Los Angeles-based artist Andrea Bowers's installation at the MFAH's Glassell School of Art takes on abortion rights in a way no Lifetime movie could. "Letters to an Army of Three" chronicles nearly a decade's worth of letters (1964 to 1973) written to three Bay Area abortion-rights activists from women seeking medically safe abortions. The centerpiece of the installation, which includes colored-pencil drawings of vintage pro-choice pins and a scrapbook containing a collection of the letters, is a stirring video presentation of 30 women reading the letters. As each talks, she sits beside a flower arrangement, creating an image that evokes 18th-century portraits ironically skewed by the powerful and painful modern text. While political fervor often can overshadow the reality underneath hot-button issues, this exhibit examines its subject in a frank light. Opening reception at 6 p.m. on January 6.
Fri., Jan. 6, 6 p.m.; Jan. 6-March 6