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Think Outside the Building with Rice Public Art

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For its latest public art installation, Rice University decided to do something a little different from all the statues of owls and important people and science-related objects that decorate the campus, and instead commissioned local graffiti artist Daniel Anguilu to paint a mural on the side of Baker College.

Baker is one of Rice’s residential colleges (think traditional dorms/Hogwarts houses) and is also home to Houston’s longest running Shakespeare festival. As one of the more aesthetically pleasing residences, Baker is the one residential college visitors are directed to visit when taking a tour of their prospective campus.

Anguilu is well-known for his colorful, semi-abstract art, which began as illicit graffiti on exterior walls and freight trains and grew in popularity until he began getting paid commissions for his work. Today, he travels all over the world and participates in many public art and site-specific exhibitions.

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From outlines to the finished mural, the whole project took Daniel Anguilu about two weeks. 

At the end of the 2014 spring semester, Molly Hubbard, director of public art at Rice, contacted Baker College to propose a mural on another, less aesthetically pleasing portion of the building. Baker college masters Ivo and Rose van der Werff, along with then-college president Andrew Stout, wanted feedback from the students before they proceeded, so they sent out a poll to Baker students, who were overwhelmingly in favor of the idea. Students had several opportunities to meet with the artist to discuss ideas and suggestions, and in October 2014 Anguilu spent roughly two weeks transforming the wall from a badly-lit outdoor hallway into a colorful, fantastical space. 

The mural is now a hip spot for selfies and gatherings on Rice campus and also highlights the university’s involvement in the art world and in the Houston community.


The Power of Self(ie)

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In the age of seflies and Instagram, it may seem that narcissism levels have gone through the roof. However, a wave of young Houstonians are looking to dispel the negative side of duck lips and selfie-stick shots, leaning into the use of social media and over-sharing, and highlighting the silver lining of instant connectivity.

WhateverForever, a Montrose-based social group headed by Brooke Bechtel and Victor Cisneros, hosts themed parties every month inside Westheimer Curve club Etro Lounge, including this Sunday’s “Selfy” event. The party is a celebration of the Millennial generation’s viral sharing of self-based images and the use of platforms like Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter.

“I wanted to make a party that engulfed Montrose and that took elements of parties that I really liked, like in places like San Francisco,” says Bechtel, who was inspired to create the art-based party group after attending like-minded events in other cities. Bechtel’s grand scheme is to give people a reason to go out, creating an interactive environment at each event that will have attendees coming back for more. “Back in the day, in Montrose, there was always some great party going on and a photographer was there. People would log on to the computer, get the pictures, reminisce—it makes you want to do more and get involved and interact. I wanted to bring that aesthetic back.”

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To go along with connecting and reminiscing through photography, WhateverForever’s theme this month is that of the selfie (stylized as “selfy”). Enter Christian Alexander, who coordinated the eponymous Facebook group. Bechtel and Alexander collaborated on this Sunday’s party—which also features local vendors like vintage clothier Catacomb and a live DJ set by Alexander—to celebrate self-expression and body confidence.

“We are embracing self-expression, but not self-obsession. We’re the new content. Putting yourself forward can’t be a bad thing,” says Alexander. Party attendees aren’t just encouraged to snap selfie after selfie, but to upload images to the Facebook group’s page, which will then live-stream the images, projecting them throughout the club and creating a truly interactive experience.

“Parties are supposed to be about the people who go to them. The power of self,” Alexander adds.

WhateverForever: Selfy. Sunday, July 26. 5. Free. Etro Lounge, 1424 Westheimer Rd. whateverforeverhtx.com

Hold Up—"E.T., Phone Home" is Real?

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Author Ann Druyan, left, and Houston artist Dario Robleto

If you could ask an alien one question, what would it be? If you had the opportunity to send a message that represented all of humanity out into outer space in hopes of getting a response, what would you say? Last week, Russian gazillionaire Yuri Milner invested $100 million to help search for life in the universe and to make those opportunities for intergalactic conversations happen with The Breakthrough Initiatives.

The Breakthrough Initiatives is a series of multi-disciplinary projects with the common goal of discovering intelligent life out in the universe and has been endorsed by legendary theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking. Some of the world’s top scientific minds are in on the 10-year project, including American astronomer Frank Drake and British astrophysicist Lord Martin Rees. So how does an artist from Houston fit into the picture?

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Russian businessman Yuri Milner, left, and astrophysicist Stephen Hawking hosted the Breakthrough Initiatives press conference last week in London.

"This is an opportunity to put our scientific and creative thoughts together." That’s Houston-based artist Dario Robleto; he’s the local right-brained figure who was invited by author Ann Druyan to join the Breakthrough Initiative. Druyan is heading up the "Breakthrough Message" portion of the project with the goal of creating digital messages that represent humanity and earth to send to our possible outer space friends zipping through the universe. Robleto became fascinated by space, other intelligent life and making contact after hearing Druyan's voice (he thought it was actually someone from outer space) on the Voyager's Golden Record, a recording of sounds representing life and culture on earth, which anyone in the world could listen to by calling a 1-800 number.

"The thing that gave me goosebumps in London," Robleto says about the conference hosted by Milner and Hawking, "was that everyone in the field thinks we’re just a decade or two away from confirming life in the universe."

Yuri Milner’s cool $100 million will open a window to the 100-closest galaxies, scanning the entire galactic plane and listening for messages with long-distance telescopes, including a 100-meter telescope based in Virginia. Essentially, this is a real life Contact, but without Jodie Foster screaming, "I’m okay to go!" over and over and over.

So, if we do happen to hear from intelligent life out there, what should we ask? How should we respond?

"I think the $100 million question is, 'What’s worthy of representing us?' I think you need minds from every discipline to think it through," says Robleto.

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Is intelligent life out there? We might find out sooner than we originally thought.

The artist doesn't know exactly what he'll be doing in the project or if he'll even end up being the person crafting and sending the message. However, he still thinks art needs to be included in the grand scheme of things.

"If we actually make contact with something, someone, out there, can you imagine the cultural effect? It’s a question of who we are, which is always a question we ask ourselves in art."

Into The Ethereal

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Celan Bouillette's Under Cover

When gallery owner Nicole Longnecker moved to Houston 15 years ago, local art was a little harder to find. This stuck with the Iowa native who opened her own gallery in Upper Kirby in 2013 and began seeking out not only local creative artists, but also the curators behind the shows. For The Charm of the Spectacle, opening at the eponymous gallery on Friday, August 8, Longnecker handed the reigns over to a young curator and three female artists on the rise.

For Spectacle, Longnecker brought on curator Scarlett Taylor, whose experience in art curating includes shows at the now-closed Galleria Lazzara and 2404 Montrose Gallery, and for a special show at University of Houston's Counseling and Psychological Services.

"There is a wonderful spirit that Houston has that needs to be held up for the world to witness," says Taylor, who begins her MFA studies at Sotheby’s Institute of New York in September. "I sought after female artists whose oeuvre was strong enough to stand alone, but were also texturally complex and had an interesting design elements."

Taylor’s trio of female artists includes Celan Bouillet, Jessica Dupuis and Darcy Rosenberger, whose works align with a whimsical, otherworldly aesthetic. The collection features a mix of acrylic paintings, sculptures and mixed media installations that bring on thoughts and images of an interstellar or cosmic playground.

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Darcy Rosenberger's "For G"

For example, Rosenberger’s "For G", made from Styrofoam, resembles a moon rock or Kryptonian geode—its middle section peeled open to reveal a sparkling heap of gold confetti. "I believe part of human consciousness is connected to these pattern based forms. My goal is to offer something that has an eternal aesthetic," mentions the artist. "It is an expression of gratitude and love, an expression of the beauty that exists in the concept of the [confetti]."

The exhibition allows the viewer to enter a spiritual world filled with immersive and enticing visuals, something that inspired all who are involved. "I want to understand how to communicate in a meaningful and effective way to people in this language that I feel most adept at expressing myself through," says Rosenberger. "This was an outlet for that energy while serving as a way to connect."

The Charm of The Spectacle. Friday, Aug. 8—Friday, Sep. 5. Nicole Longnecker Gallery, 2625 Colquitt St. 713-591-4997. longneckergallery.com

Top Things to Do This Weekend: July 31-Aug 2

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Art

The Pancakes & Booze Art Show

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The Los Angeles-based art group travels to Houston on its breakfast food and art tour. The 18 and over event features live music, body painting and underground art submitted by local artists. Attendees can line up at the all-you-can-eat pancake bar and pile on as many flapjacks as they want.

July 31. 8. $5. Warehouse Live, 813 St. Emanuel. 713-225-5483. pancakesandbooze.com

 

 

Movie

Float and Flick: Goonies 

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Heyyyy youuuu guyssss! Truffle shuffle your way over to Hotel Derek's posh pool for its Float & Flick series and its presentation of the 80s classic treasure hunt film, Goonies. In the Steven Spielberg-produced film, a young group of adventure seekers fight off a brood of bad guys while looking for lost treasure in subterranean Oregon.

July 31. 5. $25; admission includes two tickets, complimentary popcorn, two drinks and parking. Hotel Derek, 2525 West Loop South. 713-297-4327. hotelderek.com

 

Event

White Linen Night in the Heights

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The yearly summer celebration spotlights artists, charities and businesses that call the eclectic Houston Heights their home. Local businesses open their doors and streets shut down for a neighborhood block party as attendees are encouraged to wear their best summer linens.

Aug 1. 6. Free. Houston Heights, various locations. 281-455-7033. theheightswhitelinennight.com

Dance

The Rite of Summer

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FrenetiCore Dance presents its moving and elemental adaptation of the 1913 classic ballet, The Rite of Spring. The new version, choreographed by artistic director Rebecca French, turns Stravinsky's original dark piece about primitive human sacrifice into a vibrant performance surrounding nature and the celebration of life on a bright summer day.

Aug 1. 8. $16-50. Wortham Theater Center, 501 Texas Ave. 832-387-7440. freneticore.net

Movie

The Kid

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This modern-day retelling of Charlie Chaplin's classic silent film was shot entirely in the Houston Heights area with local actors and crew. Notable neighborhood features are seen in the film including the "Greetings from Houston" mural on White Oak. The black-and-white film follows an orphaned boy who falls under the care of a well-to-do tramp who fights to keep the boy out of the public care system.

Aug 2. 2. $2. The Summit, 3536 Navigation Blvd. 713-410-3228. thekid2014.com

 

 

A Trio of Shows Open at Art League Houston

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This Friday in Montrose, Art League Houston unveils three new exhibits, each one uniquely different from the other. Two Texas artists and one from the Bahamas present three unique works, but three exhibitions that successfully make viewers think and look once, twice or even three times.

Zoo at the Edge of the World: A Continuum of the Exotic
Lavar Munroe, Main Gallery

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"The Zoo Keeper" by Lavar Munroe

In Zoo at the Edge of the World, Bahamian mixed-media artist Lavar Munroe draws inspiration from the 19th- and 20th-century European human zoos, where people of non-western origin were on display. Manipulating illustrations, advertisements and sideshow banners of the time, Munroe recreates the human zoo in an abstract way—much of his work shows humans paired with wild animals, which was not an uncommon depiction in these zoos of the 1800 and 1900s.

While the pieces have been regarded as controversial, Munroe says his work is not just about race—he’s interested in how people were curious about the “exotic other,” and how that carries over in current times. “I’m interested in how practices back then, the human zoo, set a plateau for how we view each other in today’s society,” he says.

Munroe created the work through a destructive process—slashing, cutting, stapling and ripping the paintings before nursing them back to life. Expect colorful and beautifully grotesque images in a thought-provoking display.

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"Sister Canice and Sister Canisius" by Letitia Huckaby

Bayou Baroque
Letitia Huckaby, ALH Front Gallery

Through gorgeous patchwork-style photographs, Huckaby honors the nuns at the Sisters of the Holy Family Mother House in New Orleans. Huckaby, who works out of Fort Worth, photographed nuns in front of elaborate bed sheets and pieced segments of the photos together into complete quilt-like portraits. The African-American congregation to which Huckaby pays homage was formed in 1842, when founder Henrietta Delille broke from the “traditional plaçage system of colored women being placed as concubines to wealthy white men in New Orleans.” Huckaby was inspired by their courage and faith, ultimately pushing her to create her exhibit.

Luminous, Yet Devoid of Chroma
Michael Menchaca, Hallway Gallery

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"Tend, Guard, Cultivate, Till" by Michael Menchaca

In a hallway connecting the two previous exhibits is Menchaca’s Luminous, Yet Devoid of Chroma. His video presentation uses arcade game graphics to depict recent events involving race issues in the U.S., such as the Charleston shooting in a historic black church earlier this summer.

“I want people to pass by it and have it seduce them,” Menchaca says. “These graphics are meant to have [people] insert coins, [but] as a substitute for inserting coins, it’s to have them insert thoughts, in a way.”

The arcade game format came from personal experience; Menchaca, a San Antonian who identifies as Neo-Chicano, says the work is treated with a nostalgic quality. “As a young kid, there’s this escapist fantasy world. When you have a low income and come home, you play video games. That’s what I did.”

Through metaphor and current events, Menchaca’s video restructures America as it currently stands—in a way that is engaging, provocative and reminiscent of the past and present.

Each show runs July 31–Sep. 12. Free. Art League Houston, 1953 Montrose Blvd. 713-523-9530. artleaguehouston.org

An Arctic Blast from the Past

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Harpoon Counterweight (Winged Object)

Menil Collection curator Sean Mooney opens his shutters to shine a bright light on the “Treasure Room,” his office and storage place for hundreds of pieces from the Carpenter Collection of Arctic Art. For the upcoming MicroCosmos exhibit, which opens Saturday, Aug 29, Mooney focuses on ancient artifacts of the Yup’ik people of coastal Alaska, descendants of Old Bering Sea Paleo-Eskimo culture.

Mooney has chosen darkness to encourage a more detailed contemplative viewing of the palm-sized pieces that span from 250 BCE–1000 CE and include figurines and hunting instruments, as well as 19th century storytelling masks. He wants the visitor to see the pieces as they would have been seen by their bearer—in the Arctic in the dead of winter.

“It’s an additional layer of encountering something to think about—not just where it was made and what it is,” he says, “but how it was made, by whom, at what time of year, and what kind of climate.”

The pieces, carved and sculpted from walrus ivory, revolve around hunting technology. The Yup’ik people considered humans and animals spiritual equals, but depended on the resources of arctic animals like seals and walruses to survive. This provided an interesting dilemma and an even more interesting resolution for Mooney.

“Everything that you do as a hunter is about ensuring that you’ve paid respect and you've lived harmoniously with nature,” he notes. “Part of that system is the making of beautiful objects. It’s the rare instance in a culture where the making of art is critical to survival. The more beautiful your [tools] are, the better a hunter you are.”

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Head from Human Doll Figure, with Tattoo Patterning

Mooney faced several challenges when curating the exhibit. Anthropological texts would label some pieces as “objects of unknown use” and art collectors would incorrectly categorize hunting tools as amulets. Perhaps worst of all, the native New Yorker had to learn about fishing from scratch. As a result, Mooney met with countless scholars and experts to fill in the gaps.

According to Mooney, all of these so-called difficulties are the source of his joy. He finds pleasure in uncovering the mysteries of each object by contemplating, writing, exploring and discussing each object, he says. “It’s such a privilege to be able to focus on this one collection.”

Aug 29–Feb 21. Free. Wed–Sun 11–7.  The Menil Collection, 1533 Sul Ross St. 713-525-9400. menil.org

Art on the Rise

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Amid a dusty patch of dry land, between some old train tracks and thistles, stands a chockablock art commune as unique as the city it’s in. Winter Street Studios and Spring Street Studios, which straddle the line between Houston’s industrial Sixth and First Wards, have been beacons for local artists and art-lovers alike. Now, that characteristically shabby patch of land is set to get another facelift with a full-scale addition known as The Silos at Sawyer Yards, set for a November opening.

The 36-acre “creative campus,” optioned by developer Jon Deal and other partners, is an oasis both in art and aesthetics. The industrial-chic plight adds 80 studios to the two art compounds, along with retail, restaurants, common areas and brand spanking new apartments. There’s even going to be a farmer’s market on the weekends, making this a true community destination.

“We envision this creative campus with multiple uses. The common component is to have art being the nature of all of it,” says Deal, who purchased the land the iconic Mahatma Rice silos sit on last July. Deal has been working on the project with fellow developers Steven Gibson, Paul Hobby and Frank Liu. “I don’t think you’ll see offices full of doctors and accountants. We’re going to stick to graphic designers, architects, et cetera—creative minds doing creative things. We’ve witnessed how well they congregate and collaborate at our other studios.”

The $100,000 million project will include a paving over of bits of debris and dirt paths on a strip between the two studios. This section, known as Artist Alley, will continue with a repurposed industrial-chic look the studios are known for and feature a brand new micro-brewery. The brand new art Mecca will also include a breezeway that leads to the Mahatma Rice silos towering over abandoned Union Pacific railroad spurs.

It’s inside those 34 haunting, empty silos where the SITE exhibition will take place this November. Currently accepting proposals from artists thru September 1, the exhibition will force each artist to work within the space of a silo. Contemporary sculpture, installation, street art, murals and interdisciplinary media will fill the silos, creating a site-specific and conceptual art arena.

“I think this space lends itself to exploration, just by design. When you add art into it, it feels pretty amazing,” says Washington Avenue Arts District Director Susannah Mitchell.

“Houston hasn’t seen anything like this before. I’m not sure anyone has.”

Walking through the industrial space, it’s easy to see and hear the creative possibilities for working artists. The high-reaching silos, which have a faint odor of rice from the days of being in operation, retain sound in each area, keeping the artistic experience within unique from one project to the next.

Even though the expansion project as a whole hasn’t been a walk in the park for Deal and Co., including lengthy conversations with Union Pacific and going through the motions of getting titles squared away, the fruits of their labor are finally showing.

“It’s easy to build something new,” says Deal. “I can’t think of another project that’s had so many hurdles. But, you know, repurposing buildings and lots is a rewarding challenge.”

SITE. Nov 6–Jan 30. Silos at Sawyer Yards, 2101 Winter St. sitehouston.com


Haute in Houston

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Design by Michelle Yue

What does Diamond Grill-maker Johnny Dang have in common with neo-rustic husband-and-wife furniture design team Garza Marfa? Besides the fact that both are Texas-based, each is working in a medium that combines art and design into functional, fashionable pieces. And each will have works featured in the upcoming exhibition Texas Design Now, opening at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston this Friday. 

Texas Design Now is a collection of 35 Texas-based artists working in mediums as diverse as fashion, interior décor, sculpture, industrial design and more in cities as far-ranging as Dallas to Marfa. The show aims to celebrate the diversity and uniqueness of Texas's design community.

The show was guest-organized by Chris Goins and Garrett Hunter, both former buyers for Kuhl-Linscomb. Goins, who in July was hired as the general manager of retail at the Museum of Fine Arts, said she was inspired to look beyond high fashion in co-organizing the exhibit, asking the question “What is fashion?” The exhibit allows her to showcase objects for their artistic intrinsic quality as opposed to marketability.

“Buying may be related to curating in the way that one uses utmost discernment to select objects of the highest quality,” she said. “Of course, in a retail environment, a buyer must always consider the sale-ability of the object. As a buyer, I select objects first and foremost for being the best of their kind, but I always ask the question: will this sell?”

As varied as the works are, having them all together in one gallery allows for some themes to emerge, Goins said.

“Texas is an enormous state, so it is to be expected that designers are working in incredibly diverse ways—aesthetically, conceptually and materially. There are a number of intersections where they meet while maintaining their independence. For example, the elaborate beading and ornamentation of a Sameera Faridi gown is materially related to the bling of Johnny Dang’s Diamond Grillz. As objects, they are quite dissimilar, but you put them together and a really exciting dialogue emerges.” 

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Walnut hallway console by Michael Wilson

In addition, the exhibit has allowed artists who knew of or were familiar with one another to come together on collaborative pieces created specifically for this show. Such is the case with fashion designer Kate de Para and painter Shane Tolbert.

“Shane and I have been friends for a long time and I've always wanted to collaborate with him, which is something that would not happen were it not for this show,” de Para said. The pair unmatted Tolbert's painting and had them turned into textile fabrics, which de Para then sewed into garments. “It's funny because he uses a lot of color in his work and I don't.”

De Para said she is also excited about meeting some fellow artists, such as homewares designer Alyson Fox.

“She's been my idol since college,” de Para said.

As far as a unifying theme for the show, de Para said it's less about Texas and more about a compulsion the artists share.

“We are all compelled to make functional objects,” she said. “We design and produce objects that are made to be used. It's such a different kind of show—the breadth is wide and deep. We keep asking 'Why haven't we done this before?'”

Free. Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, 5216 Montrose Blvd. 713-284-8250. camh.org

Project Row Houses Presents Annual Summer Studios Exhibition

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Jennifer Mendez's "Show Horse in a Feedlot"

This weekend, Project Row Houses, the storied strip of shotgun homes-turned-artistic haven in Houston’s Third Ward, presents its ninth annual Summer Studios showcase. The exhibition, which opens this Saturday, features six emerging young artists plucked from among Houston’s diverse colleges, offering them an opportunity to create work that’s reflective of the community.

“It’s a chance to give a student a chance to work in a real studio space. For most, this is their first exhibit,” says Project Row’s Public Art Director Ryan Dennis. “We want to connect our artists with curators and create a community within a community. It’s all about nurturing artists as individuals.”

Since its inception as an art community in 1993, Project Row Houses has helped to bring a voice to, and paint a picture of (pun intended), its surrounding area. “There’s been so much at work here. We’ve always been thinking about development in the surrounding area, things like establishing a covenant with churches and small businesses. This is a chance to invest in younger artists.”

The Summer Studios project has given the student-artists involved the freedom to create original pieces over a six-week period. Dennis and Co. invited professors from surrounding Houston universities to nominate two or three students who they thought deserved some recognition and from there, the nominees were narrowed down to the chosen six. Each project reflects social and political themes relative to the Third Ward and its surrounding areas. Included in the showcase are University of Houston student Kandace Ponce’s furniture design, which is used to force social interaction and personal space, a comment on the new jutting into the old; Jennifer Mendez, a University of St. Thomas painting major, uses horses as an analogy of gentrification in the encroaching neighborhoods. Other artists include Guadalupe Hernandez (Houston Baptist University), Shaun Parker (University of Houston), Kingsley Onyeiwu (Texas Southern University) and Sula Bermudez-Silverman (Honorary Resident).

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Guadalupe Hernandez's "Detail of Speak Life"

“I was really focused on providing the Project Row Houses summer residents with an intense and rigorous six weeks of critical dialogue about community, history, ethics and economy,” says curator and mentor William Cordova. The Yale-educated interdisciplinary artist from Miami who shepherded the project is also known for his similar community-based art projects. “Art is also a tool for problem solving for healing. Third Ward is very much like my community in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Liberty City, Opa-Locka, Little Haiti and North Miami Beach. All places where culture is rich but resources are often limited. We are resourceful; we work together because we have common goals and values. Creativity is the only means of transcending beyond our limits.”

Among the socio-political observations, it really comes down to curating artists of tomorrow. “This program is for the artist. We hope viewers recognize the talent coming out of the universities,” notes Dennis. “We want to expose young artists to life as a working artist.”

Project Row Houses Summer Studios 2015. Opening reception Saturday, Aug. 22. 4. Free. Project Row Houses, 2521 Holman St. 713-526-7662. projectrowhouses.org

In Dreams

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"Everything Is Tempoary" by Jenaro Goode

In “Music for the World to See,” a pop-up art event presented by Bea Ying Projects this weekend, visual imagery flows from the paintbrushes of two emerging Houston artists. The show features a bouquet of 30 art pieces from Jenaro Goode and Jaylon Hicks, whose respective works detail an equal influence of expressionism and dreamlike odes to the female form.

The show’s producer, Ariana Thrasher, spotted the works of Goode and Hicks and was drawn to their own creative processes and takes on their subjects. For 10 months, Thrasher observed the artists as they worked in the same space, creating new pieces for the weekend-long presentation. “It was interesting to see how they influenced each other,” Thrasher says. “Trying to have a harmony of two artists working side-by-side was interesting to me.”

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"Skittle Girl" by Jaylon Hicks

For some, it may be clear to see the artists may have had an impact on each other’s works while crafting in close quarters at The Common House, a studio space just north of Downtown Houston. In Hicks’ “Skittle Girl,” the artist seems to be channeling Picasso with his outline of a long and distorted female figure (a dedication says “For Ashley”). She’s curvy, smiling and diving into a palette of yellows and greens. Barefooted and animated—literally and figuratively—the Skittle Girl oozes sexuality and confidence. Hicks’ work continues on with this theme of interpretation, like a jazz soloist letting the composition take on a mind of its own.

Goode’s fascination of surrealism à la Salvador Dali is apparent in his own colorful creations. His painted dreamscapes include nude women, seemingly haunted by cat-like figures or missing their own faces.

Visual imagery runs rampant throughout the exhibition, something that Thrasher plans to continue to promote. “I want to make these projects as broad as possible when it comes to art.”

Music for the World to See. Aug 28 & 29. $5. Bea Ying projects Pop-Up Gallery, 1606 White Oak Dr. beayingprojects.com

Shadow Play

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A huge hit this summer, Philip Worthington’s interactive Shadow Monsters exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston gives everyone the chance to tap into their inner monster. The imaginative installation, in which participants' silhouettes are recast as fantastic creatures inside the museum's Cullinan Hall, gets even more interpretive this Thursday with an improv-heavy dance performance by the Houston Ballet Academy, aptly titled beyond the shadow of a doubt.

The performance, which blends together modern movement with classical ballet pirouettes, highlights this week’s installment of the museum’s Artful Thursday series. Not only will the performance encompass a mix of dance styles to complement the exhibit’s phantasmic motifs, but it will also integrate other mediums like slam poetry and live music.

Jane Weiner, Artistic Director of Hope Stone Dance Company, welcomed the chance to coordinate the production after HBA Director Shelley Powers selected her for the opportunity. With a group of student dancers aged 15–20, Weiner crafted a multifaceted show to enhance the exhibit’s ghoulish surrealism. She turned to her young dancers for inspiration, inquiring about their inner-most fears and what they were scared of—from drowning in deep waters to crawling cockroaches.

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The Houston Ballet Academy rehearses beyond the shadow of a doubt

“All these elements [in the exhibit] loosely are shadows, so we based this on questioning what are our shadows, what are our fears,” Weiner says.

Since the dance directly correlates with the movements from the exhibit’s digital shadow algorithm machine, it is difficult to plan exactly what is going to happen.

“It’s one of the scariest things I’ve ever done,” Weiner confesses.

Fear is the driving force behind the performance as well as the theme. Weiner relishes the chance to incorporate her dance philosophy with the whimsical abstractness of Shadow Monsters.

“I like to create art where you don’t know where to look,” Weiner explains. “Should I look at the poet, should I look at the dancer, the musician? I like the idea of the audience having the freedom to make their own choice. They look at it from anywhere they want to make it their own experience.”

Thursday, Aug. 27 at 6:30. Free with museum admission. Cullinan Hall at Museum of Fine Arts, 1001 Bissonnet St. 713-639-7300. mfah.org

Going With the Grain

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The rings of a tree—what lies beneath after the bark is torn away—can reveal a lot about the tree's age and the conditions it has survived. What remains after parts of Houston are peeled away? That's the question behind a new exhibit at Houston Community College's Central Art Gallery, which places established artists working with repurposed wood alongside some up-and-coming artists on show for the very first time.

The idea for With the Grain, on display through September 23, came during an exhibit at the gallery earlier this year calledMapped: A Survey of Contemporary Jewelry and Metalwork. In that exhibit, artist Edward Lane McCartney used reclaimed wood from torn down shotgun shacks in Houston's Third Ward.

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Not Yellow Heart With Tulip by Page Piland

“That was the inspiration for this show,” said Michael Golden, who co-curated With the Grain with Bennie Flores Ansell. “Lately there have been a lot of artists in Houston getting attention for using reclaimed wood.”

Some of the names in the show will be familiar to longtime Houstonians, such as Dan Havel and Dean Ruck, who created the Inversion house in 2005 on Montrose Boulevard. Patrick Renner, whose Funnel Tunnel graced the esplanade on Montrose more recently, will also be in the show. But there are a varying degree of artists on display, Ansell said, including works by McCartney.

“A lot of these pieces come from the different wards in town,” said Golden. And while Houston loves its teardowns, not all the works are made from old houses. Alex Larsen, who grew up in Missouri and now lives in the East End, found some large beams in an old East End warehouse. He's also using wood reclaimed from Victorian-era farmhouses in his home state.

Another artist, Page Piland, juxtaposes two planks of wood from the same cord, one painted and one not. Piland uses the paint to bring to life images the artist sees in the wood's knots and grain.

“These artists really understand the way wood grows,” Golden said. “Some of the materials are 100 years old, but the pieces are really contemporary. It's neat to see how the different artists interpret this.”

With the Grain opens Tuesday, Aug. 25. Artist's reception, Tuesday, Sept. 1st, 5:30. The Art Gallery at HCC-Central, 3516 Austin St.

Top Things to Do This Weekend: Aug 28-30

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Film

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

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Celebrate one righteous dude and his day of mischief in this classic '80s comedy starring Matthew Broderick as the titular teen rebel. Part of Hotel Derek's Float and Flick series, guests can do a cannonball or two starting at 5 and pull up a deck chair for the screening in the evening. The $25 pricetag includes admission for two, complimentary gourmet popcorn, two complimentary Revolve Kitchen + Bar signature drinks, complimentary self-parking and access to SPLASH with towel service.

Aug 28 at 5. $25. Hotel Derek, 2525 West Loop South. 713-961-3000. hotelderek.com

Reading

Matthew Salesses

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The Korean-born author reads from his recently published debut novel The Hundred-Year Flood about a young American who escapes to Prague following the aftermath of 9/11. The author, mostly known for his short fiction, weaves together themes of love and identity with dreamlike states and myths with a looming backdrop of a looming flood that comes once every hundred years.

Aug 28 at 7. Free. Brazos Bookstore, 2421 Bissonnet St. 713-523-0701. brazosbookstore.com

Dance

Storm Front: Experience the Elements

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Cutting-edge and daring for stage, NobleMotion Dance puts together visually stunning sets of choreography with wind, ran, snow and light. Thirty-three dancers take the stage for an exhausting performance of constant movement, light, elements and spectacle.

Aug 28 & 29 at 7:30. $25-35. Hobby Center, 800 Bagby St. 713-315-2525. noblemotiondance.com

Music

Eddy Marcano

The violinist from Venezuela brings his soulful Latin sounds to University of St. Thomas for a free concert. Marcano takes listeners on a journey through Latin America with his intense violin pieces, accompanied by guitar and cuatro player Jorge Polanco.

Aug 29. 7:30. Free. University of St. Thomas, 4001 Mt. Vernon. 713-525-3159. stthom.edu

Family

22nd Annual Theater District Open House

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Families get a fun-filled, free day of touring Downtown Houston's theater scene. From the Hobby Center to Wortham to Jones Hall, families can get an up-close look at theater companies like Houston Grand Opera, Houston Ballet and the Society for the Performing Arts with interactive demos and live performances.

Aug 30 at 12. Free. Downtown Houston. 713-658-8938. downtownhouston.org

 

Putting Houstonians on a Pedestal

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Houston already has its fair share of public monuments dedicated to figures of notoriety and multi-disciplinary artists Michael Galbreth and Jack Massing, better known as The Art Guys, want to turn this tradition on its head. “Typically, public monuments are commemorative to someone famous—a politician or a sports figure,” says Massing. But in their proposed project Every Man A King, which borrows its name from infamous corrupt Louisiana governor Huey P. Long, The Art Guys plan to build a public monument dedicated to the every man.

“No one has to buy a ticket, everyone in the city is included and, potentially, anyone can be selected,” says Massing. The Art Guys will develop the largest possible pool of Houston residents to choose from by combing through mountains of public records, then choosing the subject from the resulting database at random. Any resident may be picked to pose for the statue, regardless of age, race, gender or vocation, which means a teacher, firefighter, homemaker or dentist may represent the city alongside Sam Houston.

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Your face could look like this if The Art Guys choose you for Every Man A King

The creative duo intends to incorporate the statue model into the monument, which will also include a time capsule and documentary about the city. Massing says with a laugh, “If the chosen Houstonite is nuts about a parrot, who always sits on his shoulder, then they might have a parrot on their shoulder in the monument.” And finally, unveiling notwithstanding, The Art Guys will use 3D laser scan technology to render a precise portrait of the individual.

There are some unknown factors. Undoubtedly, there are Houston residents off public records. And every man means every man. According to The Art Guys, there is a small chance that an already well-known figure may be chosen, such as beloved Houston Mayor Annise Parker. These factors don’t deter the duo. “For us that’s the interest of the piece.”

For over 25 years, The Art Guys have used their fearlessness and curiosity to create pieces that provoke an audience to both laughter and thought. Their installation for SUITS: The Clothes Make the Man, mounted commercial advertising on a Museum of Fine Arts wall. Conversely, their 1,000 Coats of Paint project plastered high art on billboards commissioned by Absolut Vodka. And in a previous work in public monuments, The Statue of Four Lies, the pair enlisted the help of the UH cheer squad to unveil statues of themselves.

“We like to engage with the world, not with the art world.” Galbreth argues that showing art at the MFA is equal to showing art at an H-E-B. “In many ways,” Galbreth says, “I’m far more interested in grocery stores than museums. I think they’re a better indication of a society.”


Branching Out

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Houston is known for its lush greenery, kudzu and bayous weaving their way throughout the city. The overgrown, ambling lawns and bushes, the thick roots from oak trees punching up through the concrete, makes it look like nature is constantly trying to reclaim its home. For one Houstonian, artist Joan Laughlin, this chaotic nature takeover is pure art in motion.

“I love nature’s resilience here in Houston. Mother Nature always wins,” says the painter, whose latest exhibit, The Forest and the Trees, running Sept. 3 through Sept. 29 at Jung Center. Laughlin puts oil to panel in her portraits of fallen trees, shattered pinecones and tangled thickets. The portraits blend realism with abstract, enticing the reader to look a little more closely as the subjects seem to decompose the closer one gets.

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Laughlin, who teaches art at HCC this fall, began putting brush to canvas for this project in 2012 after gathering inspiration from her travels. While vacationing in Ireland in 2007, Laughlin noted that the large and old trees covering the terrain caught her attention.

“It was a turning point for me, in my work,” she notes. There was something haunting about them as they writhed and twisted in the Emerald Isle’s lush setting.

Fast forward to 2011 when Laughlin hiked through the forests of New Hampshire. While Houston was in the middle of a devastating drought, the artist was in the middle of ample greenery, the trees poking the sky above her. That was enough for her to begin her three-year journey into the art project set to be unveiled at Jung.

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“It’s interesting to see the cycle of life in nature,” she says. “Seeing the cycle of life, the decomposition and all the sprouts—it’s inspiring.”

For now, amid the stoplights and tall buildings and concrete jungle, Laughlin is taking inspiration where ever, and however, she can get it. “I head to the Houston Arboretum now. It’s not much, but it’s interesting to have this piece of nature right here in our city.”

The Forest and the Trees. Opening reception, Saturday, Sept. 12. 5. Jung Center, 5200 Montrose Blvd. 713-524-8253. junghouston.org

Top Things to Do This Weekend: Sept 4-6

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Readings

Deanna Raybourn & Anna Lee Huber

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Author Deanna Raybourn

The mystery writers double-up at Murder By The Book, touting their latest novels. Raybourn's A Curious Beginning chronicles a young Victorian-era Londonite who tries to track down the murderer of a former lover, as Huber's A Study in Death finds another British heroine uncovering the murder of a troubled wife.

Sept. 4. 6:30. Free. Murder By The Book, 2342 Bissonnet St. 713-524-8597. murderbooks.com

Music

Music of The Beatles

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The Houston Symphony dedicates a full weekend to the Fab 4 with orchestrated renditions of some of their well-loved hits. Fans can hear the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album in its entirety as well as legendary tracks like "Let It Be" and "Hey Jude."

Sept. 4 & 5 at 8; Sep 6 at 7:30. $25-140. Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana. 713-224-7575. houstonsymphony.org

Family

The Princess and the Frog

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Discovery Green hosts a free summer flick for families with Disney's The Princess and the Frog. Families can get to the park early for fun and activities, and live music performed by Lindsey Papion and DJ Puppy Love.

Sept. 5. 6:30. Free. Discovery Green, Labranch at Lamar. 713-400-7336. discoverygreen.com

Film

Listen To Me Marlon

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The method actor kept a private library of audio and video recordings of himself that are vivid and often deeply confessional. In this documentary, director Stevan Riley peels back the layers of mystery Brando packed on over the years.

Sept. 5. 7. $10. 14 Pews, 800 Aurora St. 281-888-9677. 14pews.org

 

Culture

Houston African Arts Festival

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The free two-day arts fest highlights African-based cultures with activities and live entertainment. Art exhibits, fashion parades, food and drink vendors, and handcrafted goods will be on display.

Sept. 5 & 6 at 10. Free. Bayou City Event Center, 9401 Knight Rd. 713-781-9992. haafestival.org

Rubbed The Right Way

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Do Ho Suh, Rubbing/Loving Project: Metal Jacket, 2014.

Moments before the start of our conversation, Allegra Presenti, Curator at Large for the Menil Drawing Institute, is at a standstill. She is installing Apparitions: Frottages and Rubbings from 1860 to Now, the museum’s first survey of frottage and rubbings in their many forms set to open on Friday, Sep. 11. Forty to 50 crates of artwork vie for her attention; each piece provides a myriad of possible contrasts, connections and expressions. Her plan is to carefully study the visual viewpoints, playing close attention to both meaning and beauty. Perfectly placing more than 100 pieces that compose the exhibit is arduous work, but Presenti finds this part of the process magical. “It’s a marvel to see how works find their place within the spaces.”

Apparitions spans over a century, combining drawing culture and printmaking, says Presenti. To produce a rubbing, the artist places a malleable material over an object or textured surface then rubs the material, usually with a pigment or dye like ink or charcoal. Like printmaking, rubbings are a form of reproduction and, like drawings, they create an impression of an object.

While the ancient technique, which traces back as early as 6th century China, is very basic and straightforward, it is also ripe for experimentation. This is why rubbings became such a favorite of Surrealist artists like Max Ernst and Henri Michaux. Ernst invented the term “frottage” to refer to rubbings in 1925 while Michaux coined the term “apparition” to refer to rubbings in the 1940s. For this reason, Surrealists are at the heart of the exhibition. This is a happy coincidence for Presenti since the Menil Collection holds one of the most important and largest collections of Ernst frottages in a single institution.

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Roy Lichtenstein, Foot Medication, 1962.

Still, Presenti traveled far and wide to acquire pieces for the exhibit. “This particular exhibition brought me on some wonderful voyages and brought about some memorable encounters,” she says. When Presenti met Czech artist Adriena Šimotová, she was in her late 80s and nearly bedridden. Nonetheless, she was still creating the spirited and vibrant pieces she is known for from her wheelchair, using chalk on a long stick.

Šimotová was deeply moved to see her work travel the globe. “It was a very poignant and significant meeting for me,” the curator notes. Šimotová’s death two months later made it more so. “In a way, I feel like the exhibition will open the door to more research on her and will keep her memory alive.”

Visitors will be exposed to many artists like Šimotová who, though largely unknown to the American public, are more than deserving of remembrance. “[Apparitions] opens up our understanding of what a drawing can be…It’s the type of exhibition that really fascinates me.”

Sep. 11–Jan. 3. Free. Wed–Sun 11–7. The Menil Collection, 1533 Sul Ross St. 713-525-9400. menil.org

The Dark Places of the Earth

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Vincent Valdez's "Till Then"

Blaffer Art Museum’s Window Into Houston series, a quarterly installation featuring works from two artists, returns Wednesday, Sep. 16 to the museum’s satellite location in downtown Houston, and this time the theme of emotionality runs deep—like, bottom-of-the-ocean deep.

In Vincent Valdez’s “Till Then,” the San Antonio artist takes a hyper-realistic approach to painting with a dark and eerie depiction of a broken ship being swallowed by the sea. In the middle of a raging storm, the vessel is gracefully descending into the deep waters. Valdez accentuates the melancholic theme of his Copley-meets-Turner-like painting with a song that streams through speakers set behind the painting.

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Darryl Lauster's “Glory is the Language of the Poet”

“It is a plea by someone, presumably a soldier, to his lover to wait for him until he could return home,” says the artist of the 1944 Mills Brothers song “Till Then.” “I first stumbled across this song as a teenager and it stuck with me. Its melancholic lyrics present a fascinating and stark contrast between its upbeat rhythm and its eerie undertone of infinite loss.”

For Valdez, who regularly shows at David Shelton here in Houston, music has always inspired his works, helping to create a sort of soundtrack for his poignant paintings. “Music continues to play a very important and influential role in my work and has sparked many visions in my mind and in the studio throughout my lifetime.”

Dallas artist Darryl Lauster, an alum of University of Houston’s fine art program, complements Valdez’s depiction of peril and pain with his installation, “Glory is the Language of the Poet.” In it, a Navy pilot’s helmet from Pearl Harbor and a New York firefighter’s helmet from 9/11 are casted and positioned alongside sharp-edged razor wire, depicting sacrifice, death and memory, Lauster says.

The tone for both pieces is sad and somber, with equal parts disturbing and heroic. Valdez's oil painting evokes pain and loss which pairs with the tragedy of Lauster's subjects. Both installations cause you to slow down, possibly signaling emotions from your own heart of the sea.

Sep. 16–Nov. 4. 110 Milam St. 713-743-9521. blafferartmuseum.org

A Little Bit Softer Now

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Mari Omori, akari/paper lantern

In the gardens of Ryoan-ji Temple in Kyoto, Japan, the phrase “ware tada taru (wo) shiru” is inscribed on a stone water basin. Representing purification, many people go to the shrine to contemplate, meditate and find solace in the lush surroundings. The latest exhibition at the Japanese America Society, titled I Am Content with What I Lack (the English translation of the stone-etched words), featuring four Houston-area artists, explores different ways to represent this theme.

“We wanted to focus on the Japanese garden’s transformative and peaceful experience,” says Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s Asian Art Curator Christine Starkman, who curated the exhibit in conjunction with JASH. I Am Content with What I Lack, which is displayed from this Friday through Saturday, Sep. 19, is more about the concept than the artist, she adds. Starkman, who’s headed the MFA’s Asian Art department for 15 years, brought in four Houston artists of Japanese roots to help present the idea of peace through their respective mediums. “When people come in we hope they contemplate and meditate; go to another place.”

Terry Hagiwara’s glazed stoneware tea bowls begin the traditional ceremony-like invitation into the exhibit, offering visitors the opportunity to begin to clear their minds. Masaru Takiguchi’s carved and serpent-like “Night Ocean,” made from black granite, sits in the garden among paper lanterns hung by Mari Omari. The complete space is designed by local architect Keiji Asakura, who kept the ideas of symmetry and line in mind when working with Starkman, who stressed (ironically enough) meditation and peace of mind.

“For the ceramics, it’s a reminder of a tea ceremony and of nature. For paper, its purity reminds you of peace. It all comes back to this idea of activating calmness and emptiness,” notes Starkman.

Japanese gardens began popping up as sacred spaces dedicated to Shinto deities and recreations of Buddhist paradise. The gardens were meticulously curated, attempting to capture the sublime with natural elements within an imposed closure. Gardens were typically outlined as lush landscapes, mixing small ponds, quietly babbling brooks and ample greenery.

“It takes you away from daily life, and that’s what we wanted to achieve,” says Starkman. “Japanese gardens help people experience nature—to sit and empty their minds.”

I Am Content with What I Lack. Sep. 11–19. Free. Japan America Society of Houston, 4411 Montrose Blvd. 713-963-0121. jas-hou.org

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