Today we’d like to introduce you to Dandee Warhol.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Dandee. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started War’Hous in 2010, an art space on 4015 Main St. that ran for 3 years until 2013. We started to host underground art shows, fashion shows, musical events, festivals, and any artistic ideas that we could produce. We met a lot of artists that we became friends with to this day and so much connections were made. War’Hous was one of a few galleries that catapulted a lot of the local artists that you see now including myself, Stephanie Gonzalez, Daniel Anguilu, Dom Bam, Cutthroat, Wiley, and many many more. War’Hous also worked in the corporate level and partnered up with many companies such as Cirque Du Soleil, Moet & Hennessey Co., DeLorean Motor Co., Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston Press, and so on.
In 2014, we closed down our brick and mortar and started doing pop up shows in different venues. Our biggest show annually is our Star Wars Art Festival. This has been running for 6 years in a row and attracts thousands of people every time. We continue to support local Houston artists and help emerging ones get their foot in the door.
Has it been a smooth road?
No business has a smooth path. The only way a business can learn is to go through hard times and learn from mistakes, and hopefully grow and learn from those experiences. There were times that we struggled to make rent, unsuccessful shows where only a handful of people would show up, bad press or reviews from our peers and local publications. But we don’t take these things to heart and we’ve turned it around and make something positive out of them. This is partly the reason that we’re still a big part in the Houston Art Community and I believe that we’ve earned our respect because we’ve adapted from such struggles.
So, let’s switch gears a bit and go into the War’Hous story. Tell us more about the business.
War’Hous is an innovative artistic service that focuses on art and events. I am the founder, a self-taught artist, and an arts educator. I specialize in gallery show, hosting events and shows, and highlighting local talents around Houston. War’Hous is mostly known in the Montrose and downtown area, but we’ve hosted shows outside of Houston such as Miami Art Basel. What makes me proud about War’Hous is the underground following that we have and people trust us to consistently exhibit quality art shows and events. What sets us apart from others is that we focus more on the quality of artwork and not treat art as an accessory to any space or exhibitions. We believe that quality is more important that quantity and our main focus in any show or exhibitions will always be the artwork and the artists.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Besides our big festival shows, we plan to hold more intimate art exhibitions that can attract talents outside of Houston. I want War’Hous to be the name that is attached to some amazing shows Houston has ever seen. We might open up another space in the future to achieve these goals, but until then, our pop shows will continue and utilize all the unique spaces that Houston as to offer.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1101 Elder st. #306
- Website: www.warhous.com
- Phone: 832-768-9515
- Email: info@warhous.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/warhous_gallery/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Warhous/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/WarHousDandee
Image Credit:
War’Hous
David Miyauchi
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