ArtHouston issue#5

{ ART LEADERS }

{ ALBERTO GODOY }

{ RICHARD STOUT }

{ MONA HATOUM }

{ CINDY LISICA GALLERY }

artH O U S T O N V I S U A L A RT S , C U LT U R E , R E V I E W S

ISSUE 05

Illustration by Mike LLewellyn

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ARTHOUSTON

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OMMUNITY

Photo by F. Carter Smith

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PUBLISHER’S LETTER 3

“Only a life lived for others is worth living.” — Albert Einstein Houston has one of the largest and most vibrant art communities in the nation. It’s a community that we should do more to acknowledge and appreciate. Everyone has a vital interest in stewarding this wonderful asset our city enjoys, and we should strive to cherish such a valuable resource by embracing it with a common sense of ownership.

Humans are social animals. Biologically and culturally, we evolve together as clans, tribes and communities. Though industrialization and other modern forces tend to pull people apart, communities that bring people together are still the ideal organizational arrangement.

Communities come in many shapes and sizes, but the successful ones always end up functioning like extended families, with individuals flourishing because they share a common purpose of support.

There’s nothing more fulfilling to me than standing with other mentors, promoters, supporters, and volunteers to help empower and nurture the Houston art community. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to all of our contributors. This magazine would not exist without their participation.

Yours Faithfully.

John Bernhard, Publisher

Richard Stout, dawn to coast, 2017, 48x60 inches

ARTHOUSTON

RICHARD STOUT October 13-November 4, 2017 H o u s t o n ’s E x p r e s s i o n i s t L e g a c y : R i c h a r d S t o u t & F r i e n d s O p e n i n g R e c e p t i o n : S a t u r d a y, O c t o b e r 1 4 t h , 6 - 8 : 3 0 p m A r t i s t Ta l k & B o o k S i g n i n g : S a t u r d a y , O c t o b e r 2 1 s t , 2 - 4 p m

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CONTENTS

PUBLISHER’S LETTER 3

NEWS BITS 6

BOOK REVIEWS 11 COUPS DE CŒUR 12 INSIGHTS 20 GALLERY LISTINGS 50 PERFORMING ARTS SCHEDULE 56 REVIEWS 60

14 FEATURE

Personality, Passion, Progression Meghan Hendley-Lopez 22

Alberto Godoy Holly Walrath 30

Richard Stout Jacqueline Patricks 34

International to Innovative Meghan Hendley-Lopez 38

Mona Hatoum: Terra Infirma Arthur Demicheli

* CORINE MICHEL 72 * F E L I P E LO P E Z 74 EXPOSURE 76 COLOPHON 79 EDITOR’S PICK 80

* Fresh Arts’ interviews

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Arab American Heritage Hadia Mawlawi 44

Museum Arts District Julie Farr 48

Thruth Trhough Imagination Jacqueline Patricks 62

The Slide is the Limit Sabine Casparie 64

Franz Galo Sabine Casparie 70

On The Road of Life Time Matters Jane Ren

ON THE COVER: Mona Hatoum, Cells (detail), 2014. Zinc plated steel and hand-blown glass, 54 x 48 x 25 in.

Courtesy Alexander and Bonin, New York. © Mona Hatoum.

Photo: Joerg Lohse.

Mona Hatoum: Terra Infirma exhibition at The Menil Collection October 13, 2017 – February 25, 2018

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Anvil Crawler Holly Walrath 66

We R OST Karine Parker-Lemoyne

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News Bits

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AWARD WINNING DANCE PERFORMANCE

Core Dance

Core Dance, the award-winning contemporary dance organization based in Houston and Atlanta, will present its 37th season of original dance works, community-based performances, and outreach to the community.

Artistic Director Sue Schroeder continues her collaboration with internationally renowned Israeli choreographers Niv Sheinfeld and Oren Laor with the presentation of two dance theater works in February 2018.

American Playground with Two Room Apartment –

February 2018 Israeli choreographers Niv Sheinfeld and Oren Laor return to Houston for the Texas premiere of Two Room Apartment. On the same bill is the full-length version of American Playground featuring the dance artists of Core Performance Company.

Two Room Apartment brings Sheinfeld and Laor to the stage for a duet that reflects on their relationship as partners in life and as creators. Both personal and political, the work examines boundaries in various contexts: physical borders such as between territories or between two rooms, but also non-physical borders between life and performance, and the boundaries that the individual sets for oneself.

American Playground, an excerpt of which was seen at Miller Outdoor Theatre in 2016 investigates multiple themes including “body as resistance,” personal authenticity, and the dialogue between public and private spaces. The work will make its international premiere in Tel Aviv, Israel, this fall. These performances will be presented at MATCH on February 15, 16, and 17, 2018 at 8:00 p.m.

THE GLAMOUR & ROMANCE OF

OSCAR DE LA RENTA Museum of Fine Arts Houston

The Glamour and Romance of Oscar de la Renta celebrates the illustrious life and sixdecade career of the influential fashion designer. Offering a historic overview of Oscar de la Renta’s design work, the exhibition showcases ensembles drawn from the late couturier’s corporate and personal archives; the archives of the French label Pierre Balmain; private lenders; and the costume collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

October 8, 2017 — January 28, 2018

Hand-painted sign by Norma Jeanne Maloney. Photo by Faythe Levine and Sam Macon, 2012.

FOR HIRE:

CONTEMPORARY SIGN PAINTING IN AMERICA Houston Center for Contemporary Craft

This fall, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) explores the rich history and current renaissance of hand-lettered signs in For Hire: Contemporary Sign Painting in America. The exhibition showcases a range of contemporary sign painters who use traditional methods to create banners, sandwich boards, paper signs, murals, fictional advertisements, and more. Some pieces will be installed from the start of the show, while others will be created in the gallery, during public hours, over the course of the exhibition. This will allow visitors to witness, firsthand, a variety of sign-painting processes.

As recently as the 1980s, storefronts, murals, banners, barn signs, billboards, and even street signs were all hand lettered with brush and paint. But, like many skilled crafts and trades, the sign industry has been overrun by the techno-fueled promise of quicker and cheaper.

The resulting proliferation of computer-designed, die-cut vinyl lettering and inkjet printers has ushered a creeping sameness into the modern landscape. Fortunately, there is a current resurgence in the trade and a growing trend of business owners seeking out traditional sign painters.

In 2010, exhibition guest curators, Faythe Levine and Sam Macon, set out to provide the first anecdotal overview of the trade by documenting these dedicated practitioners, their methods, and their appreciation for quality and craftsmanship. To continue the project, Levine and Macon collaborated with HCCC to create the exhibition, inviting a group of working sign painters to contribute new work. HCCC Curator Kathryn Hall commented, “HCCC is excited to work with Faythe and Sam on this important exhibition, which acknowledges the history and revitalization of a skillful trade that greatly enriches the commercial landscape of cities across the United States.”

For Hire urges visitors to think about their surroundings, how the landscapes of their cities were formed, and about the individuals who were behind that process. Over the course of the exhibition, viewers will have the opportunity to see signs painted before their eyes and leave with a new appreciation of the devotion, talents, and personalities behind this time-honored craft. Opening Reception September 22, 5:30 – 8:00 PM. On view: September 22, 2017 — January 7, 2018.

NEWS BITS 7

TX CONTEMPORARY ART FAIR

George R. Brown Convention Center

Sidewalk Cinema continues at Main Street Square with two video works by Brian Bress. Photo by Morris Malakoff

Texas Contemporary Art Fair will take place at the George R. Brown Convention Center (Hall A3) in the downtown Houston from October 19 through October 22, 2017. As Houston’s leading contemporary and modern art fair, Texas Contemporary brings top galleries to the area’s discerning collector base. Now going into its seventh edition, Texas Contemporary 2017 will feature 70 exhibitors and an innovative program of special projects.

Last year, Texas Contemporary’s 15,000 visitors, the Houston Chronicle’s “savvy crowd of collectors, dealers, curators and artists,” were met with dazzling ON-SITE installations, a robust schedule of talks, tours, and events, and access to the best in modern and contemporary art from around the world presented by the country’s top galleries. 2017 will see the continuation and expansion of Texas Contemporary’s notable partnerships with the region’s finest institutions and museums. With the support of the Houston community and the city’s galleries and institutions, Texas Contemporary will return to Houston for a compelling and constructive seventh edition.

THE IDEA OF “PLAY”

THE COLOR CONDITION BRINGS ARCADE

Discovery Green and Houston First Corporation have teamed up to present a series of site-specific installations that will delight downtown visitors this fall. Arcade, a series of dynamic streamer sculptures by noted Texas-based artist duo Sunny Sliger and Marianne Newsom of The Color Condition, brings explosive hues and whimsy to Avenida Houston. Arcade will be on view from August 17 to November 15, 2017.

The Color Condition consists of three separate installations that create a dialogue between sections of the Avenida Houston campus. The works — made from strips of table cloths, shower curtains and painters drop cloth — respond to the environment, creating new colors as the light changes and new patterns with each gust of wind.

SIDEWALK CINEMA

MAIN STREET SQUARE

The Houston Downtown Management District (Downtown District) and Aurora Picture Show continue to program Sidewalk Cinema with contemporary video works. Rickybird (mint, hot pink) and Still Life (orange to blue) by Los Angeles-based artist Brian Bress are now on view in two windows of the Sakowitz garage at 1111 Main Street. The installation is part of Art Blocks, a public art initiative from the Downtown District aiming to repurpose and reenergize under realized spaces through public art that is accessible to all.

The initiative has activated Main Street Square with a series of temporary site-specific works since Feb. 2016.

“We are excited to continue this collaboration with Aurora Picture Show,” said Angie Bertinot, Marketing Director of the Downtown District. “Brian Bress’s bright and playful videos are a fantastic way to engage Downtown workers, residents and visitors with public art, adding some unexpected culture to their day.”

Bress fabricates costumes and backdrops for his photography and video works, often using the human figure as scaffolding for sculptural forms. Rickybird (mint, hot pink) and Still Life (orange to blue) — both completed in 2017 and displayed in the recent exhibition In Lieu of Flowers Send Memes at Cherry and Martin gallery in Los Angeles — are slow-moving “video paintings” that nod to futurism, minimalism, art deco, Bauhaus, the Memphis group and more.

“These video works play with the tension between movement and stillness,” said Mary Magsamen, curator for the Aurora Picture Show. “Pedestrians and vehicles passing by the installation quickly will perceive the images as static, but those who linger will be surprised by the figures’ subtle movements.”

Rickybird (mint, hot pink) and Still Life (orange to blue) will remain on view through October. The Sidewalk Cinema collaboration with Aurora Picture Show began in April 2017 with Color Play, a 40-minute reel of six video works by four female artists. For more information about Art Blocks and programming updates, please visit artblockshouston.org.

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FALL BIANNUAL

MICKALENE THOMAS

Sawyer Yards

Moody Center for the Arts

The Sawyer Yards creative campus will once again come alive for a fantastic day of fine art when the studios at The Silos, Winter, Spring, Silver, and Summer host their Fall Biannual Art Event. Over 350 artists will open their doors and invite the public inside to view new work, shop and become collectors.

A variety of art works will be showcased including painting, sculpture, ceramics, glass, mosaic, photography, mixed media, and jewelry. www.sawyeryards.com October 7, 2017, 12 - 9 pm.

The Moody Center for the Arts, launched its fall program with Mickalene Thomas: Waiting on a Prime-Time Star, opening September 28, 2017. The exhibition features paintings, photographs, collages, prints, and mixed-media works that explore the artist’s complex vision of female sexuality, identity, and power. Thomas’s portraits examine how women are represented in art and popular culture and confront our assumptions about what defines beauty.

Thomas’s work draws on her close study of art history and the classical genres of portraiture. Inspired by diverse sources from Romane Bearden, Édouard Manet, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, and Henri Matisse to contemporary film, fashion, and popular culture, Thomas challenges notions of femininity from a contemporary perspective. By modeling her figures and interiors on classically modern works, she claims agency for women who have historically been subjugated.

The Moody’s Central Gallery will feature a room-sized tableau designed by Thomas as an immersive environment. At the center of the tableau is Thomas’s documentary film, Happy Birthday to a Beautiful Woman (2012), a 23-minute exploration of the life and longings of her mother and muse, Sandra Bush. A former fashion model whose life echoes the aspirations and struggles of a generation of women, Bush is the inspiration of much of Thomas’s work. This video exemplifies the artist’s ongoing engagement with portraiture as a key to personal and cultural identity.

Alison Weaver, the Suzanne Deal Booth Executive Director of the Moody Center for the Arts, said, “We are delighted to feature this exhibition which highlights the Moody’s interest in interdisciplinary conversations. From the role of women in society to the history of portraiture and classical themes in art history, to issues of race, gender, sexuality, and power, the ideas underlying Thomas’s practice provide a compelling platform for discussion that we will pursue throughout the duration of the exhibition.”

Mickalene Thomas will participate in the Moody’s Artists in Dialogue series on Thursday, September 28, 6:00 – 7:00 pm; tickets available online. The talk is followed by the opening reception, which is free and open to the public, from 7:00 – 9:00 pm. The show will remain on view at the Moody in the Brown Foundation and Central galleries through January 13, 2018.

TORTURE, ANDRES SERRANO Station Museum of Contemporary Arts

The Station Museum of Contemporary Arts is presenting Torture, an exhibition featuring work by artist and activist Andres Serrano.

It started at The Foundry, an experimental space in the French industrial town of Maubourguet, Andres Serrano assumed the role of the torturer.

Under the guidance of military personnel, Serrano photographed more than 40 models in degrading positions, using devices that were produced onsite by the local residents. The models suffered humiliation and actual physical distress as they

Andres Serrano, The Hood, 2005, New York Times Magazine

were shackled, submerged and forced into stress positions for extended periods of time.

Both mental and physical techniques were used on his subjects, as Serrano chose to enter into a lineage of perverse experimentation for punishment or coercive means. During the Holocaust, brutal medical testing included sterilization, needless amputations and the conjoining of twins for the sadistic physical and ideological advancement of the Nazi race.

Not long after, the architects of horror changed from physicians to psychologists, informing Stasi interrogators and laying the foundation for the CIA’s covert torture program. Inspired, in part, by the methods the British Government used in Northern Ireland during the time of “The Troubles”, the reoccurring ‘deep interrogation’ tactics comprised of five techniques, wall-standing, hooding, subjection to noise, deprivation of sleep, and deprivation of food and drink.

Society is numbed, in a world seemingly apathetic to the global web of covert statesanctioned torture policies.

Believing that these heinous techniques are used for our own security, we give up our freedoms to become slaves, metaphorically shackled and humiliated by our own naivety.

Serrano offers a way out – inviting the audience to adopt his gaze. Now the torturers, we are aroused. Awoken from our slumber, we are both seduced and appalled by the contemporary icons of warfare, the martyrs we were not meant to see.

June 3 – October 8, 2017

©Mickalene Thomas, Shinique: Now I Know, 2015. Mixed media, acrylic, oil on wood panel.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME Da Camera’s 30th Anniversary Season explores Houston’s rich history and the meaning of home With the announcement of its 2017/2018 concert series, Da Camera of Houston celebrates 30 years of presenting its signature mix of chamber music, jazz and contemporary works curated around a single theme. This season’s programming, themed No Place Like Home, centers on Houston’s rich history and asks relevant questions about the meaning of home. The season explores America, exile and how the universal theme of home is expressed in music, art and poetry. It also asks how the composers, writers, performers and visual artists of today address issues of home in their work. Across styles and genres, Da Camera’s 2017/2018 season presents artists who rely on their personal experiences, identity and influences to address these questions and create a style uniquely their own.

“No Place Like Home is a season theme with multiple meanings,” says Da Camera Artistic and General Director Sarah Rothenberg.

“As we celebrate our 30th anniversary, we thank the Houston community for our vibrant home. We celebrate our rich past by bringing back old friends and, as Houston’s premiere jazz presenter, we salute the city’s contributions to this art form with three jazz homecomings of native stars. We look to the role of ‘home’ for composers, from the evolution of ‘house music’ chamber forms like the string quartet to American maverick Charles Ives’s haunting childhood memories of hymns and folk tunes. And No Place Like Home also asks questions about the meaning of home on a larger scale, such as What is America? and What does it mean to be a global citizen?”

The 2017/2018 season opens Saturday, September 23, at Cullen Theater, Wortham Theater Center, with From Harlem to Havana by The Harlem Quartet and Aldo López-Gavilán. The quartet: Ilmar Gavilán, violin; Melissa White, violin; Jaime Amador, viola; and Felix Umansky, cello play along side pianist and guest composer Aldo López-Gavilán. The quartet’s members are native to Cuba, Puerto Rica, and the American Midwest, but call Harlem their symbolic home for its diversity and rich artistic history. They are

Nearly $3.5 Million in ARTS GRANT AWARDS Mayor Sylvester Turner has approved Fiscal Year 2018 grants for the arts, awarded through the Houston Arts Alliance.

A total of $3,463,217 in grants will go to local nonprofit organizations to present activities and programming between July 2017 and June 2018. The grants are funded through a portion of the Hotel Occupancy Tax that is dedicated to the arts as part of the city’s cultural priorities guided by the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (MOCA).

“Houston’s diverse arts and cultural offerings provide tremendous service to our community, attract visitors and set Houston apart from other cities,” said the mayor. “Each dollar the city invests sparks social and economic returns to the city and is a big reason why Houston has grown its creative talent and opportunity.”

Eighty-five local organizations will provide a remarkable range of public performances, festivals and exhibitions of film, choir, literary works, visual art, dance, theater, musicals, outdoor sculpture, murals, poetry, craft, photography and more.

NEWS BITS 9

Native Houstonian and Grammy-nominated artist Robert Glasper returns to the Da Camera stage in October with his vibrant weave of jazz. Photography by Mathieu Bitton

dedicated to advancing diversity in classical music while engaging new audiences with varied repertoire.

Chamber music concert highlights include Jeremy Denk, Stefan Jackiw and the Houston Chamber Choir’s performance of Charles Ives’s America: Hymns, Songs, Sonatas, an imaginative project of interweaving church hymns, patriotic songs and marches; Brazilian guitarists Sérgio and Odair Assad and Israeli mandolin player Avi Avital exploring classical repertoire reimagined for guitar and mandolin and traditional Choro music, a popular genre in Brazil known for its upbeat rhythms and bravura virtuosity; and awardwinning pianist Garrick Ohlsson performing at Da Camera’s annual James K. Schooler Memorial Concert.

Da Camera’s jazz series, now expanded to seven concerts, consists of a signature mix of established jazz stars and emerging artists. This year’s performances reflect the season’s theme by featuring homecomings for three native Houstonians: Grammynominated artist Robert Glasper returns to the Da Camera stage with his vibrant weave of jazz, funk, soul, rock, hip-hop, blues, disco, electronic and pop; drummer Eric Harland plays with National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Charles Lloyd and the Marvels; and pianist Helen Sung joins the Mingus Big Band to celebrate the music of composer and bassist Charles Mingus.

Dianne Reeves, the pre-eminent jazz vocalist in the world today, will close the Da Camera season on May 4.

Da Camera continues its series of intimate concerts at the Menil Collection with performances by world-renowned German string quartet Quatuor Mosaiques performing three genre-defining quartets; pianist Sarah Rothenberg performing Schubert’s masterpiece Winterreise with baritone Tyler Duncan in conjunction with the Menil Collection’s retrospective of work by Mona Hatoum; Mahan Esfahani, who has almost single-handedly reintroduced the harpsichord into mainstream concert life, making his Da Camera debut; and flutist Claire Chase performing a special art and music program in the Cy Twombly Gallery celebrating Da Camera’s 30year relationship with the Menil Collection.

Subscriptions for Da Camera’s 2017/2018 season are on sale now. To purchase tickets or to request a season brochure, please visit www.dacamera.com.

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4550 POST OAK PLACE DRIVE, SUITE 180, HOUSTON, TEX AS

77027

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713.523.9009

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BOOKS 11

BOOK REVIEWS

Wolfgang Tillmans

THEODORA VISCHER, ET AL.

This book accompanies La Fondation Beyeler’s survey on the great photographic innovator Wolfgang Tillmans.

Tillmans first made a name for himself in the early 1990s, with photographs that captured an entire generation and a youth culture of which he was part, and which are now iconic images of that era. However, he quickly expanded his focus, creating works with and without a camera. Some of these photographs acquire a sculptural, objectlike quality.

This substantial, clothbound volume offers a comprehensive overview of his achievements. Hatje Cantz, Sept. 2017

100 Painters of Tomorrow KURT BEERS

Painting is enjoying a remarkable creative renaissance in the twentyfirst century, with many of the world’s leading artists now working in this most enduring and seductive of media.

This book is the culmination of a new project, initiated by curator Kurt Beers, to find the 100 most exciting painters at work today.

Thames & Hudson, 2014

Flooded By

T. HAVEN MORSE

Marfa

KATHLEEN SHAFER

This inviting book explores how smalltown Marfa, Texas, has become a landmark arts destination and tourist attraction, despite—and because of—its remote location in the immense Chihuahuan desert. Marfa tells an engaging story of how this isolated place became a beacon in the art world, like the famous Marfa Lights that draw curious spectators into the West Texas night.

University of Texas Press, October 2017

Poet, curator T. Haven Morse presents Flooded By, A Persona Poetry Collection. The pages within contain the lives of sixty people. Sixty glimpses into psyches and souls of emotionally driven individuals. People like you and me, filled with anger, jealousy, joy, and wonder. Spend time getting to know them, forging connections. See who you fall in love with, who you disdain, who you want to invite out for coffee and who you’d like to forget by the end of the book. Jump into the water and see who and what you’ll be flooded by.

CreateSpace, March 4, 2017

The Artist as Culture Producer SHARON LOUDEN

When Living and Sustaining a Creative Life was published in 2013, it became an immediate sensation. Edited by Sharon Louden, the book brought together forty essays by working artists, each sharing their own story of how to sustain a creative practice that contributes to the ongoing dialogue in contemporary art. Now, Louden returns with a sequel: forty more essays from artists who have successfully expanded their practice beyond the studio and become change agents in their communities. Intellect Ltd. March 2017

Sense of Home: The Art of Richard Stout WILLIAM E. REAVES

The first retrospective study of a career spanning one of the most tumultuous and formative periods in Texas art, the editors have gathered a critical examination and meticulously researched assessment of the evolution in the artist’s style and approach. Richly illustrated with representative paintings and sculptures from throughout Stout’s career. illuminating in multiple dimensions the life and work of one of Texas’ most significant contemporary artists.

Texas A&M University Press, August 2017

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coups de cœur ARTIST

Carolyn Bertrand

Trained in oils initially, Carolyn Bertrand has tried her hand with many different mediums, but today favors colored inks. Her art gives us a visual glimpse of an “inside” continuum, which our ordinary senses may miss.

She is an octogenarian (and Houstonian) artist, and she is represented by Samara Gallery. www.samaragallery.com

JEWELRY ARTIST

Ludmila Ivanova

Born in Bulgaria, Eastern Europe, Ludmila Ivanova projects in her designs the traditional art of the region. She immigrated to Houston in 1990 and started working with galleries that same year. bijougalerie@gmail.com

ARTISTS

METTLE by FMWfablab

When Ford & Hillary Waters began their journey, FMW|fablab was simply a guy and a girl, a shop, some tools and a bunch of dogs. The guy, in the shop with his tools, produced at least one of the following and sometimes all of them: useful things, useless things, beautiful things, handy things, creative things, recycled things or brand spanking new things. The dogs produced nothing but occasional entertainment. The girl tried to hold it all together. To see their work visit www.mettlebyfablab.com.

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DESIGNER

Nao Tamura

‘Flow[T]‘ is a contemporary chandelier inspired by the colors of the Venetian lagoon and customized to the desires of each owner. Each piece enjoys its own shape, and in multiples, they create a sculptural display of lighting.

This chandelier designed by Nao Tamura defies the kind of categorization that the industry status-quo often insists upon. Her unique solutions are more than simply design and possess a rare balance of innovation and beauty. www.wonder-glass.com

ARTIST

Chell Vassallo

Chell Vassallo is passionate about portrait and figurative art.

She believes there is something magical about the essence of each person that deserves to become a piece of art. Since becoming a full time artist in 2012, her career has blossomed and her commissions are full of stories. www.chell.com.br

P E R S ON A L I T Y PASS ION P ROGRE S S I O N

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UP AND COMING LEADERS

IN THE HOUSTON ARTS SCENE

B Y

M E G H A N

H E N D L E Y

L O P E Z

AS WE ENTER INTO ANOTHER MAJOR ARTS SEASON IN HOUSTON, THE HEAVY HITTERS ARE GEARING UP WITH INTRICATE PROGRAMMING, EXHIBITIONS, AND COMMUNITY BASED PROJECTS. BEHIND THE SCENES AND WORKING UNDER EXCELLENT LEADERSHIP ARE SOME TRUE GEMS THAT WILL BE THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS CARVING OUT A DEEPER AND MORE DIVERSE ART SCENE THAN WE CAN HOPE FOR OR IMAGINE, BENEFITING BOTH SUPPORTERS AND ARTISTS THEMSELVES. ALTHOUGH THERE ARE SO MANY TO MENTION, HERE ARE FIVE YOUNG MASTERMINDS THAT ARE ALREADY CREATING A V I S U A L A N D C U LT U R A L S H I F T I N O U R C I T Y T O D AY.

FEATURE 15

Ken General, photo by Paulina Mendoza

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KEN GENERAL

Executive Director, PrintMatters & PrintHouston Biennial Starting from humble beginnings in Manila, Philippines, Ken General was always drawing with any materials he could find. His love for art drove him to receive a BFA studio at Indiana University and then to jobs at Chicago art galleries and a couple of international art museums. It was an exploratory trip to Houston that made him fall in love with the city. “I was intrigued by how such a large city was still growing to find its place. I came for a weekend visit a year before I decided to make the move to Houston from Chicago…”, General remembers. “I stayed at a cheap hostel in the museum district and just explored as much as I could.

There was already a lively art scene with all the resources of a large metropolitan city but at the same time things felt down to earth and approachable.” General has proven himself a masterful curator, arts administrator, gallerist, and more while always holding thoughtfulness for others and his immense knowledge close. Surely his background and demeanour made him a natural pick as the first Executive Director of PrintMatters and PrintHouston Biennial. “It’s a total honor to be offered the position and voted in unanimously by the board…”, says General. “I’ve learned so much from the founders and board members over the years that I’ve been involved with PrintMatters. I’m eager to show not only Katherine Fields (current President) and Cathie Kayser (founding President) what I can do to grow the organization but also activate the community around the art of printmaking. We’re going to all we can to inspire others all around to converge in our city and make the PrintHouston Biennial the international focal point for all things printmaking.”

ANNA FARROW

Gallery Manager, McClain Gallery Happy to be rooted in a city that has an appreciation for traditional and non-traditional art practices, Houstonian Anna Farrow has made great strides in cultivating new collectors and diverse programming in one of the city’s most well respected galleries. Her smart strategies, passion for exhibiting progressive work, and southern charm all make for a masterful manager. An artist herself, Anna holds the viewpoint from the person behind the brush matched with the viewpoint of those behind the scenes. “At 18 years old, I was standing in front of Rene Magritte’s The Origins of Language at the Menil Collection for the first time…”, says Farrow. “ I clearly remember thinking, “this is what I want to do with the rest of my life.” From that time onward it was a constant pull back to interacting with or creating art before finally getting my BFA in Boston.” Farrow quickly caught the gallery bug when she was an exhibition associate at the Lesley University College of Art & Design. The drive to expand

collectors and viewers of contemporary art along with the desire to bring more activist art into blue chip galleries brought Farrow back to Houston. When you interact with her, it is immediately apparent why her colleagues say that she has an infectious excitement for the art that McClain shows.

PATRICIA RESTREPO Curatorial Associate & Business Manager, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston

A curator and writer who has worked at art institutions and publications in Mexico, Germany, United States, and the United Kingdom, Patricia Restrepo’s global view has helped mold her as a person and sharpen her keen eye for work of the extraordinary. Mobilizing this generation is certainly one of her strong points with so much territory to cover as our culture changes drastically. Her academic focus during her master’s degree in Cultural Studies from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium included the intersections of critical and race theories with modern and contemporary art. Between her passion for education and curatorial affairs, Restrepo is proving that the next generation of artistic movers and shakers that will give a ripple effect of thought and progress that’s desperately needed in our society. “I admire curators who incite active conversations with their communities while remaining artist-centered…”, says Retrepo. “I have seen this achieved by curators who create “curatorial alchemy,” thereby sparking conversations beyond any individual piece, or by allowing their exhibition to function as a launching pad for related and relevant issues...Looking locally, I am undeniably spoiled to be able to learn from three talented and overly-generous curators at the CAMH, each with a fresh vision and set of curatorial priorities. I’m looking forward to showing collaborations with these curators this Fall and beyond.”

“ AT

18 YEARS OLD,

I WAS STANDING IN FRONT OF RENE MAGRITTE’S

THE ORIGINS OF LANGUAGE AT THE MENIL COLLECTION FOR THE FIRST TIME…

”

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Clockwise from top: Anna Farrow, photo by FMHelps.me, Patricia Restrepo, photo by Lee Emerson, Danielle Wilson, photo by Jenny Antill, Jennie Ash, photo by Jay Tover.

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DANIELLE BURNS WILSON Curator of Special Exhibitions, Houston Public Library

Following in the footsteps of her mother and brother who are artists, Danielle Wilson has followed the love of the visual to her utmost capacity. “I’ve always loved art and growing up it adorned our walls…”, says Wilson. “...as a child, I remember watching my mother for what seemed like hours drawing.” Growing up in Houston, Wilson’s first job was fittingly at the University Museum at Texas Southern University where curator Dr. Alvia Wardlaw ignited the fire for curatorial studies. Wilson sought out art beyond Houston by living in New York City along with her studies abroad at the University of Dar ES Salaam in Tanzania. Shortly thereafter, she received the Romare Bearden fellowship at the Saint Louis Art Museum. Her knowledge of modern and contemporary African American Art allows her to piece together poignant and insightful exhibitions at the Houston Public Library and beyond.

This Fall, she is presenting two interesting exhibitions: “Trace Works” by Ayanna McCloud opening at the African American Library at the Gregory School along with “Planned, Organized and Established: Houston Artist Cooperative in the 1930’s.

JENNIE ASH

Visual Arts Director, Art League Houston

“

I SUDDENLY REALIZED

I FELT MORE S AT I S FAC T I O N FROM HELPING FAC I L I TAT E OTHER ARTIST’S PROJECTS, THEN I EVER DID ON MY OWN.

”

A source of both wisdom and joy in the arts, Jennie Ash has been helping shape Houston’s art scene through her work in arts administration and beyond. Having a foundation as an artist herself and studying in London after grade school, it took a move to Houston to realize that her true happiness was working behind the scenes. “I remember going into undergrad and grad school, and our advisers assuring us that by the end of the programs, we would know exactly what our art-making practice was about…”, states Ash. “...but I remember graduating and feeling such discontentment with my work. It was only when I moved to Houston in 2008 where I began interning at a local art gallery, that I had the opportunity to work with artists on their projects instead of mine. I suddenly realized I felt more satisfaction from helping facilitate other artist’s projects, then I ever did on my own.” Now in it for the long haul in Houston, firmly set in her role at Art League Houston, Ash is using her position to not only enrich the community for viewers but improve the lives of artists as well. “The arts community has definitely grown in size for sure which is great and exciting…”, says Ash. “Fairer compensation standards for artists is something I have focused on at Art League, which was initially a challenging concept for a few of the other local arts organizations to discuss, however it now seems like a totally excepted concept. However land value has skyrocketed here, and the developers seem to be capitalizing on the no zoning laws at an alarming rate, so gentrification is happening all over town at a high velocity. So I am interested in thinking about ways we can intervene creatively but without adding to the problem.”

A

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rtHouston:

HOUSTON’S ULTIMATE BUY LOCAL ART EXPERIENCE – ART ON THE AVENUE

For two nights in November, Houston’s ultimate “buy local” art experience takes over Winter Street Studios, one of the studio buildings at the Sawyer Yards creative community, located off Washington Avenue.

Now in its 21st year, Art on the Avenue has grown to become the city’s largest silent art auction, featuring more than 500 original pieces of art, sculpture and jewelry from 250 local artists. The annual event—which is organized by the nonprofit organization Avenue—brings together artists, philanthropists and art enthusiasts to promote local artists, and to improve the quality of life in Houston’s Greater Northside and Washington Avenue communities.

This year’s event is set for November 9 and 11 at Winter Street Studios. Co-chaired by John Cryer III, FAIA, and Geraldina Interiano Wise, who are both artists and coowners of Sawyer Gallery & Studios, the event will feature a special showcase of works curated by Guest Juror Paul R. Davis, curator of collections at The Menil Collection.

“With each purchase, Houstonians are helping to support the local arts community, as well as the mission of Avenue to build affordable homes and strengthen communities for low-income families,” says Mary Lawler, executive director at Avenue. “This event speaks volumes about the generosity of the city’s creative community and provides Houstonians the opportunity to experience the city’s vibrant artistic talent.”

Art on the Avenue kicks off with the VIP Preview Party, an evening of curated art and food that not only highlights the breadth of Houston art and sculpture, but showcases refreshments from the city’s robust culinary community. In 2016, edible treats were generously provided by a number of Houston’s top culinary talents including Lee Ellis from Lee’s Creamery, Javani King, David Skinner from Eculent, Barbara McKnight from Culinaire, Jorge Rodriguez from Glass Wall, Araya Chocolate and Tout Suite.

About Avenue

Nearly 26 years ago, residents of the Old Sixth Ward, a National Register Historic District situated just northwest of Houston’s urban core, created Avenue to develop affordable housing and preserve the historic integrity of the community. Today, the organization serves households from across the Greater Houston area, with a strong emphasis on the Near Northside, Northline and Washington Avenue neighborhoods.

All known for their vibrant history and culture, these communities have faced the increasing need for revitalization in recent years. The neighborhoods’ close proximity to downtown has also spurred upscale development throughout the area, escalating housing costs and placing homeownership beyond the reach of hardworking residents, including artists and other cultural bearers.

To help meet Houston’s tremendous need for affordable housing and to improve these communities’ quality of

FEATURE 21

Houston’s largest silent charity art auction, Art on the Avenue, features original works from more than 250 local artists. Here, an attendee at last year’s event peruses the main gallery, curated by Jenni Ash, Art League Houston’s visual arts director. Photography by John Lewis.

life, Avenue develops homes and apartments for working families and very low-income seniors, as well as promotes healthy, sustainable communities through improvements to education, safety, civic engagement, and more. In collaboration with Artspace, Avenue has also created quality live/work space for low-income artists at the Elder Street Lofts—developed from the historic Jeff Davis Hospital—to provide those in the arts community the opportunity to reside in Houston’s center.

“There is nothing like this building in Houston,” says Chase Hamblin, a musician and songwriter who has resided in the Elder Street Lofts for nearly a decade. “The location is great. The rent is great. The community is great… I couldn’t ask for a better place to live.”

Not only has funding from Art on the Avenue helped artists like Hamblin pursue their passions and thrive in a city facing renewed concerns over affordability, it has also helped create a haven for the city’s burgeoning creative community.

Margaret Lejeune, a member of the Two Star Symphony, has been a resident of the Elder Street Lofts for more than a decade and said that she would not have been able to focus on her craft had she not found the community.

“I have met the most amazing people living here and the most wonderful artists working hard at their craft,” Lejeune says. “I know when I look back, living here will be the best experience of my life.”

In 2005, Avenue partnered with Jon Deal to develop

Winter Street Studios, the venue for its annual Art on the Avenue event. The space provides working studios for more than 87 local artists and has helped encourage additional development at Sawyer Yards, which has grown into one of the nation’s largest creative communities.

Art on the Avenue 2017

According to Mark Parthie, an Avenue board member and artist coordinator for Art on the Avenue, many Houston artists have become some of the most fervent supporters of the event, choosing to participate year after year.

“The support that Art on the Avenue receives from Houston’s creative community is remarkable,” says Parthie.

“Although we are only able to showcase the work of 250 artists, interest for this event continues to grow from one year to the next, and that would not be possible without the passion and dedication of Houston’s artists, including those from the Sawyer Yards and Elder Street communities.”

Tickets for this year’s Preview Party, co-hosted by Ellie Sweeney and Jessica Pierce, are currently available for purchase at www.avenuecdc.org/art-on-the-avenue.

Preview Party tickets are $100 in advance and include admission to Saturday’s Auction and Party.

To learn more about Avenue’s community development and revitalization efforts, visit www.avenuecdc.org.

You can follow Avenue on Facebook and Twitter to get the latest updates on this year’s Art on the Avenue.

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23

Alberto Godoy AN EYE TO HISTORY

BY CELAN BOUILLET

On April 1, 1980, eight men launched a city bus against the Peruvian embassy in Havana, Cuba in an effort to gain asylum.

In the process, a ricocheting bullet killed a guard which initiated a disagreement between the two countries and resulted in the removal of the Cuban security forces from the embassy.

Alberto Godoy, The Dive, oil on canvas, 48”x51” in.

Within a few days, over 10,000 Cubans would gain asylum by entering the grounds of the Peruvian embassy— an event that would trigger a mass emigration of Cubans to the United States known as the Mariel boatlift. Houston artist Alberto Godoy was among those 10,000.

Godoy is a self-taught artist known for his paintings of large rotund figures in varying states of daily life with a marked Caribbean flare; planters, lawyers, professors, dancers and lovers all make appearances in Godoy’s works and reflect his own good natured humor. Godoy came of age in Havana, Cuba during the 1960s in the midst of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the communist regime of Fidel Castro.

On April 1, 1980, Godoy was a 19-year-old student pursuing a degree in language. Godoy recalls, “my life began that day.”

When his family heard the news of the breached Peruvian embassy, two of his brothers, his mother, and Godoy took a

ARTHOUSTON 24

taxi half a mile from the embassy. Once they arrived, they found chicken wire had been placed around the perimeter fence; they had to force their way through a small opening to enter the grounds all while shielding themselves from blows of police dressed in plain clothes. For 9 days, 10,000 people stayed on the embassy grounds to gain permission to leave the country. With only 6400 sq. yds. (the size of a US football field) Godoy reminisces, “there was no room to move – but there was such excitement. We didn’t sleep at night. You couldn’t lay down. We had no food. No water. The government gave out 5,000 rations of food for 10,000 people to make it seem as though we were savages. But finally after 9 days, we were given a pass to go home; we were given permission to leave Cuba and gain asylum.”

Godoy’s ordeal was far from over. His home had been closed and sealed by the police. Godoy recollects, “For the next month, there was a mob of 30 people from the neighborhood holding signs that said “Traitor to Cuba”; yelling for us to leave. They were sent by the government. I was thrown out of school and out of a job.” On April 20, 1980, Fidel Castro stated that Mariel Harbor would be open for those wishing to leave Cuba, as long as someone could pick them up. Over 1700 watercrafts of various shapes and sizes would be used to bring the Cuban refugees to the States. Godoy and his 16-year-old brother were placed on a shrimp boat together, while his mother was on another vessel: “They only let us go when a storm came in. You could only see black clouds and thunder in the distance; many people drowned. Families were lost as boats capsized.”

Fortunately, Godoy and his brother made it safely to Miami where he stayed for one night before being transferred to Fort Indiantown Gap in Pennsylvania. On May 18, 1980, Godoy went through processing and immigration and was shown to a bunk bed in a dorm. Godoy recalls, “we had no clue if the rest of our family were alive or how to find them. My brother and I decided to walk out onto the terrace. We looked in the direction of the other dormitory and at the exact same moment our mother walked outside as well. We ran to each other in joy.” Between 25th of April and the 31st of October 1980, a total of 125,000 Cubans would emigrate to the United States through Mariel Harbor.

After months of waiting, Godoy and his family were relocated to Houston, Texas. In a city of immigrants, Godoy has found a community that he feels a kinship to. He has called Houston home for over 37 years. When Godoy first arrived in Houston, he had to work very hard to make ends meet and to assimilate into the United States. He did not speak English and could not bring anything with him from Cuba. It wasn’t until 5 years into his Houston life that he started his first painting; and just like that, he was hooked. Godoy began working in his signature style featuring his large rotund figures in 1993. Godoy says, “At first, I was just painting anything that came to mind. Then my style came to me. It felt good and I knew it was mine.

I was creating myself.” Central to his work, Godoy believes that “perfection is found in the spherical nature of the universe.”

Thus, his figures have an exaggerated volume and roundness that reflect his admiration of the sphere.

Godoy’s process starts in his sketchpad in which he completes daily charcoal drawings. Once he knows his theme, Godoy will work on several canvases at a time (usually up to 3-4).

His characters perform everyday rituals or fill roles as workers that are familiar to us— a professor, a lawyer, a comical Don Quixote, figures in various states of relaxation like playing dominos or sitting at the beach. Viewers of the paintings can place themselves in these mundane situations.

Regardless of the circumstances, these characters exhibit a sense of dignity.

Elements of Cuban life and culture inevitably creep back into his work in the form of Cuban items such as cigars or powerful references to the sea. In one such piece, The Dive, two pairs of feet can be seen above the water; Godoy states, “the figures represent people trying to leave Cuba and avoid being seen by coast guard – The painting is in protest to the change in the law {Wet foot/Dry foot}. The different colors of the feet represent different ethnic groups trying to leave the island.”

Another painting, titled The Waiting, is a stark black and white oil painting that depicts a figure hunched in the dark waiting for the power to come back on after it has been cut off by the Cuban government.

As you walk through Godoy’s studio, you also find intriguing still life paintings. Even though these paintings depict inanimate objects, they nevertheless have a similar aesthetic to his more well-known figurative paintings; one teapot, Godoy describes as having “a small mouth and a nice nose.” These objects almost appear to have been left behind in domestic scenes that Godoy’s figures once inhabited, but the objects have a strong presence in their own right. Godoy’s whimsical side can also be seen in the way he signs many of his paintings. In the right hand corner, Godoy paints a small curled paper on which his signature can be found; he laughs and explains the unique trademark, “it’s like leaving a business card or something to say that you were there.”

Some may compare Godoy to Fernando Botero the prominent Columbian painter, but as Godoy sees it, “we both use volume and the circle in our figures; our work is similar but should be interpreted in different ways. Like in music, different elements can be similar but the end result is different pieces.” Godoy chuckles, “I love to be compared to Botero. How famous he’s become! We have even been exhibited by the same museum, The Schacknow Museum of Fine Art, in Florida.”

Along with creating his own work, Godoy has been an avid collector of Tribal Art for the past 25 years, “I collect because I have a love of the arts and all these pieces have stories behind them. It also influences my work. They transport you through time and place – I try to bring the museum here to the studio. Pieces that were made centuries ago in Africa now have a contemporary feel.”

Godoy is currently working on a series of new bronze sculptures of his figures. His next step is to make large-scale sculptures for public spaces.

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Alberto Godoy works on his rendition of The Last Supper at his studio in Houston. Photography by Nathan Lindstrom

“At f i r s t , I w a s j u s t p a i n t i n g a n y t h i n g t h a t c a m e t o m i n d .

T h e n m y s t y l e c a m e t o m e . It f e l t g o o d a n d I k n e w i t w a s m i n e .

I w a s c r e a t i n g m y s e l f .”

ARTHOUSTON 26

Top: Alberto Godoy, The Rafter, oil on canvas, 42”x50” in.

Below: Alberto Godoy, The Waiting, charcoal on canvas, 48”x51” in.

Opposite: Alberto Godoy, La Lluvia (the Rain), oil on canvas, 24”x30” in.

“I love to be compared to Botero.

Ho w f a m o u s h e ’ s b e c o m e !

We h a v e e v e n b e e n e x h i b i t e d by the same museum, T h e S c h a c k n o w Mu s e u m o f F i n e Ar t , i n F l o r i d a .”

FEATURE 27

Brianna Rivas, Winning artwork: Running Velveteen Woman, Acrylic on cardboard, 12 x 18 inches

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B R I A N N A R I VA S Winning Artwork

Brianna Rivas is an emerging Houston artist and recipient of the Third Place in ARTmiration’s Berlin International Contest, juried by international art curators and critics. As a finalist in the contest, Brianna will also be listed in an upcoming issue of Art International Contemporary Magazine – Italy.

B R I A N N A Y R I V A S @ G M A I L . C O M

29

Michelli Cockburn, Red Druzy Geode, Mixed media: Acrylic, glitter, crushed glass and resin on stretched canvas, 24 x 30 inches. Exhibited at the Carrousel du Louvre, Paris, October 2017.

Currently on exhibit in Palermo, Italy.

MICHELLI COCKBURN Michelli Cockburn is a Houston artist born in Colón, Republic of Panamá. Michelli is self-taught and greatly enjoys the creative process and testing the limits of her imagination. Her trademark color of black is often accented by lively colors, which pay homage to the richness of her Latin and Caribbean heritage.

M i c h e l l i h a s e x h i b i t e d i n N e w Yo r k , I t a l y , F r a n c e , S p a i n a n d B e r l i n . M i c h e l l i i s a l s o t h e f o u n d e r a n d o w n e r o f A R T m i r a t i o n L LC , u n d e r w h i c h s h e p r o m o t e s her art, and promotes and sponsors local artists into international art events.

M I C H E L L I @ A R T M I R AT I O N . C O M • W W W . A R T M I R AT I O N . C O M • W W W . M I C H E L L I C O C K B U R N . C O M • P . O . B O X 2 2 3 5 1 , H O U S T O N , T X 7 7 2 2 7

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ICHAR TO U T

Richard Stout in his studio.

Photography by Ibsen Espada.

BY JACQUELINE PAT R I C KS

PRIOR

TO

MEETING

THE

HOUSTON

A RT I S T

Richard Stout, I’d worked a ten-day week with too little sleep. I’d completed my research. I’d spoken to him by phone. I’d written a list of questions. I’d mapped my driving route. I was prepared to meet an artist and art teacher well-known in Houston for his life-long achievements and still I worried, an unusual feeling since I write primarily by immersing myself in a subject then writing from my gut.

Richard Stout made all my preparations and worries pointless. He met me at the entrance of his alley, gratuitous and welcoming. One handshake from this soft-spoken man eased my stress. He guided me to his private residence and studio, a hidden gem behind a custom-made gate of curling metal vines. His home is a converted garage attached to his original home, which he gave to his children to raise his grandchildren—of which he proudly announced he has four. During our time together, he often glanced over his shoulder toward the main house where we could see his grandchildren inside.

Having his family and friends close is a major aspect of ‘the who’ of Richard Stout. He spoke mainly of loved ones

31

ARTHOUSTON 32

present and past and of how they influenced his growth as Richard Stout the man and artist. A well-traveled and well-educated man yet never egotistical or overblown, he appreciates life’s simple pleasures and pours these appreciations into his abstract expressionism.

A garden atrium separated his smaller home from the larger one. In that space, he’d created cool quiet and solitude within cosmopolitan Houston, offering respite from the hustle of modern life. This same respite is often felt in his paintings, many of which are inspired by the Texas Gulf Coast.

The sliding door stood ajar, and the scent of fresh greenery and humus wafted into the crisp air-conditioned room.

Native Texas birds called to each other. The last of my stress vanished as I split my attention between Mr. Stout’s fascinating stories about his loved ones, his travels, returning to Texas, and his wonderful home.

“I made it like this on purpose,” he said when I complimented his garden. He pointed outside. “It’s my psychiatrist.”

“Yes.” I nodded. “It’s helping me.”

He smiled and his eyes, full of wisdom, crinkled at their edges, and then he continued his stories. He rambled, sometimes disjointed but never confusing. He always knew the dates and exactly what he was saying. Many of his friends are gone, and I saw the tears held back.

He told me later how he missed them. In that hour, having never met them, I missed them, too. It reminded me of a quote by Asimov that I paraphrased for Mr. Stout—“If I had six seconds left to live, I’d type faster.”

“Would you paint faster?” I asked.

Looking off, he considered it. “Not faster. But it’s like ‘The Word of God.’ I’d take pencil to paper because it all begins with a mark.”

My arms chilled at his clarity. “How would you say that effects your painting?”

“I work in the moment. I don’t plan. I don’t sketch. I was fortunate to be trained by masters.”

These comments touched me. I was trained to work from outlines but I abandoned them, trusting my instincts to lead me to the right path. Being with this man I realized, I never needed to plan for this meeting other than how to get here. Mr. Stout’s life and art are testaments to trusting one’s heart.

“I knew,” he said, “from a young age to get close to the thing I was interested in, so I moved close to the museum.”

“You immersed yourself in your interest?”

“Yes.” Later, he showed me his studio and art storage, and I marveled at his 40 years of work—shelves of paintings and brass sculptures dominated the second floor. Each of his pieces is evocative. Displaying strong emotions – they range from dark and angry to calm and peaceful. Mr. Stout acknowledges that his work is ‘episodic’, changing as his emotions change. He was, however, quick to point out that the pattern of his work is the same as it’s ever been. The emotions represented are no more or less aggressive or serene later in his life than they were in his early years.

And despite his emotive starting point for each piece, he is diligent—“I finish every piece before I start a new one.”

I asked his opinion of the book Sense of Home: The Art of Richard Stout by William Reaves being published the summer of 2017.

He said, “It’s a rare thing having a book written about you and it’s usually because you’re hot. I’m not hot.”

I laughed. He meant his sales weren’t hot and they’ve never been hot.

“I’ve always sold slow and steady,” he said.

He’s being modest, and he wears it well. While Mr. Stout’s path led him to finish his Masters so he could teach art full-time at the University of Houston, this is not the first book or paper written about him. Many in the art world consider him the foremost American abstract expressionist devoted to the Texas Gulf Coast. Therefore, a Retrospective Exhibition of Richard Stout’s work begins this September in his birth city of Beaumont at The Art Museum of Southeast Texas, then travels to The Art Museum of South Texas in Corpus Christi, and finally to the O’Kane Gallery at the University of Houston-Downtown. The William Reaves | Sarah Foltz Fine Art Gallery, who specialize in showcasing Texas artists and art, are also honoring Richard Stout with an exhibition of his works this fall.

One can never know the legacy one will leave behind, but Richard Stout can be assured his work and influence on art students and aficionados, family and friends is one that will not soon be forgotten. For a man that values emotions, perhaps this is all the fame and riches he will ever require.

33

Richard Stout, On course, 2015, acrylic on canvas, 40”x32” in.

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35

Cindy Lisica with artwork

by Catherine Colangelo.

Photo by Jan Rattia

International to I n n o v a t i v e

Cindy Lisica Gallery finds its place in Ho u s t o n

BY MEGHAN HENDLEY LOPEZ

Noted for poise, professionalism, and an eye for contemporary art progress, gallerist Cindy Lisica has staked her creative claim in Houston over the past couple of years. Lisica sat down with me to travel from past to present in her journey to Texas starting with her first true artistic experience: “One of my favorite and earliest gifts that I remember receiving from my parents (besides a “Gizmo” doll from the Gremlins movie) was Bill Alexander’s wet-on-wet oil painting kit…” says Cindy Lisica with a smile in her eyes.

“I ruined a few palettes over those early years, but learned all about turpentine and linseed oil!”

Struck by the electricity of art making, Lisica enrolled in painting and drawing classes, continuing to make art through grade school. Upon entering college, Lisica decided to pursue a career as a writer while creating art still lingered in her mind. Enrolled at Penn State, she quickly realized that most of the courses she wanted to take were in the Art department. “...Things all started to make sense with both art and writing…”, says Lisica. “...And I took lots of literature, poetry, philosophy and art history classes, along with my sculpture studio emphasis.”

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After finishing her BA in Studio Art at Penn State, Lisica got her first museum job at The Andy Warhol Museum in the Visitor Services Department. Taking full advantage of staff privileges, Lisica read practically every book on Warhol and his contemporaries in the archive library. Her hunger for knowledge did not go unnoticed. After observing her vast studies, the Archivist at the museum offered her a chance of a lifetime: an internship in The Warhol Archives.

“I was completely enamored by all of the behind-the-scenes processes that went into exhibitions from both research and curatorial coordination standpoints…”, Lisica reminisces.

“I decided that I wanted to pursue further graduate work in museum studies and art history (at the time, there was no such thing as “curatorial studies” yet). That’s when I moved to Los Angeles and started a Masters in Modern and Contemporary Art in the largest art department west of the Mississippi – California State University, Long Beach.”

Grad school included a multitude of opportunities which led to Lisica working for a commercial gallery in West Hollywood and meeting artists such as Kerry James Marshall, Yoshitomo Nara, Laura Owens, and Maurizio Cattelan. It was through this work that she decided she would someday open her own gallery. After completing her Masters studies, she moved to Paris, where she immersed herself in viewing art. Lisica also had her first stint at being an international curator while she was in Paris by helping organize a large-scale group exhibition at La Chapelle Saint-Louis de la Salpêtrière (where artist Nancy Holzer exhibited in the 90s).

Another seminal show came later, in 2009: “Pop Life: Art in a Material World” at Tate Modern, where Lisica worked while doing her PhD next door at the Chelsea College of Art and Design. When she returned to the U.S.

“ ...that’s my overall goal as a gallerist, to be a part of making future art history.

Houston actually has all of the elements of a great art scene...

”

in 2010, she became an independent curator, taught in Asian Languages and Lit at University of Pittsburgh, and opened her first art gallery, Revision Space. She was also re-hired in a full-time position at The Warhol and traveled all over Asia with his art and ephemera for the exhibition “15 Minutes Eternal” from 2012-2015. A

Chun-Hui-Pak, Polka-Dot-Iris-III Photo courtesy of Cindy Lisica Gallery

homecoming also happened in France for Lisica, setting up a six-room Warhol Time Capsules show in Marseille. Shortly thereafter, Houston called and Lisica answered.

Since the move to the Lone Star State, Lisica has taken every initiative to create a space of both the emerging and the established. “As an art historian with a museum background, where much of the thinking is about dead artists, I’ve always noted and respected that these artists’ current legacies began with someone, usually a gallerist, giving them their first solo, when no one knew who they were…”, says Lisica. “...They believed in them, visited their studios, developed meaningful relationships with them, and helped them develop relationships with the art world for and with them. And that’s my overall goal as a gallerist, to be a part of making future art history. Houston actually has all of the elements of a great art scene: opportunities for artists, such as education and public art, world class institutions, and an established gallery scene with room to grow and be “fresh” at the same time.”

This dedication of providing opportunities for artists truly propels the programing at the gallery, extending to the local, national, and international movements of art. Despite the newness of Cindy’s involvement in Houston arts scene, she has already connected herself to many of the individuals and organizations that enrich our visual landscape. This summer, the gallery presented a skillfully composed group show in conjunction with Print Matters PRINTHOUSTON 2017 city wide celebration. The exhibition entitled “Fine Wind, Clear Morning” included

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From top: Ulicny, Installation view, Xylotheque, Nehmad, Installation view.

Photos courtesy of Cindy Lisica Gallery

artists such as Gavin Benjamin, Deborah Nehmad, Charles UzzellEdwards a.k.a PURE EVIL, Felipe Lopez, and others were a part of the amazing assemblage of artists in this exhibition. It was a rich representation of emerging, established, and overall engaging artists; a beautiful signature of Cindy Lisica’s gallery.

September brings an intriguing exhibition by Chun Hui Pak, an artist originally from Seoul now based in Austin. Using unfolded and evocative origami forms, Chun Hui Pak carefully paints these lines and creases from “Zen Irises” and twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac. Variations of shadow and color in amazing variations will playfully dance across the gallery walls.

Following in October is the triumphant return of Ron Ulicny’s newest solo “Raison d’être”. After captivating Houston’s art scene last summer through his use of woodworking with his first solo exhibition in Houston, followed by his fall showing at the Texas Contemporary Art Fair through the gallery, the impeccable craftsmanship and sculptural prowess will be featured again through his use of more industrial materials. The momentous feelings and stellar structures Ulicny provides will surely be a highlight of this year.

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MONA HATOUM TERRA INFIRMA

Discover the artist’s first major solo exhibition in the United States in twenty years at The Menil Collection

Installation view of Mona Hatoum’s La Grande Broyeuse (Mouli-Julienne x 17), 1999.

Photo by Wim van Neuten. Courtesy MUHKA, Antwerp.

THE LONDON AND BERLIN-BASED ARTIST Mona Hatoum creates work that addresses the growing unease of an everexpanding world, one that is as technologically networked as it is politically fractured by war and exile. Investigating place and the body through a minimalist language of form and a wide range of materials, from glass and steel to light and sand, her sculptures and installations since the late-1980s are grounded in questions about how shifting geography and the limits of institutional structures can redefine our understanding of home.

Originating at the Menil Collection and organized by Curator Michelle White, Mona Hatoum: Terra Infirma is the artist’s first major solo exhibition in the United States in more than twenty years. Opening October 13, 2017, the exhibition will present approximately 30 major sculptures and installations from North American and European collections. Highlights include work imbued with a sense of physical danger that challenge the idea of home as a place of rest and comfort. Homebound (1999) is a roomsize assemblage of household objects and furniture threaded together by a crackling wire of live electricity.

Other works depart from the Surrealist notion of the uncanny. La grande broyeuse (Mouli-Julienne x 17) (1999) is a monumentally-scaled vegetable slicer. Hatoum transforms the familiar object into a strange and menacing creature through preposterous scale. The artist wants her work to “create a situation where reality itself becomes a questionable point, where [viewers] have to reassess their assumptions and their relationship to things around them.”

Curator Michelle White stated, “The Menil Collection is honored to present this exhibition by one of the most important international artists of our time. Hatoum’s work is thoughtful, surprising and poetic. I hope it will spark a variety of conversations with our audiences about everything from the language of contemporary sculpture to the precariousness of place and identity.”

Working closely with the artist and in tandem with the Menil’s celebrated Surrealist collection, the museum has developed a selection of works that will be presented in the museum’s west temporary exhibition galleries, with additional installations in the Surrealism and African galleries. Hatoum has long been interested in the power of unexpected encounters and material juxtapositions, using Surrealism as point of departure over the course of her more than forty year career. In a contemporary moment of global migration, displacement and political uncertainty, this provocative connection is particularly relevant today.

Menil Director Rebecca Rabinow said, “Opening during our 30th anniversary year, the presentation of Mona Hatoum: Terra Infirma reaffirms the Menil’s commitment to living artists, intellectual independence and risk-taking, the central role of research and scholarship in contemporary art, and collaborating with other arts institutions. We are honored to receive grant funding from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and to be recommended for an NEA Art Works grant that will assist us in making Hatoum’s work accessible to wide and diverse audiences in Houston.”

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2000 Edwards Street, #218 Houston, TX 77007

Nich ole Dittmann

J E W E L R Y

D E S I G N S

713-501-7290 nicholedittmann.com

From top: Haifa Al Hebeeb, Anthropology Book, Portland, Oregon 2008 Dr. Baher Butti, Those Were the Days, Portland, Oregon 2008. Photos: Jim Lommasson

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Arab American H e r i t a g e

BY HADIA MAWLAWI

Building advocacy and awareness via an a r t f u l traveling exhibition I N A P R I L 2 0 1 7 , T H E A R A B A M E R I C A N Cultural & Community Center in Houston (ACC) presented its fourth annual Arab American Heritage Month. This event is part of a larger national celebration of Arab culture in America that has its roots back in the 1980’s in Michigan, home to the largest concentration of Americans of Arab Heritage in the United States.

Since its inception in 1995, the ACC has been committed to fulfilling its mission of serving the Arab American community in Houston regardless of religion, nationality, ethnicity, gender or financial status. Our goal is to serve the community through cultural programs, outreach and social services; promote Arab culture and heritage, and foster a greater understanding of Arab culture amongst the Houston community at large. The ACC aims to contribute to the integration of Arabs as Americans, to provide a forum for cultural, educational and recreational interaction, and to present opportunities for business and social contact.

The Arab American Heritage Month was founded to showcase the diversity and complexity of our region. We are not a monolithic entity. In fact the Arab world is made up of twenty two countries, including Mauritania, Comoros and Djibouti. The region extends from the Atlantic Ocean, with Morocco to its

extreme west, all the way to Iraq and the Arabian Peninsula to the east. The countries that comprise the Arab world share cultural traditions and a common language, Arabic. However, religion is not the unifying factor, as is commonly perceived. The region is multi-cultural and pluralistic, as well as having a complex set of cultural, political and historical identities. It boasts a large Christian community (Maronite, Orthodox, Catholic, Antiochian, and several others) in addition to Muslims, a small remaining Jewish population and other minority sects such as the Yazidis, Druze and Baha’i.

The first wave of Arab immigrants began coming to America in the late 1880’s fleeing their countries due to religious persecution, drought and famine. They were mainly Christian, from the Levant region, which encompasses present-day Syria, Lebanon and Palestine. These newcomers settled primarily in the North East and later California, establishing their businesses (textile and peddling of goods), schools, faith houses and community groups, rapidly assimilating into their environments and becoming an integral part of American society.

In the 2011 American Community Survey, the U.S. Census Bureau reported there were close to 1.8 million Arab Americans

Artwork: Ula Butti: “Barbie Dolls” - Portland, Oregon 2013. Photo: Jim Lommasson

ARTHOUSTON 42

their backs and a small memento to remind them of home.

The objects they carried and the intense personal stories behind them, combined with personal images, illustrate the common threads that bind all of humanity: the love shared for family and friends and the places people call home.

At each tour stop, Lommasson works to collect local stories to incorporate into What We Carried. “The objects, photos and stories can help to break down stereotypes and share our common humanity and help to build bridges,” says Lommasson.

“Through my project I realized that the objects and stories helped create an intimate empathy for those of us who saw them.

The more powerful understanding is the realization of what was left behind. What was left behind was everything else; homes, friends, family, school, careers, culture and history.”

One of the poignant moments during the exhibition stop in Houston was when we hosted 40 High School students from Wisdom High School, previously known as Lee High School. Many of the students were refugees and the images brought about visceral responses that lead to some tears, and very moving words:

living within the United States, an approximately 47% increase in population size from 2000 (U.S. Census Bureau. “2011 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates.” 2011). Some believe, moreover, that this dramatically undercounts the population.

According to the Arab American Institute, for instance, the number of Arab-Americans is increasing at an even greater rate, with a total population closer to 3.7 million (AAIF 2012).

In Texas, the population of Arab Americans is approximately 125,000, 36,000 of whom live in Harris County. Several nonprofit organizations in Houston exist to serve their needs, such as the Palestinian American Cultural Center (PACC), The Moroccan Society of Houston, The Egyptian American Society of Houston, The Syrian American Club, and the Arab American Cultural & Community Center. Our sister organization is ACCESS (Arab Community Center for Economic & Social Services) in Dearborn,

Those drawings actually made me feel I missed my country & family.

It’s great to see things that remind you of happy memories.

This was quite interesting - to think of the events that brought about the immigration of these individuals is awe-inspiring.

Michigan. This nonprofit is of vital importance to the Arab American community ecosystem since 1971, providing capacity building, advocacy & civic engagement, youth development programs and health and educational services. Amongst the initiatives of ACCESS is the Arab American National Museum (AANM, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution) the only national museum in the United States dedicated to documenting, preserving and presenting the history, lives & contributions of Arab Americans.

It was therefore with great joy that we collaborated, for the first time this year, with AANM for our fourth annual Arab American Heritage Month, to bring to Houston the travelling exhibition What We Carried- Fragments & Memories from Iraq & Syria, a photography exhibition by American freelance photographer and author Jim Lommasson. Lommasson invited Iraqi and Syrian refugees to share a personal item significant to their travels to America, such as a family snapshot, heirloom dish or childhood toy. Lommasson photographed each artifact and then returned a 13” x 19” archival print to the participant so the item could be contextualized by the owner. Exhibition visitors received firsthand insight into the consideration of what objects, images and memories might be chosen if one was forced to leave his home forever. The exhibition brings to light the life-changing decisions made by Iraqi and Syrian refugees fleeing their homeland in search of safety and a better life for themselves and their families in the United States.

Since 2003, more than four million Iraqis have left their homes and relocated, in hopes of creating a better future for themselves and their families, in a setting free of war and uncertainty. Many Iraqis sought refuge in Syria only to find another dangerous situation. Approximately 140,000 of these refugees have immigrated to the U.S., the majority with nothing more than the clothes on

The exhibition touches upon the resiliency of refugees from the Arab World and what it means to be displaced and to build a new life in a new country. By learning the personal stories of those originally from Iraq and Syria and the adversity experienced through displacement, a greater understanding and appreciation is gained for the perspective of all immigrants and the plight of all refugees.

Other events during our Heritage Month included an all-Beethoven piano concerto by acclaimed Syrian pianist Dr. Chaden Yafi; a talk by internationally renowned multi-media Palestinian artist Mona Hatoum; our monthly International Ladies Night; the screening of the soon-to-be-PBS broadcast documentary “A Thousand And One Journeys: The Arab Americans.”, and our closing reception with the Raphael Gadot Trio playing their own jazz compositions as well as re-arranged standards.

Our programming would not have been possible without the generous support of our local sponsors, community partners (Syrian American Club, The Menil Foundation and the Moody Center for the Arts at Rice University), and the Arab American National Museum.

Devon Akmon, Director of AANM says “The Arab American community currently faces myriad challenges, from rising Islamophobia to federally sanctioned rhetoric and actions that target immigrants, refugees and other culturally distinctive populations. Now, more than ever, the Arab American community needs environments that foster dialogue and creative expressions.”

Our intention with the Arab American Heritage Month is precisely to invite our local community into these types of environments that encourage dialogue, understanding and the dispelling of myths about our region brought about by one-sided media coverage and the spread of fear.

Hadia Mawlawi is a board member and chair of the cultural committee at the Arab American Cultural & Community Center, as well as being the curator of the Arab Heritage Month.

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“We R OST,” An initiative of the OST YOUTH COUNCIL Seeking to Inspire Community Through Arts and Culture “We R OST” is a service learning and community art project developed in partnership with the OST Youth Council, Agape Development, South East Houston Transformation Alliance and the Texan-French Alliance for the Arts (TFAA). It is funded in part by a grant from State Farm and The Wortham Foundation as well as with ongoing support from the Houston Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) GO Neighborhoods initiative that seeks to inspire community building by sharing residents’ stories through arts and culture in an effort to help revitalize the OST/ South Union Super Neighborhood 68 community.

The project is also supported by the Rice University Center for Civic Leadership. Through TFAA’s mentoring platform “From a Space to a Place,” Youth Council members have explored and identified the needs of their community, brainstormed positive solutions and developed project management skills to fulfill their vision of beautifying the community with meaningful art. Ten doors are displayed in various community locations such as the Park at Palm Center and Community Garden, Restoration Community Park, Beacon of Light Christian Center, and Agape Development Ministries, and will showcase artistic photographs, poetry, and inspiring messages. Join us in connecting over 22,000 people and inspiring residents to share positive stories to transform their communities and start conversations among neighbors across generations. Please visit our “We R OST” website: www.hugthehood.org to discover where the doors are located and discover our stories.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

HOUSTON CENTER FOR PHOTOGRAPHY ROTHKO CHAPEL THE MENIL COLLECTION DIVERSEWORKS BUFFALO SOLDIERS NATIONAL MUSEUM HOUSTON CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY CRAFT LAWNDALE ART CENTER CZECH CENTER MUSEUM HOUSTON HOUSTON MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE ASIA SOCIETY TEXAS CENTER HOLOCAUST MUSEUM HOUSTON THE JUNG CENTER CONTEMPORARY ARTS MUSEUM HOUSTON THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, HOUSTON CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF HOUSTON THE HEALTH MUSEUM HOUSTON MUSEUM OF NATURAL SCIENCE RICE GALLERY HOUSTON ZOO

by Julie Farr

Houston Museum District

Happens:

Art Where 19 M U S E U M S , 4 W A L K A B L E Z O N E S

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From left: Holocaust Museum Houston, Sheltered by 100-year old oak trees, Houston Museum District is one of the largest concentrations of cultural institutions in the country. The district is 19 nonprofit organizations nestled between the Texas Medical Center, Hermann Park, and Midtown.

Anchored by the historic Mecom Fountain, each is beautiful, unique and celebrates many cultures.

The district is grouped into 4 walkable zones so visitors can park once and walk to several destinations. At Zone 1 in Montrose, the Menil Collection offers self-produced and standing exhibitions of antiquities and surrealist art, including powerful objects that the surrealist painters themselves collected. There are two artist specific free-standing buildings on neighborhood green spaces, with a $40 million drawing center to open fall of 2017.

Zone 1 is home to Houston Center for Photography. HCP has ongoing exhibitions and a robust workshop schedule. Through a community education program, students learn to use photography to understand one’s environment and articulate their vision.

The Rothko Chapel displays 14 paintings by Mark Rothko. It was featured in a National Geographic book; Sacred Places of a Lifetime: 500 of the worlds’ most peaceful and powerful destinations. This non-denominational chapel is free to the public 365 days a year.

Zone 2 showcases the largest group of museums with a ‘something-for-everyone’ variety. For the history buff, Buffalo Soldiers National Museum in a renovated military depot, presents military reenactments. In peace-time, African-American soldiers were

FEATURE 45

Asia Society Texas Center Photography by Paul Hester

Lawndale Art Center, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, and The Menil Collection. All photos courtesy of the Houston Museum District responsible for escorting settlers, cattle herds and railroad crews during the westward expansion.

The Czech Center Houston is also history oriented with fun activities such as kolache making workshops. It was established in 1995 to celebrate and promote the rich history of a major Slavic ethnic group and facilitates economic development between Texas, the US and the Czech and Slovak republics.

Holocaust Museum Houston is a poignant space with shows and lectures on issues of genocide, both current and Holocaust related.

HMH will move to a temporary home this summer to expand the current site which hosts a permanent exhibition, Bearing Witness: A Community Remembers which documents life in pre-war Europe.

Multi-cultural experiences can be found at the Museum of African America Culture with four gallery spaces offering rotating exhibitions and the Bert Long Jr. Gallery. Asia Society Texas Center presents international musical and dance performances.

The building was designed by Yoshio Taniguchi and completed in 2011, with a feature that cascades mist from an infinity-edge pool.

For something contemporary in Zone 2, Lawndale Art Center, in an iconic art deco building, has a mural program that provides stipends to local artists to paint the side of the building. Three gallery spaces are dedicated to presenting regional artists.

The Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, in addition to some of the best gift shopping in town, hosts rotating

exhibitions and a unique resident artist program. Artists compete from all over the country to work in one of 5 studios that are open to the public. Visitors can see works being made, talk to the artists about their work and observe the creative process.

DiverseWorks is another contemporary-focused venue, which moved into MATCH – the Midtown Arts and Theatre Center Houston in 2015.MATCH has multiple, different sized performance spaces in addition to the gallery. DiverseWorks is a place where ‘daring’ work takes place and artists work without constraint.

Zone 3 is contained to a 3 block area, including The Jung Center, a 50 year old gem dedicated to the human spirit through psychology, spirituality, the arts and humanities. There are established gallery spaces where the art work reflects selfawareness with an insightful book shop.

Right next door is the Center for Contemporary Art featuring artists from all over the world and a funky vibe. Their motto is always fresh – always free. CAMH was founded in 1948 and in 1972 moved to their current building which was daring architecture for the time.

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston is currently two exhibition buildings plus a sculpture garden and the Glassell School in addition to 2 house museums. The displays span 6000 years and include major collections of Latino, Islamic and Asian art. An expansion set to be completed by 2020 will be a stunning addition to the Museum District with a building clad in glass and grass covered.

ARTHOUSTON 46

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Houston Center for Photography. The exhibition gallery - free to the public - features some of the finest works of contemporary photography.

HCP also offers over 300 photography classes and workshops year-round. Photography by Kristy Peet

Zone 4 is the most family-oriented group. To celebrate 20 years, The Health Museum recently renovated interactive exhibitions where children learn about health science and the human body. The DeBakey Cell Lab features science-focused experiences for kids as the only bilingual science laboratory exhibit in the country.

Consistently ranked #1 in the country, Children’s Museum Houston is a great family experience with lots of interactive learning about hydro power, engineering and chemistry. This year the thematic focus is on literacy with Read Strong All Year Long. CMH boasts the most kid-centric gift shop with educational games for all ages.

Houston Zoo is part of zone 4 along with Museum of Natural Sciences, both situated in Hermann Park. Zoo ticket proceeds help save animals around the world, from sea turtles to bees and elephants. An electronics recycling program reduces the need for new metals from mines in Central Africa, home to gorillas and chimpanzees. Other partners include the Texas Parks and Wildlife department, protecting the state’s ecology and biology.

Besides the classic geological and dinosaur exhibition halls, at Houston Museum of Natural Science there is the Cockerell Butterfly Center and Baker Planetarium. HMNS is 100 years old, with the current venue opening in 1964.

Rice Gallery just across Main Street on the Rice University campus is as unique as all the district institutions. Artists are commissioned to make site-specific installations in a blank space faced with windows where the artist makes their work while on view to the public. The gallery moves into another dynamic architectural work, Moody Center for Art, at a different location on campus this summer.

Houston’s Museum District is a force in the city’s vitality and an award-winning destination where learning about science, health, engineering history and the environment happens every day.

Ten of the destinations are free at all times and the others offer dedicated free times.

Houston Museum District and its cultural partners invite you to experience unique creativity and artistry. To learn more go to: www.houstonmuseumdistrict.org

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TRUTH THROUGH IMAGINATION

BY JACQUELINE PAT R I C KS

An Immersive Experience Like Nothing Else O U R R E A L I T Y O F C O N C R E T E A N D C I N D E R B L O C K ends at Madame Daphne’s door. One member of our Writespace group knocks, the door cracks open, and a smooth ‘Welcome’ beckons us into the dimly-lit Victorian room. Our harsh modern clothing and mannerisms clash with the softer atmosphere and we cluster, uncertain and hushed. The air is full of possibilities, and we exchange glances, wondering what will happen next.

Madame Daphne hands each of us a personalized box, and we perch on velvet divans to exam them while she shuffles her Tarot cards. In the low light, her mesmerizing gaze meets each of ours, and she beckons us closer. One by one we brave what the Tarot cards reveal as Madame Daphne weaves the start of our adventure.

The transition from modern to Victorian is smooth and rapid.

Yet Madame Daphne leaves a small window of time for each person to consider their agreement to the immersive entertainment. Each step of the game is a choice of the player. Each level allows for options, and this is a large part of the Houdini Séance Escape Room’s charm. It is reminiscent of the Choose Your Adventure computer games and Dungeons and Dragons.

The interactive spooky fun, however, is made real. You don’t click on the item of curiosity or roll a die, you touch and manipulate the room and its items to the mystery and unlock the prize.

FEATURE 49

For lovers of theater, there’s enough live performance to set the mood and heighten audience participation, yet not so much to overall the group activities. The actors’ passion for performance shines, lighting the room beyond the crystal chandelier.

The combination of physical puzzles, Houdini mystery, and live theater create an immersive world each player may join or not as they desire. Different levels of skill and difficulty exist within the Houdini Séance Escape Room because the creators, Haley and Cameron, believe that completing the story arc takes precedence over difficulty. They want players to work together to win the game and interact with the story; therefore, this escape room’s challenges are accessible yet remain difficult enough to be engaging.

Our group found this to be true. Each of us found our strengths with the various puzzles. Some preferred the detailed puzzles and other liked the big-picture mysteries, but all of us worked well together without prompting. Notable because this was our first social event together. Striving for the common goal by searching for truth fostered a strong sense of team-building. Discussing the adventure afterward, we agreed that it was fun. We enjoyed it and we hardly noticed how quickly we became a team, how easily we fit together, using our abilities and talents to serve the group.

By using the ‘coolest things possible’, Haley and Cameron

Photos courtesy of Stange Bird Immersive

devoted over a year and a half creating an entirely new sort of escape room. Their creations are ingenious and often deceptively simple at maintaining the Victorian illusion down to the details.

Houdini Séance Escape Room is a group event for a minimum of four and a maximum of eight people per showing and for ages sixteen and up. Well worth attending, it’s highly recommended for fun, entertainment, and team-building and see what the game reveals about you and your group.

So, did we solve the mystery and win the game? Well, that would be telling. You’ll just have to unravel the Houdini Séance Escape Room for yourself and discover the truth behind the puzzles.

For tickets and more info visit: www.strangebirdimmersive.com.

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Gallery Listings BISONG GALLERY 1305 Sterrett St. 713 498-3015

BOOKER•LOWE GALLERY 4623 Feagan St. 713 880-1541

CAPSULE GALLEY 3909 Main St. 713 807-7065 Becky Soria, The Body Electric (top) and The Healing, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 20 in.

ARCHWAY GALLERY 2305 Dunlavy St. 713 522-2409

SEPTEMBER Cookie Wells / Tom Wells​ OCTOBER Cecilia Villanueva NOVEMBER Becky Soria AEROSOL WARFARE 2110 Jefferson 832 748-8369

AKER IMAGING GALLERY 4708 Lillian St. 713 862-6343

ART OF THE WORLD GALLERY 2201 Westheimer Road.

713 526-1201

DECEMBER Thomas Irven / Margaret Miller JANUARY Joel Anderson FEBRUARY Sherry Tseng Hill / Jim Adams

CARDOZA FINE ART GALLERY 1320 Nance St. 832 548-0404 CASA RAMIREZ FOLK ART GALLERY 241 West 19th St. 713-880-2420

CATHERINE COUTURIER GALLERY

2635 Colquitt St. 713 524-5070

ARADER GALLERY 5015 Westheimer, #2303 713 621-7151

CAVALIER FINE ART 3845 Dunlavy St. 713 552-1416

ARDEN GALLERY 2143 Westheimer, Suite B 713 371-6333

CINDY LISICA GALLERY 4411 Montrose Blvd. #F 832 409-1934

ART PALACE 3913 Main St. 832 390-1278

COMMUNITY ARTISTS’ COLLECTIVE 4101 San Jacinto, Suite 115 713 523-1616

ART LEAGUE HOUSTON

1953 Montrose Blvd.

713 523-9530

DAVID SHELTON GALLERY 3909 Main St, 832 538-0924

ANYA TISH GALLERY 4411 Montrose Blvd.

713 524-2299

ASHER GALLERY 4848 Main St. 713 529-4848

DEAN DAY GALLERY 2639 Colquitt St. 713 520-1021

APAMA MACKEY GALLERY 628 East 11th Street 713 850-8527

BARBARA DAVIS GALLERY 4411 Montrose Blvd.

713 520-9200

D. M. ALLISON GALLERY 2709 Colquitt 832 607-4378

ART LEAGUE OF BAYTOWN 110 W Texas Ave, Baytown 281 427-2222

DEBORAH COLTON GALLERY 2445 North Blvd.

713 869-5151

DEVIN BORDEN GALLERY 3917 Main St. 713 529-2700

18 HANDS GALLERY 249 W. 19th St, Suite B 713 869-3099

Gspot GALLERY 310 East 9th Street 713 869-4770 GALERIA REGINA 1716 Richmond Ave 713 523-2524 GALERIE SPECTRA 303 Memorial City Way, 832 656-9671 GALLERY SONJA ROESCH 2309 Caroline St 713 659-5424 THE GITE GALLERY 2024 Alabama St. 713 523-3311

GALVESTON ART CENTER 2501 Market St. Galveston 409 763-2403

GLADE GALLERY 24 Waterway Avenue The Woodlands 832 557-8781 GRAY CONTEMPORARY 3508 Lake St. 713 862-4425

GREMILLION & CO. FINE ART, INC. 2501 Sunset Blvd.

713 522-2701

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Gallery Listings

GUERRERO-PROJECTS 4411 Montrose Blvd.

713 522-0686 HANNAH BACOL BUSCH GALLERY 6900 S. Rice Ave. 713 527-0523 HARAMBEE ART GALLERY 901 Bagby St. harambeeartgallery.com HARRIS GALLERY 1100 Bissonnet 713 522-9116

HIRAM BUTLER GALLERY 4520 Blossom St. 713 863-7097 HOOKS-EPSTEIN GALLERIES 2631 Colquitt St. 713 522-0718

HOUSTON CENTER FOR PHOTOGRAPHY 1441 West Alabama Street 713 529-4755

JUMPER MAYBACH FINE ART GALLERY & EMPORIUM 238 W. 19th St., Suite C 832 523-4249 KOELSCH GALLERY 801 Richmond avenue 713 626-0175

LA COLOMBE D’OR GALLERY 3410 Montrose Blvd.

713 524 -7999

McCLAIN GALLERY 2242 Richmond Ave. 713 520-9988

MEREDITH LONG & CO. 2323 San Felipe 713 523-6671

MOODY GALLERY

2815 Colquitt St. 713 526-9911 Sarah Williams Sept. 9 - Oct. 14, 2017 Jerry Jeanmard Oct. 21 - Nov. 22, 2017 Group Exhibition Dec. 2 - Jan. 6, 2018

HUNTER GORHAM GALLERY 1834 1/2 Westheimer Rd. 713 492-0504

RUDOLPH BLUME FINE ART 1836 Richmond Avenue 713 807-1836

NOLAN-RANKIN GALLERIES 3637 W. Alabama St. Suite 140 713 528-0664

SHE WORKS FLEXIBLE 1709 Westheimer Road 713 522-0369

OCTAVIA ART GALLERY 3637 West Alabama Suite 120 713 877-1810 OFF THE WALL GALLERY 5085 Westheimer Galleria II, Level II 713 871-0940

Jerry Jeanmard

SAMARA GALLERY 3911 Main St. 713 999-1009

SERRANO GALLERY

2000 Edwards St. #117 713 724-0709

SICARDI GALLERY 2246 Richmond Ave. 713 529-1313

O’KANE GALLERY UH-Downtown One Main Street 713 221-8042

SIMPSON GALLERIES 6116 Skyline Dr. Suite 1 713 524-6751

PARKERSON GALLERY 3510 Lake St. 713 524-4945

TEXAS GALLERY 2012 Peden St. 713 524-1593

PEVETO 2627 Colquitt Street 713 360-7098

UP ART STUDIO 2101 Winter Street, Suite B11 info@upartstudio.org

POISSANT GALLERY 5102 Center St. 713 868-9337 POST GALLERY 2121 Sage, Suite 165 713 622-4241

INMAN GALLERY 3901 Main St. 713 526-7800 JACK MEIER GALLERY 2310 Bissonnet 713 526-2983

NICOLE LONGNECKER GALLERY 2625 Colquitt St. 713 591-4997

WILLIAM REAVES SARAH FOLTZ FINE ART 2143 Westheimer Rd. 713 521-7500

REDBUD GALLERY

YVONAMOR PALIX FINE ARTS

303 E. 11th St. 713 862-2532

1824 Spring St. 281 467-6065

ROCKSTAR GALLERY 5700 NW Central Dr #160 832 868-0242

ZOYA TOMMY 4102 Fannin St. 832 649-5814

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Niki Serakiotou

Suzette Schutze

Luisa Duarte

Gretchen Bender Sparks

Karuna Leach

Matthew Gantt

Vicki Hessemer

Nichole Dittmann

Lily Gavalas

Celan Bouillet

Valentina Atkinson

Tania Botelho

Nataliya Scheib

Lyn Sullivan

Darlene Abdouch

Studio 110 713-992-1327 www.nikisartstudy.com

Studio 213 713-689-9709 www.constellationism.info

Studio 117 713-724-0709 www.serranogallery.com

Studio 306 281-881-8981 www.suzetteschutze.com

Studio 121 713-504-9118 www.vickihessemer.com

Studio 102 281-660-5061 www.taniabotelho.com

Studio 122 281-857-5028 www.Luisa-Duarte.com

Studio 214 713-444-7562 www.gretchenbendersparks.com

Studio 218 713-501-7290 FB-Nichole Dittmann Jewelry Designs

Studio 115 571-212-9279 www.NataliyaScheib.com

Studio 119 713-859-7143 www.lilygavalas.com

Studio 211 281-520-1349 www.lynsullivan.com

Studio 301 281-455-8421 www.artbykaruna.com

Studio 205 770-617-2431 www.comusinacelan.com

Studio 312 713-569-8346 www.Abdouchart.com

WHERE ART LOVERS AND ARTISTS CONNECT VISIT ARTISTS’ STUDIOS EVERY SECOND SATURDAY OF THE MONTH

2000 EDWARDS ST. HOUSTON, TX 77007

12-5PM

SILVERSTREETHOUSTON.COM

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Performing Arts Schedule HOUSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Jesse H. Jones Hall 615 Louisiana Street, Suite 100 713 227-4772 FIESTA SINFONICA September 10 MAHLER & DVORÁK September 14 - 17

THEATRE UNDER THE STARS 1475 West Gray 713 520-1220

THE SECRET GARDEN (Sarofim) October 10 - 22 SLEEPING BEAUTY AND HER WINTER KNIGHT (Sarofim) December 12 - 24

ANDRÉS CONDUCTS SCHUMANN September 22 - 24 GARRISON KEILLOR September 25 - 19 RUSSIAN MASTERS September 28 - October 1 TOTALLY 80’S October 6 - 8

HOUSTON GRAND OPERA 510 Preston St. 713 546-0200

LA TRAVIATA October 20 - November 11

JULIUS CAESAR October 27 - November 10 THE HOUSE WITHOUT A CHRISTMAS TREE November 30 - December 17

BEAUTY AND THE BIZARRE October 17 MOZART’S JUPITER SYMPHONY October 20 - 22 BEETHOVEN & PROKOFIEV October 26 - 29 PSYCHO—FILM WITH LIVE ORCHESTRA October 27 BROADWAY TODAY November 10 - 12 RACHMANINOFF’S RHAPSODY November 17 - 19 A SCHEHERAZADE THANKSGIVING November 24 - 26 VERY MERRY POPS December 1 - 3 HANDEL’S MESSIAH December 15 - 17

La Traviata. Photography bt Robert Kusel

SCHEDULE 57

DA CAMERA 1402 Sul Ross 713 524-524-7601

HOBBY CENTER 800 Bagby Street 713 315-2400

TZU CHI: THOUSANDS OF HELPING HANDS September 16 - 17, Sarofim Hall TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND September 21, Sarofim Hall CHRISTOPHER KIMBALL’S MILK STREET LIVE! September 21, Zilkha Hall

HOUSTON BALLET Wortham Center, 500 Texas Avenue 713 227-2787

SWEET PHILOMELA September 22, Zilkha Hall HOUSTON MELHARMONY October 7, Zilkha Hall ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE October 31 - November 5, Sarofim Hall

POETRY IN MOTION September 8 - 17

PAW Patrol Live! “Race to the Rescue” November 9 - 12, Sarofim Hall

MAYERLING September 21 - October 1

ITALIAN SIRENS November 12, Zilkha Hall

THE NUTCRACKER November 24 - December 28

ON YOUR FEET! November 21 - 26, Sarofim Hall NEW YEAR’S IN BERLIN December 31, Zilkha Hall

FROM HARLEM TO HAVANA The Harlem Quartet with Aldo López-Gavilán Saturday, September 23 Cullen Theater, Wortham Theater Center ROBERT GLASPER EXPERIMENT Friday, October 6 Cullen Theater, Wortham Theater Center QUATUOR MOSAÏQUES Tuesday, October 17 The Menil Collection A STRANGER I ARRIVE, A STRANGER I DEPART SCHUBERT’S WINTERREISE Monday, October 23 -24 The Menil Collection TIEMPO LIBRE Friday, November 10 Cullen Theater, Wortham Theater Center SONGS OF FREEDOM: A TRIBUTE TO ABBEY LINCOLN, JONI MITCHELL AND NINA SIMONE Friday, December 1 Cullen Theater, Wortham Theater Center REINVENTING THE HARPSICHORD: FROM RENAISSANCE TO REICH Mahan Esfahani, harpsichord Tuesday, December 12 The Menil Collection SÉRGIO AND ODAIR ASSAD, GUITARS AND AVI AVITAL, MANDOLIN will be performing Saturday, February 17, 2018, at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts.

ALLEY THEATRE 615 Texas Avenue 713 220-5700

DESCRIBE THE NIGHT September 15 - October 15 Neuhaus Theatre

A CHRISTMAS CAROL November 17 - December 30 Hubbard Theatre

CLEO September 29 -October 22 Hubbard Theatre

THE SANTALAND DIARIES November 30 - December 31 Neuhaus Theatre

Set during the filming of the disastrous 1963 movie Cleopatra, Cleo is the story of the scandalous romance of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

Avi Avital. Photography by Harald Hoffmann / Deutsche Grammophon

T H E

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E S S A Y 5595

Anvil Crawler

Holly Walrath

I am night and a thousand stars hurtle through my skin, punching through the ether. I crouch, prehistoric, in the space behind clouds, my volcanic heart attracting lightning sympathetic, interstellar.

My shadow is a supernova cutting a path through the light, slimming ever thinner until nothing else remains. My insides negative, the darkness turned out, pepper-black and coal-hard.

Photography by John Bernhard

Lightning waits for me on the other side of the forest. He’s tall and thin, pale or blue, holding me in, but this isn’t a cage. These aren’t flowers I’m pollenating—they’re caves spelunked, mountains cliff-hung, open seas hard to port, hives honey-brimmed and buzzing places where I can hide.

Reviews

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Michelle Pula Holmes, My Country, acylic on belgian linen, 20”x42”

Nick Anderson, 2013. Courtesy of Nick Anderson and The Houston Chronicle

THE CALL OF COUNTRY

WINDOWS ON DEATH ROW

For most, the very word “desert” evokes images of vast expanses of barren land, with searing days and often icy nights that render it inhospitable to human habitation.

The women of the remote Australian Aboriginal community of Ampilatwatja have a decidedly different vision of their ancestral homelands. For them the Central Desert is a land of wonder, bursting to life after the “Wet,” or rainy season, with rolling fields of vivid flowers and intensely-green grasses set against rust-red sands and brilliant blue skies. The often long-awaited and always short-lived rebirth of the desert inspires the women to translate their distinctive interpretation of “country” to canvas, without sketching or drawing, but directly from memory. While they incorporate traditional dot patterns, they surprise with their juxtaposition of colors, and seemingly naïve styles that in fact rely on sophisticated compositions. Award-winning painter Michelle Pula Holmes anchors her paintings with undulating bands and fields of color, then delicately layers trees and blossoming plants, with little regard for western perspective.

Less than 50 years ago, the contemporary Aboriginal painting movement began just a few hundred miles away, giving new voice to more than 50,000 years of indigenous culture. For the artists of Ampilatwatja, the “call of country” is never-ending. It is embedded in their language, their law, their ceremonies, and reflected in painted landscapes that invite us to share their connection to the ancient desert they call home.

Images can trigger conversations, sometimes far better than words. Internationally known political cartoonist Patrick Chappatte and journalist Anne-Frederique Widmann have come together to organize a one of a kind exhibition, entitled WINDOWS ON DEATH ROW: Art From Inside and Outside the Prison Walls.

It features over 60 works of some of the most famous American political cartoonists including Houston Chronicle Nick Anderson, as well as artworks drawn from a more unlikely source, death row inmates. By presenting a variety of perspectives, from both inside and outside of the prison walls, Chappatte and Widmann hope to stimulate conversation on an issue that touches politics, race, morality, and the law.

Using art as a tool for social awareness, it opens a window into an often hidden part of the ongoing conversation about capital punishment - exploring the system through the eyes of the incarcerated. At a moment when our country is becoming ever more polarized regarding racial injustice and economic inequality, these questions that the exhibition raises could not be more timely.

WINDOWS ON DEATH ROW opened at the University of Southern California (USC) Annenberg School of Communication on October 22, 2015. The touring exhibition then moved to Geneva and Morges, Switzerland, in March 2016, followed

by Oslo, Norway, in June 2016. The exhibition was on view at O’Kane Gallery, University of Houston - Downtown in June and July 2017.

BOOKER-LOWE GALLERY

O’KANE GALLERY - UH DOWNTOWN

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Pipilotti Rist, Pixel Forest, 2016, LED installation with media player, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Photo by The Storyhive

Oscar Muñoz, Narcisos Dry large PMA, 2010 (detail)

PIPILOTTI RIST

OSCAR MUÑOZ

This summer, the MFAH continued its series of grand-scale, immersive exhibitions. Pipilotti Rist: Pixel Forest and Worry Will Vanish brought together two mesmerizing works newly acquired by the Museum. Under the direction of the artist, these light-based and video-based installations transformed the central gallery of Cullinan Hall into a cosmic journey through time and space. On view through September 17.

Swiss artist Pipilotti Rist (born 1962) has been among contemporary art’s chief innovators since the mid-1980s, working at the forefront of video and digital imagery.

Pixel Forest, created in collaboration with lighting designer Kaori Kuwabara, is among Rist’s newest works, consisting of thousands of hanging LED lights, each controlled by a video signal so that the “forest” is constantly changing. Light sometimes shifts in a staccato rhythm, and sometimes in waves of color.

Worry Will Vanish is a corner projection with a lyrical, resonantly textured soundtrack by musician Anders Guggisberg, who has worked with Rist on numerous projects. Rist’s panoramic sequences chart a dreamlike journey through the natural landscape, the human body, and the heavens.

Visitors are invited to experience these two works of art in two different ways. For Pixel Forest, take a stroll through the installation, which the artist describes as “a digital image that has exploded in space.” As you watch Worry Will Vanish, recline on pillows, relax, and lose yourself in Rist’s universe.

Over the past three decades, Óscar Muñoz has developed a remarkable body of work that explores the relationship between image and memory.

Through his innovative processes, such as printing charcoal pigment on water, or using human breath to reveal discretely printed portraits onto seemingly blank mirrors, Muñoz creates unstable images that oscillate between presence and absence. He is fascinated by photographic images as the primary documentation of a person’s physical existence in a culture overwhelmed by the vulnerability of life: the person’s image, imprinted on film, leaves an indexical trace of their being. Muñoz manipulates the photographic images in order to question the meaning of identity and to reflect the process of recollection and fading memory, alluding to the transitory nature of human existence, memory and history. Highly regarded as one of the most important visual artists working in Colombia today, Muñoz has captivated audiences around the world with the universal subject that underlies all of his work-the commonality of loss and remembrance.

Narcisos is a set of self-portraits printed in charcoal pigment on water in shallow vitrines lined with paper; the water slowly evaporates during the course of the exhibition, eventually allowing the pigment to settle onto the paper in a slightly altered version of the original portrait image. The Narcisos have been shown many times in museums around the world, including San Francisco MOMA, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and can be viewed at Sicardi Gallery.

MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, HOUSTON

SICARDI GALLERY

ARTHOUSTON 62

The

limit

the

slideis

Artist INC Presentation Night, Houston City Hall

BY SABINE CASPARIE

There is no lack of fresh artistic talent in Houston. Artist INC, developed in Austin, and now rolled out for the first time in Houston, is a program in which selected local artists come together for one night a week during eight weeks to gain skills in arts planning, marketing, finance, law and technology. At the end, all 24 artists present their practice in a 5-minute final slide presentation.

The form of the presentations – a modified Pecha Kucha format that allows each artist 15 slides with a duration of 20 seconds for each slide – makes for a fast-paced, energetic night. The term ‘artist’ is broad: it encompasses not just visual artists, but musicians (a pianist, a conductor), other types of performers (a dance choreographer, a burlesque artist), fashion and jewelry designers and there is even a food stylist – an art form that seems to hover somewhere between performance, choreography and photography.

R E V I E W S 65 37

Most of the presentations start with a little bit of background into the artists’ upbringing. Corine Michel shows a few cartoon-like drawings that show her lifelong relationship to food. These are cute little artworks in themselves but we quickly progress to Michel’s life story: from chef in restaurants to a career in food styling, composing food for chefs and food photographers. But Michel’s goal is no shallow imperative: she tells us that she identifies with pioneers who are using food to explore different subcultures.

Also inspiring is a slide that shows the collaboration that arose during Artist INC between two artists: Karen Navarro, an artist exploring minimalist fashion photography, and Claire Drennan Jarvis, a fashion designer who pushes the boundaries of knitting through sustainable materials and techniques. This is of course what it is all about – Artist INC is not just a course, but a platform that allows artists to meet, collaborate and be inspired by each other. The fact that people from all disciplines participate makes this an even stronger proposal.

There was a particularly moving moment when Khalil Abusharek made his presentation. Abusharek is the president of the Houston Palestine Film Institute, and he grew up in Ghaza. Starting from photographing owners of local corner stores, his project evolved into a much bigger artwork: showing us the resilience of the people who live their daily lives in a warzone. Abusharek tells us, visibly moved: “The aim of my photographs is to defy death, and to create a legacy for the people I saw in the corner stores”.

But most importantly, on this engaging and inspiring night, we were witnessing the making of an artist. In our times, being eloquent about your art is as important as skill and originality of concept. “I have never had to present myself in this way before”, Hedwige Jacobs tells me after the presentation. Jacobs is an upcoming artist who specializes in drawing and animation and uses a visual language of woven structures that represent how we live and interact as a society. This evening has really helped her focus to further her career. Similarly, it was interesting to see artist Y.E. Torres gradually come into her own during her slide show, turning from a slightly shy and nervous presenter into her character, a burlesque performer working with fire and “using her body as an instrument”.

This is Houston: fresh, diverse, passionate and adhering to the motto that Karen Navarro shows us in one of her slides: “Just do it!” In the sometimes sterile and corporate art world, it is great to witness the humanity behind the artist. As I was coming out of City Hall and looked up to the Downtown skyscrapers, I really felt that here in Houston, the sky is the limit.

Artist INC is organized by Fresh Arts and Artist INC. All participants will show their work in a joint exhibition starting November 1st, 2017 in the Silos. For further information see www.fresharts.org/content/artist-inc-houston

From top: Corine Michel’s drawing, Claire Drennan, knitwear. Karen Navarro, photography, and Hedwige Jacobs at City Hall.

ARTHOUSTON 64

A Documentary Filmmaker to W a t c h B Y

S A B I N E

C A S P A R I E

Galo is interested in that moment when the world opens itself up to us, and when its

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Two stills from Franz Galo, The Zidaru: Artists in Light. A journey into the Romanian artists Marian and Victoria Zidaru’s creative process and artistry.

Two stills from Franz Galo, John Bernhard: The Need to Create. The film explores the intricate process from which the artist reaches into his soul for inspiration.

“Why have Marian and Victoria Zidaru decided to make their lives about carving and marking the wood of the Romanian forest? Why does John Bernhard have to make a photograph every day? ... There is always a soul behind a work of art.”

This is Franz Galo’s premise for two new short films that were premiered to a Houston audience at the Asia Society Texas Center on March 9th. On the surface, Galo’s films appear to be artist documentaries (in fact, they won a few prestigious documentary prizes). The films enlighten us about the ideas and creative processes of different artists working in different disciplines: John Bernhard, a Swiss American artist who works mainly in the medium of photography and is currently based in Houston, and the husband-and-wife-team Marian and Victoria Zidaru, Romanian artists who work mainly in sculpture, printmaking and embroidery.

But categorizing these films as mere documentaries would be seriously shortcutting the second, more abstract layer of Galo’s work. For Galo, art is intertwined with spirituality. And to try and capture this spirituality, he goes back to the source: the process of artistic creation.

Galo has chosen artists whose work and way of working he feels is strongly connected to his own. Galo is interested in that moment when the world opens itself up to us, and when its richness and beauty are aligned with the potential of our individual minds, our own bodies. “Ritual is like a leap into another world”, sculptor Marian Zidaru tells us, and Galo’s films have that same devotional quality, allowing us to step into another world and become engrossed in it.

There is an important emphasis on nature. In the first film, we see the vast empty desert plains of Big Bend, where John Bernhard has taken a series of photographs that combine mark-making and the female body. Then the second film takes us to the lush green of the Romanian forest, where we can almost smell the freshness of the wood that Marian and Victoria Zidaru are carefully giving shape.

But besides the grand presence of nature there is an equal attention for small details, for intimacy. We see a close-up of Victoria Zidaru’s elegant hands, weaving thread through a fabric held up by a wooden pole, and the callouses on Marian’s feet from walking barefoot on the fertile earth. Galo’s films are incredibly alive.

Yet at the same time they emanate a sense of calm and an eternal, almost religious subordination to nature, to the creative process, and to the inevitable movements and times of the cosmos.

Important for Galo is the proposition that we are all artists. And this is possibly what struck me most about his work. Instead of showing us the finished artworks, the art commodities, Galo shows us the humanity behind creating something in the world that we live in, the world that is ours to use for an – ultimately - insignificant period of time. Galo is fascinated by the meditative gestures of hands treating wood and the dance-like poses of the photographer trying to capture and rework a beautiful body. And we, the film’s audience, are fascinated in return.

Galo’s dreamy sequences slightly belie the other side of artistic creation: dedication, grit and hard work. There is no trial and error here, no room for mistake, and sometimes Galo’s chosen artists come across as somewhat too saintly, without a hint of self-deprecation.

But then again, if we want to see a plainer reality, we can just look up artists’ interviews on Youtube. Galo instead takes us on a spiritual journey, and by allowing us to escape into his world and that of his subjects, we come out refreshed and inspired. He takes us out of the everyday and into the timeless, the eternal and the universal aspirations of art. To view Franz Galo’s films visit: www.franzgalo.com

richness and beauty are aligned with the potential of our individual minds, our own bodies.

ARTHOUSTON 66

Open the Door to

We R OST

Inspiring Community Through Arts and Culture

BY

KARINE

PARKER-LEMOYNE

“WE R OST ” WAS B ORN TO INSPIRE C OMMUNIT Y BUILDING BY SHARING RESIDENT S’ STORIES through arts and

culture to help revitalize the OST/South Union Super Neighborhood 68 community in southeast Houston. Through the TexanFrench Alliance for the Arts’ “From a Space to a Place” mentoring platform and under the guidance of Agape Development and the Southeast Houston Transformation Alliance (SEHTA), 25 students, members of the OST/South Union Youth Council*, explored and identified the needs and strengths of their community. They brainstormed positive solutions and developed project management skills to fulfill their vision of beautifying the community with meaningful art.

The students have developed many skills throughout this program, including critical thinking, interviewing techniques and note-

The students’ primary goal with this project was to inspire people from their neighborhood by sharing positive stories about residents using art. To do so, they created art installations and installed them in various parks around the neighborhood with the support of established local artists (including Adrienne Marty, Ceci Norman, Karine Parker, Mary Anne Pennington, Anat Ronen, and Outspoken Bean) to narrate their stories and bring their inspiring messages to all.

“From A Space To A Place” (FASTAP), introduces a powerful approach to community development, urban revitalization and civic engagement that involves the voices of youth. The Texan-French Alliance for the Arts’ FASTAP program engages youth from conception to implementation in a community-based creativity project whose goal is to transform the students’ environment

(CENDEP), Oxford Brookes University), “Enthusiasm, creativity and aspiration are latent assets that exist within deprived socio-economic communities, which, with a small amount of outside interventions, have the potential to be turned into positive social change. To do so requires innovative ways of capturing local voices; for example, through the arts and cultural action – or the use of the arts for development, education and social impact (Goldbard, 2006). All of which has the potential to equip people with the necessary skills and know-how to actively participate in civic life. ‘Development does not start with goods; it starts with people and their education, organization, and discipline. Without these three, all resources remain latent, untapped, and potential.’”

With “We R OST”, the goal of the Youth Council members was to unlock assets in their community, create social connections

taking tips, project management tools and mind-mapping, as well as creative writing, photography, media and visual literacy, civic engagement, and responsible citizenship. The youth also learned how to work effectively as a team and were inspired to interact with diverse cultures and generations.

through self-evaluation and collaboration.

FASTAP belongs to the creative placemaking movement that brings community development to the forefront of public art projects.

According to Jeni Burnell (Faculty of Technology, Design and Environment, Centre for Development and Emergency Practice

and cultivate a sense of civic ownership.

Using an all-inclusive grassroots approach, the Youth Council members identified the strengths of the community through participatory planning, actively engaging the public in mind-mapping and asset mapping. While recognizing that the door

ESS AY 67

OST / SU Youth Council with the Agape Development, Texan-French Alliance for the Arts and Rice University Center for Civic leadership teams In the front of the Juice Box painted by the students and the street artist Anat Ronen. into a community is its people, they collaborated with the members of the community to collect individual and communal stories about OST/South Union.

After documenting and organizing these personal accounts, they expressed them through various means and transformed them into visible, sustainable features of the community represented by ten “Open the Door” sculptural doors (The TexanFrench Alliance for the Arts has used these sculptural “doors” for different projects in the past to bring art to public spaces).

More than mere landmarks, these newlycreated places serve as thriving hubs in which events can be held to animate, educate and inspire the community.

The ten doors are on display in various community locations such as the Park at Palm Center and Community Garden, Restoration Community Park, Beacon of

faced with many adversities and challenges but have a lot of strength and character.

To see them succeed is inspiring.”- Ms. Bell the Lawson Academy or “Pride strengthens talent, With Love comes happiness,” or “To our Hood, we should not just standby.”

A reception, unveiling and guided tour was held on Saturday, June 24, 2017 to introduce the Youth Council’s meaningful adventure to the community.

By bringing these places to life, the students created a living heritage that was inspired and envisioned by the community, and communicated powerful narratives.

These sites will promote public safety by establishing strong social networks, strengthening community cooperation, increasing collective social assets such as improved self-confidence, self-reliance and self-worth, and building resilience on an individual and community level.

of anger and isolation are now replaced by worth and value; and more spaces for socialization where previously there was a sense of separation.

“We R OST” is a service learning project funded in part by a grant from State Farm awarded to Neighborhood Recovery Community Development Corp. (NRCDC) and a grant from The Wortham Foundation submitted by the Texan-French Alliance for the Arts, as well as with ongoing support from the Houston Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) GO Neighborhoods and Rice University Center for Civic Leadership.

Join us in connecting over 22,000 people and help inspire residents to share positive stories that transform their communities and start conversations among neighbors across generations.

You can follow us on www.hugthehood.org, and also on www.fromaspacetoaplace.org

Light Christian Center, MacGregor Park, Nelson Park, Hartsfield Elementary School and Agape Development Ministries. The doors showcase artistic photographs, poetry, and inspiring messages such as “Working with children in the OST / SU community is fulfilling. Our children are

When youth become active participants in their communities, such as engaging creatively to improve their surroundings, everyone benefits, including the adults in their lives. Our cities benefit by seeing more beauty where previously there was neglect; less violence because feelings

or www.facebook.com/TexanFrenchAliancefortheArts.

This article written by Karine Parker-Lemoyne (Texan-French Alliance for the Arts), in collaboration with Anne Vickers (Agape Development) and Gwendolyn Fedrick and Priscilla Kennedy (Southeast Houston Transformation Alliance).

ARTHOUSTON 68

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ARTHOUSTON 70

OnThe Road of Life, TimeMatters B

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Brigitte Kardesch, Puzzle Miami 7, acrylique on canvas 4 x 31”x31” in.

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S O M E M O N T H S A G O , I WA S F O R T U N A T E T O B E I N S P I R E D A F T E R A N A R T V I S I T, V I R T UA L LY T H I S T I M E , I N T H E W E B S PA C E O F A F R E N C H PA I N T E R , B R I G I T T E

K A R D E S C H .

Her abstract yet narrative works then started to draw a time line in front of me. Art can be objective, but it’s an utterly subjective matter after all. For Kardesch, time serves as bone and blood, nourishing her works with much subtlety and complexity. Looking back in the previous eras, artists have left traces of time in their works, and for life itself, time does matter. It serves as a portal to understand the immortal, the absolute, the eternal. It gives us the sense of dream, as, often, it’s the matter of death then rebirth, or the dialogue of the two in the transitional past and the present. Interested in this topic, I decided to explore the possibility to curate an art show.

With some friendly support from the French community in Houston, I was even more fortunate to have several paintings of Kardesch sent from Europe to be part of the collective art exhibition entitled Resonance shown at the consular residence of France in River Oaks this past Summer.

Resonance aimed to present the intertwined relations among all elements of art, and time definitely plays an important role. The Road of Life series by Kardesch vividly perform on her canvas the dance of soul, solo or duet, in the timeline of life itself, depicting depth and climax, joined or departed, with the background of segmented pigments of memory. Her application of golden leaves on the chalky white oil paint adds a sense of endurance and sublimity, yet the engraved traces in the midst, as if tearing the art body apart, share not only the strength but the cruelty of life in its experiences of existence, struggling or reposing, but definitely vital.

Above: Brigitte Kardesch, Chemin de Vie -The Road of Life, oil, gold powder, charcoal a pair, 2 x 31”x31” in.

Brigitte Kardesch at work in her studio

Being an art creator, a narrator, the tingling of soul is closely related to an environment. In the cognitive composition, the proportion of the sense of hardship is particularly important.

Though Kardesch’s works have different stages at different time, reflecting her life with a kind of cross-examination of the self, this cross-examination has been serious, even harsh, and within its ascetic practice. Its sensitive nature is meant to easily touch the details of every emotion within her expressions. They are entangled in all kinds of motions, which sometimes almost need a catharsis outlet, a kind of lift with the power beneath the urge of mind.

Kardesch has painted time with a remarkable capacity of speaking her sole mind.

Jane Ren represents the France Republic in the States of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas with her husband, the Honorable Sujiro Seam, Consul General of France in Houston, Texas, USA. For more informations contact the artist: Kardesch@outlook.com

ARTHOUSTON 72

“

Maybe i t h a s n o t h i n g t o d o with food, but s o m e h o w my brain immediately explains it back to me in the language o f f o o d .

”

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Te l l m e y o u r s t o r y. W h a t brought you to your work?

I think all my life I’ve been an artist, one way or another. I moved to New York in my late twenties to be a writer. I worked writing for websites, Penguin Publishing, and dancing off-Broadway. I always loved cooking. I started dating a photographer and he encouraged me to take photographs of my food.

When I moved to Houston, I realized that there wasn’t a lot of artsy food publications, so that is my next goal – to do a food publication here.

How do you decide what you will create?

Do you really want to read my Moleskin book of ideas? I do a lot of sketches and use food as a medium.

I have a pasta shower idea, a gun made of sugar, a sausage wearing a condom and somehow cotton candy is involved, a roasted chicken in heels, or two fish discussing environmental politics about the South China Sea.

From where do you draw your inspiration?

Through my own questions. I’m quickly sketching or jotting down ideas. Maybe it has nothing to do with food, but somehow my brain immediately explains it back to me in the language of food. Once, I found this artist’s recipe book from the 60s at a garage sale.

Seeing this publication brought a certain amount of comfort to me – that artists are passionate about cooking and cooks are passionate about art. That brought me hope that I can do what I want to do here.

I think my earliest memory of inspiration was when I read The Princess and the Pea by Hans Christian Andersen. I love fairy tale books with sketches and I’m still completely obsessed with that story.

CORINE MICHEL

by Betsy Broaddus

A RT H O USTO N 74

“

I’d much r a t h e r be fishing t h a n making this .

art-

work

”

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What goes through your mind while creating?

What message do you want your audience to receive?

How did you become an artist?

I dropped out of high school, lost baseball, went to a nonprofit, met my first teacher, and she took me to the museum. Once my teacher realized that I had something more than just being a jock, that I cared about the conceptual aspects and could communicate on that level, she started teaching me art history.

She then taught me the technical backing of art, like how to draw and paint figuratively. We started talking about goals and how long it was going to take to be in a gallery. She said it might take years. Six months later, she’s coming to my first gallery opening at Wade Wilson.

I asked her about museums, and she said that might not happen in my lifetime. A year later, I’m showing at the MFAH for a print show, and last summer had an exhibit at Cindy Lisica Gallery. It happened really fast

I’d much rather be fishing than making this artwork. The work that I’ve been creating is based on the ocean. I got to a point as an artist where I asked myself, if money wasn’t an issue, how would I spend my time? Doing what I love to do, which is tying flies and going fly fishing. I created art in regards to that. What comes with that is an entirely different art made by people that wouldn’t call themselves artists. They would call themselves fishermen, biologists, craftsmen, oil and gas guys. My focus is the people who tie these flies. These people, who wouldn’t consider themselves artists, are really crafty. Every fly fisherman has a good lure that they use to catch fish. You can eat a fish in three days, but when you have a strong lure, you have a solid foundation. I’ve been tying flies since I was a kid. That was the only artistic thing I ever did. I’m trying to get a foothold in the contemporary art world with things that wouldn’t be considered artistic material.

Looking onward, how do you see your work growing?

I’m going to completely change the medium and platform that I work with. I want to go digital. Monetization of video work. I’m going to take my concepts, make videos and projections out of them, and sell it to people for lots of money.

FELIPE LOPEZ

by Betsy Broaddus

A R TAHROT UH SOTUOSNT O7N6 7 6

EXPOSURE

ELLEN H. RAY

EHRay.Art@Gmail.com Instagram@EHRayart 2204 Summer St. #111

THESE TALENTED FEATURED ARTISTS ARE CREATING INCREDIBLE MASTERPIECES WITH GREAT SKILLS, AND RIGHT HERE IN YOUR NECK OF THE WOOD. THERE’S NO NEED TO LOOK BEYOND THE LOCAL CREATIVE SCENE IN HOUSTON FOR AMAZING AND BEAUTIFUL ART.

VICKI HESSEMER

Silver Street #121 713-504-9118 vhessemer@vickihessemer.com

MICHAEL SEAN KIRBY

www.michaelseankirby.com mikekirby@artbang.com 832-289-1990

E X P O S U R7 E7 7 7

LYN SULLIVAN

Silver Street Studios, #211 www.lynsullivan.com

VERNY SANCHEZ

www.vernysanchez.com

Silver Street #314

Lyn@lynsullivan.com 281 520-1349

vernysanchez@gmail.com

832 727-8594

ARTHOUSTON 78

Lynn Bianchi, Caryatid III, 1999, gold-toned silver gelatin print, 16’’x 20’’

artH O U S T O N PUBLISHER - EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

JOHN BERNHARD

E D I T O R - A T- L A R G E

SHANNON RASBERRY

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JOHN BERNHARD BERNHARDPUB.COM

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Jack Delano, Convicts in the county jail, Georgia 1941, silver gelatin print, 8”x10”

William Ropp • Philippe Pache • Xavier Zimbardo Robert A. Schaefer, Jr. • Ann Marie Rousseau Henrik Saxgren • John Bernhard • Lynn Bianchi • Virgil Brill We also have vintage prints for sale from: Laryew • Jack Lowe • Nan Goldin • Dan Weiner • Jack Delano • Ralph Gibson • Jock Sturges • John Everhard • Donna Ferrato

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HOLLY WALRATH SABINE CASPARIE KARINE PARKER-LEMOYNE MEGHAN HENDLEY LOPEZ JACQUELINE PATRICKS ARTHUR DEMICHELI CELAN BOUILLET JANE REN BETSY BROADDUS HADIA MAWLAWI JULIE FARR

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ArtHouston is published semiannually by Art Houston Magazine, LLC. ©Copyright 2017.

All right reserved. The entire contents of ArtHouston may not be reproduced in any matter, either in part or in whole, without written permission from the publisher. In addition, the artists within hold copyrights on their images and essays. Any use of or copying of their works without their written permission is in violation of the copyright law. Art Houston Magazine, LLC. is not responsible in any way for mispellings, omissions, incorrect phone numbers or addresses. Unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, and other materials must be accompanied by postage and a self-addressed return envelope.

ArtHouston is not responsible for unsolicited submissions. Address all correspondence to: ArtHouston Magazine, 217 Knox St. Houston, Texas 77007.

C O L O P H O N 7799

CONTRIBUTORS

Shannon Rasberry EDITOR

Shannon Rasberry is a copywriter and graphic designer from Houston who has worked in the marketing, advertising, and publishing industries since 1999.

Since 2007, Shannon has been a creative services consultant for everything from startups to global energy companies. He holds an MA in Humanities from the University of Houston. He is an avid fan of art, film, and books. He currently lives in Clear Lake with his wife, Maria.

Meghan Hendley Lopez WRITER

Meghan Hendley Lopez holds 15 plus years of experience in music, education, and journalism. A classical pianist, composer, and vocalist she loves to write about the inspired city of Houston and beyond.

Meghan enjoys spending time and collaborating with her husband, a visual artist and sound engineer. Their latest musical project is GrayMatter, with a new album slated for release Spring 2016.

Nathan Lindstrom PHOTOGRAPHER

Nathan Lindstrom is a commercial portrait and lifestyle photographer based in Houston with clients from all over the world. Having grown up in Iowa and lived in Argentina and Spain, Lindstrom draws on his experiences for inspiration. His work was included in two shows during the last FotoFest exhibition. Lindstrom has a studio in Silver Street Studios and lives with his wife and their dog, Kirby.

Celan Bouillet A R T I S T, W R I T E R

Celan Bouillet is a Houston based artist and writer. She received her MFA from Maryland Institute College of Art and BFA in Painting and BA in English from the University of Georgia. Bouillet is the recipient of a 2015 Houston Arts Alliance grant for emerging artists, a recent artist in residence at HCC southeast, and a full fellowship recipient at the Vermont Studio Center.

Jacqueline Patricks WRITER

Nominated by The Author Show as Top Female Author 2017 and winner of the Seal of Good Writing for her first published novel, Dreams of the Queen, Jacqueline Patricks has traveled a winding path through the Army, college, over twenty years in 911 and teaching.

She currently resides with her husband and four parrots and hopes to meet Mark Twain someday since he understands parrot people. www.jacquelinepatricks.com

Karine Parker-Lemoyne CURATO R, EDUCATO R

Karine Parker-Lemoyne is a Texan-French curator, visual artist, educator and community developer. She currently runs the Texan-French Alliance for the Arts.

Some of the major projects she developed include Go West 1 at UNESCO in Paris, the Houston citywide “Open the Door” public art program, and in 2015 “From A Space to A Place” that strives to meet the challenges of increasing urbanization.

Holly Walrath EDITOR, WRITER

Holly Walrath is a freelance editor and the Associate Director of Writespace, a nonprofit literary center in Houston, Texas.

She attended the University of Texas at Austin for her B.A. in English and the University of Denver for her M.L.A in Creative Writing. Her writing has appeared or is forthcoming in Pulp Literature, The Vestal Review, and Spider Road Press, among others. Holly resides in Seabrook.

Sabine Casparie WRITER

Originally a lawyer, Sabine Casparie decided to follow her passion and gained a Masters in modern and contemporary art from Christie’s Education, London in 2012. She set up her own art tours company and writes a blog about art and our daily lives. Sabine moved with her family from London to Houston in 2016 and just completed a Certificate in Museum Education at the University of Houston. www.sabinecasparie.com

Hall Puckett PHOTOGRAPHER

Hall Puckett is a photographer based in Houston. Early on when friends and family asked him what he was going to do with a major in psychology and a minor in photography his response was “I guess I’ll just have to take pictures of crazy people!” Funny how things work out. He currently lives off the north loop in a “transitional neighborhood” with his wife, two rescue dogs, and a cat named Lalo.

ARTHOUSTON 80

editor’s pick

Wo r t h a m Fo u n t a i n

Photography by Arthur Demicheli The Wortham’s were inspired to commission the Gus S. Wortham Memorial Fountain after seeing a similar fountain in Australia.

The fountain located in the 2900 block of Allen Parkway was designed by local architect, William Cannady and donated to the City of Houston by the Wortham Foundation and American General Insurance. The fountain, also affectionately called “the dandelion fountain” is a favorite spot for joggers, dog walkers, and passersby to cool down in the Houston heat.

©John Bernhard, Displaced, plate #1, 2012. UV cured ink on metal, 30”x30” in.

For inquiries contact Lisa 713 628 9547

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