Halloweiner!

So I just finished a monster post on Halloween events for tomorrow over on Houstonist. I’m too exhausted to repeat.  Here are some of the places I’m thinking of haunting tomorrow.  Who’s up for what?

BTW, i STILL need a costume.  Send ideas, please. Kthxbai. (nothing with sexy before or after. or during. ok, maybe after.)

Nightmare on Alabama Street
West Alabama Ice House | 1919 W. Alabama
6pm-2am
FREE

A costume contest, live music by Human and Runaway Sun, and more than 50 lit pumpkins handcrafted by visitors the night before in a pumpkin-carving contest.

Steel Lounge Underground
Contemporary Arts Museum | 5216 Montrose
8-11pm
FREE

Josh Zulu & DJ Pooks present the next edition of “Steel Lounge Underground” Halloween Night at Contemporary Arts Museum Houston! This will be the last Steel Lounge Underground for 2008. Fat Tony, Kam Franklin feat. members of Free Radicals, Seth Jones, “Little” Martin.

13 on the 31st
13 Celsius | 3000 Caroline
7:30 pm to 1 am

Admission: $31 at the door and $5 discount if you bring a photo.
13 Celsius will once again be creating the altar of ‘things come and gone’. Bring a photo for the altar that we will be building in the courtyard. Serving food from “My beautiful Huetamo” the taqueria on wheels. Quesadillas al pastor lovingly topped off w/ sour cream, avocado and cilantro w/ a foil pouch full of radishes and marinated onions. Music from Miguel “Mano” Grillo, Esteban Torres & DJ Pooks. Video imagery will include larger than life surreal, cultural and iconic imagery projected on the multistory building next door.
*Admission includes 13’s famous Sangria and Michelada’s Spanish Red and White

Boo! EL & 002 Magazine Halloween Party at the Alden Hotel
Alden Hotel Houston, a+ | 1117 Prarie
8 pm – 2 am
FREE

Join the Emerging Leaders and 002 Magazine at a+ bar. No tricks, just treats for the best dressed. Costume contest judging at 10 pm. No cover, cash bar and bites available in the Alden Lobby. The Alden Hotel is calling all goblins and ghouls for an 8 p.m. scary soiree that starts on their ah-mazing veranda and creeps down to a+ bar late night. Get in for free by donning a costume, catch classic horrors on the big screen and nab a best-dressed prize. You can extend the mayhem by booking a room for a special $155 rate.

Halloween w/ Listen Listen, BooTown, and Scatter!
Caroline Collective | 4820 Caroline
6pm
$5 admission at the door

Let Caroline help you start your Halloween night off right with improv, scary stories, and local music. The October installment of Caroline Collective’s Final Fridays series will be an early Halloween party featuring a set by Houston band Listen Listen, Scary Storytime with BooTown, and a costume contest with improv group Scatter! Doors open at 6pm, and the Improv and Costume Contest set begins at 7. The show is open to all ages, and admission is $5. There will be free St. Arnold’s at the event for those 21+, as well as soda and water. The event ends at 9:45pm so that we will all have time to experience the other great events that Houston has to offer on Halloween night. www.carolinecollective.cc

Westheimer Halloween Pub Crawl
Brasil, Poison Girl , Boondocks, Etro Lounge, Catbirds, Slick Willie’s
starts at Brasil at 6:30pm
FREE

Ditch reality & join the 2nd Annual Montrose Crawl this Halloween Night, October 31st. First get your costume on, then get your drink on as The Crawl starts at Brasil and then goes from bar to bar between Dunlavy & Montrose on Westheimer. No covers, no tickets, plus drink specials all night long. And prizes will be awarded for the best outfits, so get into the spirit before you get into the spirits. More info: www.montrosecrawl.com

Where are YOU gonna be at?

Tags: halloween, parties

Orange Show Craft Gala Workshop at Caroline

Yes, the O Show, fo’ show is headed to Craft Night at Caroline this week.

Each year, the OS holds craft workshops leading up to their BIG GALA to help makes decorations and crafts.  The last workshop will be tomorrow (Tuesday) at Caroline Collective (how convenient, on craft night!).

I attended one of these last year and it was incredibly fun! Beer + Food + Crafts + O Show = hella fun.

Tuesday night from 7-10pm we’ll be working on Sugar Skulls, Papel Picado, and Paper Flowers in preparation for the Dia De Los Muertos themed Gala this Saturday, Nov 1st.

BTW, if you are looking to Volunteer for the Gala on Saturday, shoot me and email. I’m getting a group together and it promises to be the most fun you’ll have all year. totes. ridic.

Hope to see you at Caroline Tuesday and slash or at the Gala on Saturday!

Tags: arts & crafts, arts + events, caroline collective, gala, orange show

Diverworks to close Poverty Exhibit

Did you miss Ben Tecumseh DeSoto speaking at the press meeting, as well as, at the Spacetaker Artist Speakeasy? Well I did, too. And I’m not about to miss him again. If you haven’t seen this incredible exhibit at Diverseworks, it closes this weekend. I urge you all to check it out.

DiverseWorks and the Understanding Poverty Project will hold a reception at 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008, for the general public and media to learn more about Healthcare for the Homeless – Houston, an organization that provides healthcare services to homeless men, women and children.  Understanding Poverty, a more than 20-year photo investigation by photographer Ben Tecumseh DeSoto will serve as the background of the event.

Tags: Ben Tecumseh DeSoto, diverseworks, Healthcare for the Homeless, photography

This Week at Discovery Green

Tuesday, October 28th

Pilates in the Park | 6 – 7 p.m. Free Admission
Anheuser-Busch Stage
Classic flexibility and strength training, only better. Instructor Jennifer Young Malstead also teaches at TUTS Humphreys School for Theatrical Arts.

Wednesday, Oct 29th

Inprint Readings on the Green
7 p.m. Free Admission
Saberioon Plaza
Andrea White reads from Window Boy, her latest novel which tells the story of 12-year-old Sam Davis, a boy with cerebral palsy experiencing the joys and pain of the world first-hand with his constant companion, Winston Churchill. White is an author, attorney, community volunteer, education advocate, mother and Houston’s first lady.

Zumba! | 6 – 7 p.m. Free Admission every Tuesday
Grace Event Lawn
Not a workout – it’s a party! Join Zumba nation for Latin dance exercise to cumbia, merengue, salsa, mambo, rumba, flamenco and calypso music. You’ll sweat, you’ll sculpt and tone and feel great. Instructor Oscar Sajche, a certified personal trainer, has studied with Zumba’s creator.

Thursday, Oct 30th

Thursday Concerts on the Green presented by Capital One Bank : SKYROCKET
6:30 PM

Boot Camp | 7 – 8 a.m. Free Admission
Andrea and Bill White Promenade
Meets on the Andrea and Bill White Promenade, in front of the Alkek Building
Start your day right! Instructor Eddie Moreno is an experienced Boot Camp instructor who will use the entire park to give you a workout you won’t forget.

Tai Chi in the Park | 12 – 1 p.m. Free Admission
Anheuser-Busch Stage
Reduce stress, increase focus and gain strength through Tai Chi, meditation through movement – on your lunch hour! Taught by Frank Murry, a student of Tai Chi master George Ling Hu.

Downtown Green Market: Central City Co-op at Discovery Green
4 – 7:30 p.m. Free Admission – every thursday
Andrea and Bill White Promenade
A year-round co-op and farmer’s market offering the freshest organic produce and products made from local, organic ingredients.

Art in the Park
5 p.m. Free Admission
Andrea and Bill White Promenade
The Community Artists’ Collective gives YOU a chance to be the artist in the park. Each week you have the opportunity to experience the artist’s way. Instructors include Michelle Barnes, Oriana McMillan and Ann Johnson. Supplies provided; bring your creativity. Classes are free; however there is a limit of 20 per class and space is provided on a first-come, first-served basis.

Friday, Oct 31st

SCREAM on the Green!
6 p.m., Free Admission
Anheuser-Busch Stage and Fondren Performance Space
A new citywide outdoor Halloween party and costume contest! KPFT presents Scarey-oke at Scream on the Green plus prizes for best dog costume, best child costume and best adult costume, along with music and Halloween movies. Great prizes; judges provided by Art Colony Association, producers of Bayou City Art Festival.

Read more…

Tags: arts + events, discovery green

Get cha Japanther on. Sundae.

“A New York-based band whose music conveys what I would call springing life”- Art Forum

“Japanther remains one the New York City’s most under rated acts…”. – Pitchfork Media

“The ever-divisive” – The Fader

ok, ok enough raves. check it.

Rock and Roll show + Craft Faire featuring Japanther with  Killer Dreamer + The Mathletes + American Sharks.
Sunday, October 26th at Caroline Collective.
Proceeds benefit Workshop Houston’s programs.

Tags: american sharks, arts + events, caroline collective, japanther, killer dreamer, mathletes

Made From Ike @ Caroline Tonight

Well Ike took a hike, and we had his trash to clean up. Instead of crying over spilled city guts, Fresh Arts bucked up and decided to make lemonade.

Oct. 24, 2008 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Join the Houston community in a celebration of art and perseverance as we honor the winners and hold a silent auction with all the art you have submitted to the MADE FROM IKE art contest. All proceeds from the auction will go to Americans for the Arts Emergency Relief fund and William Graham Emergency Artist Fund that helps local arts service organizations rebuild the arts in their communities.

Artists will bring their MADE FROM IKE entry to the Caroline Collective Courtyard at 4820 Caroline St, Houston, TX 77004 from 5-6PM to submit to the silent auction. If you are an artist, business or community member who would like to donate other items to the silent auctions, please contact mandy@fresharts.org.

At 6PM, we open the doors of the courtyard and invite the community to celebrate the perseverance of our beloved art scene. Meet artists and organizations who have determination in the face of adversity, bid on some amazing home-grown art made from Ike´s remnants and enjoy a Saint Arnold among friends.

Tags: arts + events, caroline collective, hurricane ike

Dia De los Muertos at Lawndale

It’s baaaack!  Celebrate Dia de los Muertos Festivities at Lawndale starting tonight with the Gala and Silent Auction.  Follow the jump for all the activities coming up.

TONIGHT: Gala and Retablo Silent Auction

Thursday, October 23, 2008
Artist, Member and Sponsor preview 6:00-7:00 PM
Gala and Silent Auction 7:00 – 9:00 PM
Chair, Nicole C. Laurent

Admission: $40 per person
$30 for Lawndale Members
Available at the door, by calling 713.528.5858
or email askus@lawndaleartcenter.org

The festivities begin with a silent auction Thursday, October 23. The auction of retablos, created and donated by over 250 Texas artists, will feature contemporary interpretations of this traditional, devotional art. Guests will also enjoy Día de los Muertos exhibitions in the Cavnar and Mezzanine Galleries which feature the works of Houston school children. Complimentary food and drinks will be provided by Bowl, La Strada – Montrose, Patrón Tequila, REEF, St. Arnold Brewing Company, The Sweet Stuff Limited and Tart Cafe, along with Latin grooves by Mr. Bristle and friends.

Read more…

Tags: arts + events, day of the dead, dia de los muertos, lawndale art center

Doty Does Dickinson

Mark Doty first caught my eye a few weeks ago with his published piece “Southern Comfort” on Smithsonian.com, singing the praises of ‘Houston’s humid charms’.  Doty splits his time between New York City and Houston, where he is John and Rebecca Moores Professor in the graduate program at the University of Houston.

POETRY READING
A Long Shadow: Emily Dickinson and Contemporary Poets
Wednesday October 22 | The Rothko Chapel
7:00 pm | FREE ADMISSION

Organized by beloved outgoing University of Houston faculty member and celebrated poet Mark Doty, this evening will focus on contemporary poetry inspired by Emily Dickinson. Doty, as well as special guest poets Alice Fulton and Susan Howe, will read samples of their own works alongside poems by Dickinson.

Presented in conjunction with the commission and production of Ridge Theater’s “Lightning at our feet,” a multimedia song cycle created from the poems and letters of celebrated American poet Emily Dickinson.

Tags: emily dickinson, mark doty, poetry, rothko chapel

Join me on the couch this Friday

Oh, the Fall events season is upon us! And judging by this past week, it’s gonna be a doozie this year.  Social calendar’s filling with tha quickness.

I’m so excited to be a part of a the steering committee this season for the fantastic Dominic Walsh Dance Theater.  If you’ve never seen one of their performances, you’re in for a treat.  (Even if you have, you’re still in for a treat. duh.)

An awesome thing the steering committee will be doing this season is hosting the Casting Couch.  With a purchased ticket to select performances, you will be able to attend the cast party, including cocktails and conversations with the dancers on the stage directly following the performance.  (I’m already practicing lines from Center Stage.) I’m a dance movie fanatic. Oh yeah, Channing Tatum.

This Friday night kicks off the 2008-2009 season with William Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus at the Hobby Center at 7:30pm.

“I read this play about seven years ago and was immediately drawn to its physicality,” remarks Dominic Walsh, director  and principal of DWDT.  “I am also intrigued by the play’s paradoxical themes and have gathered together the ideal team of designers, musicians, and dancers to investigate how these themes are relevant to the conflicts of today’s world.”

I hope that some of you will join me on the couch this Friday night!

Tickets can be purchased here or by calling 713-652-3938.

Tags: arts + events, dance, Dominic Walsh Dance Theater, DWDT

The HeART of Houston Kickoff Party

Last week it was colliding with culture and this week we are allies with art, as the Houston Arts Alliance kicks off their HeART of Houston program tonight at space125 gallery.

Watch the video below for more on the ART – HeART of Houston Program and join me + peeps tonight at the kickoff party.

[vodpod id=Groupvideo.1667807&w=425&h=350&fv=]

Ready to see the best of what the Houston art community has to offer? Well, Houston Arts Alliance is launching its online video campaign, baby!

Wait. What’s that mean to you?

It means that anyone and everyone can submit a 60-second video of their favorite local artists and share why they’re “the heART of Houston.” You’ll vote on the best, and there’ll be rockin’ prizes for the winners!

Exactly!

So, on Wednesday, October 15th, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at space125gallery, come find out what it’s all about and celebrate at the KICKOFF PARTY!

This event is FREE, FREE, FREE to all. Enjoy wine, munchies, music, and of course, heART! The “Heroes Alter Egos” exhibit will be up for one final day, just for the kickoff!

Ready to see Houston’s heART? C’mon. Let’s see what Houston’s got.

And an update today from Schipul peeps, who are behind oragnizing this event (nuff said):

On behalf of the Houston Arts Alliance, we are SO EXCITED for tonight’s “Art – the HeART of Houston” Kickoff Party! More importantly, we can’t WAIT to see YOU there! Art, drinks, and nibbles – does it get better?

It can be a little tricky finding our lovely gallery, Space 125, so listen up, folks – I’m gonna share with you a little secret. We’re facing Allen Parkway, but since you can’t make any turnoffs into the businesses facing Allen Parkway, I’ve got a workaround for ya.

Our building sits at the corner of D’Amico (“D Amico” in Google Maps) and Rosine Streets. If you park in our lot on D’Amico or across from Stages Theatre on Rosine, you can simply stroll around the corner to our gallery facing Allen Parkway. So, when you’re mapping your route, map it to D’Amico & Rosine instead of our Allen Parkway address!

Other than that, I’ll keep the rest of the secrets safe until this evening! See you soon!

Tags: arts + events, houston arts alliance, party