{c.u.t.here} aug 17-23

A weekly events post {c.u.t.here} or rather, see you there. Get it? See what I did there? Clever. I know. I try.;-)  Each week I’ll highlight a few events that I’m looking forward to in this grand ole city of H. c.u.t.here, peeps.

{Tuesday}

Nightclub Cardio @ Pravada

Literally one of THE best workouts I’ve ever had. A night club atmosphere, pumpin’ tunes, and workout clothes and tennies. Pretty much my dream workout. The lights are down, and people let loose. I’ve been dying to write about this for weeks. I tried this class out earlier this summer and was hooked! Now if I can just find time to make it back!  Due to popular demand, they’ve just added a second day at Pravada (Thursday) and a second location (Bar RIO, 6400 Richmond Ave) that begins September 15th. Tell Jennifer I sent you! 

{Wednesday}

Dress for Success 6th Annual Sizzling Summer Soiree

7-9pm | Tootsies (in Highland Village) | facebook invite

Nancy Levicki and the Women of Wardrobe event chairs Sharron Melton, Lauren Freeman and Shern-Min Chow with Tootsies invite you to the Sixth Annual Sizzling Summer Soiree.

Enjoy hip sips and cool canapes, and meet designer Trina Turk. 10 percent of the proceeds benefits Dress for Success Houston, so you have a great reason to shop!

Event is free for WOW members and $45 for nonmembers. Purchase your tickets to Sizzling Summer Soiree in advance to avoid waiting in a very long line! Join W.O.W. for $75 which includes complimentary admission to all W.O.W. events through next June. Buy your ticket today by calling 713-957-3779. Special thanks to The Capital Grille and TY-KU.

{Thursday}

Thursdays are always nuts.  Get in where you fit in.

5-10PM | Spacetaker Cultured Cocktails benefiting Dance Houston | FREE
Boheme Cafe and Wine Bar (Taft @ Fairview)
This has been THE place to be this summer if you are a non-profit. Or if you like wine. Either will do.

6-8pm | HYPA Summer Cocktail Tour at the Grove (Discovery Green) | FREE
feat. Houston artists Katy Anderson + Patrick Medrano + The Fodice Foundation
HOUSTON Magazine is sponsoring a summer long tour of hip places and pretty faces. This week at the Grove with HYPA. There is an afterparty at Katy + Patrick’s studio. The afterparty + film screening is free for HYPA members, and $35 for non-members.

6-9pm | 310 Rosemont Summer Mixer (1965 W. Gray) | FREE
Fashion and Denim for Women AND Men! Come for a drink. Stay for the new fall fashions. Toast to the end of summer.
I’m not sure about toasting to the end of summer…i’m hanging on with my fingernails. But LOVE this boutique. Check it.

{Friday}

Bright New Media

3:30-5:30pm | Bright Sky Press | 5416 Chaucer, right behind Ruggles | $35

Laura Mayes and yours truly will be leading a Social Media Workshop this Friday at the lovely Bright Sky Press. Stop by to ask all those burning questions about Twitter, Flickr, and Blogging, oh my! From 3:30-5:30 p.m. we’ll have the very informal workshop (Easy, practical social media training) and at 5:30 p.m. we’ll break out the Social Media Social Hour (A very happy Happy Hour where social media shows it social side).

Bright Sky Press is hosting its inaugural Bright New Media social media workshop at the Bright Sky Bookspace . Stop in to find out more about Twitter, Flickr, Blogging, Facebook, and a partridge in a pear tree. More importantly, we’ll talk about why we should care about all this (for business, for pleasure, for smart ways to connect)…and we’ll show you how easy it is to do (it’s really easy!). It all starts at 3:30 p.m. and ends with a Social Media Social Hour. $35 a person gets you all the know-how you need to go go go. We can’t wait to see you then!

RSVP to kara@brightskypress.com

Four Openings at Lawndale Art Center

6-8:30pm | Lawndale Art Center | 4912 Main Street | lawndaleartcenter.org

Yummm. I love me some Lawndale. Check out this Friday’s quadruple opening. Opening Reception August 21, 2009, 6:30 – 8:30 PM, Artist talks at 6 PM. Exhibitions on view August 21- September 26, 2009:

Lawndale Art Center 30th Anniversary Exhibition –
Curated by Clint Willour
Work by Seth Alverson, Dawolu Jabari Anderson, Chuy Benitez, Elaine Bradford, Emily Sloan and Mark Schatz

Me, Mine, and not Yours – Joe Ives and Jahjehan Bath Ives

Paper or Plastic?– Nathaniel Donnett

The Green™ cyber web – Adela Andea

{Saturday}

Planned Parenthood + Riazul Tequila present Party Like a Rockstar

8pm-midnight | Warehouse Live

Whether you wear high heels, Doc Martens or blue suede shoes, come to move those feet and pump those fists in the air – and let your voice be heard!

Live Performances by DJ Alex C – voted #1 DJ by the Houston Press and Houston Chronicle and SKYROCKET! – voted Austin’s #1 cover band.

TICKETS:
Single Ticket ($50) – includes catering by Joe’s Crab Shack!

Be a VIP!
Solo-Act ($150) – one person, Hook-Up ($250) – two people, Groupies ($1000) – eight people, Entourage ($3000) – 30 people
VIP level includes catering by Morton’s the Steakhouse & Max’s Wine Dive with a Champagne Station.
Grammy Gift Bags. Exclusive After- Party from midnight to 2 a.m.

Visit http://www.pphouston.org/rockstar2009 for more information. Purchase tickets here

Tags: art opening, arts + events, houston, lawndale, music

{c.u.t.here} :aug 3-9:

Premiering a new feature on {cosmo}Politician this week. A weekly events post called {c.u.t.here} Or rather, see you there. Get it? See what I did there? Clever. I know. I try.;-)

Each week I’ll highlight a few events that I’m looking forward to in this grand ole city of H. c.u.t.here, peeps.

{Thursday}

Open Mic Night Coffee Groundz

6-10pm, CoffeeGroundz (2503 Bagby) | www.coffeegroundz.net

This will be the first of many open mic nights to come from everyone’s favorite local coffee shop. Come by and check out some great local talent.

Runaway Sun @ Continental Club

10:10pm, Continental Club (3700 Main Street) | Cover $5

This is a big show for Runaway Sun.  Their first at the CC. Fresh off an amazing show at the Houston Press Music Awards Showcase, Shea Serrano of the Houston Press recently said of the band, “And we say this without fear: by this time next year, Runaway Sun will be one of the city’s best bands.” I couldn’t agree more.

Andrew and the guys are putting the finishing touches on their first full length album, The Bridge. Stay tuned for CD Release Party deets. Also, the band is competing with other bands for a slot on this year’s ACL lineup for the Sound and the Jury. Vote daily for them here.

{Friday}

Tech Bytes Geek Gathering @ Coffee Groundz

7:30pm, Coffee Groundz (2503 Bagby) | www.coffeegroundz.net

Houston’s geekiest are at it again! Join the fun folks from KPFT’s Technology Bytes as they continue the fun Friday with their monthly Geek Gathering.  “ou don’t have to be a geek to attend. Heck, you don’t even have to be a current listener of the show. This event is a casual meet-up for anyone interested in technology or social media in all its forms and a great opportunity to just hang out with like minded individuals.”

Ben Wesley @ Block 7

8:30pm, Block 7 Wine Co (720 Shepherd) | www.block7wineco.com

After a soft opening 2 weeks ago, Block 7 has been packing in the wine, food and music fans galore. With Friday night performances from Andrew Karnavas and Tygararaja, this Friday returns with Houston’s eclectic son, Benjamin Wesley, the musical foil and soulmate to flashy Transmissions bandmate, Cornbreadd, Wesley’s Houston Press Awards performance showed us why this talent won’t be in Houston for long. Come check out this unique performance, sure to be one of the last few intimate shows you’ll see Ben play. Kid done blowing up!

{Saturday}

Summer Fest Day 1

I keep saying this, and I seriously won’t believe Summer Fest is real until Saturday when I arrive and see if for my own eyes. For months I was convinced this was an April Fool’s Joke by our friends over at the Free Press.  Headliners include Of Montreal, Explosions in the Sky and Broken Social Scene. Yeah. see? Would you have believed it either? IN Houston?! Rad.

A 2 day pass is only 16 bucks. And a Fancy Pants Pass is $45. Do. This. People.

{Sunday}

Summer Fest Day 2

Tags: arts + events, coffee groundz, concerts, continental club, houston, houston free press, music, runaway sun

Neverland

It seems most of my posts have have some sort of MJ slant for the past 3 weeks, and this one is no different. He’s still with me.

I’ve been hearing about this Neverland event a lot this week, and am determined to swing by and check it out. If nothing more, than to hang with the incomparable Miss Y.E.T.

Your are invited to Neverland, an art happening in memory of Michael Jackson at El Rincon Social (Houston, Texas). Featuring live music, video art, visual art, dance, and performance art. Neverland is a DIY celebration of the fantastic—- sequined gloves, the moonwalk, bubbles, and soulfulness.

Music by Nectarine, DJ Shundrick, dance by Sweft Feet Dance Co., and performance by Hisson.

Take pictures at the Michael Jackson photo booth. Bring a blank t-shirt & make your own MJ stencil shirt. Shake it off at the dance-a-thon.

Visual & video art by:

Fulana (Brooklyn)
Sebastian Forray (Houston)
Inge Hoonte (Brooklyn)
Emily Link (Houston)
Nia McCloud (Houston)
Emmanuel Ramos (Houston)
Stephanie Saint (Houston)
Y.E. Torres (Houston)
Fabian Vargas (Houston)
Sway Youngston (Houston)

Presented by labotanica and SPAMMO in collaboration with El Rincon Social, Objectif Magazine, & The Akire Group. RSVP on facebook here.

Questions? contact: la (at) labotanica dot org.

a map to El Rincon exisit aqui.

more info.

see you there.

Tags: arts + events, dance, michael jackson, music, Y.E.Torres

Dance, Dance, Dance

It true.  So You Think You Can Dance is back for Season 5 and I can’t get enough. Natch.

Need your dance fix this weekend? Check out these 3 dance events this weekend. Natch.

Joy, Dance and Giving Animals a Chance

Benefiting
Dominic Walsh Dance Theater
and
Spay-Neuter Assistance Program, Inc.

Come enjoy cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, an exclusive silent auction, and an

intimate performance by the DWDT Dancers
Saturday, May 30, 2009
6:00 to 8:00 PM

Joy Yoga Center
4500 Washington Ave., Suite 900, Houston, Texas 77007

$15 suggested donation at the door

Please let us know if you can join us!
RSVP to info@dwdt.org or 713-652-3938
The Big Range Dance Festival

Please visit www.bigrange.org for more information or to buy tickets.

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

A/V Swap Post Contest: Entries Due Wednesday

Got design skillz? Show us whatcha got.

I’m helping jury the Poster Contest for this year’s A/V Swap, an excellent mixed media (pun totally intended) event that matches filmmakers with musicians to create a mashup of sorts. Read below for all the deets.

This year, organizers are putting the poster design in the hands of the public.  Enter your design for a chance to be the face of the A/V Swap, a film/audio collaborative swap during the summer of 2009.

Due Date May 27th, 2009.  Yep, that’s Wednesday. Get crackin.

Images should be 11 x 17 and vector based. Don’t hold anything back; we want to see forward thinking graphic design!

Submit your design by Wednesday, May 27th to sean [at] theavswap.com. Please attach a 10 KB image.

Win free tickets to A/V Swap events, entrance for 2 to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and 2 free passes to a film at the River Oaks Theatre.

————————————-

About the A/V Swap 2009

Creative filmmakers submit a short movie without a soundtrack and musicians submit a soundtrack without a movie.

We’ll play matchmaker and trade each film and soundtrack.

Each musician will receive a film and every filmmaker a soundtrack.

Then you make a new composition to go with your movie or song. It’s that easy!

Info Session: Wednesday, May 27th, 2009
Spacetaker, Winter Street Studios, 2101 Winter St. Houston, TX 77007
Come hear about the A/V Swap, learn about digital filmmaking and recording with Sharad Patel

First deadline: Monday, June 22nd, 2009
Antidote Coffee, 729 Studewood St. Houston, TX 77007
Turn in your original film or soundtrack; you will receive your assignment within four days

Second Deadline: Monday, July 20th, 2009
Final collaborative films due

Format for the first deadline: Films and music should be at least 1 minute in duration and less than 7 minutes.

For video please provide at least 640 X 480 pixel size on a data DVD in Quicktime PNG or Quicktime photo JPEG. Please try to avoid NTSC DVD or MPEGs.

For audio please provide WAV or AIF files, please avoid MP3s to ensure best quality.

Format for the second deadline: Please drop off films formatted to play on any DVD player.

Every film in the A/V Swap will be played on the big screen in August and the Best Of screening will be held in September 2009

Tags: a/v swap, arts + events, contest, graphic design, poster design

Flavorpill's Artkrush: Houston!

Imagine my glee when I received my fav arts eNewsletter, Flavorpill’s Artkrush, and slathered across the header was Houston: Art on the Bayou. Double take!  Yup, us! Wheee! ‘Bout dang time, y’all.

Check out the lead story on Houston’s “long-established, internationally recognized art scene.” Thanks for noticing, FP.

For more Flavorpill Culture eNewsletters, check this.

Tags: artkrush, arts, arts + events, flavorpill, houston

March Dr. Sketchy

March Madness with Dr. Sketchy!!

All right, lads and lasses.  Can you really think of a better way to spend a Sunday than with some crazy artists and a really awesome life model?

What: Houston Sketchy March life drawing
When: Sunday, March 8th 2-6pm
Where: upstairs at Avant Garden (411 Westheimer)

We’ve got another AMAZING male model (the rock star Shawn – local coffee guru, man about town and seasoned life model) to get your drawing chops into gear!

Wear your St. Paddy’s Day green (or we WILL pinch you and you know it’s true), watch out for sneaky leperchauns and prepare for one kick ass afternoon of sketching and chilling.

Tags: arts + events, dr. sketchy

Camps and Photos and Beer, oh my!

I’ve been MIA. And not the Diplo kind. But I’m back. And it feels good.

This city doesn’t stop for me, and I’ve missed some great events in the last few months. And this weekend is no exception.  Check out these great arts + events happenings in the town of H this weekend.

Recaps to come soon about Mom 2.0 Summit, and lots of plans and big changes to come!

Missed you all.

Saturday, February 28th

ArtCamp @ Caroline Collective

Artcamp is an informal, community-based event to discuss the state of the arts in Houston and develop an informed strategy on how we can collectively support our arts community. The format is open and decided upon by those in attendance but we have several goals that we will achieve through open discussion and peer-to-peer educational sessions:
- Inform participants of available resources online and offline
- Share best practices among organizations, including audience development, fundraising, board and volunteer recruitment, and online outreach
- Share best practices among artists, such as developing their careers, promoting themselves and their work, obtaining gallery representation, and building an online presence

The schedule for the day will include educational sessions and a townhall discussion section. Through this discussion we hope to determine the difficulties that local artists and members of the art community experience, the common solutions to problems, and voice concerns, comments and suggestions for improvement. The final session of the day will be a focused townhall discussion proposing sustainable solutions to educate and deliver resources to members of the community to ensure the improved success and continued communication at all levels.
The event runs from 9:30ish til 5pm. Feel free to drop in whenever.
Here’s the link to the Artcamp site: http://barcamp.org/ArtCampHouston

Spoken Honestly: fine art photography of Three Heart Photo

Two of my most favorite Houston photographers will BOTH be holding photo shows this weekend @CoffeeGroundz.  Just my luck!  Check out both the Tracys this weekend, TracyLynn (ThreeHeartPhoto) on Saturday and Tracey (Funny Girl Photography) on Sunday.Yippee!

Andrew Karnavas and Clory Martin will be playing 2 sets at Saturday’s show.  One set at 3pm and one at 8pm.  THe show runs form 1pm-10pm.  Please stop by and show these amazing photogs some love.

Sunday,  March 1st

Roadtripping Texas: photography by Tracy Manford
4-7pm | Coffee Groundz | 2503 Bagby

Drink Houston Better @ Poison Girl
Benefiting the Orange Show for Visionary Arts
Poison Girl | 5pm

Poison Girl has invited the Orange Show to take part in Drink Houston Better on Sunday March 1 from 5pm-2am. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Orange Show.
Drink Beer. Help the Orange Show.  win win.

Tags: arts + events, caroline collective, coffee groundz, friends, orange show, photography

Pat Graney: House of Mind @ Diverseworks

Internationally renowned choreographer, Pat Graney, makes a grand return to Houston as she takes over DiverseWorks’ entire building with her latest exhibition and performance House of Mind. In an amalgamation of female memory, collective unconscious, and family and cultural histories, Graney creates an expansive kinesthetic sense of her work that takes the audience on an intense and thought-provoking journey through her past, her mother’s battles with Alzheimer’s and the quirky imagination that Houstonians saw in The Vivian Girls (2005) and Sleep (1998). The public is invited to tour the installation, a multi-sensory experience that physically manifests aspects her mind, and then experience a choreographed performance, in which each viewer’s experience will be as unique as memory itself.

Just a little info on the exhibit from Shawna:

“This is by far the biggest installation/ performance that we have ever done!!!  The installation will take over the entire space (theater, main gallery, and project space- 6000 sq. feet). There’s going to be 100,000 button waterfall, a book room consisting of 4,000 books, and several performances at the beginning of the run.  We’ve definitely never done anything like this. I’m so excited. I just saw the performance in Seattle and it was so good!!”

The installation for House of Mind will be on view during gallery hours. Admission is free and open to the public.

If you would like to purchase tickets to the House of Mind performances, look and click here.  Tickets are $15 for general admission, $10 for DiverseWorks members and $8.00 for students and seniors.  Seating is EXTREMELY LIMITED, so reserve your tickets ASAP.

Pat Graney
House of Mind
Installation on view: Jan. 30- Feb. 21, 2009
Performances:  Jan. 30 & 31, Feb. 5 – 7, 2009
7:30 pm
DiverseWorks Main Gallery, Project Space, and Theater

Tags: arts + events, diverseworks, houston, installation art, pat graney, performance art

Tonight: Performance, Technology & Science

Tonight, Wednesday, January 21, 2009
7:30pm
Barnevelder Movement/Arts Complex
2201 Preston Street, Houston, Texas
Admission: Free

On the occasion of the publication of his new book, Performance, Technology, and Science (New York, PAJ Publications, 2008), theatre director/choreographer Johannes Birringer will address ideas and suggestions for the interrelationship of digital media art, performance, and choreography, show film excerpts from his latest production, Corpo, Carne e Espírito, which premiered in Brasil last June, as well as from Suna no Onna, his collaborative dance work with fashion and interactive/smart garment designers, which was shown at London’s Laban Centre. He will address the recent history of dance and technology and the emergence of interactive art and bio art in an international context of art & science collaboration.

Birringer is artistic director of the Houston-based AlienNation Co. and directs the
Center for Contemporary and Digital Performance at Brunel University, London.
He has created numerous multimedia dance-theatre productions in Houston since moving there in 1987, including Invisible Cities, Ad Mortem, North by South, Parachute, and Mirak, and his digital dance and screen-based works have been shown at festivals around the world, most recently at Dança em Foco (Rio de Janeiro) and Choreographic Capture (Munic0h). He is the author several books including Dance & Cognition, Media and Performance, and Performance on the Edge.

This event is sponsored by Barnevelder Movement/Arts and Dance Source Houston

For more information, call 713-529-1819

Tags: arts + events, Barnevelder, dance, technology