Artery News
4/2020 Impractical Spaces: Houston book released
The book Impractical Spaces is the first project to comprehensively record the development of artist-run spaces on a national scale. The Houston edition was edited by local historian Pete Gershon and features The Artery with an overview of its history and mission.
This version of arteryhouston.org launched March, 2021
The main goal of this website is to share the videos recorded at the Artery performance space, a gift to all people from the volunteers who made this project possible. Special thanks to Pranav Kothari and his company Red Couch Interactive for making this new version possible. The previous version, launched in 2013 was also courtesy of Pranav. The first version in 2005 was a pioneering effort by Artery co-founder Bill Day. That site allowed us to share our calendar of events with a wider public than was previously possible.
3/2020 One year anniversary of Artery videos on weekly local Television
Artery content has been broadcast on Houston municipal TV channels for one year! They plan to re-run these treasures for the coming year.
3/2019 ANNOUNCEMENT– Artery videos on weekly local Television
The Artery has delivered to HTV, Houston’s municipal TV station, 60 fifteen minute episodes of Artery Media Project, curated and edited to celebrate Houston’s creative communities. These air every Friday at 12:15pm and Saturday 5:15pm. ATT channel 99 and Comcast channel 16
11/18/2013 — Free Press Houston interviews Mark Larsen
12/19/13 UPDATE
The last weekly life drawing session was yesterday. This was a twenty year long ritual. Closing on the property is January 15 2014. Anytime after that the removal of the trees and house will commence.
Message sent to the email contact list in October 2013:
Mark here. I sure don’t like having to send this news! I keep telling myself, be grateful for 26 years of cultural adventure.The property on our south side was sold to builders. The new development will kill the trees along that boundary. I’ve had six months to process this. In that time I’ve realized that besides this threat, the drought two years ago did terrible damage to the Artery forest. The big trees are hurting and several in the mid-canopy have died. The Artery is magic because of the abundant foliage as much as anything. That has been compromised. Having had so much time to play in Eden, I’m not willing to endure a drawn-out pitiful end, with the loss of our natural setting, as well as the complications of parking and many new neighbors.The good news is I saw this coming. Our new website is designed to share our video treasures, to promote the Artery Media Project, which will continue to evolve. Whereas I would have enjoyed a few more years to record performances at the space, there is a bounty of material from the past to edit for the archive. And I have ideas about other scenarios that will allow the accretion of new content. And I have dreams about the distribution of this content, mostly involving the internet, Apple TV, etc. So whereas the space is being sacrificed, the mission is still rich with a sense of purpose.