Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts

Explorations in Flanerie with Chris Ayala

Saturday, February 22, 2025

10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Join Visiting Artist Chris Ayala and the Mitchell Center for an afternoon of creative movement. In this program, participants will engage with site-specific writing in both nature and urban settings through studying the walk (flâneur). Flâneur derives from the Old Norse verb flana, “to wander with no purpose”. However, we have a purpose: documentation of place, context, and self through travel along Houston’s Buffalo Bayou. We will operate in the tradition of writers and artists who work with the walk as a literary form, such as Pierre Larousse, Charles Baudelaire, Dodie Bellamy, Eileen Myles, Virginia Woolf, Janet Cardiff, Agnes Varda, and Ron Silliman. By the end of this program we will have the tools to create multimodal projects about our experiences, journeys, and sites taking into account the contrast between the urbane and the natural world. No writing experience is necessary and all disciplines and interests are welcome! Bring your camera, sketchbook, or any other creative implements you feel comfortable carrying.

Starting at Allen’s landing, we will walk along the bayou towards Sam Houston Park, with the Julia Ideson building (550 McKinney St, Houston, TX 77002) as our destination. We’ll take a break at the Ideson building and the Mitchell Center will provide light refreshments for participants. After exploring the building, we will loop back towards Allen’s landing, taking a meandering route through the city to explore the urban landscape. We’ll be walking rain or shine so please check the local weather forecast prior and dress appropriately for comfort.

There is ample street parking downtown as well as multiple lots around Allen’s Landing. We recommend arriving early to allow yourself time to find parking and walk to our meeting place at Allen’s Landing by 10:00 a.m.