A native Houstonian and daughter of a self-taught artist, Jessica Phifer has long moved with ease through the worlds of creativity and commerce. She currently serves as Director of Business Development and Art Advisory with the international firm The Fine Art Group, where she partners with both emerging and established collectors to guide pivotal acquisitions and sales. Before stepping into her current role, Phifer held the position of Senior Director within another global advisory, and prior to that, dedicated 15 years to Christie’s Auction House. There, she represented the Southwest United States on an international stage, advising private collectors, estates, advisors, and institutions across Christie’s full spectrum of collecting categories.
Widely regarded for her expertise, Phifer is a frequent voice on panel discussions and lectures, speaking on subjects spanning fine art collecting, the market at large, and the impact of philanthropic giving. Rooted in Houston, she remains deeply engaged with the city’s vibrant arts community. She serves on committees for the Menil Collection and holds a seat as Trustee of the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, further extending her dedication to fostering cultural dialogue and growth.
Phifer generously took the time to share with Whitewall her favorite Houston inspirations—from the lively tableau of Hermann Park and the visionary charm of The Orange Show to the city’s secret artist-built environments that quietly pulse with creativity.
Courtesy of Jessica Phifer.
Independence Houston, Japanese Garden in Hermann Park, Courtesy of Texas Time Travel.
WHITEWALL: Best spot to find inspiration in Houston?
JESSICA PHIFER: Hermann Park on a weekend. You couldn’t better cast the tableau of a park serving its purpose in the heart of a wildly sprawling and diverse major American city. Strolling through Tai Chi sessions and quinceaneras and family reunion picnics and lowrider convenings, as you continue to amble along the duck spotted ponds you’re hearing Urdu, Vietnamese, Hindi and Hebrew.
“You couldn’t better cast the tableau of a park serving its purpose in the heart of a wildly sprawling and diverse major American city,”
Jessica Phifer
When you’re off the kid sized choo choo train and have exited the Japanese gardens, you can leave the park and a mere block or so away is the CAMH, free and waiting to share its latest curatorial delights with you. And of course, MFAH and Lawndale and Asia Society and HMAAC and more all around you. But it’s really Hermann Park for me. It inspires by showing the best of our city: its ability to accommodate so much variety, graciously and happily.
WW: Best off-the-beaten-path to see art in Houston?
JP: Not all too off the beaten path but I do think folks forget about it, The Orange Show. A perennially fun monument to visionary artists, with consistently earnest and novel programming.
“A perennially fun monument to visionary artists, with consistently earnest and novel programming,”
Jessica Phifer
WW: Best-kept secret in Houston?
JP: There’s an artist based in the heart of the city (whose name will remain secret, as per) who’s been making work for decades, and much of that work consists of a sort of universe of her own making, an installation spanning a couple of properties dotting an otherwise dense street lined with towering townhomes and canopies of live oaks. It’s utterly charming and makes you yearn for more of such artist-built environments that aren’t designed for mass consumption, just an assiduously built homage to making the interior exterior, to building an idea you can live in. She’s certainly not the only one here. Looking at you, Nestor Topchy!
“It’s utterly charming and makes you yearn for more of such artist-built environments that aren’t designed for mass consumption,”
Jessica Phifer
Jessica Phifer Shares Her Houston Favorites:
1. Hermann Park
Hermann Park, © 2025 Houston First Corporation.
Hermann Park, presented to the City of Houston by George Hermann in 1914, is Houston’s most historically significant public green space. Over the years, the Houston Zoo, Miller Outdoor Theatre, the Houston Museum of Natural Science, Japanese Garden, Rose Garden and Hermann Park Golf Course, one of the first desegregated public golf courses in the United States, all have added to the Park’s importance as a recreational destination. – Hermann Park
2. The Texas Asia Society
Courtesy of The Texas Asia Society.
Asia Society Texas believes in the strength and beauty of diverse perspectives and people. As an educational institution, we advance cultural exchange by celebrating the vibrant diversity of Asia, inspiring empathy, and fostering a better understanding of our interconnected world. Spanning the fields of arts, business, culture, education, and policy, our programming is rooted in the educational and cultural development of our community — trusting in the power of art, dialogue, and ideas to combat bias and build a more inclusive society. – The Texas Asia Society
3. The Orange Show
Courtesy of The Orange Show.
In 1980, Houston arts patron and business leader Marilyn Oshman formed a non-profit foundation to preserve the then fragile and deteriorating Orange Show Monument. She reached out to 21 well-known members of the community representing a diverse cross-section of Houston – Dominique de Menil, Nina Cullinan, members of ZZ Top, and others – to assist in the purchase and restoration of the site. In 1982, the Orange Show Monument opened back up to the public and the newly hired staff began to integrate the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art into Houston’s cultural life through a wide variety of programs. – The Orange Show
4. Nestor Topchy
Nestor Topchy in front of his collection, Iconic Portrait Strand. Photo by Caroline Philippone. Courtesy of Texas Monthly.
Nestor Topchy (b. 1963, New Jersey) is a painter, sculptor, installation artist and performance artist. Topchy is the founder and the Creative Director of HIVE (Habitable Interdisciplinary Visionary Environment), Houston, Tx. He has exhibited widely, nationally and internationally, at Ivan Honchar Museum Folkculture Kyiv, Ukraine; The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston; The Menil Collection, Byzantine Fresco Chapel Museum; Evergreen Museum / Johns Hopkins University; La Museo de Nacion, Lima, Peru; Edinburg Fringe Festival, Scotland; Grace Space NYC, among other places. Topchy currently lives and works in Houston, TX. – Nestor Topchy
