Elizabeth Rhodes
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Join the Revolution: The Hidden Agenda

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Frida Kahlo, “Self-Portrait on the Border Line between Mexico and the United States,” 1932 (detail). Collection of María and Manuel Reyero, New York. © 2024 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico D. F. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

 

This week draws an array of unique arts events, including a gallery talk about Mexican modernism at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and opening receptions at Art League Houston and Art Palace.

 

Thursday, August 3

 

The Big Slide Show at Lawndale Art Center

At 6 pm, join Lawndale Art Center (4912 Main) for the final installation in a three-part series of presentations by more than a dozen artists who are featured in the institution’s annual juried exhibition, The Big Show. Each artist will give a brief, informal presentation about their work, providing additional insight into their creative practices.

 

Friday, August 4

 

Yoga Workshop at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston

From 9:30 and 10:30 am, join the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (5216 Montrose) for a free hour-long, breath-based yoga class. Participants are encouraged to bring their own mat, water and towel and all levels are welcome to attend.

 

Diego Rivera, “Ballad of the Proletarian Revolution,” 1928–29. © Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico D.F. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Gallery Talk — Paint the Revolution: Mexican Modernism, 1910–1950 at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

From 2 to 2:45 pm, join The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (1001 Bissonnet) for a docent-led tour of Paint the Revolution: Mexican Modernism, 1910–1950. The exhibition charts the development of modern art in Mexico and the social, political, and cultural forces that shaped it over the course of nearly half a century. Featuring more than 175 works — including prints, photographs, books, newspapers, easel paintings, large-scale portable murals, and mural fragments — this free tour gives in-depth insights into the sprawling exhibition, which is on view through October 1.

 

Opening Reception — Blacklight at Art League Houston

From 6 to 9 pm, Art League Houston (1953 Montrose) will host the opening reception for Blacklightthe 2024 Summer High School Studio Art Intensive Exhibition, an annual group exhibition by students from the institution’s four-week intensive summer program. Participants in the program range from 14 to 17 years old and receive rigorous training in a multitude of different disciplines, from painting and drawing to less traditional forms. The program concludes with a final exhibition of their work, which will be on view through August 26.

 

Jim Nolan, “Chandelier,” 2024.

Opening Reception — Jim Nolan: Matter-in-the-World/Ideas-in-the-Head at Art Palace

From 6 to 8 pm, Art Palace (3913 Main) will host the opening reception for Matter-in-the-World/Ideas-in-the-Head, a solo exhibition by Jim Nolan. Nolan’s sculptures and wall work expound on what he refers to as “blue-collar minimalism,” using readily available dollar store and hardware store materials to both chide and extol minimalism. The exhibition will be on view through September 9.

 

Saturday, August 5

 

Workshop — Hands-On Houston: Pressed-Flower Necklaces at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft

From 11 am to 3 pm, the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (4848 Main) invites patrons to join HCCC current resident artist Rebecca Lynn Hewitt to design and create pressed-flower necklaces as part of their monthly craft workshop series. Participants will be able to arrange pressed plants and flowers with laser-cut wood pieces to assemble nature-inspired necklaces. The event is free and open to the public.

 

“Public Trust” by Paul Ramírez Jonas at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston

From 1 to 5 pm, the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (5216 Montrose) will present “Public Trust,” an interactive artwork by Paul Ramírez Jonas. The piece asks museum visitors to examine the value of a word by declaring a promise, the words of which are recorded in a drawing that is shared with them and posted on a marquee board alongside similar pronouncements made by notable figures from the week’s headline news.

 

Screening — AK-47 vs M16, The Film at Blaffer Art Museum

Starting at 4:15 pm, Blaffer Art Museum (4173 Elgin) will present a screening of Ho Chi Minh City-based artist collective The Propeller Group’s AK-47 vs. M16, The Film, a feature-length montage edited together from various sources, including Hollywood films, promotional videos, documentaries, news footage and YouTube clips. Portrayed as storied rivals, the story’s main characters are the AK-47 and the M16, historically used by opposing forces in the Vietnam-American War, illustrated through these varied clips.