Most of the speakers in The Menil Collection’s Artist’s Eye lecture series select a painting or an artist to discuss. Photographer David Brown, who leads today’s discussion, will take on a slightly larger subject; he’s discussing The Menil Collection itself, from the building to the art collection to the ongoing expansion of the Menil campus. “The Menil has just always been a really important part of my life. It’s kind of my home away from home,” he explains.

Brown first visited the collection when he was 20 and was stunned by what he saw there. “The Menil offers a very intimate environment. The building is really special because it, for the most part, has all-natural lighting. That’s very different from going to the [Museum of Fine Arts, Houston] and getting lost in its catacombs.” But it’s not just the inside of the building that excites Brown — the outside is spectacular as well. He points out that the lawn in front of the building, which is also beautifully designed, is already used a community park. “It’s used for everything from Tai Chi to Frisbee to picnics — it’s just really brilliant how they’re continuing Dominique [de Menil’s] vision to have this be more than just a museum.

“There’s that huge tree outside that has created a wonderful interior space where the branches reach out and touch the ground. It’s become a fantastical tree house for us. We actually collected some acorns from there when my daughter…said, ‘Let’s plant more of these trees!’ So we’re dropping Menil acorns all around the city.” 3 p.m. 1515 Sul Ross. For information, call 713-525-9400 or visit www.menil.org. Free.

Sun., Dec. 5, 3 p.m., 2010

This article appears in Dec 2-8, 2010.