Are you looking for an enjoyable way of spending your weekend? Hoping to indulge your inner artistic spirit? The Museum of Fine Arts recently unveiled its newest exhibit, “Always Greener: Seeing and Seeking Suburbia – Selections from the Museum’s Collection.” This unique exhibit focuses on America’s suburbs.

After the end of World War II, the American suburbs began to change and grow. People left the interior of the cities to find new homes on the outskirts, forming the suburbs of many cities as we know them today. Economic prosperity drove the movement as Americans sought out larger plots of land and bigger homes. By the end of the war and 1950, a quarter of the U.S. population was living in the suburbs, a trend that continued into the modern era. Today, half of the nation’s population calls the suburbs home.


“In 1950 alone, suburban growth was 10 times that of central cities, and the nation’s builders registered 2 million housing starts.”Michael Carliner, a housing economist and research affiliate at Harvard.

That shift in where people lived also changed how artists portrayed American life. The suburbs became a part of American culture, talked about in literature, movies, and television. While the chance to move out of the city brought with it more breathing room, feelings of freedom, and the chance to raise a family, there were also downsides. The suburbs were also associated with isolation and the changing roles that men and women had to take on as the decades rolled by.

These complicated topics and emotions have been portrayed in artwork throughout the years, and now a good deal of it is on display at the Museum of Fine Arts. Guests can view prints, drawings, and photographs of the suburbs that show its changing nature over the years. This special exhibit just went on display on August 9th and will conclude on February 3, 2019.

Never been to the museum before? Residents can find it in the Museum District, at 1001 Bissonnet. It’s only a short drive away from other popular destinations like the Natural Science Museum and the Houston Zoo. General admission for adults is $15 unless you are visiting on a Thursday, when general admission is free for everyone.
If you’re looking to make a day of things at the museum, you can always visit the MFA café, which features a blend of Texas dining with a European style coffee bar. A kids menu is included. On certain days, visitors can also fine food trucks parked outside the Beck Building. These trucks feature some of the best street fare to be found in the city. Finally, if you feel like staying at the museum into the evening, the outdoor bar is open on Thursdays. Visitors can eat and have a drink while listening to live music in the heart of the Museum District.