Houston

Building a Community of Writers and Readers: WriteFest Returns to Silver Street Studios

Benjamin Rybeck·
Nonprofit literary organizers draw all sorts of volunteers, but Elizabeth White-Olsen, executive director of Writespace, recalls one in particular. “We had a young lawyer show up, and she looked like a supermodel, in her miniskirt, cute silk blouse, high heels. She didn’t have time to change after work. I watched her in this outfit, moving furniture all day. I thought it was the funniest thing. That’s the kind of volunteer we have—so committed.”
BooksHouston

Called to Archive: Studio One in Houston

Nancy Zastudil·
Share an article, pin an image, save a post, link a story. The immediacy of social media and digital visual culture is astonishing. And yet, with all of its accessibility, its staying power is questionable. With so many artists relying on social media to maintain a significant, up-to-date digital presence, is it possible to preserve the knowledge and contributions of living artists?
CultureEditor's PicksHoustonVisual Art

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

casey gregory·
In the front hallway of the 6th Ward’s MECA building, you can scan a QR code and hear the creaky strains of an old violin from the Veracruz region of Mexico. Another digital scan of a jumbled-looking square produces a complex tapestry of rapidly overlapping strings known as El Siquisiri. The style of music is known as Son Jarocho, and it is a blend of “musical and dance tradition from the Sotavento, the southern regions of Mexico’s Veracruz state.”
Editor's PicksHoustonVisual Art

Full Surround Cinema: Adventures at the 2016 HCAF

Nancy Wozny·
Houston Cinema Arts Festival artistic director Richard Herskowitz mentioned early on in the festival that immersive cinema may be the one of the few ways to get away from our habit of constant distraction. Two days after the election, I needed all the distraction that I could get, which is perhaps why the VR Gallery became my go to refuge during the 2016 HCAF, which ran Nov. 10-17, 2016.
FilmHouston