Bennie’s Top Pick: FOTOFEST

Originally born in the Philippines, artist Bennie Flores Ansell has enjoyed a creative career very much influenced by her parents — her father was an architect, her mother was a Sunday painter with an interest in color and fashion, and both valued art as an integral part of life. Ansell has been committed to life as an artist since elementary school. These days, you can enjoy her creative output through site-specific installations presented in Houston, across the nation, and abroad. With her artwork, Bennie deconstructs the tools of analog photography to create organic arrangements and unique objects.

An earlier installation of hers in the District was presented at The Silos at Sawyer Yards for SITE Houston, an exhibition of site-specific installation, a pioneering move in embracing alternative spaces for fine art.

Bennie’s first studio after graduate school was at Winter Street Studios and she has enjoyed the Old Sixth Ward as a resident since 1998. She has particularly close insight into what is special about the every-day finds one can experience within Arts District Houston:

“Having lived in the Old Sixth Ward for over 20 years, I have witnessed the evolution of the Arts District into what it is today.  It is exciting to live in such a vibrant community that has so much to offer within walking distance from my home, with much more to come as the Arts District continues to evolve.”