Back in 2021, the Orange Show announced a major expansion project, which included expanded exhibit space adjacent to the Orange Show Monument.
See here for the background. I completely agree that the Orange Show is the best place for a revamped Art Car Museum. The Orange Show has been an integral part of the Art Car Parade for decades. They’re as compatible a set as you’ll find. I look forward to the grand opening, whenever it will be.