Editor&#8217;s Picks

Simulate the Revolution: Digital Projections Enhance MFAH’s Mexican Modernism Survey

Mexican modern art is having a moment in Texas museums.

Parallel Lines: Uniting Jim Crow-Era Works by Black, White Artists at Houston Public Library

June 15, 2017

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Parallel Lines: Uniting Jim Crow-Era Works by Black, White Artists at Houston Public Library

Houston audiences will get a rare glimpse into the Bayou City’s pre-boom, Jim Crow-era art…

June 15, 2017

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Roni Horn: Nasher Sculpture Center

For the first time at Dallas’ iconic Nasher Sculpture Center, curators have allowed for a…

Full Season Ahead for Houston’s Horse Head Theatre

June 15, 2017

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Full Season Ahead for Houston’s Horse Head Theatre

Houston’s Horse Head Theatre company has a reputation for staging intriguing and occasional avant-garde contemporary…

Year of the Woman: Ars Lyrica’s Upcoming Season Celebrates Artful Women

May 31, 2017

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Year of the Woman: Ars Lyrica’s Upcoming Season Celebrates Artful Women

It's the first time Matthew Dirst, Founder and Artistic Director of Houston's leading early music…

A Crisis of Space: Austin Struggles with the Loss of Performance Venues

May 31, 2017

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Austin

A Crisis of Space: Austin Struggles with the Loss of Performance Venues

“We always felt that this was a clubhouse for a group of friends who felt…

From punk rockers to presidents: The rebels at ROCO announce new season

May 31, 2017

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From punk rockers to presidents: The rebels at ROCO announce new season

The conductor nearly chickened out. Planning the concert that will open the River Oaks Chamber…

Making Dallas a Global Dance City: A New Season at TITAS Presents

May 8, 2017

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Making Dallas a Global Dance City: A New Season at TITAS Presents

Dallas dance-lovers are proud that a dance-centric presenter like TITAS Presents exists in their city—and…

Performania: The Loneliness of the Arts Writer

May 8, 2017

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Performania: The Loneliness of the Arts Writer

“What are you working on?” asked Anis Shivani, a Texas poet, novelist, pundit and provocateur.…

Anything’s Possible: PrintHouston 2017 Reflects a Medium’s Multiplicity

May 2, 2017

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Anything’s Possible: PrintHouston 2017 Reflects a Medium’s Multiplicity

As printmaking shows fan out across Houston over the next few months, visitors to PrintHouston…

Funny (But Not Too Funny): Katherine Bernhardt at The Modern

April 21, 2017

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Funny (But Not Too Funny): Katherine Bernhardt at The Modern

Contemporary art lovers have until July 9 to see more than two dozen of Katherine…

Rare Works, Beloved Classics & Surprises: Houston Ballet’s 2017-2018 Season

March 19, 2017

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Rare Works, Beloved Classics & Surprises: Houston Ballet’s 2017-2018 Season

At first glance, Houston Ballet's 2017/2018 Season can look like a crash course in ballet,…

Coming Home to Texas and Sometimes Leaving Again

February 27, 2017

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Coming Home

Coming Home to Texas and Sometimes Leaving Again

When a writer pitched a story about an actor leaving Texas I immediately said, “No…

Primed for Growth: Is Dallas the Country’s Next Hub for New Plays?

February 22, 2017

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Primed for Growth: Is Dallas the Country’s Next Hub for New Plays?

What is theater that doesn’t reflect contemporary realities? What kind of life can theatrical storytelling…

Irreversible Congas: MFAH’s Adiós Utopia Looks at Cuban Art Since 1950

February 14, 2017

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Irreversible Congas: MFAH’s Adiós Utopia Looks at Cuban Art Since 1950

Late modern and contemporary Cuban art has gotten increased international exposure in recent years thanks…

Houston Symphony’s <em>Fidelio</em> & a New Season

February 13, 2017

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Houston Symphony’s Fidelio & a New Season

The heroics of Beethoven’s Fifth. The exuberance of his Ode to Joy. The humor of…

Open Space: Dance at Rice’s Moody Center for the Arts

February 8, 2017

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Open Space: Dance at Rice’s Moody Center for the Arts

“We are putting in a dance floor,” Alison Weaver told me during a hard hat…

Collecting Histories: Dogon at the Menil

January 27, 2017

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Collecting Histories: Dogon at the Menil

The complex history behind American and European interest in present-day Mali informs a new exhibition…

Sonic Expansions: Austin’s Experimental Music Scene

January 20, 2017

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Austin

Sonic Expansions: Austin’s Experimental Music Scene

This year I unintentionally celebrated National Bird Day (Jan. 5) at an avant-garde jazz show.…

Called to Archive: Studio One in Houston

January 18, 2017

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Called to Archive: Studio One in Houston

Share an article, pin an image, save a post, link a story. The immediacy of…

Redefining Modern: McNay Director Rich Aste on Breaking Down Walls——Literally and Figuratively

January 18, 2017

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Redefining Modern: McNay Director Rich Aste on Breaking Down Walls——Literally and Figuratively

Before joining San Antonio’s McNay Art Museum as its third director in September, Rich Aste…

Electrifying Heroines and Cherished Classics: HGO’s New Season

January 18, 2017

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Electrifying Heroines and Cherished Classics: HGO’s New Season

They rank among opera’s most electrifying heroines, yet Houston hasn’t felt their wallop for more…

Music and Printmaking Merge in Son Jarocho Style: Alec Dempster at MECA

January 17, 2017

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Music and Printmaking Merge in Son Jarocho Style: Alec Dempster at MECA

In the front hallway of the 6th Ward’s MECA building, you can scan a QR…

Housing the Drama: An Update on Dallas Theater Spaces

December 15, 2016

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Housing the Drama: An Update on Dallas Theater Spaces

Experimental plays and intimate dramas set in homes typically belong in black box theaters. The…

Fantastic Spaces: Where Will a Former Architect Take the DMA?

December 15, 2016

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Fantastic Spaces: Where Will a Former Architect Take the DMA?

Given the centrality of immigration to the 2016 election and Texas’s status as a red…

December 1, 2016

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Performania: Texas Dance Ambassadors

I spend a lot of time outside of Texas, for work, family, but mostly to…

Nothing Is What it Seems: Monika Sosnowska at the Austin Contemporary

December 1, 2016

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Nothing Is What it Seems: Monika Sosnowska at the Austin Contemporary

In Warsaw, Monika Sosnowska lives across the street from a forest that was once a…

On Book: Readings Take Center Stage in Houston

November 21, 2016

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On Book: Readings Take Center Stage in Houston

Scene: a bare stage anywhere—in a theater, a rehearsal hall, even on an outdoor platform…

Musical Evangelists: Houston Symphony’s Embedded Musicians Engage the Community

November 16, 2016

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Musical Evangelists: Houston Symphony’s Embedded Musicians Engage the Community

David Connor lets his double bass rest on the floor. Cradling an iPad and speaker…

November 16, 2016

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SHOW UP: Lily Cox-Richard

“I'm trying to shake up my practice,” Lily Cox-Richard says, as we stand in her…

November 7, 2016

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The Becomer: Early Monet at the Kimbell

Monet: The Early Years at the Kimbell Art Museum kicks off with a startling contrast…

November 3, 2016

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Lines, Lots of Lines: Degas at the MFAH

Degas: A New Vision will end its only U.S. presentation at the Museum of Fine…

Space Commander: Frances Bagley Fills Kirk Hopper Fine Art to the Brim

October 28, 2016

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Space Commander: Frances Bagley Fills Kirk Hopper Fine Art to the Brim

“I’m really interested in space,” says Frances Bagley, as we walk through her east Dallas…

Clara’s Big Dream: Houston Ballet’s New Nutcracker

October 26, 2016

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Clara’s Big Dream: Houston Ballet’s New Nutcracker

Snow, a Sugar Plum Fairy and a gigantic Christmas Tree are three things we all…

Wonder & A Whale: Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer Transform American Classics into Opera

October 24, 2016

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Wonder & A Whale: Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer Transform American Classics into Opera

This November, Moby-Dick journeys safely back to its home port, as the Dallas Opera once…

October 21, 2016

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SHOW UP: Harold Mendez

When we meet for coffee, Harold Mendez has just returned to Houston from the Rauschenberg…

Hand, Heart & Passion: Jim Dine’s Designs for Salomé at the McNay & More

October 17, 2016

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Hand, Heart & Passion: Jim Dine’s Designs for Salomé at the McNay & More

A hand, a conch shell, a pair of lips, a valentine heart: Rendered in pastels…

San Antonio Symphony Shines in a “Real” Hall at The Tobin Center

October 11, 2016

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San Antonio Symphony Shines in a “Real” Hall at The Tobin Center

Carmina Burana always packs a wallop. This time, Carl Orff’s paean to frolic and fate…

The Dance of Work: Forklift Danceworks reflects on past projects and looks to the future

September 27, 2016

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Austin

The Dance of Work: Forklift Danceworks reflects on past projects and looks to the future

Convention is not a part of Allison Orr’s vocabulary. The Forklift Danceworks artistic director has…

September 27, 2016

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Show Up: Shayne Murphy

“Do you know the stereotype that any male who’s approaching his mid-30s becomes really interested…