New sculpture takes root at University of Houston-Victoria

Artist Melissa Miller of Austin stands next to her sculpture on Feb. 20 during the installation phase at the University of Houston-Victoria. The bronze sculpture, “Wild Grapes and Herons,” features a silhouette of wild grape wines, surrounded by local flora and fauna with herons inside of it. Miller’s design for the sculpture took nearly four years to complete and was produced by Pyrology Foundry & Studio in Bastrop. The sculpture will be located at Kay’s Grove, a memorial garden, located between the University Center and University North buildings. The memorial garden broke ground in 2021 to commemorate the life of Kay Kerr Walker, a fervent supporter of UHV and a former UH System regent, who was also an advocate for health care, the arts and higher education.

The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 50 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.