July 2008

As the heat of summer sets in, it's time to find all kinds of "cool' activities to enjoy around town.  Don't miss Agatha Christie's The Unexpected Guest at Alley Theatre, the Houston Symphony's Video Games Live at Jones Hall or their Star Spangled Salute at Miller Outdoor Theatre. George Michael will be performing at Toyota Center and Disney as You Wish will be at Miller Outdoor Theatre.  Chevy's Freedom over Texas promises an exciting combination of stage performances, in addition to it's annual fireworks extravaganza.  Catch an Astros or Comets game, or schedule a yoga or Tai Chi class at the Houston Arboretum.  If cooking is your thing, take your pick from a long list of interesting classes at Central Market this month.  No matter what your interests, there is something for everyone this month in Houston!

Holidays

July 4th:          Independence Day

July 27th:        Parent’s Day

Dance/Music/Theatre

 Alley Theatre   (615 Texas Avenue)

July 1st – August 3rd:   Agatha Christie’s The Unexpected Guest - In dense fog near the South Welsh coastline, a stranger runs his car into a ditch and arrives at a nearby house. Inside, he finds the murdered body of a former big-game hunter. The dead man’s wife is near the body with a gun in her hand. Is she guilty or is she protecting someone? Appearances are sure to deceive in this twisty mystery. Guardian review of the 1958 premiere said, "At the end [Agatha Christie] heard the kind of applause that has given her Mousetrap a record six-year run."

for more information, see www.alleytheatre.org or call (713) 228-8421

Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion  (The Woodlands)

Surrounded by a lush forest, The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion is an outdoor amphitheater that provides the Greater Houston region with an array of performing arts and contemporary entertainment in a setting of unparalleled beauty. 

July 3rd:          Houston Symphony Star Spangled Salute  8:00 p.m.

July 19th:        Martina McBride  7:30 p.m.

July 25th:        Bryan Adams  7:30 p.m.

July 26th:        Journey with Heart & Cheap Trick  7:00 p.m.

for more information, see www.pavilion.woodlandscenter.org 

Hobby Center for the Performing Arts   (800 Bagby @ Walker)

July 4th -  July 13th:  JITNEY - It’s 1977 and Becker’s life like the world, is changing. His estranged son, Booster, jailed on a murder charge, is about to come home after 20 years. The office of his jitney (gypsy cab) station, like many areas of Pittsburgh’s Hill District neighborhood, is about to be torn down. What unfolds for Jim Becker and the rest of the seemingly nameless and faceless jitney drivers is “…the genius of a writer who made Kings of the common man and the worth of their stories legendary.”

July 26th:  Lewis "Let Them Eat Cake" Black - It doesn't take much to tick off comedian Lewis Black and that's a good thing.  For the past eight years, the curmudgeon comedian has been perfecting his distinct brand of had-it-up-to-here humor.  In doing so, he has become both enormously popular and endlessly controversial, making people either laugh or grit their teeth.  George Carlin, Larry King and Jules Feiffer love Lewis Black.  They love him because his insights and love/hate relationship with America are brilliantly expressed in his concerts and TV appearances worldwide.  How can you not love a man who says "Republicans are a party with bad ideas and Democrats are a party with no ideas".  Will Rogers would have been proud.  Lewis is one of the most prolific and popular performers working today.  He executes a brilliant trifecta as stand-up comedian, actor and author.  Receiving critical acclaim, he performs over 200 nights a year to sell out audiences through out Europe, New Zealand, Canada and The United States.  He is one of the few performers to sell out multiple renowned theaters, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City Center and the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.  His live performances provide a cathartic release of anger and disillusionment for his audience.  Lewis yells so they don't have to to.  A passionate performer has perfected expressing what the rest of us cannot say in polite company.  Lewis is a rare comic who can cause an audience to laugh themselves into incontinence while making compelling points about the absurdity of our world.   8:00 p.m.

July 25th, 27th, 31st & August 2nd:  Forever Plaid - put on by Masquerade Theatre.  This deliciously goofy revue centers on four young, eager male singers killed in a car crash in the 1950s on the way to their first big concert and now miraculously revived for the posthumous chance to fulfill their dreams and perform the show that never was.  Singing in the closest of harmony, squabbling boyishly over the smallest intonations and executing their charmingly outlandish choreography with over-zealous precision, the "Plaids" are a guaranteed smash, with a program of beloved songs and delightful patter that keeps audiences rolling in the aisles when they're not humming along to some of the great nostalgic pop hits of the '50s.

August 9th -  August 10th:  The Backyardigans Live! - Nickelodeon’s backyard friends, The Backyardigans, come to life for preschoolers in their brand-new live show, The Backyardigans Live! The Tale of the Mighty Knights! Join Knights Uniqua and Tyrone as they embark on a quest to protect King Pablo’s unpredictable egg. Along the way, Grabbing Goblin Austin and Flighty Fairy Tasha join the medieval mayhem as the runaway egg hatches feet and makes an unexpected dash all the way up to Dragon Mountain! The Backyardigans will need the audience's help to face a mighty dragon and return the egg to the king. The Backyardigans Live! will have the entire family singing, dancing and laughing along to songs of courage, friendship and the power of imagination.

for more information, see www.thehobbycenter.org or call (713) 315-2525

Houston Symphony  (Jones Hall – 615 Louisiana)

July 4th:  Houston Symphony - A Star Spangled Salute - part of the Target Summer Symphony Nights series - Led by Principal Pops Conductor Michael Krajewski, the Symphony presents a rousing musical salute to Independence Day. The evening concludes with a spectacular fireworks display.  Fireworks provided by Miller Theatre Advisory Board.  Produced by Houston Symphony.

July 10th:   Video Games Live!  - Back by popular demand, Video Games Live is an immersive concert event featuring video games music combined with exclusive video footage, music arrangements, synchronized lights and unique interactive segments to create an explosive one-of-a-kind entertainment experience.  Video Games Live features the best music and video segments from popular franchises such as Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Halo, Metal Gear Solid, plus a special retro Classic Arcade Medley and more!  New segments this year include Halo 3, BioShock, Chrono Cross, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and an exclusive preview of StarCraft II.  The festival atmosphere of Video Games Live includes pre and post show events such as costume contests, playable demos, prizes, game designer/composer meet and greets and more.  The pre-concert festival begins at 5:30 p.m.

July 11th - 12th:      The Music of Pink Floyd - Jones Hall will reverberate to a wall of sound when the Houston Symphony, a full rock band and Zebra's lead singer Randy Jackson perform The Music of Pink Floyd.  Charts by conductor/arranger Brent Havens will capture the essence of "Pink Floyd's ethereal flow of music" while lavish lighting effects take fans back to the feel of the Pink Floyd live shows.  While Randy Jacksons and the band play faithful renditions of quintessential hits like "Money", "Learning to Fly" and "Comfortably Numb", Havens will draw on the rich colors of the orchestra to give each song a new depth and feel.  7:30 p.m.

July 17th & 18th:  Not the Messiah - He's a Very Naughty Boy -  From the team that brought you Spamalot comes this zany oratorio inspired by Monty Python’s hilarious Life of Brian, a tragi-comic tale of a man mistaken for the Messiah.  Aspiring to the lofty heights of composer George Frederic Handel, Eric Idle and John Du Prez crafted this comic parody for chorus, soloists, bagpipers and a lone sheep – along with the Houston Symphony.  As John Du Prez leads this merry troupe on a musical journey to the bright side of life, Idle sings (in a manner of speaking), reprising some of his best-loved characters from Life of Brian.  Expect a belly full of laughs from this one-of-a-kind production.  7:30 p.m.

July 19th:  The von Trapp Children - The music of the von Trapp family found its way into Americans’ hearts through The Sound of Music by Rodgers and Hammerstein. Now hear songs from one of the most beloved musicals of all time sung by the great-grandchildren of that gruff Captain turned family man by the winsome charms of Fräulein Maria. Bring the entire family to hear “My Favorite Things,” “So Long, Farewell” plus American classics such as “Amazing Grace.” 

for more information, see www.houstonsymphony.com or call (713) 224-7575

Jones Hall  (615 Louisiana)

2008-2009 Season begins in October. 

for more information, see www.spahouston.org  

Toyota Center  (1510 Polk Street)

July 14th:       George Michael   8:00 p.m.

July 22nd:      Crüe Fest 2008   5:30 p.m.

July 26th:        Benny Hinn Ministries Holy Spirit Miracle Service   3:00 p.m.

 for more information, visit www.houstontoyotacenter.com or call (866) 4HOUTIX

Warehouse Live   (813 St. Emanuel Street)

July 1st:          Dark Lotus with Haystak   9:00 p.m. 

July 4th:          Geto Boys

July 11th:        Bob Schneider with Jeremy McComb and Elizabeth Wills   9:00 p.m.

July 12th:        Cute Is What We Aim For with Ace Enders, Danger Radio and Power Space   7:00 p.m.

July 14th:        Ours with God or Julie and Plain Jane Automobile   7:30 p.m.

July 15th:        Dance Gavin Dance with A Static Lullaby, Four Letter Lie, Secret & Whisper and Lower Definition   7:30 p.m.

July 17th:        At the Gates with Darkest Hour, Municipal Waste and Toxic Holocaust   8:30 p.m.

July 19th:        The Summer Sin Party with Calla Doll, DJ Nate B, DJ Phelan and DJ Nitro   9:00 p.m.

July 20th:        Joshua Radin with Vaness Carlton and Alexa Wilkinson   8:00 p.m.

July 23rd:        Phantom Planet with Electric Touch   8:00 p.m.

July 24th:        The 2008 U.S. Air Guitar Championships   8:30 p.m.

July 27th:        Gavin Degraw with Marie Digby   8:30 p.m.

July 28th:        Dear in the Headlights with What Laura Says (Thinks & Feels)   8:00 p.m.

July 31st:        A Cursive Memory with The 71s   7:00 p.m.

for more information, see www.warehouselive.com 

Wortham Center – Houston Ballet (Texas & Smith)

Season begins September 2008.

for more information, see www.houstonballet.org or call (713) 227-ARTS

Wortham Center – Houston Grand Opera (Texas & Smith)

2008-2009 Season begins in October.

for more information, see www.houstongrandopera.org or call (713) 228-6737

DaCamera of Houston   (Wortham Theatre Center – Texas @ Smith unless otherwise noted)

2008-2009 Season begins in October.

for more information, see www.dacamera.com    

Miller Outdoor Theatre (Hermann Park)

Located on nearly eight acres in the heart of Hermann Park, Miller Outdoor Theatre is the only free open-air theatre of its kind in the United States. It is a home away from home for some of Houston's most dynamic arts organizations such as HITS Unicorn Theater, Houston Grand Opera, the Houston Ebony Opera Guild, Festival Chicano, Houston Symphony, Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) and a host of other multi-cultural groups and theater companies. Every performance in our March to November season is free.

July 4th:  Houston Symphony - A Star Spangled Salute - part of the Target Summer Symphony Nights series - Led by Principal Pops Conductor Michael Krajewski, the Symphony presents a rousing musical salute to Independence Day. The evening concludes with a spectacular fireworks display.  Fireworks provided by Miller Theatre Advisory Board.  Produced by Houston Symphony.  8:00 p.m.

July 15th – 20th:  Disney’s When You Wish - A supercalifragilisticexpialidocious new song-and-dance extravaganza featuring some of the best-loved Disney songs of all time. Produced by Theatre Under the Stars.  8:15 p.m.

July 22nd:   Beauty and the Beast - A bilingual version of the timeless tale, now set in Mexico – a land steeped in folklore and magic.  11:00 a.m.

July 23rd:   Freedom Train - An inspiring story of a slave family’s journey to freedom along the Underground Railroad in Texas during the time of the Civil War. A celebration of freedom, set to music.  11:00 a.m.

July 24th:   Peter Rabbit - The classic fairy tale about the young bunny who just won’t listen to his mother!  11:00 a.m.

July 25th:   Hansel & Gretel - This adaptation of the classic fairy tale will be “shadow”-interpreted for the hearing impaired as well as spoken.  11:00 a.m.

for more information, see www.milleroutdoortheatre.org  

A.D. Players  (2710 West Alabama)

July 4th – August 31st:  Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming – In this all new production, Mount Pleasant Baptist Church welcomes the Sanders Family for an unforgettable reunion.  It's October 1945, and the Sanders Family is reuniting for the first time in four years at Mount Pleasant (where everything still smells like pickles).  Dennis Sanders is home from the war and ready to step into the pulpit as Reverend Oglethorpe answers a call to go preach in Texas with a very pregnant June in tow.  The family has grown, but some things never change.  Expect the ongoing Bible battle between the Reverend and Vera, loads of laughs and more Bluegrass Gospel than you can tap your toes to!

for more information, see www.adplayers.org   

Main Street Theatre   (2540 Times Blvd.)

Thru July 3rd:  If You Give a Mouse a Cookie - based on the book by Laura Numeroff.  If you give a mouse a cookie, he's going to ask for a glass of milk. When you give him the milk, he'll probably ask you for a straw. When he's finished, he'll ask for a napkin... The energetic mouse is back again in the tale that started it all as he runs his friend, the little boy, ragged with all of his wacky demands.

July 19th – July 31st:  If You Give a Moose a Muffin - based on the book by Laura Numeroff.  What happens when you give a demanding moose a muffin? He's going to want some blackberry jam, and then he's going to want... The hilarious sequel to If You Give a Mouse a Cookie captivates audiences with more outrageous antics of the little boy and his newest unexpected guest, a hungry moose.

for more information, see www.mainstreettheater.com or call (713) 524-6706

Opera in the Heights   (1703 Heights Blvd)

2008-2009 Season begins in September.

for more information, call (713) 861-5303 or see www.operaintheheights.org    

Playhouse 1960   (6814 Grant Road)

July18th – August 3rd:  Grease - It's 1959 and Rydell high is filled with rebellious, thrill-loving students. In the midst of this scene, Sandy Dumbrowski enters as the new girl in school. It turns out that she and the leader of the Burger Palace Boys gang, Danny Zuko, have had a brief love affair the summer before. While Sandy stresses to her new classmates the emotional attachment she and Danny had, Danny stresses the physical aspects of their relationship. As the show goes on, the students at Rydell High have to deal with love, gang violence, teen pregnancy, and friendship. In the end, Sandy and Danny resolve their differences and end up happily together. Dancing in the show involves 1950s jazz styles 

August 23rd – September 14th:  The Royal Bachelor - Chaos and hilarity ensue in this hysterical spoof of several popular reality TV shows! When poor King Evian uses his last dying words (as he falls out the window) to pass royal succession not to greedy Prince Daft but to Yokel, a foolish hillbilly, everyone agrees Yokel needs a wife to help him run the kingdom. Reminiscent of The Bachelor, his staff brings in eligible young ladies to vie for the new king’s hand, including Agatha Peabody, a high-society matron; Priscilla Tradewells-Ayers-Hollander-Morley, a four-times-married gold digger; Sally Valley, a ditzy cheerleader from L.A.; Crushin’ Kanisha, a New York City gangster-type; and Jane Claxton, a true-hearted cowgirl from Texas. You'll love being involved as the five ladies are tested on their abilities in true American Idol fashion (no talent necessary, of course!), followed by a Survivor challenge. Of course, Yokel has other problems to deal with—the price of gasoline has skyrocketed, jobs are being outsourced overseas, the stock market has tumbled and his self-appointed personal advisor Frederick Pilfer is busy draining the royal treasury. Worst of all, the vengeful prince hatches a slew of unsuccessful, hair-brained assassination plots against the new king. Your audience will be rolling in the aisles by the time Yokel sorts through the contenders to find his true love and save his kingdom from ruin! 

for more information, see www.playhouse1960.com or call (281) 587-8243

Radio Music Theatre   (2623 Colquitt)

Thru November 15th:  Electile Dysfunction - What's so funny about a presidential election?  Come to RMT and find out as we take a zany look at national politics through the eyes of the residents of Precious Trees (Houston's most planned planned community).

for more information, see www.radiomusictheatre.com or call (713) 522-7722

Stages Repertory Theatre   (3201 Allen Parkway)

July 9th – August 31st:  Always…Patsy Cline - Based on a true story, this tribute to the legendary country music singer and her friendship with devoted Houston fan Louise Seger is rich with down-home country humor and includes 27 of Cline's unforgettable hit songs.

for more information, see www.stagestheatre.com or call (713) 527-0123

Verizon Wireless Theatre  (520 Texas Avenue)

Verizon Wireless Theatre is the source in downtown Houston for the best in live entertainment. From rock to country, comedy to musicals, they offer everything you want in an entertainment venue.  Verizon Wireless Theater puts on over one hundred events every year.

July 3rd:          An Evening with Jill Scott  8:00 p.m.

July 4th:          Adult Swim presents Metalocalypse: Dethklok with Chimaira and Soilent Green  7:30 p.m.

July 12th:        Earth, Wind & Fire  8:00 p.m.

July 13th:        Houston Roller Derby Hot Bout in the City  5:00 p.m.

July 24th:        Soundtrack of Your Summer Tour featuring Boys Like Girls with Good Charlotte, Metro Station, The Maine  7:00 p.m.

for more information, see www.livenation.com or call (713) 230-1600

Museums

Blaffer Gallery   (University of Houston campus, entrance 16 off Cullen Boulevard)

Thru August 2nd:   Charles "Teenie" Harris: Rhapsody in Black and White - Rhapsody in Black and White is part of a collaborative project between Blaffer, the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts, DiverseWorks, and the Society for the Performing Arts (SPA). Co-curated by world-renowned choreographer Ronald K. Brown and leading photographic arts expert Deborah Willis, it features the work of African-American photojournalist Charles "Teenie" Harris, who worked at the Pittsburgh Courier from 1936 to 1975.  The exhibition is organized in conjunction with Brown's major new choreographic work, One Shot, which will be presented by DiverseWorks and SPA at downtown's Wortham Theatre Center on Saturday, May 10. One Shot was inspired by "Teenie" Harris's photographs, housed at the Carnegie Museum of Art, which encompass the world's largest image archive of African-American life. Leading up to the exhibition and performance, Brown will conduct teaching residencies at the University of Houston and will work with elementary school children in the Third Ward at Project Row Houses' after-school program.

Thru August 2nd:  2008 Houston Area Exhibition - The 2008 Houston Area Exhibition, selected by Blaffer Gallery curator Claudia Schmuckli, not only introduces artists who are young or new to the Houston community, but it also offers more seasoned artists the opportunity to develop new work and to be seen in a fresh light. The issues put forth in the works in the exhibition vary, but what connects all of the artists is an active engagement with ideas and concerns that define life in this particular contemporary moment – be it as an individual, a society, or a nation. Held every four years, the Houston Area Exhibition takes the pulse of contemporary art made in Houston to offer a snapshot of what matters to artists in the here and now.

for more information, see www.hfac.uh.edu/blaffer or call (713) 743-9530

Children’s Museum of Houston  (1500 Benz)

The Children’s Museum of Houston offers a wonderful array of ongoing exhibits, created to inspire children’s imaginations and help them to learn through curiosity and hands-on activities and experimentation.

July 1st:  Stars and Stripes Celebration - Happy Birthday, USA! Raise the flag and let the bell toll as the Children’s Museum of Houston pays tribute to America during its Stars and Stripes Celebration.  Explore the meaning of Independence and let your voice be heard using red, white and blue shapes to make abstract

July 12th:  Live Action Pirate Shows - Avast, me hearties! Got pirattitude? Batten down the hatches because pirates have taken a hold of CMH in search of treasures untold. Join their high sea adventure as they scavenge around the Museum! Heave ho and don’t hornswaggle until the ”X” marks the spot. Then, stir up a tempest strong enough to sink a ship. View action-packed pirate shows in which several members of the audience get to participate! Handsomely now, men! Hang 'em from the yardarm!

How Does It Work? - Did you ever wonder why you can't see in the dark? Or how your wireless telephone worked? Or even what really happens when you turn the ignition in your car? This multi-level exhibition challenges you to ask and discover the answers to your own science questions with tons of hands-on, investigative experiences.  You will explore light and color and can even become part of the exhibit with Light Warehouse, see what makes a car go with the '66 Mustang in Auto Alley, watch your messages be sent via fiber-optics and check out the history of communication in Phone Zone or challenge yourself to discover something new in the Science Station. You can even lift yourself 5 feet into the air to see how pulleys can make life a lot easier with the Kid Lift.  Then, step into a whimsical factory from the future in The Matter Factory, a new area in the How Does It Work? exhibit. Kids will develop the understanding that everything is made up of material or matter. They will learn that molecules and atoms are the building blocks of matter as they investigate materials and solve factory problems. 

Kid TV - The Adler-Sarofim KID-TV Studio Lights! Camera! Action! Think your child might be the next Matt Lauer or Barbara Walters? Let them show their stuff on camera in this exhibit, which teaches kids and parents what television is like behind the scenes.  KID-TV includes a dramatic backdrop of downtown Houston, video cameras, props and costumes, a teleprompter, a story board activity, a sound booth with a computer sound generator, director's board and cut-out figures of multi-cultural men and women who explain the different jobs in video production.  KID-TV is sponsored by Sarofim Trust Co. 

Think Tank - In this hands-on, minds-on exhibit, kids will get to explore different thought processes and learn how effective problem-solving can boost self-confidence.  After meeting the Think Tank Guides (Carlos, Felicia, Rosie and Isaac), you can jump right into solving the riddles...or you might want to put on custom-made thinking caps and lounge in the thinking chairs to get those brainstorming juices flowing. Either way, inventive, "outside the box" thinking is sure to occur!

Tot Spot - Tot Spot is the place to bring your newborn, toddler and two-year-old.  It’s where play is learning and learning is play for children from birth to thirty-six months.  The eye-catching bubble machine is a first stop, but not the last as tots crawl, cruise or walk throughout the exhibit which has four distinct areas.  These areas promote exploration, discovery, experimentation and wonder.

for more information, see www.cmhouston.org or call (713) 522-1138

Contemporary Arts Museum   (5216 Montrose)

Thru July 20th: Greta Pratt The Old Weird America - The Old, Weird America will be the first museum exhibition to explore the widespread resurgence of folk imagery and history in American contemporary art. Curated by Contemporary Arts Museum Houston senior curator Toby Kamps, the exhibition illustrates the relevance and appeal of folklore to contemporary artists, as well as the genre’s power to illuminate ingrained cultural forces and overlooked histories. The exhibition borrows its inspiration and title—with the author’s blessing—from music and cultural critic Greil Marcus’ 1997 book examining the influence of folk music on Bob Dylan and The Band’s seminal album, The Basement Tapes.  The Old, Weird America will feature approximately 75 recent paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs, installations, and video works from nearly 20 artists and collaborative groups, including Eric Beltz, Jeremy Blake, Sam Durant, Barnaby Furnas, Brad Kahlhamer, David McDermott and Peter McGough, Aaron Morse, Cynthia Norton (a.k.a. Ninny), Greta Pratt, Dario Robleto, Allison Smith, Kara Walker, and Charlie White. The exhibition will be accompanied by a 200-page fully-illustrated catalogue that will provide cultural and historical context through essays by Kamps and other writers and cultural historians. It will also contain reproductions of the exhibited work, as well as biographical and bibliographical information on each artist.

Thru July 13th: Tim Lee - Vancouver-based artist Tim Lee uses video, photography, and performance to put himself in the place of icons of popular culture. He makes low-tech photographic self-portraits as hockey player Bobby Orr scoring a winning goal or rocker Neil Young playing a famous concert, creates multi-screen video installations showing him playing the bass, guitar, and drum parts of “Louie, Louie” or rapping all three parts of a Beastie Boys song, and restages well known moments from art and film history with him as protagonist. Like a Walter Mitty for the information age, Lee assumes the roles of Sunday philosopher, anthropologist, and ethnomusicologist to dissects and reenvision revealing aspects of popular culture, film, and music. By reenacting rituals of pop culture that are usually the domain of established practitioners or experts in a deadpan, just-competent-enough style, Lee uses absurd seriousness to blur the boundaries between the ridiculous and the sublime.   Tim Lee was born in Seoul, Korea, in 1975 and lives and works in Vancouver. He received an MFA from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, in 2002. He has had solo exhibitions at Cohan and Leslie, New York, Lisson Gallery, London, and Or Gallery and the Western Front, Vancouver. His works have been included in the Prague Biennial, 2003, and group exhibitions at the Power Plant Gallery, Toronto, Folly Gallery, Lancaster, England, and Consolidated Works, Seattle.

July 18 – September 28th:  Perspectives 162: Snow - Perspectives 162: Snow features installation works by Los Angeles-based, conceptual artist Allie Bogle and Houston-based photographer Libbie Masterson. For this exhibition, both Bogle and Masterson have created immersive environments in which viewers are invited to either engage in playful interaction or quiet meditation. In their respective works, each artist speaks to landscape, but with a particular articulation that questions the viewer’s perception of what is natural and what is man-made. The subtext of their work points to larger social issues surrounding contemporary society’s disconnection from nature and its simultaneous desire to “recreate” the natural, even as it thaws into a spectacle of artificiality. A Perspectives-format catalogue accompanies this exhibition and features an essay written by curator Valerie Cassel Oliver, a checklist of featured works, and biographical and bibliographical information on the artists.

August 02 – October 5th:  Sam Taylor-Wood - A leading artist of her generation, Sam Taylor-Wood came to prominence in the mid-1990s as one of the YBA’s (Young British Artists), the British art movement that propelled the likes of Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin to celebrity status for their provocative and sensational works. Taylor-Wood has since become renowned for deftly manipulating the signature media of our age—photography, film, and video—into compelling psychological portraits that tap into the ethos of our times. Organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland, this is the first major museum exhibition of Taylor-Wood’s work in the United States.

for more information, see www.camh.org or call (713) 284-8250

The Heritage Society   (1100 Bagby)

Thru July 27th:  The Road to the Promised Land: Martin Luther King Jr. & the Civil Rights Movement - The Road to the Promised Land features photographs, reproductions of landmark documents, and quotations by Dr. King and others engaged in the struggle for civil rights in 20th Century America. The 20 black and white panels in this inspiring exhibit cover a variety of subjects including, environmental racism, the Lorraine Motel, site where Dr. King was murdered 40 years ago reinvented as a museum, and trailblazers like Rosa Parks and Texas’s own Barbara Jordon. This exhibit is organized by Humanities Texas.

Thru Sept. 28th:   Interwoven Traditions: The Spiritual Journey from African to African American - This exhibit discusses how Africans were able to use their spiritual beliefs, which sprang largely from classical African religions, to both survive slavery and create their own unique African American culture. Interwoven Traditions, which features many hidden African spiritual symbols found on archeological excavations of plantations in Texas, Louisiana, and South Carolina, is co-curated by Kenneth L. Brown, Ph.D. and Carol McDavid, Ph.D., with assistance from the Levi Jordan Plantation Historical Society and the Texas Historical Commission, who has loaned the artifacts for the exhibit.

August 5th – September 28th:  Snapshots of Houston History from the Bob Bailey Studios Collection - THS will expand the calendar exhibit and fill the walls of the gallery with vintage photos from all around Houston from the 1920s-1960s.for more information, visit www.heritagesociety.org

Holocaust Museum Houston   (5401 Caroline)

Permanent Exhibit:  The Permanent Exhibit is personalized with the testimony of Houston-area survivors who lived through a genocidal war that inflicted mass death on unprecedented numbers of innocent civilians. The exhibit begins by carrying visitors back to pre-war Europe and revealing the flourishing Jewish life and culture there. Authentic film footage, artifacts, photographs, and documents expose Nazi propaganda and the ever-tightening restrictions on Jews in the steady move toward the "Final Solution." Visitors learn of the horrific conditions within the Nazi-imposed ghettos, the special mobile killing units that murdered thousands, and the industrialization of death at complexes like Treblinka, Chelmno, and Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Take Me

Thru August 17th:  Take Me - In conjunction with the exhibition "Darfur: Photojournalists Respond," Holocaust Museum Houston is pleased to display an original work by Houston artist Saul Balagura that vividly embodies the despair that refugees in Darfur are currently facing. The work is accompanied by a poem, also written by Balagura with the same title. Please note: This exhibit is open for viewing in the Laurie and Milton Boniuk Resource Center and Library from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Thru August 17th:  Darfur: Photojournalists Respond - As World War II ended, the world beat its collective chest defiantly and proclaimed it would “never forget” the genocide of the Holocaust so that it could “never again” be repeated. The world – as history has proven – has a short memory. The Holocaust was not the world’s first genocide and it has not been the last. Today, in the Darfur region of western Sudan, the world is confronted with human suffering on a scale difficult to imagine.   

Thru August 31st:  “Escaping Their Boundaries: The Children of Theresienstadt” - Located about 40 miles north of Prague in the Czech Republic, Terezin was built in 1780 as a military fortress and garrison town. When Nazi Germany occupied Czechoslovakia in 1941, the town was turned into a ghetto where Jews were gathered before they were sent further east to the extermination camps. The German name for this ghetto was Theresienstadt. During its existence, more than 12,000 children were imprisoned in Theresienstadt. A group of dedicated adults made it their goal to care for the children, not just by taking care of the children’s physical needs but by taking on the role of teacher. It is clear from the children’s drawings, diaries and clandestinely produced magazines that the children had an understanding of what was happening around them. This exhibit will explore the ability for children to transcend their physical boundaries through art and writing. The exhibit will feature more than 40 objects on loan from Beit Theresienstadt in Israel, including collages, drawings, diaries, magazines, games and marionettes, many of which have never before been on display.   Press Release

for more information, see www.hmh.org or call (713) 942-8000

Houston Museum of Natural Science  (One Hermann Circle Drive)

Thru July 20th:  Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2007 - The annual Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition brings together the finest nature pictures taken internationally and, by showcasing these outstanding images, celebrates the beauty, wonder and importance of the natural world. The competition began in 1964 with 500 entries, today over 18,000 entries are regularly submitted. The competition is an eagerly anticipated event for hundreds of thousands of people world-wide. Organized by BBC Wildlife Magazine and The Natural History Museum, London and sponsored by the BG Group. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is owned by the Natural History Museum and BBC Wildlife Magazine.

Thru August 24th:  Geopalooza! A Hard Rock Anthology - Spotlighting all manner of the Earth’s natural treasures in a groovy environment, Geopalooza! A Hard Rock Anthology is the ultimate rock experience. On view throughout the summer, this special exhibition is a rockhound’s psychedelic dream made reality. Marvel at massive amethyst and citrine geodes taller than a person jammed with gleaming purple and golden crystals. Admire an array of huge mineral crystals, including a gargantuan gypsum crystal from Mexico’s “Cave of Giants,” home of the largest crystals ever found. Gaze upon intricately crystallized slices of petrified wood, some more than five feet across, from the Museum’s popular Zuhl Collection. Admi