June 21st, 2010
I am ashamed to admit that I have spent the last year coasting down Main Street, noting the building that is the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and having formed a closed minded opinion about what a craft center would possibly put on display, never went inside until last week. All this changed when I learned of The Paper Runway exhibit and I found myself counting down the days until it opened. Peers and friends of Barnett Newman, one of the major figures in abstract expressionism, used to joke that he would attend the “opening of an envelope” much the same way my friends joke that I jump at the opportunity to attend anything resembling a fashion show.
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— Afrodet
May 12th, 2010
“I want to fly into your pictures,” I confessed to Libbie Masterson upon approaching her this past Wednesday at Wade Wilson Art, the official home for her photography exhibit, SKY: A Study of the American Sky. She surprised me by saying thank you instead of asking me to leave for fear of me harming the breathtaking images trapped helplessly behind plexiglass.
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— Afrodet
April 13th, 2010
I am hosting a dinner party in less than an hour and a half and, as usual, I am running late. Wearing a cocktail dress, flats and no makeup, I speed over to the Glassell School to see how much culture I can possibly soak up in 45 minutes. Hopefully, it’s enough for an article. I throw on a coat I have laying around in my car so I don’t look over the top, park in the very back of the lot since its absolutely packed, and make my way inside.
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— Afrodet
March 10th, 2010
I learned of the existence of the Orange Show about six months ago from a fellow volunteer at an art festival. She was shocked to learn that anyone who claimed to be involved in the art scene had never seen such an important cultural icon in Houston. I attempted to visit for months, but with visiting hours comprised of noon to five on Saturdays and Sundays only, it left small opportunity for someone who enjoys long brunches/writing sessions at Café Brasil during said days.
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— Afrodet
February 23rd, 2010
In 5 Words: Secret, Amorous, HappyHappy, Escape, Graceful
Imagine having your own secret garden you could escape to whenever the day in the big city was too fast-paced or exciting for you. I found mine last week, by accident, when I was exploring the grounds beyond the building that is the Glassell School. I wandered out through the back doors of the School and was greeted by Joan Miro’s bronze Oiseau. The statue, standing taller than me, looked more like a character out of Alice in Wonderland and less like any feathered creature I had seen before.
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— Afrodet
February 11th, 2010
In 5 Words: Groovy, Endowed, Afrobeat, Retrospective, Fela
I stop by my favorite couple’s house for a cocktail to start the evening and to convince the boyfriend that he should, in fact, join us. The company will be nice, but more importantly, it’s always nice to have a man around to double as a body guard or a drink getter. After the introductory drink, we race over to CAMH a little after 8 and find, to our surprise, that the bar has been placed outside the front doors. The cold night air hasn’t deterred the art goers from lining up to partake in the cheap spirits, wine and beer being hocked for a few dollars apiece. Noting the Smirnoff label on the sole bottle of vodka, I decide cheap wine will hurt far less than cheap vodka.
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— Afrodet
January 5th, 2010
In 6 Words: Pop, Art, Red, Superman, Dendrologist, Lock
For some of us, the last time we were in a place used solely to showcase art, it was a museum field trip and we were either too young or too absorbed with what we were going to have for lunch to appreciate the art. It’s difficult, as adults, to find the time to explore the types of places that enrich our lives culturally. Especially since once we get past school age, there’s no longer anyone to organize our lives or our free time. If I was to pick a single gallery in Houston where one could see truly great art and not be intimidated by to your lack of art knowledge, it would be the Vaughan Christopher Gallery.
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— Afrodet
December 4th, 2009
In 5 Words: Lost, Found, Crawl, Thai, Kitties
Democracy. Dried up condoms. Kitty kats batting shrubbery. Thai sausage. These are the first few lines of my reflections from the Art Crawl. As I stood there, reviewing my notes in front of a massive mud colored statue that seemed like it had been dropped from the sky, my friends staged democratic vote and through an overwhelming majority, we decided it was time to leave the Art Crawl. I am getting ahead of myself so let me start at the beginning.
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— Afrodet
November 9th, 2009
In 6 Words: designed, melt, peaceful, canvas, dark, tolerant
For those of you who need a place to purge your sins, ask some questions, or perhaps just hide from that girl you made out with on Halloween night, you know… the one you thought was really hot until she took off her mask; I have found the place for you: The Rothko Chapel. I realize the word chapel conjures up certain stereotypical images that tend to scare the sinner in most of us away, but this is no ordinary chapel. It is a
work of art.
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— Afrodet
October 8th, 2009
In 7 Words: Serene, Impressionable, Post-Impressionist, Neon, Neoclassical, Modern, Academic
Visiting a museum I have frequented dozens of times is akin to anyone else visiting their best friend’s house. You don’t ask permission to look in the fridge but you wouldn’t necessarily walk around naked. For me the Museum of Fine Arts Houston is like my best friend’s house except my best friend is replaced by pleasant docents who open your door, seem excited at the opportunity to direct you and fail to mock you when you get lost. You might think that I’m just exercising my hyperbole, but trust me, this place is so big even you men may have to actually stop and ask for directions. The museum is a sprawl of buildings, gardens and a separate sculpture garden.
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— Afrodet
