Hosted by Shah Ardalan, president, special guests in attendance included Kathy Hubbard, Mayor Annise Parker’s partner, Benito Juarez, Immigrant and Refugee Affairs at City of Houston; Bill Flores, president of University of Houston-Downtown; Olivier Delelis, comptroller at Hewlett-Packard; and Lauriane Blandel, deputy culture attaché.
“Opening doors is an inclusive mission value we are proud to embrace,” said Ardalan. “We have the unique privilege of partnering with the Texan French Alliance for the Arts through the “Open the Door” initiative. I was honored to welcome guests to our event celebrating the diverse and vibrant community of Houston and LSC-University Park during Citizenship Month.”
LSC-University Park was selected to host one of 19 unique and interactive interpretations by artists in the citywide art project based broadly on an open door theme. Student teams were chosen from local educational and cultural institutions including Lone Star College, Art League of Houston, Academy of Choice Photography, Awty International School, Glassell School of Art, Neighborhood Centers, Rice University, University of Houston and Westchester Academy for International Studies to create doors in collaboration with artist mentors.
The “Open the Door” art of Saida Fagala of Houston-Baku Sister City Association and Jin Young Oh of Glassell School of Art was unveiled at the event. Fagala’s side depicts a Buddha-inspired pair of human figures connected to a cosmos of blues and greens, while Oh’s side depicts an Asian-American child reaching for a door that leads into a new world.
According to Curator Karine Parker-Lemoyne, the project stemmed from the idea that every new phase in life, learning or experience can be represented by the image of a door. A choice is made to either leave the door closed or to open the door and step across its threshold.
The Texan French Alliance for the Arts is a non-profit cultural organization promoting artists and exposing audiences to art forms while strengthening cultural awareness between Texas and France. Visit http://www.texanfrenchalliance.org/ for more information.
LSC-University Park is the sixth and newest LSCS campuslocated in the former Compaq Computer’s world headquarters complex. The 71-acre campus houses four university partners, a charter high school, several business partners, Lone Star Corporate College and the LSC Energy and Manufacturing Institute. Under the first President, Shah Ardalan, LSC-University Park’s vision is to be nationally recognized as the model for the innovative college of the 21st century. In just two years, LSC-University Park’s Invitation-2-Innovate (i2i) has resulted in many local, national, and global recognitions including one patent. The campus is located at the corner of State Highway 249 and Louetta Road across from Vintage Park. For more information about LSC-University Park, call 281.290.2600 or visit LoneStar.edu/UP.
Lone Star College System has been opening doors to a better community for 40 years. Founded in 1973, LSCS remains steadfast in its commitment to student success and credential completion. Today, with 78,000 students in credit classes, and a total enrollment of more than 90,000, Lone Star College System is the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area and the fastest-growing community college system in the nation. Dr. Richard Carpenter is the chancellor of LSCS, which consists of six colleges including LSC-CyFair, LSC-Kingwood, LSC-Montgomery, LSC-North Harris, LSC-Tomball and LSC-University Park, six centers, LSC-University Center at Montgomery, LSC-University Center at University Park, Lone Star Corporate College, and LSC-Online. To learn more visit LoneStar.edu.