HOUSTON — After an extensive search, Houston Airports recently named Alton DuLaney as its new Public Art Program Director and Curator.  The art program operates under the Marketing Department.  DuLaney will report to Kathleen Boyd, Houston Airports Chief Marketing Officer. Houston Airports’ art collection is part of the City of Houston’s collection, managed overall by the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs’ Deborah McNulty.

As director, DuLaney will manage public art commissions, strategy, acquisitions, maintenance and conservation for George Bush Intercontinental Airport, William P. Hobby Airport and Ellington Airport.  Houston Airports has one of the largest collections of public art in the state of Texas.

“As a long-time art curator and visual artist, I am thrilled to join Houston Airports and promote art on a global scale,” DuLaney said. “I look forward to bringing collections that will engage an eclectic range of audiences and enhance their travel experience.”

Houston Aviation Director Mario C. Diaz said: “We are so excited to have such an accomplished and committed Public Art curator like Alton join our team. He will play a vital role in our ongoing efforts to enhance our passengers’ experience and achieve our goal of becoming a five-star global air service gateway. Our commitment to supporting public art and exposing the millions of visitors to our diverse and growing city highlights the art culture found here and allows us to continue to actively support the arts in Houston and the region.”

DuLaney earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Houston, where he taught Public Art and worked with the curator of the Public Art Collection for UH. DuLaney is a scholarship-awarded docent at UH’s Blaffer Museum and received additional docent training through the Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas. He sits on the board of the Houston Arts Foundation as chair of the Adopt a Monument program, addressing public art conservation concerns throughout the city of Houston.

As Art Director of Splendora Gardens, DuLaney curated diverse exhibitions of both local and national artists from 2018-2019, including major works of public art, in the alternative art space founded by artist James Surls.

DuLaney’s own visual artwork has been displayed in numerous exhibitions in Texas, Los Angeles, and New York City, as well as Europe and South America. His work is in the collections of the Tom of Finland Foundation in Los Angeles, the Leslie Lohman Museum in New York City, the City of Marfa Public Art Collection, and several prominent private collections. He is currently represented by Heidi Vaughan Fine Art of Houston, Texas.

When he’s not busy promoting the art world, DuLaney can regularly be seen encouraging creativity on national television as the World’s Most Famous Gift Wrap Artist — and advancing city beautification in his hometown of Splendora, where he is an elected member of the Splendora City Council. DuLaney took the role in June 2019.