Houston is a city that has always made its own rules about what constitutes an art world. Its cultural life has been shaped not only by museums and galleries, but by artists, neighborhoods, civic spaces, and the communities that animate them. That makes Rick Lowe a particularly fitting voice for the latest edition of the Untitled Edit.
A visionary artist, MacArthur Fellow, and community builder, Lowe has spent decades testing the boundaries of what art can do—and where it can happen. Through Project Row Houses, his landmark initiative in Houston’s Third Ward, he helped pioneer a model of socially engaged practice rooted as much in community and place as in artistic production. The project’s influence extends well beyond Houston, offering a powerful argument for art as a catalyst for connection, conversation, and change.
For the first edition of our Artist Series, Lowe considers the city’s evolution as a cultural hub and the ways an art fair like Untitled Art can participate in that ongoing story. As a member of Untitled Art, Houston’s Host Committee, he brings an intimate understanding of the city alongside a larger perspective on the relationships between artists, collectors, institutions, and the places they inhabit. He also considers what it means to build collections—and connections—that do more than acquire art, but actively support the artists and practices behind it.
Untitled Art (UA): Through your work with Project Row Houses and your decades-long commitment to Houston's cultural landscape, you've witnessed the city's evolution as an arts destination. How do you see Houston's evolving role as a leading cultural hub of the American South?
Rick Lowe (RL): I have lived and worked in Houston for most of my life, so I have seen the city evolve from the inside. Houston has always had a strong cultural identity, even when the rest of the country did not fully recognize it. Its strength comes from its diversity—from its neighborhoods, communities, artists, musicians, and institutions.
When Project Row Houses began, much of the cultural activity happening in neighborhoods like Third Ward was not always recognized as part of Houston’s larger arts story. Today, there is a greater understanding that culture is created not only in museums and galleries, but also in neighborhoods, public spaces, and communities.
Houston does not need to become another New York or Los Angeles. Its strength is in being Houston—a place where people can experiment, create their own paths, and imagine new relationships between art and society.
UA: What does it mean to have platforms like Untitled Art contributing to that narrative?
RL: Platforms like Untitled Art can help expand the conversation about Houston and connect the city to broader national and international art communities. They create opportunities for discovery, bringing new artists and perspectives to Houston while giving local artists greater visibility.
What is most important is that these platforms engage with the culture that already exists here. Houston has a rich artistic history, and the most meaningful platforms become part of that larger story rather than simply presenting something to the city.
UA: You've been deeply committed to creating a community-based practice that opens new spaces for dialogue. How do you see art fairs contributing to meaningful engagement between artists, collectors, and broader audiences?
RL: My experience with Project Row Houses taught me that art can create spaces where people who might not otherwise meet can come together and have meaningful conversations.
Art fairs have that potential as well. They bring artists, collectors, curators, and audiences into one place, but meaningful engagement requires more than bringing people into the same room. There must be opportunities to slow down, ask questions, and understand the ideas and experiences behind the work.
When collectors develop relationships with artists, the connection can become more meaningful than a transaction. The work becomes part of a larger story, and the collector becomes a participant in supporting that story.
UA: What advice would you give to collectors who want to build collections that are thoughtful, intentional, and supportive of artists and their practices?
RL: I would encourage collectors to begin with curiosity. Take time to learn about artists and the ideas, histories, and experiences that inform their work. Visit studios, ask questions, and remain open to work you may not immediately understand.
A thoughtful collection does not have to follow trends or reflect what the market has already decided is important. It can reflect a collector’s own values, curiosity, and willingness to learn.
Supporting artists can also mean more than purchasing their work. It can include supporting exhibitions, publications, public projects, and opportunities that allow artists to continue developing their practices.
UA: How do you approach art fairs as an artist? What makes a fair experience valuable or meaningful from your perspective?
RL: Because my practice has moved through several forms—from painting to social practice and back to painting—I value unexpected conversations and new ways of understanding the work.
For me, the most meaningful experiences are not limited to what happens during the fair. They are the relationships and possibilities that continue after the event is over.
UA: What would you like to see changed or added to the current fair model? How can fairs best evolve for the future from your vantage point?
RL: I would like to see fairs build stronger relationships with the cities where they take place and building of infrastructure that benefits local arts institutions and artists in between the fair dates. Rather than arriving for a few days and leaving, fairs can connect with local galleries, artists, cultural organizations, neighborhoods, and communities.
The stronger fairs will have some kind of mechanisms or structure to engage galleries, artists, and institutions in an ongoing way built on a balance between commerce and cultural engagement, creating space for education, dialogue, discovery, and lasting relationships.
UA: Is there anything you're particularly looking forward to this fall in Houston?
RL: At this point, I can only focus on my students at the University of Houston and my project and exhibition at the University of Michigan Art Museum this fall.