Collecting Histories: Dogon at the Menil
The complex history behind American and European interest in present-day Mali informs a new exhibition at The Menil Collection, Feb. 3-July 9, curated by Paul Davis.
Houston
Called to Archive: Studio One in Houston
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?
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 than 25 years. Vincenzo Bellini’s Norma, a Druid priestess, sacrifices herself on a pyre to atone for her secret marriage to a Roman. Richard Strauss’ Elektra descends into madness as despair and rage over her father’s slaying consume her.
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 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.”
Full Surround Cinema: Adventures at the 2016 HCAF
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.
It Happened in Texas: Nixon In China Returns to HGO
The U.S. presidential election looms, and the politician has planned his trip for maximum media impact. He’s a divisive figure, with ideas that could revolutionize the world order. Cameras track his plane’s arrival, and when he steps out, legions of television viewers are watching him. He knows that, and he has every intention of capitalizing on it.
Balance in the Fog of Memory: Angel Otero at CAMH
Angel Otero: Everything and Nothing, on view at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston through March 19, 2017, is the artist’s first survey exhibition, covering just under a decade of his work.
Houston Voices: Local Impact at PRH
Round 45: Local Impact at Project Row Houses through Feb. 12, includes artists Regina Agu, JooYoung Choi, Sally Glass, Jesse Lott + Ann Harithas, Tierney Malone, Harold Mendez, and Patrick Renner.
A Remarkable Career: The Single-Minded Clarity of Floyd Newsum
“It’s always been my dream to be a full-time artist.” I spoke to Floyd Newsum in his studio in the basement of the UHD campus, a short train-ride from Planter and Stems, as he prepared for a show of new paintings at the Nicole Longnecker Gallery, Jan. 14-Feb. 18, 2017.
On Book: Readings Take Center Stage in Houston
Scene: a bare stage anywhere—in a theater, a rehearsal hall, even on an outdoor platform under a tree.
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 in his arms, he circulates through the classroom as jazz icon Ella Fitzgerald cuts loose onscreen in It Don’t Mean a Thing if It Ain’t Got That Swing.
Lifelong Linearity: Picasso at the Menil
The ghost of 19th-century French Neoclassical artist Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres casts a long shadow over the Museum District these days, with both his greatest heirs basking in surveys curated by world-renowned experts.