THE ELEVENTH HOUR Exhibition Opens 9/6 at Houston's DiverseWorks

THE ELEVENTH HOUR will open with a member's preview at DiverseWorks on Friday, September 6 at 6 p.m., with the public opening set from 7 to 9 p.m. The exhibition will be on view through October 12, 2013

DiverseWorks was born out of urgency. Founded in 1982 by a small group of artists determined to create a place that didn't yet exist in Houston, DiverseWorks was envisioned as a gathering space that fostered and celebrated an artistically restless, intellectually inquisitive, and socially and politically engaged arts community. The Eleventh Hour is an exhibition that seeks to trace this lineage of urgency in DiverseWorks' programming, from the recent to the distant past. Featuring key works from notable exhibitions and video documentation of important performances, The Eleventh Hour also includes audio recordings, photographs, documents, and other ephemera.

Artists featured include Elia Arce, Eric Avery, Johannes Birringer, Mel Chin, Ben DeSoto, Karen Finley, Michael Galbreath, Guillermo Gómez-Peña, the Gorilla Girls/Houston, Deborah Hay, Sharon Hayes, Rachel Hecker, Zhang Huan, Infernal Bridegroom Productions, Rhodessa Jones, William Pope.L, Annie Sprinkle, Mary Ellen Strom, and many others.

While exploring some of the various genealogies that have shaped DiverseWorks' evolution,The Eleventh Hour also provides an opportunity to move urgent conversations forward and ground the organization in the present moment. Central to the exhibition is a special conference table situated within the galleries that may be used by members of the community to hold public meetings during the course of the exhibition.

Groups and individuals may reserve space between the hours of noon and 5 pm, Thursdays - Saturdays, by emailing Callie Meeks, Visitor Services Associate atcallie@diverseworks.org.

Artwork: Mel Chin, Jilava Prison Bed, 1982, steel, cotton batting, cotton, 42 x 37 x 69 inches. Courtesy of the artist.