There’s no hiding it: I let my dance geek out this issue. The iconic American dance company, Pilobolus, stomps the State with stops in Houston, Austin, San Antonio and Dallas—with different programs at each venue, no less. Neil Ellis Orts gives us a glimpse inside the amazing Pilobolus story.
While we delight in being a place that dance companies love to visit, what about the local scene? How does Texas stack up as a place to grow a dance company? Nichelle Suzanne Strzepek examines the sustainability question for Texas contemporary dance companies.
We launch our first installment of Acting in Texas this month with Jay Sullivan, the Alley Theatre’s newest leading man, who can be seen onstage in December in A Christmas Carol and in January in Freud’s Last Session. Tarra Gaines gives us the scoop on how Venus in Fur and Other Desert Cities are enjoying multiple productions this season and Chris Johnson interviews Conspirare’s Craig Hella Johnson, named the 2013 Texas State Musician by the Texas Commission on the Arts.
Devon Britt-Darby takes a sneak peek at the Kimbell Art Museum’s new Renzo Piano Pavilion and the Harry Ransom Center’s newly acquired Ed Ruscha archive. He also asks why we’re making the Hermann Park Conservancy work so hard to get art in one of Houston’s most visited parks.
As usual, we’re talking to artists with plenty to say. Gabriel Diego Delgado walks through Manny Vega’s University of Texas at San Antonio drawing show with the New York artist; Nancy Zastudil has a studio visit with painter Raychael Stine, whose work is on view at Art Palace in Houston; and Benjamin Terry talks all things paint with Arthur Peña ahead of his upcoming Dallas Contemporary show.
We welcome Brian Gibb as our new art director and bid his predecessors, Scot Hart and David Lee Kelting, a fond adieu. Hart will continue to contribute his thoughtful reviews and features as we move forward. A Texas- sized thank you to both for all their work on the magazine and their help toward a seamless transition to Arts + Culture Texas! Remember to email visual arts-related press releases and images to devon@artsandculturetx.com; for performing arts, email nancy@artsandculturetx.com.
We will be back in February 2014.
Wishing you an artful New Year.
Nancy Wozny
Editor in Chief
