By: Erin Dyer In 1969, Houston art catalysts John and Dominique de Menil founded the Rice Media Center and the Rice Museum, known as the “Art Barn,” both of which still remain an important and inspirational part of the university’s campus. Upon formation of the Media Center and Museum, the de Menil couple worked with a goal to unite the community by way of education, collaboration, and communication between people of different backgrounds and varying circumstances. Rice University now proudly presents Raid the Archive: The de Menil Days at Rice. This exhibition, curated by John Sparagana and Katia Zavistovski, is ... Read More »

By: Erin Dyer War’Hous Visual Studios in Houston’s Museum District will host the opening reception for an art show this Saturday that will feature the works of late local Houston artist, Aric McDaniel. On April 25, 2012, McDaniel was involved in a tragic motorcycle accident that took his life the next day. The opening reception of the show will be on Saturday, August 11, at 6:30PM, and will serve as an opportunity for friends, family, and the community to join together in in remembrance of Aric’s life as they view his numerous pieces on canvas, in sculpture, photography, and various ... Read More »

By: Erin Dyer Mixed Media Music Series events at Houston’s Museum of Fine Arts (MFAH) began in 2005 with Beats of Basquiat, in honor of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Eric Castillo, aka Ceeplus Bad Knives, was brought in to curate music in representation and reflection of the art. After Basquiat, the musical parties were continuous and ever changing as different exhibits rotated in and out of the museum. Featured artists over the years have included Grandmaster Flash, DJ Spooky, Shepard Fairey, Glass Candy, Chromeo, Breakestra, Peanut Butter Wolf, Cibo Matto, Kid Koala, I Am The World Trade Center, Juan Maclean, Frankie Chan, ... Read More »

By: Erin Dyer Mildred’s Umbrella Theater Company and Obsidian Art Space will present two short plays on two separate weekends in August. The featured PG-13 plays have been seeded out of more than 200 nationwide submissions in this year alone– they are the best of the best. This showcase of shorts, “Museum of Dysfunction V” and “The Scarecrow and the Sparrow,” will be featured in Studio 101 of Spring Street Studios in the Heights and are directed and produced by members of Mildred’s Umbrella Theater Company. The cost to see the plays is pay as you can, and the shows ... Read More »

By: Erin Dyer Poverty is present when someone lacks the means to satisfy their basic needs. Sadly, poverty itself is seen all too often walking down the streets of Houston. I see the same two or three homeless people on my daily route from home to work, and back again. The struggles and hardships that these people face every day are unreal. Native Houstonian Photographer Ben Tecumseh DeSoto has created a beautiful photographic exhibit that consists of a collection of photos that allow a closer view inside the daily lives of homeless and poverty stricken people all around Houston. The ... Read More »

By: Erin Dyer Twenty-two-year-old Uriel Landeros, now referred to as the “Picasso Vandal,” has been charged with criminal mischief and third degree felony graffiti after spray painting a bull and bullfighter along with the word “conquista” on a Picasso painting at the Menil Collection on June 13. The 1929 Woman in a Red Armchair painting, worth several million dollars, was rushed to the museum’s conservation lab for repair immediately after the act of vandalism. As well as being caught on surveillance cameras, a so-called bystander “happened” to catch the act on video via his cell phone, which he immediately uploaded ... Read More »