Houston, May 22, 2025 ‒ University of Houston Law Center is partnering with the Public Art University of Houston System to launch a self-guided audio art tour that brings law, creativity and new-age technology together. From intriguing sculptures to bold paintings, visitors will have the chance to be immersed in the installations featured around UH Law’s John M. O’Quinn Law Building and learn about the importance and significance of each piece.
“As visitors get to learn more about the artists and what their artwork represents, they will hopefully gain a deeper understanding of how law and art intersect while visiting the University of Houston Law Center’s John M. O’Quinn Law Building,” said UH Law Dean Leonard M. Baynes.
Each artwork featured in the tour will include a sign with the artist’s name, a brief description and a QR code for visitors to scan. The code will unlock an audio experience that dives deeper into the meaning behind the piece. Some may highlight the connection to law, others reveal the history and cultural significance behind the work.
“It is a really unique project,” said Sandra Guerra Thompson, the Newell H. Blakely Chair Professor of Law and chair of the UH Law Art Committee. “Faculty members talk about their own work in immigration, health care, and several other areas and address how the art connects to what they do. Then they explain who the artist was and what the painting or sculpture represents.”
Mike Guidry, curator of Public Art for the University of Houston System, opens the tour by introducing the Public Art Group and the bronze statue honoring Albertus Magnus, a German Dominican friar, philosopher, scientist, bishop, and teacher considered to be one of the best medieval philosophers. Gerhard Marcks, an artist who lived through Nazi regime and was forbidden to show his art in Germany, cast this piece to reclaim a part of Germany’s past that celebrated open thought, scientific discovery and philosophical prowess. This statue, the second piece bought for the UH art collection, provides a popular photo opportunity for students.
Dean Baynes introduces Rick Lowe’s “The Line,” located in the lobby of the Law Center. Lowe, a Houston-based artist and founder of the collaborative Project Row Houses, uses geometric shapes and vibrant hues to tell the shared story of the University of Houston and the neighboring Third Ward. Specifically, it showcases Scott Street, which has long been seen as an informal boundary — “the line”— between the two neighbors. The artist, who won a MacArthur “genius” grant for his work bridging ideas and community-centered social practice art, created the piece to question this division and to encourage dialogue about urban development, redlining and community identity.
The Danny M. Sheena Courtroom entryway displays the paintings “Arty-Fax Series" of Roland J. Bernier, Jr. This painting was donated by his son, Roland J. Bernier III, a UH Law alumnus, who reflects on the artwork of his father in the self-guided tour. The tour then proceeds to pieces on the second, third and fourth floors of the building.
“This was an exciting opportunity to work with the Dean, faculty and staff to curate an entire building. It’s a broad spectrum of art, some abstract, celebrating color and form and others more challenging, conceptual, and thought provoking causing us to pause and think about humanity,” Guidry said of the project. “It also celebrates the amazing artistic talent of Houston. Combined, it’s a rich art experience that we hope people appreciate.”
