Twists in technology, variance in visual velocity, lengthening light, and capturing natural conundrums are all intertwined into Adela Andea’s work. Transitioning from her work on canvas to elaborate sculptures and installations, Andea has been illuminating spaces and captivating audiences here in Houston and beyond for years. The spark seen in her eye is seen in the glow of her sculptures, otherworldly and effervescent in nature. In her latest exhibition at Anya Tish Gallery, Glacial Parallax, the artist grapples with the advancements of technology while the natural world rapidly declines, such as in the glaciers in Alaska and elsewhere.

Anya Tish has hosted Andea’s work on multiple occasions, each show luminous in its own right, but this show overwhelmingly brings together multiple concepts and materials to make for a mammoth of visual delight. This sensory experience goes beyond the materials to gracefully pin point important topics racking our society. Andea was gracious enough to elaborate on her current exhibition along with her story on how she came to make such momentous work.

Free Press Houston: What particular part of your childhood unveiled visual art as an interest for you?

Adela Andea: As I was growing up in Romania, I had a close connection with the old orthodox churches. The beautifully painted icons and frescos were the only reason my grandmother was able to drag me to the church on Sundays. I remember staring at all the details of the paintings; some were more than 300 years old. I did not have artists in the family, but I found books that inspired me to draw and paint. Before I was in the first grade, before I could read and write I was already attempting to imitate artworks by Goya. These are the earliest memories I have about art.

FPH: How did you make the shift into artistic studies?

Andea: After spending some time working as a paralegal in California, I realized that my calling was art so I moved to Houston and graduated Valedictorian and Summa Cum Laude from the Painting program at the University of Houston. I continued my higher education in Studio Arts and I received my Master of Fine Arts in New Media, with a minor in Sculpture from University of North Texas, Denton, Texas.

While I was working on my degrees I was introduced to contemporary concepts, trends and theories, which influenced overall my transformation as an artist. It was a difficult experience, as I was constantly trying to better myself, absorb all the information I can possibly can and be the best at what I am doing. It was an opportunity and a luxury I did not have before in my life and I appreciate it every moment.

Adela Andea, “Ice Flare,” 2024.

FPH: What are some experiences that helped shape your artistic concept, drawing from nature and technology?

Andea: My art education has the biggest influence over my artistic life. It was during that period when my affinity to contemporary art currents crystalized and gave shape to my endeavors into installations using light.

Outside academia, there are periodical events that weight heavier in my artistic carrier. Such events can be recreational in nature – my cruise trip to Alaska a few years ago brought new awareness in me on the ecological issues – or professional – my residency in France last year immersed me in a new culture from where I drew inspiration for my art.

FPH: How did one of your first major shows at Lawndale Art Center help shape your visual voice into creating work of technology and light?

Andea: After I finished my BFA in painting at University of Houston I applied for my first solo show at Lawndale, The Green Cyber Web. I majored in painting for the love of painting. While I was in the studio program, I realized that paint or color is a perception of the eye, and it can be achieved with different materials, besides colors from a tube. When I projected the green cathode light on one of my painted objects I was startled by the effect, it was exactly what I was looking for in my art. I knew I made a leap in what I was doing. I was finished with my previous work and I moved on from painting and traditional sculpture into this new medium.

I started to research the new technologies on the market. These latest technological advancements inspired me to create the artworks I wanted. None of my works contain neon lights, it is all LED or CCFL. While I was already thinking about big installation, the show at Lawndale offered me the opportunity to create a full room installation. Environments, according to Allen Kaprow, are an extension of painting when referring to the issue of space. The spaces I am working with are a major consideration for how the installation will work and I took in consideration the architecture of the room as a component of the artwork. My proposal at Lawndale was specifically for the gallery that it was displayed in.

Also during that time, conceptually my work started to take shape and focus meaning of nature, natural vs. artificial concepts, environmental issues and technological advances. By applying the dichotomy of the concept natural vs artificial and it contemplates positively on the necessity of progress and technological advances, blending artistically the romantic notion of nature with the manmade esthetic.

Adela Andea, “A.57,” 2024.

FPH: Recently you participated in a residency in France. What was that experience like for you?

Andea: I had the honor at the end of last year to be invited by Zebra 3 Foundation with funds provided by the city of Bordeaux for a residency and show at the Crystal Palace in the old downtown of Bordeaux. It was a great experience that will stay with me for a long time. The materials were procured by the organization upon my specification upon arriving and I worked with an assistant for almost a month to finish an installation from scratch on the site. While I was working hard to finish the work, I also had the chance to experience the food, the culture and visit historic locations. My assistant there deserves all the credit for being a great liaison.

FPH: Tell me about your evolution of some of your current work on display at Anya Tish Gallery. What are some of the highlights of the show visually and conceptually that you are now expanding upon?

Andea: The new concept I wanted to discuss with this show is the technical notion of “parallax” when it becomes a metaphor of the different points of view on the environmental issues. Just like real life parallax produces different views depending of the line of sight, my arts is addressing the different positions taken in the society that vary based on the position and situation of the observer. The environmental movement became a political movement, the new religion of the popular culture, mostly supported by the mass media influence. The whole discussion gravitates around the notion that man-made pollution is the cause of environmental decay. Some of the scientific arguments are contaminated by economic and political agendas.

Formally there are three types of work that I developed simultaneously while preparing for the fourth solo show at Anya Tish. While they are all connected conceptually, my continuous concern with the destruction of the environment, formally they differ.

The large sphere, titled “A.57,” is representing an imaginary asteroid or planet where the energies of various materials translate into a plasmatic eruption of colors. The work incorporates various previous materials and experiments wrapped into a sphere that encompasses the essence of my work in the past decade. To paraphrase Otto Piene, “Light is the incarnation of visible energy.” For me this piece has a variety of energies that emulate the existence of a live planet.

The triangular shaped mirror plexiglass pieces, like “Glacial Fracture,” “Glacial Onyx,” and “Ice Flare,” maintain the simplicity of geometric shapes while allowing through multiplicity to create organic shapes for the pieces. This play between organic and geometric insists on the visual transformation of inorganic into organic matter. The aesthetic aspects of this work comment on the antithetic perception of real vs. artificial or organic vs. geometric, deconstructing the structure of nature into geometric forms.

Multiplicity is another formal element that I embrace with my work. Either it is a large installation or a small wall dependent piece. The “Ice Grain” series and “Sun Draft” focus on one type of material that I repeat a million times. They become mini universes, obsessive detailed work that takes months to finalize. However, I enjoy the process as it also allows my mind to develop new ideas.

Adela Andea, “Glacial Fracture,” 2024.

FPH: How has your interaction with the community here in Houston and beyond with large site-specific instillations affected you as an artist?

Andea: I like to interact with artists who are unique and confident on their work. I think Houston attracts these independent type of artists. To be original and different from everybody else seems to characterize what artists have in common in this area. This lack of a cohesive art scene is what I appreciate the most and I consider it an asset to this community. It is a very vibrant and diverse group of people, also very warm and welcoming.

FPH: In a time where technology is put on such a pedestal, how does art/how does your art manage to strike a balance between the digital and the visual?

Andea: My art offers opportunities to investigate the visual significance of the contemporary technologies. It provides a commentary on the individual interaction, theoretical discussion of the post-traditional self and how certain technologies are embedded in our culture. The infusion of my art with the new technologies relies on recent technological advances, which are also well received through consumer perspective.

FPH: Any upcoming projects you would like to mention?

Andea: The upcoming show from May through September at the Total Plaza in downtown Houston is curated by Sally Reynolds and will display a large installation, as well free standing and wall dependent sculptures. Also, I am working on an outdoor sculpture project that I prefer to keep it secret until the details are finalized.

Adela Andea’s exhibition “Glacial Parallax” is on view at Anya Tish Gallery (4411 Montrose) through February 4.

By Paul Middendorf and Michael McFadden

Last year was indeed an arduous one, but it provided some powerful programming and projects to help us realign our focus. From large institutions to small project spaces, all the stops were certainly being pulled. Perhaps it was the unfolding of the political climate or racing towards uncertainty that sparked an abundant variety of conversations within the arts; whatever the reason, we ended up with a beautiful melange of solid exhibitions. Certainly Houston has been moving forward at the speed of light within its creative community. Every year we see a stronger push to provide nationally and internationally recognized exhibitions. The city saw programming that would not only hold up within our community and region, but would create a strong voice to project outside of the state. Outstanding work did not go without some incredibly flat curatorial endeavors. Pet projects and poor organization lead to a variety of painful duds, which were largely forgotten as soon as the press releases archived in our inboxes. However, we learn from these mishaps and continue to build on our solid foundation that has continued to impress and maintain. There were absolutely a greater number of successes and here is the best core sample we could provide from 2024.

Parallel Kingdom — Station Museum of Contemporary Art

Parallel Kingdom at the Station Museum presented works by artists from the Arabian Peninsula as a means of addressing and challenging Western notions of the Middle East. While many Westerners tout the ease of access to other cultures provided by the Internet or the emergence of a global culture, a great deal of 2024 revealed how easily our views can be molded — by others or by ourselves — to whatever shape is convenient. Through Parallel Kingdom, the Station offered up exposure to external viewpoints that dealt with the politics of our country and the artists. Sarah Abu Abdallah’s video installation “Saudi Automobile” showed the artist slowly painting a wrecked car. The paint, pink like frosting on an ornate cake, served as little more than wistful gesture of beautification to cover up the impossibility of the artist’s dream of owning her own car so that she might drive herself to work. Soft gestures of physicality stood in correlation with grandiose sculptures — like the massive boobytrap of “Capital Dome” by Abdulnasser Gharam or the chainlink mosque that is Ajlan Gharem’s “Paradise Has Many Gates,” which still stands outside the museum.

Nick Vaughan and Jake Margolin, “50 States: Wyoming.” Photo: Alex Barber

Nick Vaughan and Jake Margolin: 50 States — Art League Houston / Devin Borden Gallery / University of Houston Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center 

Nick Vaughan and Jake Margolin have long been collaborating on a series called 50 States, delving into the history of LGBT communities in each state as far back as possible. At Art League Houston, the pair presented some of their findings in 50 States: Wyoming, including a series of performances and gatherings that reflected aspects of both their research and their artistic practice. The work on display often blends media together, consisting of conceptual and performative interpretations and labor intensive pieces with photographs and historical images etched into maps. In a separate exhibition hosted by Devin Borden Gallery, Where the Ranch Actually Was, Margolin and Vaughan offered up a peek into the research they’ve been conducting in Texas. A series of Texas maps lined the back wall of the space, each one displaying an excised image of the buildings and areas where prominent LGBT clubs, bars, and spaces once stood. The third segment of the series from last year was Colorado. Presented as a one night installation hosted at UH’s Mitchell Center in one of its project rooms, the piece featured a six channeled projection of different cities from around the country. As you sat around the finely crafted gazebo like structure, the viewer shifted their attention to each projection as it screened a different group of LGBT community members, artists, activist, and civic leaders celebrating the queer history of Trinidad Colorado. Colorado opened up at HCC Central Art Gallery on January 17 and will run through February 21.

Francis Alÿs and Lauren Moya Ford: The Fabiola Project — Byzantine Fresco Chapel at The Menil Collection

Belgian artist Francis Alÿs’ large installation of paintings, The Fabiola Project, consists of more than 450 reproductions of a lost 1885 painting of 4th-century Roman Saint Fabiola by French artist Jean-Jacques Henner. The project was initiated by Alÿs in the early 1990s, shortly after he moved to Mexico City. The works are impressive and they view well in the dark church-like space, giving you just enough light to see them. The star of the exhibition was a performative lecture by Houston and Madrid based artist Lauren Moya Ford. As well-executed as Alÿs’ works, Ford’s lecture was enchanting. Not very often does one leave a lecture wishing to see it again on DVD so as to be able to pick through the subtleties. Ford started with a story of love and loss and weaved the audience through experiences. She forced patrons’ minds not to focus on the slides she presented, but the sound of her voice and coached the listeners to close their eyes and visualize a photo she described instead of seeing it projected. Many times there was no projection at all, just darkness. It was much more of a performance than a lecture and featured well with Francis Alÿs’ work, which she describes and discusses throughout the talk. While focusing more on experiences and the moment our bodies and hearts feel true movement, the artist elevated the installation through the talk and left the listeners in tranquility and thought upon leaving the chapel.

Bret Shirley: New World — Cardoza Fine Art

Bret Shirley capped 2024 with an exhibition of new paintings and sculptures at Cardoza Fine Art. Shirley’s work seems to operate between plane, with each work itself acting as a nexus for inter-planar activity. Shirley tears through the black vacuum we understand to be space and allows a glimpse into what seems to be a Crystal Kingdom of sorts. In this light, New World looks more like a series of artifacts and findings from the artist’s research of this other plane of existence. In the painting “Burial Banner,” the remnants of two banana leaves are set against a black backdrop. The leaves themselves have been replaced with layers of crystalline colors that could represent the layers of our world as easily as they could be a stellar form. Such paintings are then counter-balanced with works like “Exhibitions are Frightful,” making direct use of crystals through chrome alum to create organic, earthly patterns. Between the two, Shirley maintains an interesting balance between the planar systems.

Jamal Cyrus, “Transformation_Green”

Jamal Cyrus: STANDARDZENBLŪZ — Inman Gallery

Houston-based artist Jamal Cyrus has dedicated a large part of his career thus far to socially engaged projects, paintings, performances, and sculptures that hone in on histories, people, and communities. Through this commitment, he produces thoughtful and reflective work. His affinity for histories pervades his work and can be seen in STANDARDZENBLŪZ, his recent exhibition at Inman Gallery. While the majority of works on display make reference to music — a reproduction of an Al Green poster stained with blackened grits or a series of assemblages affixed with notes in Japanese to imply their re-discovery abroad — the artist also makes references to identity politics in African-American history. “X-plane,” resembling a prayer rug, makes direct references to Malcolm X through a combination of an FBI files and brick rubbings from the site of his murder. Recognizing that these two histories are not separate, Cyrus ties them together in three hanging works of canvas that bring forth imagery of sheet music and files with sections redacted – attempts to alter or erase history.

Jennie C. Jones: Compilation — Contemporary Arts Museum Houston

2016 started off strong at the museum with Jennie C. Jones’ Compilation, curated by Valerie Cassel Oliver. The traveling solo show focuses on Jones’s playful dance between painting, sculpture, and sound works. Unlike the other museums around the country, the Contemporary Arts Museum had a special opportunity to really define the space with Jones’ work given the unique diamond shape of the institution, leading to the unique presenting methods and custom building that was involved with the exhibition. Jones’ sculptural works featured elements such as cable, cable ties, endpin jacks, CD cases, and a variety of current and vintage music accoutrements, including sculptures of sound absorbing panels and reimagined speaker boxes. All of these pieces, pulling from jazz, blues, and experimental sound history, created a movement of its own. The space was populated with her paintings composed of acoustic dampening panels, works on paper, and her iconic Acoustic Painting series, as well as site specific installations, and sound works. Jones was in town for her show and it was great to be able to catch up with her and talk to her about her work. She was fascinated by the new dialogs her works created as a whole and was eager to discuss her process and ideas within. During the run of the exhibition, Jones participated in a walkthrough and talk with the curator about the history of the works. The talk offered an unusual perspective as it featured live music from local musician David Dove who played the conceptual score from a body of her works on paper.

Christopher Wallace, “Haunted House,” 2024.

Christopher Wallace and Samantha Persons: Surface Dwellers — Lawndale Art Center

Christopher Wallace and Samantha Persons are both prolific artists working in the realm of the tedious. The exhibition, Surface Dwellers, was over a year in the making and featured works on paper as well as installations. Both artists’ work seemed to have been completed side by side based on the visual harmony of the show. While both kept an open dialog about some of the works in the show, many of them were created in the solitude of their practice. The pieces, varying in size, all held solid viewability with many of the works reading as intricate tapestry patterns, all hand drawn, bringing the audience closer and closer to discover more from within. Persons’ work focuses on pattern, repetition, and color, while Wallace’s work is very similar in nature, yet brings in a bit more fantasy and pop culture such as “Haunted House,” featuring a gathering of gaming and fictional characters mashed together in a marvelous color explosion. Both presented a drawing party, which was amazingly packed for a Saturday afternoon and involved more details into the creative process of the artist’s works as well as the music and films that inspire their process.

Claire Webb — Gspot Contemporary Art Space

Claire Webb is typically known for her whimsical jewelry and metal work. In 2024 her work was featured in the Texas Design Show at the Contemporary Art Museum. This past year, Webb made a new departure. Moving completely away from her smaller works, Claire did what many artists fear to do and left the “Comfort Zone.” Refusing to make the same object or series over and over again, her work in Gspot’s group exhibition Co_WORKS was refreshing and exciting. The piece “Fourfold above and below,” included several organic shapes cyanotype printed on silk and iridescent fabric lying in a box of dark sand with a custom built table to hold it all. The new sculptures were interesting and led to you wanting more of her work within the group show. I kept coming back to her piece and spent the most time with it looking over the elements of her presentation and the craft of her objects. Not that I’m not a fan of her jewelry work, as it’s a sound body of work, but this new direction is ambitious and I look forward to seeing more of these sculptures.

François Burland, “Oujda-vevey,” 1999. Photo by Paul Hester, courtesy of The Menil Collection, Houston.

As Essential As Dreams: Self-Taught Art from the Collection of Stephanie and John Smither — The Menil Collection

As Essential As Dreams: Self-Taught Art from the Collection of Stephanie and John Smither was exhibited at the Menil Collection, showcasing autodidactic artists whose drive to create led them to develop practices outside of institutions. The aesthetics on view varied quite drastically, but were looped together both by honing in on self-taught artists and with the collectors’ obvious interest in surrealism. These ideas are far from separate, though, with surrealists often valuing artists who work outside of traditional means and attempt to transcend rationale in favor of something that exists beyond reality. Without going into the full list of artists on display, the rear wall of the space offered a clean summation of the exhibition in a salon-style hanging of works. Howard Finster’s “TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY,” a circular painting on metal roughly the size of a tire that reads “Take care of your body it is a house for your should take care of your body it will help take care of you life cannot stay here without a body,” hung in proximity to a tiled sculpture of a woman carrying a box on her head, contrasting in methodology but hinting at the general philosophy that drove the Smithers to collect.

Bradley Kerl and Bill Willis: Simple Taste is Popular — Art Palace

Bradley Kerl and Bill Willis never disappoint. Kerl with his heavy brush stroked paintings and bold colors seemed to be a great fit for collaboration with Bill Willis, whose works range from collaged digital works to light handed yet tightly compositional paintings. Their exhibition, Simple Taste is Popular, featured paintings by both artists and their works harmonized together. Kerl presented a series of paintings of vintage nude playing card ladies, a playful departure from his more academic studio paintings. These melded nicely with Bill Willis’ paintings of food still lifes with the imagery torn almost directly from vintage italian cookbooks and ‘60s magazines. The exhibition seemed to poke fun yet celebrate the vintage culture of the ‘50s and ‘60s and almost maintained a men’s stag basement feel with works as a whole. Rarely am I disappointed with the works from these two artist and was pleased to see the two paired together. Willis opened a new body of works on paper in Art Palaces project room on January 13 and the exhibition runs through February 28.

Mark Flood: Gratest Hits — Contemporary Arts Museum Houston

As could be expected, Mark Flood’s retrospective, Gratest Hits, curated by museum Director Bill Arning, offered quite the spectacle. With an army of the museum’s preparators, local art celebrities, and Flood’s own merry assistants, the show was not just installed, but also created on site. Dozens of Flood’s paintings were attached together to make various rooms and walls, creating a maze-like exhibition. The retrospective featured videos, installations, performances, and happenings to say the least. While certain publications questioned his motives, the exhibition was solid, and all in all, Mark Flood does what Mark Flood does. While the individual works — such as lace paintings and tongue in cheek text stenciled pieces — certainly held their own, the overall experience was for the viewer to indulge, even including “Like” paintings to be placed at the foot of each piece to not only pay homage to the rise of social media, but to mock the process of artist, viewer and institution. The opening was a zoo of who’s whos, local celebrities, artist, curators, and even a tighty-whitey-sporting exhibitionist. Arning showed his admiration for the dedication and perseverance of Flood’s career, resulting in one hell of an entertaining show.

Michael Bhichitkul, “Bungee Jump,” 2024.

Michael Bhichitkul — Cardoza Fine Art / Blank Check Gallery

There were several younger artists refining their work this past year, one of whom is interdisciplinary artist Michael Bhichitkul, who had two great shows in 2024. The first was Real Life Situations at Cardoza Fine Art in the spring.  The breakout show not only showed the potential of the artist, but was yet another leap for gallerist Pablo Cardoza. Cardoza curated tightly and presented the diversity of Michaels work, trusting the artist to create an elaborate set of installations and sculptures. The show was of museum quality and embraced the vastness of the gallery’s new space. “Tree Study” placed a mid sized tree in the middle of the gallery with a blank canvas shoved through its branches and “Look Where Gilligan Got Us Know,” which involved an inflatable raft stuffed into the rafters high above the gallery floor.  Greenhorn gallerist London Alexander of Blank Check Gallery presented a whole new body of work by Bhichitkul, which, while called 5 New Paintings, actually featured more than five smaller works and installations and zero paintings. While the newer gallery, located above Paulie’s restaurant on Westheimer, was smaller in square footage than Cardoza, it carried the same intensity and professionalism. Alexander and Bhichitkul prevailed and the show as whole read as a large and amusing installation. While maintaining the danger and tension element with pieces like “Bungee Jump,” which featured a dangling cinder block above a digital print of broken concrete on the floor. There were subtle pieces like “Lumberjack,” representing a framed print of tree bark with a physical axe embedded into it, leading the viewer to the final gratifying moment when the artist was to have thrusted the axe into the print and wall.

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Last year presented many projects and exhibition to ponder. Galleries and institutions alike had a stellar year, including the MFAH, FotoFest, David Shelton Gallery, the galleries of Isabella Court, DiverseWorks, and plenty more. 2024 proves to have an over the top year for programming with new projects and exciting budding artists taking the stage. Fresh nonprofit projects and initiatives are in the works and will be bringing a productive new source of funding and opportunities for artists, curators, and creatives. Redevelopment and reorganization within several institutions this upcoming year brings a change in direction and gleaming revisioning.

Upcoming for 2024 and ongoing projects:

Lawndale Art Center’s Performance Revival — SPEAKEASY, Lawndale Live and more

With Stephanie Schumann Mitchell taking the reins as the new executive director, Lawndale Art Center has been bringing back the institution’s early grassroots vibes and presenting more evening events and providing a new jolt to Lawndale’s programming. SPEAKEASY is a new program initiative that re-envisions Lawndale’s “Speakeasy” series that took place from 1993 to 2024. The events have featured night performances from celebrated performers such as David Dove, Jawwaad Taylor, and Jandek, and the series does not disappoint. Lawndale Live is a TV studio audience-style show in Lawndale’s project room directed by Phillip Pyle II and hosted by Maurice Duhon Jr., with music programming by Jawwaad Taylor. The show brought on many local talents, artists, featured DJ sets from Flash Gordon Parks and Hip Hop artist Fat Tony, and even hosted former mayor Annise Parker. The new move for project and evening performances is exciting and has received much attention to date. We look forward to much more to come.

Not Like the Other — Iva Kinnaird / Performance Art Houston

Iva Kinnaird is an ever-changing visual and performance artist. Her shows at Aurora Residency, galleryHOMELAND, and works at Lawndale Art Center have always been fascinating. Kinnaird has really kicked it up this past year and appears to be working on several bodies of work at once. This past fall she served as artist-in-residence for Performance Houston’s Instagram page, presenting some incredibly interesting social media works. Ranging from still images to videos of Kinnaird climbing around a table like a troubled feline was entertaining and compelling. Moreover, Kinnaird’s work is fresh and the performances are highly original. She doesn’t overthink it or try to force shock value, it’s a mixture of new concepts and the reimagining of old ones. What makes her work and the work presented online work so well is that she presents what she finds interesting rather than what she feels the viewer wants. The project evolved throughout her online residency and was a highlight of the day to see what was next. Kinnaird’s upcoming exhibition, Art Show!, opens January 27 at Art League Houston and runs through March 11.

Paraspace Books

Paraspace Books is a project by Sara Balabanlilar and S Rodriguez that is currently housed within the new storefront of TOMO Mags. They define the project as a transient queer book space, providing literature by queer and POC writers with a sci-fi bent. The project also received funding from Round 9 of The Idea Fund for a lecture and workshop series titled Textu(r)al Response, through which they hope to develop a community dialogue around ideas of embodiment in regards to personal experiences as well as what a future body is or can/could/would/will be.

Nick Barbee — Art Lending Library Galveston

The Art Lending Library Galveston is a new project led by Nick Barbee with the assistance of a grant from The Idea Fund. It’s just like a regular library, but instead of checking out books, members check out original art. Working off a membership, participants get to keep art works for three months. With a collection of up to 20 works focused on promoting younger artists based in Galveston, the goal is to help out emerging artists and collectors and removes the economic barrier of living with art.

Although 2024 is going to be one hell of a challenge, we have our community to turn towards for guidance and pride. There’s a great deal of exciting creative endeavours within Houston, with new spaces in the works and new festivals being formulated. Not all of these will be worth noting once they have come and gone, but as of now there are many that will be here for this year and next. Houston has been moving above and beyond its creative boundaries and an assortment of international projects are bringing brand new conversations and dialogs throughout the state and beyond. Although we enter 2024 with trepidation, we eagerly await the impulsive and instigative events that shall present themselves from within the creative community.

This week in Houston brings in a night of sound and music by female performers at Art League Houston, the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration at Rothko Chapel, and numerous exhibition openings, including those at Lawndale Art Center, Art Palace and Capsule Gallery.

Thursday, January 12

Discussion — Flow: Lettering in the Age of Hip Hop with Erik Marinovich at Contemporary Arts Museum Houston

Starting at 6:30, the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (5216 Montrose) and AIGA Houston present a discussion with San Fransisco-based lettering artist and designer Erik Marinovich. Marinovich poses the question, “What makes lettering and hip hop so appealing, and why are the similarities between them so uncanny?” As such, he will explore parallels between the two art forms and the effects each have on their industries and culture at large. Seating is limited so arrive early to guarantee your spot.

Opening Reception — Emily Fens: Rainbow Room at Matchbox Gallery

From 7 to 11 pm, Rice University’s Matchbox Gallery (6100 Main) will host the opening reception for Emily Fens installation Rainbow Room. The piece, inspired by nature, explores the dynamic of microscopic parts coming together to form something much larger, manifested in the many small watercolor blobs that compose rainbow gradients across the gallery space. The opening reception for the exhibition, which will be on view through February 1, will feature drinks and music from DJ Kona FM.

Friday, January 13

Performance — Hear Her Ear: Women in Sound at Art League Houston

From 6 to 7:30 pm, Art League Houston (1953 Montrose) will present the second night of sound and music performances and readings by women, organized by Ayanna Jolivet Mccloud. The night brings performances by Megan Easely, Veronica Salinas, Sonia Flores & Victor Hernandez, Anisa Boukhlif and Lisa Harris. There will also be readings of writings by Pauline Oliveros, Mahalia Jackson, Cecilia Vicuna and Maryanne Amacher, among others, between performances. The event is part of Score: Field Work, a site-specific installation by Mccloud that features visual scores and sound by women artists, writers and musicians.

Opening Receptions at Lawndale Art Center

From 6 to 8 pm, Lawndale Art Center (4912 Main) will host the opening receptions for four exhibitions including Pulltight, Texas by Glenn Downing, an installation of works inspired by the artist’s experiences in Texas; R. Eric McMaster’s video installation involving competitive dancers called A Routine in Parts; Play It as It Lays, a group exhibition curated by José Guadalupe Garza; and Irene Reece’s Mon Frère, an installation centered around the artist’s brother, who has special needs. The exhibitions will  be on view through February 25.

Opening Reception — Laura Splan: Material Expressions at Capsule Gallery

From 6 to 8 pm, Capsule Gallery (3909 Main) will host the opening receptions for Laura Splan’s solo exhibition Material Expressions. Splan uses biosensors to create data driven forms and patterns for sculptures, tapestries and works on paper. “Much of her work is inspired by experimenting with materials and process including digital fabrication, medical diagnostics and textiles, which she mines for their narrative and untapped potentials.” The exhibition will be on view through February 11.

Opening Receptions — Emily Joyce: The Masks and Tomory Dodge at Inman Gallery

From 6 to 8 pm, Inman Gallery (3901 Main) will host the opening receptions for Emily Joyce’s exhibition The Masks as well as an untitled exhibition by Tomory Dodge. Joyce’s exhibition presents visual idioms and geometric abstractions that mine 20th century art history and the 16th century Italian theater form “commedia dell’arte.” Dodge’s exhibition presents oil on canvas and collage works of patterns and subtle figural suggestions within heavily abstracted surfaces. The exhibitions will be on view through March 4.

Opening Reception — Sarah Fisher: Seen and Bill Willis at Art Palace

From 6 to 8 pm, Art Palace (3913 Main) will host opening receptions for Seen, the first solo exhibition by Houston painter Sarah Fisher, as well as a series of new watercolors from Bill Willis. Fisher’s oil paintings are stark yet sentimental, unique portraits crafted through love and authenticity. Willis will also present a new set of watercolors, which are often beautifully stylized depictions of rather unceremoniously presented food items. The exhibitions will be on view through February 28.

Saturday, January 14

Cups for Y’all: A Pop-Up Sale at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft

From 10 am to 5 pm, join Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (4848 Main) for a pop-up sale featuring a wide variety of cups and mugs made by celebrated ceramic artists from all over the country. In addition to pieces by more than a dozen artists, the event will also feature complimentary coffee and donuts from Morningstar.

Sunday, January 15

Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration at Rothko Chapel

Starting at 5 pm, the Rothko Chapel (3900 Yupon) is hosting an unforgettable celebration in honor of the live and work of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The event kicks off with a ceremony on the plaza to welcome the return of the Broken Obelisk by Barnett Newman after a year away for conservation. Additionally, speakers will include MFAH Director Gary Tinterow and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, as well as original poems performed by Jackson Neal and Fareena Arefeen, the city’s second Youth Poet Laureate. Refreshments will be provided and the evening will end in the chapel with a talk by American commentator, journalist and novelist, Leonard Pitts, Jr.

Monday, January 16

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Audio Installations at Rothko Chapel

In honor of MLK Day, Rothko Chapel is playing a series of speeches from his life throughout the day, starting at 11 am. The event concludes with his “I Have a Dream” speech, which starts at 5 pm.

Born in Savannah, Georgia, adopted Houstonian Rebecca Braziel stands out in the artistic community here due to her graceful use and sublime concepts of fibers. Her focus on delicate textures, thoughtful process, natural materials, rich repetition and acute attention to detail all collide to reveal work of great intrigue. Through her unique way of sourcing material from nature and man made items, Braziel allows for the objects to bring their own narratives to the table. The starting point of inspiration from these items richly revives them where their previous state was seen as something to discard.

With her move to Houston in 2024, Braziel has since shown work at the Galveston Art Center, Mountain View College, Hunger Gather Project, and recently won the Texas Biggest 10 award from the Katy Contemporary Art Museum Fort Bend. Currently she is weaving new stories in her studio as an artist in resident at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. Graciously she took the time to answer some questions about the various chapters of her career.

Free Press Houston: Your absorption of art in your childhood was different than most. How did you begin to understand creativity?

Rebecca Braziel: My childhood lacked contact with fine art but instead was characterized by a sense of complete creative freedom and an abundance of rich visual stimulation. I built twig houses in the woods with my brothers and played dress up alongside my sisters using vintage clothing with lace, intricate beading, feathers, and velvet. My mother blurred the lines between outdoors and in by filling the house with plants, flowers, and my favorite, a massive collection of dried vines that she gracefully wrapped in lights and installed along the ceiling in her favorite room. This type of artistic experience developed my practice because instead of being shown a painting or sculpture and being told, “This is art and these are the materials used to make it,” I followed my own path of making art out of whatever material I responded to, approaching each piece with a playfulness which produced flexibility and innovation.

FPH: What was your experience in higher education like?

Braziel: Studying at Savannah College of Art and Design with a focus in Fibers was such an influential time in my life. I was a late bloomer taking my first official art class my sophomore year of high school so to fully immerse myself in art was an intoxicating experience. I was always good at drawing and photography but SCAD is where I was introduced to fibers. My fibers professors had such high standards for our work conceptually and technically and it was only with their guidance that I realized what I was capable of. Even now with every new piece I continue ask myself the simple questions they used to pose such as, “How do I want the viewer to feel when they are interacting with my art?”

FPH: What lead you to the use of materials in fabric and nature?

Braziel: It is a priority of mine to spend time in nature because I enjoy it so much. It found a way into my work in 2024 when I witnessed a large wildfire in Georgia frighteningly close to my grandmother’s house, causing the land all around her to be shockingly black and flat. I collected the tree bark out of a desperate attempt to save a piece of the land that felt like home. After storing it for two years, tiny eggs started to grow along the surface. I tend to see the world through a fibers lens, so to me, these eggs looked exactly like seed beads that are used for beaded embroideries. I began using beads to imitate and celebrate the next life cycle for this tree bark. Ever since creating this work, I continuously strive to capture the essence of nature using mixed media with an emphasis on fibers.

FPH: What would be some of the experiences that have helped shape your style and concept?

Braziel: No. 1: The birth of my first daughter at 19 taught me to cherish and protect everything that is precious and fragile. Being in the vast remains of Bastrop, Texas’s forest ravaged by wildfires introduced me to hope for regeneration. Volunteering with Joseph Heidecker at Design Miami where long lines of people waited to participate in his interactive piece taught me that people want to actively engage with art while working as an assistant to Mary Elizabeth Sargent for entire summer to create a one-time fibers installation that could not be moved or sold taught me that sometimes art can transcend the art market and exist for a purer reason.

No. 2: Being in a landscape that has been devastated by wildfires is one. Being in the vast remains of Bastrop, Texas’s forest was a bizarre mixture of sadness and calm. Sad because of the wasted life, calm because you are still in nature. Experiencing that and trying to express it within the restrictions of a 22 x 30 inch piece of paper has shaped my style. Also, the millions of instances where you don’t have control resulting in the practice of patience and acceptance. All of my materials have their natural qualities that I am working with or around. So I approach them like a dance where I make a move and then they respond. That technique takes patience and acceptance.

FPH: How has your residency at HCCC gone so far? Have any new concepts came forth from your time there so far?

Braziel: I am halfway through my residency and having this time and space to create has helped me bring ideas that I have had for years to fruition. For example, in the past, I have been very focused on creating work revolving around wildfires, nature, and regeneration. While I continue to work with that subject, I have started a separate series of work using vintage clothing and accessories, which conjure vivid past experiences heavily weighted in childhood nostalgia. I then permanently attach or separate these objects in ways that reflect family ties using embroidery, stapling, as well as other processes.

FPH: How are you approaching your projects in the coming year?

Braziel: My focus for the next year is to be more community driven with both the local art community and general public. Right now I am working on a proposal for a two-person show with another Houston-based artist. At the same time I am also talking to the HCCC Education team about how to share my collaborative pieces with the greater Houston community by visiting schools and community centers. My hope is that these projects will result in one huge installation piece that they could come together around and celebrate. In January, I am leading Hands on Houston at the Craft Center. The activity that I have planned is called, “Crowns from the Garden.” We will be sourcing materials from the garden and appreciating Houston for being lovely and green in a month that can often seem stark.

FPH: Now seeing that there is such a culture shift in our nation, how do you feel your work can possibly help a viewer connect or reconnect to some of the concepts and material you work with?

Braziel: In September I presented an interactive installation titled “Creeping Vine” which was based on the green leafy vines that grow wildly on Houston’s fences and walls blurring the lines in our landscape, unifying the city. A wire backing was installed in the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft’s AIRSPACE and every visitor to the center had an equal opportunity to contribute by adding a fabric strip or “leaf”. I view this as a democratic way of creating art that encourages people to work side by side on the creation of a project, stimulating conversation about community life as well as bringing focus to causes such as the importance of nature.

FPH: How has being a mother influenced or changed your work over the years?

Braziel: The good news is that in a lot of ways, it hasn’t. I stay inspired by working and getting out to see shows because whether you don’t have children or if you have three kids, the most important thing is to maintain what feeds you as a person. On a deeper level, I believe that I move further and further away from a self-centered state of mind with every child I have. As that happens, I am more sensitive to the things around me such as color, texture, movement, shape, and balance because I am not caught up thinking about myself. I have also become more empathetic and caring for others. This observation of details and experiences is reflected in all that I create in my studio.

Houston-based artist Bret Shirley has garnered a reputation for regularly producing inspiring and innovative works. Having shown works at venues across Houston, including galleryHOMELAND, Cardoza Fine Art and the Blaffer Art Museum‘s Window Into Houston, Shirley has become well known for utilizing rather unorthodox materials and processes in his art making. Prior to his upcoming solo exhibition, New World, which opens at Cardoza Fine Art on December 9, Free Press Houston was able to catch up with the artist about his inspiration, new works, and creative process.

Free Press Houston: How did you begin using crystals in your work?

Bret Shirley: That came from being interested in where a lot of actual pigment came from and a lot of it’s mineral based. So I just started messing around with minerals and remembered 7th grade science, rock candy growing, and just how bright some of the colors in some of these minerals were. “What can you make crystals out of?” It wasn’t just that they were crystals, it was more like how do you use minerals as a color and they all generally take a crystalline form. It’s a nice bonus that crystals are beautiful, that people are interested in them. Then I started growing larger crystals, in a more sculptural sense, and then became interested in using minerals as a pigment for painting. That’s where the actual crystal paintings came from. I underpaint the crystal paintings with something like silver spray paint or I silver leaf them, but then I use different solutions of mineral to get the actual color values within the paintings. It just came from how we get color.

The performative aspect that the crystal paintings have, that I’m not involved in, really intrigues me. That I set them into their environments to grow and don’t have much control over what they do. I mean, I have techniques that I can use to try to get this result or this result, but the idea that I’m sort of out of control is really nice and really cathartic. It is what it is. I mean, I can start over many, many times to make it what I want, but it’s this natural process that I don’t have control over and that’s really interesting to me. The painting is performing while it’s making itself.

Bret Shirley, “Myth Science and Astro Infinity”

FPH: In that vein, while many of your works in the past have included the use of crystals, this exhibition also includes paintings. How much of a departure is that for you and how did you decide to choose that process?

Shirley: I don’t think it was much of a departure, I think it was a natural progression. The crystal paintings — I call them crystal paintings because I view them as paintings. I think if you go to art school you’re sort of told — especially if you’re not a painting major — that you’re not allowed to paint, at least in my own experience. I sort of came up through the institution, went to the right schools, whatever, but if you’re a photo major or a sculpture major or design major, how dare you even approach painting. It’s this sacred form, this sacred mode of production, that only painters are allowed to achieve or dabble in. I never made work before the crystal paintings that was universally accepted as beautiful, so making these beautiful pieces kind of opened me up to being like, “Oh, I can make other things that are beautiful.” It didn’t make painting any less iconic to me, it just sort of broke down this wall that was between me and actual painting. The crystal paintings made it okay for me to start painting with paint. All of these new paintings are still very mechanical in process, there’s still not a lot of human hand. I still think they’re paintings. That’s always been in my head since school. “How dare you approach painting? You’re not a painter. Don’t paint, don’t try.” Which I think is fucking stupid. Are sculptors allowed to tell sculptors not to sculpt? So, it didn’t feel like a departure for me, it felt like the next move. I like doing the crystal paintings and I continue to love making them, but they sort of made it okay to make work that was more related to painting than sculptural work. That sort of just broke down this barrier in my head, maybe it’s just me, that you’re not allowed to paint. I have a lot of friends who are really good painters and it’s really intimidating. So yeah, I don’t think it’s a departure, I think it’s a natural progression of where this work is going. I see the crystal paintings and these new leaf paintings as wholly related.

FPH: How has your perspective on the creative process changed over time?

Shirley: It’s gotten more intense and less intimidating. For a long time after being in school I didn’t make much visual art. I was in bands for a long time and I enjoyed that. That really helped with getting the sort of creative outlet I needed, but that was also partially because I had this stupid notion of — going back to painting — of art being this thing that you aspire to, that it’s this thing up on a pedestal. “Oh, you get to be an artist.” You get to be. It’s this privilege that everyone wants to achieve for this status, everyone wants to achieve being an artist. I think that even a few years ago I was still kind of looking towards that. That’s sort of shattered now. I think art is really important, especially to me, obviously, but I think that we as a people in general, in Western culture, put too much cache on art. It’s a little too holy, a little too reverent, and not reverent in the ways of painting the Pietà or baby Jesus or anything, but reverent as in, “Oh, it’s art, we can only look at it in this white cube or through the window.” I think the creative process is changed in that I’m a lot more comfortable working in the world of making art now, at least in my own world. I’m holed up in this warehouse by myself for 10 hours a day, going through my thoughts. I’m maybe less critical of myself, less critical of my desire to make art. It was always kind of like, “Do I deserve to make art?” Even when I was in school, too, I had these questions. I had pieces about it. “Do I deserve to make art?” I need to be validated somehow in my art making, and now that doesn’t really exist. I make things and I hope that people like them, that would be great, but if not, whatever. It’s in the same way that making the crystal paintings broke down this wall of painting being this thing that you have to aspire to, all of that has broken down art making in the same way.

I think the creative process has changed in the last few years, in that — I’m not jaded — but the unnecessary romanticism is gone. I still get butterflies when I make a piece that I’m really happy with. “Oh, holy shit, this piece is awesome, I’m so excited.” It makes me feel really good, and even if no one else likes it, or no one ever even sees it, it still really helps me get through my day. I think a few years ago I was way more concerned with my right to feel that. Now I don’t fucking care.

Bret Shirley, “Citizens”

FPH: You’ve been working with Cardoza Fine Art for some time now. Has having a steady gallerist helped you creatively?

Shirley: It’s been really wonderful. I think four or five years ago, when Pablo [Cardoza] really started the gallery, he asked me if I wanted to show. I hadn’t really shown outside of small drawings and big group shows in probably seven years, and I hadn’t made any work with that in mind. He was just like, “Bret, you should have a show.” I was like, “I don’t know,” but he said, “No, just have a show. It’s this date, it’s your show.” That got me making work again, which I’m always thankful for. But then again, Pablo is a pretty unique gallerist in that his background isn’t in the art world. He’s learned how to navigate it and learned how to talk about it while he’s been working in it. It also give him a unique perspective and a certain trust of his artists to do whatever they want. Pablo comes [to my studio] pretty regularly just to hang out and he sees the work as it’s moving along, but even this new body of work, he didn’t see most of it until it was done. We even talked about it. I was like, “It’s a little weird that I have a show at your place in a few weeks and you haven’t seen most of it.” He just said, “No, I trust that you’ll do it well.” That’s the kind of gallerist/artist relationship that fosters making good art. Pablo allows the artists that he works with to really experiment within their own comfort zones. I think that results in some different kinds of shows happening within one person’s vision, Pablo’s curatorial vision, but we’re not all the same artist and we’re all encouraged to make the work that you’re proud of showing. It’s good. The fact that Pablo’s going to the art fairs, which, you know, a lot of people love art fairs, a lot of people hate art fairs. I don’t even want to call them a necessary evil because I don’t think that either is true, but they are part of the art economy now. He goes to them and it’s a great opportunity for artists from Houston — ones that he’s taking to Miami, New York or even the art fairs in Houston — to get a new kind of audience that wouldn’t normally come to Cardoza [Fine Art]. You can’t rely on having a show every two years to sell your work. If you work as a full-time artist, that’s just not how it works. That he goes to fairs is a really, really nice addition that also keeps me working heavily.

I know of and have worked with gallerists who don’t give you any freedom, so it’s not just having a gallery that’s put me where I am, it’s having a gallery that is specifically the people that I’m working with. Every artist and every gallerist are going to give you different answers.

FPH: How do you see your work evolving?

Shirley: I think my work is evolving right now. I think that every time I have a show, I’m really proud of it, but think, “Man, had I worked on that show a little harder it would have been this.” And then that becomes the study for the next show, and so on and so on. I think working with more materials and in larger, more experimental formats is where I want to go. I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to have a full-time art career now and it’s really nice to be able to spend 50 hours a week in the studio; it gives me time to experiment. That’s also just the kind of artist I am, I want to always move forward. I guess it’s also problematic because I get tired of something after a year and a half of doing it. “Well, I don’t want to make those anymore.” But that’s what I want to make. I think I’ll probably make more of these leaf paintings and keep working in sculpture, but I have a few large scale projects in mind that, if I had the resources, I’d like to realize. I’ve always felt like — maybe this comes from being in bands — “Don’t make pieces, make shows.” It’s like, “Don’t make songs, make albums.” I have more shows in my head that I’ll start on the week after this next one opens. I’ll take a week off, reset the studio, and then on to the next thing.

Bret Shirley’s “New World” features an opening reception at Cardoza Fine Art (805A William St.) on Friday, December 9 from 7 to 10 pm. The exhibition will be on view through January 15, 2024.

It would be ridiculous to talk about all of the mesmerizing aspects of Houston’s Day for Night without discussing the art that the festival offers up.  With fully immersive experiences, the installations at the festival take everything you know about digital and physical art and turns it on its head.  Installations from United Visual Artists, Björk Digital, Damien Echols and many more will be on hand for your viewing pleasure.  As a music writer, I see so many things that it becomes hard for me to find joy at a traditional music festival.  However, last year’s Day for Night dazzled my mind while it offered up a euphoric experience that I’ve not since duplicated.  Hopefully these descriptions of the artists featured will help paint a picture of what the festival has to offer this year.

Starting with Björk Digital, you have the opportunity to experience the music of Björk in an incredibly intimate setting.  The exhibition includes multiple rooms of VR installations, including one that transports the viewer into the artists’s mouth as she sings and another featuring a one-on-one outdoor performance with Björk, as well as a cinema screening of her acclaimed music videos. Attendees will even get a chance to play with applications that Björk designed herself. Don’t misunderstand that along with Björk’s instrumentation, the applications — which have been implemented into Scandinavian schools — might be some of the most forward-thinking interactions you can have between science and music.

Our Time by United Visual Artists. Video: Courtesy of Artist

Last year some installations featured music that synced perfectly alongside the art itself.  The crew behind United Visual Artists‘ light-based projects will bring such an experience to Day for Night.  Their past works include installations like ORIGIN, where sculpture and light manipulation go hand in hand while the emanating sounds create a music of their own.  Aside from a bridge where light manipulates as people walk upon it and a canopy where light shifts with the environment in Toronto, United Visual Artists have created some impressive art pieces like Glow Project 11, the choreography of light, sound and movement with Momentum, and the visually stunning piece Chorus, which features music by Mira Calix, just to name a few. 

DAYDREAM V.02 by NONOTAK. Video: Courtesy of Artist

Last year, NONOTAK Studio made an appearance at Day for Night with their massive installation, Volume.  Simplistic yet still very complex, the piece was as massive in footprint as it was in emotion.  This year the duo has yet to release what they’re bringing to the festival, but they might be some of the best visual artists Houston is lucky enough to welcome.  By their use of illumination in their piece VERSUS, or their mixture of sound and light with the immersive piece Late Speculation, they certainly prove that they’re on a level of their own as far as artistry goes.  There also promises to be the immense light art of Russia-based TUNDRA, who have created such beautiful and musical works as HYPERJUMP, an interactive and kinetic light and sound piece POWPOW, and a reflective piece called My Whale.  Educator and visual artist Golan Levin will also be on hand and his list of works are as intriguing as they are bizarre.  Works like Rectified Flowers, the strange yet immersive Augmented Hand Series, and The Introspection Machine are just a small sample of his works that always seem to be a mixture of mad scientist and brilliant inventor.  You could say something similar about Berlin’s Robert Seidel, who works in the field of experimental film.  Seidel has presented pieces like the beautifully complex vitreous, and the illuminating piece grapheme, which is permanently installed at Museum Wiesbaden in Germany.

REACH by VT Pro. Video: Courtesy of Artist

Of course, this would not be complete without mentioning 20-year-old generative artist Ezra Miller.  Miller has done a life’s worth of work in a very short time, and utilizes WebGl to create pieces that are as insanely intense as they are playful and fun.  His list of works alone are impressive, however what he brings to the festival should be different from what most of us call “web art,” leaving most who experience his work mesmerized, and his Fractal Fantasy works alone are something that everyone should check out.  Damien Echols, who has one of the craziest backstories ever, centering around his almost 20 years on Death Row, will also bring his artwork to attendees.  Echols has authored a New York Times bestselling book and has a film about he and his wife, and when you’ve lived the life that Echols has, it’s pretty certain that his work at the festival will be pretty intense.  With LA’s VT PRO, the sky’s the limit, as their works are always strange and provoking.  Installations like REACH, the impressively intricate and musically crazed Music Wall BTS, and the beautifully creative The Chamber, their work really speaks for itself.  It doesn’t hurt that they’ve worked with the likes of deadmau5, Dillon Francis, and Logic as the design studio has made a name for themselves with superior work.

Nervescape V by SHOPLIFTER. Photo: Courtesy of Artist

The beauty of what happens when different groups collaborate is what you’ll see when Vincent Houze teams up with design group AV&C for AV&C+HOUZE.  The Icelandic artist known as SHOPLIFTER will likely turn patrons heads, especially considering her medium.  The artist uses synthetic hair to create beautifully crafted works of art that come alive and pop with color and movement.  Works like the humanistic The Weather Diaries, the crazed shaping of Vanity Disorder ii, or the massive hair extension works known as Nervescape all make you wonder what she will bring to the walls of Day for Night.  The artist who curated last year’s festival, Alex Czetwertynski was not only one of the most calm and collected artists at the festival, but also one of the most creative.  One of his newest pieces, Signal, is possibly one of the most brilliant and beautifully crafted digital artworks you could see.  The diverse works of Jesse Kanda will also be on display, and the 27-year-old artist is known for working on videos with Björk, Arca, and FKA Twigs. The collaborative works between Amsterdam-based visual artists Christopher Gabriel and Arnot Hulskamp, known together as Children of the Light, is something else entirely.  Next-level works like Reflector Suits, the immense size of Strobogrid 1.0, and the insane looking Zerotime should clue you into the diverse works created when these two work together.  This leads us to Herman Kolgen.  The Montreal-based artist’s audio-visual piece Seismik is like nothing ever seen before while laying the groundwork for what other producers should follow with their visuals, and I can’t wait to see what goodies he’ll bring to the festival this year.

This is definitely the future of what music festivals should hope to be in every way.  The carefully curated art is a large portion of what sets this festival apart and what dazzles audiences like never before.  On the music side, performances from Aphex Twin, Butthole Surfers, Squarepusher, Travis Scott, SOPHIE, and many more will delight your ears.  But the art should not and cannot be pushed aside.  You can see works by all of these impressive artists, many of which are known as the best in the world, on December 17 and 18 at Day for Night.  The all ages festival has tickets between $160 and $700 and it takes place at the former Barbara Jordan Post Office in downtown Houston.

Standing tall amongst the major museums in our district, Lawndale Art Center represents a variety of art including visual, musical, and performance based works. Stephanie Schumann Mitchell, Executive Director of Lawndale Art Center, has gracefully and heroically taken over the reigns at the institution, following and improving programing, while also cultivating new opportunities for the Houston arts scene as well.

From their most current and artistically iconic Día de los Muertos programming to their new local show “Lawndale Live,” Schumann Mitchell has taken the time to apply her energetic and rounded vision. In addition to the excellent exhibitions, important studio program and other initiatives from Lawndale Art Center, “Lawndale Live” will be a live show filmed weekly in front of a studio audience. Schumann Mitchell took the time to answer some questions about her journey through art and to Lawndale along with more information about this upcoming series.

Free Press Houston: How was art revealed to you in your childhood years and how did it progress thereafter?

Stephanie Schumann Mitchell: My great-grandmother Ruby was an artist and art teacher and I grew up surrounded by her paintings and mosaics. She began teaching art in Abilene in the 1930s and from 1957 through the early 1980s, she taught at the Texas School for the Deaf in Austin, Texas. Towards the end of her life she was the resident artist in Estes Park, Colorado.

Despite having warm memories of Ruby and her artworks, I did not grow up with a strong background in or a clear understanding of the visual arts. My family rarely ventured to museums and while I took some basic art classes in school, Art History was not part of the curriculum. So, in a sense, I stumbled into my career simply by following my interests and making the most of the working opportunities that presented themselves.

My first experience working in the visual arts was born out of my participation in Wendy Ewald’s Literacy through Photography course while I was a junior at Duke University. I fell in love with not only the medium of photography, but also its power as a tool for storytelling. The summer after this course I interned at the Aperture Foundation in New York. The second day I was on-site my superior left and I ended up with a load of real responsibility. I jumped at the opportunity to step into my enhanced role and was later able to parlay this experience into positions at the Whitney Museum of American Art. This experience in turn led to the fulfillment of my Master’s in the History of Art from Williams College and further work engagements on both the non-profit and commercial side of the art world.

Kati Ozanic-Lemberger, “Madonna and Child with Homegrown Tomatoes”

FPH: During your time in NYC, what were some of the strengths you gained as an advocate and leader in the arts?

Schumann Mitchell: Where to begin? I learned many lessons — some of them the hard way — but the ones that have proved to be the most valuable involve being authentic in the ways in which one engages with and communicates about art. In New York I learned that it is important to respect every individual who works to make the visual arts a vital part of the human experience and to not take their work and sacrifice for granted. I also learned not to take opportunity for granted, knowing that there are very few fields that inspire examination and reflection on a day-to-day basis. It is my intention as an advocate and leader in the arts that we should not take art and artists and the institutions that support them for granted.

During my time in New York and in graduate school I developed a pretty thick skin that allows me to argue passionately while appreciating other points of view. This strength is particularly valuable, I think, for the leaders of alternative institutions like Lawndale. I believe that these institutions should be brave in the ways that they approach difficult aesthetic and cultural matters. I do not mean that they should necessarily be politicized, but rather that they can function as a sort of town hall whereby individuals can come together to address contemporary topics and to express different theories, emotions, and points of view.

Finally, having worked at the Whitney and The Drawing Center during times of leadership transition, I know first-hand how difficult this can be for an institution, much less for the community-at-large. I have been trained to take the long-view, and while I know that I will always have room to improve my leadership skills, I wake up every day thinking about where Lawndale will be in 5, 10 years. When I find myself rushing to get there I try to instill patience and to remember that patience served me well when I was in the trenches with my junior colleagues many years ago.

FPH: What lead you to Lawndale in Houston? What are some of the ideas you hope to flourish at Lawndale?

Schumann Mitchell: My husband and I decided to move to Houston for various reasons, the primary one being that it was in our best interest from a career and family standpoint. In doing so, I turned down an opportunity to serve as Director of the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art so was pleased when the Lawndale opportunity came to light.

Lawndale is unique in that it functions as a nexus of creative voices and is uniquely capable of broadening the public’s appreciation of contemporary art while nurturing a creative dialogue among artists working within and without the visual arts (i.e. performance, literary arts). I believe that Lawndale’s distinct stature, vast network of artists and public accessibility primes it to tap into the incredible diversity that has come to define Houston in the 21st Century, and that that alone sets us apart from other arts organizations in the city. Further, we operate a nine-month artist residency, the Artist Studio Program, that is a real gem and an under-recognized facet of our programming here.

Houston is truly a city of opportunity and I view Lawndale as very much taking part in that “can do” attitude. For over 36 years, Lawndale has served as an important platform for thousands of emerging, mid-career and established artists to experiment with new forms and ideas. Not many organizations can claim that feather in their cap! When I think about Lawndale’s next chapter and my role in shaping it, I think very much about Lawndale serving as a laboratory of ideas and experimentation for artists working in all media but also for other creative voices such as curators, writers, musicians, etc. I believe that the beauty of being an alternative art space — especially one with such a fabulous building as 4912 Main — means that Lawndale can really be ambitious in the ways that we support the work of living artists and the interests of the community.

Dawn Black, “Conceal Project”

FPH: You have an upcoming series entitled “Lawndale Live.” What is the format and how will it evolve over time?

Schumann Mitchell: Lawndale Live is a live show filmed weekly in front of a studio audience and directed by Phillip Pyle, II and hosted by Maurice Duhon, Jr.; Stephen Wilson serves as set designer and Jawwaad as music director. These gentlemen have been working furiously over the past weeks to build their set in our Project Space and to film scripted commercials to screen live between guests. I like to think of the series as a cross between Saturday Night Live and Between Two Ferns, but I am leaving this assessment open until I see the shows. All of the shows are open to the public and will live online; guests include Lawndale’s local celebrities including Mayor Anise Parker, Toby Kamps, GONZO, Fat Tony, and many others.

FPH: How has the arts scene in Houston been in comparison to other places you have worked and lived? How do you see it shifting in the next 5 to 10 years?

Schumann Mitchell: I have lived and worked in only a few other places: New York City, Paris, and Williamstown, MA. I began my career in New York City and lived and worked there for almost 15 years so the City holds a very special place in my heart. The New York art world is different now than it was when I began to forge my career; like the City, the art world changes and adapts to various pressures. At first I found the experience to be very intimate and that has changed over time with the incredible emphasis on the market. This intimacy pervaded my experiences in Paris and Williamstown; in Paris, I worked closely with the Whitney’s then curator-at-large Joan Simon on shows she was organizing not only for the Whitney but also the Addison, the Pompidou and alongside independent ideas that she was developing, and this working experience was magical. The Williams program in the History of Art is unparalleled, I believe, in the access that it provides its students to great curators, scholars, directors, and artists.

Before moving to Houston, I was very familiar with the Menil and MFAH and was aware that the arts had a strong and significant presence here. I was not expecting the depth or range of small organizations — Lawndale included — that form the cultural landscape, nor the warmth and generosity of the artists and patrons that make the art scene so lively. Further, I am discovering among my colleagues in the field that there is great enthusiasm for collaboration and for developing new approaches to our efforts to cultivate new audiences and donor bases. So, there is real opportunity here not only for artists, but also for arts administrators. I love the idea of Houston being known throughout the nation for its support of artists and institutions, and for contributing some really radical and productive ideas on how art organizations can truly enhance a community.

As for the shift, all I can say is that it is going to be interesting. There is of course a new class of leaders, the majority of whom cut their teeth outside of the Houston art world. I envision that there will be some friendly competition and some really fun and dynamic collaborations.

Acting on the suggestion of a stranger in the middle of a busy supermarket line, Joel Ray took his busy receipt-drawing handiwork and turned his skill to the canvas. Rapidly gaining confidence in his unique skill, Ray took a leap of faith becoming a full-time artist. Known across town as a man of conversation, creativeness, and charisma, Ray has bound together an eclectic mix of our community through his art. He explains how he got his start along with his take on the art scene in our city.

Free Press Houston: Your introduction to art wasn’t typical. How did you discover painting as a medium that spoke to you?

Joel Ray: It wasn’t until 22 years of age and it came in a peculiar way. As fate would have it, I was doodling on the back of a receipt while working as a cashier at a local grocery store. This doodle caught the eye of an artist who was checking out. Seeing my potential, the artist encouraged me to give painting a shot since I had never painted before. That very day I got off of work and went to buy oils, acrylics, canvas and an easel not even knowing basics like that oils don’t mix with acrylics. For the first time, I put a brush to canvas and created my first paintings. Upon seeing these early paintings, a painter named Marcus Mann realized my gift and invited me to paint with him. Ultimately, this relationship would lead me into the art world and have a profound impact on my life for the good.

FPH: You took a big leap into the art world by becoming a full-time artist. Was there a defining moment when you made that decision?

Ray: I distinctly remember a moment where I was asked to sit across from a table to oversee the meeting of a major art collector and an artist. After that event, I realized if you want to be an artist you have to be fully devoted to your art and secure in your abilities, otherwise how does one expect someone to trust and invest in you? I told myself you either sink or swim and there is no other option. I was 22 and art had just found me. Never wanting to be an artist before, I had to find myself through the art, which I think is a blessing because its allows me to continually grow as a person.

Joel Ray, “Silver Tray,” 2024

FPH: As a painter, are there any artists that speak to you?

Ray: Most people expect to hear me mention a painter when asked this question but my main influences have always been along the lines of Steve Martin, Michael J. Fox, and Sting, meaning I am very inspired by stories as an individual and their relation to their gift and not physical art. Stories that fascinate me are the ones on how one came into their passion, grew that passion, and dealt with having their passion become a commodity.

That’s not to say I do not have some favorite artist such as Wassily Kandinsky for his use of color and structure, which conveyed a symphony throughout his works. Another artist that influences me is Jackson Pollock. In his early works of art, he gave you a strong sense about his struggle for acceptance in love, art, and fame. Of course Picasso also influences me for his vast array of styles and subject matter on woman. Lastly John Singer Sargent for the way he painted poetry through portraiture. I often seem to get Kandinsky’s color referenced in my works from others.

FPH: Have their been any particular experiences that have changed your work for the better?

Ray: I would have to say the passing of my father to cancer was one that I can remember. The exact experience happened the night of his viewing. I had so many people tell me stories about the acts of kindness my father did that I was not aware of because he was not the one to speak about his giving. I was so overwhelmed and inspired that I decided not to sleep that night before my dad’s funeral. During those hours, I spent painting an oil portrait of my father to take to the funeral that morning as my gift to him.

Joel Ray, “Lady Gaga,” 2024

FPH: What has it been like creating art in Houston? What are the best qualities and what can be improved?

Ray: I grew up here in Houston and so its nice to be able to be around those who have known you forever and see your progress from the beginning. The art scene has grown in abundance, which is a positive for bringing more artist and collectors to Houston. Having one of the top private collections in the world in your back yard has never hurt either. We also have such an amazing collection of galleries and museums. I go to the treasure of the Menil often to find inspiration.

I would like to see the high-end art market of Houston grow. It has always been staggering and I truly don’t think will ever be able to keep up with the major art markets with out growing and supporting those special talents here. All to often the most gifted ones unfortunately have to leave to become known before they are ever truly supported here and that’s even if they want to come back. I find that to be a real problem.

FPH: Your work focuses on the human connection. What are some of the things that resonate with you as an artist in these modern times?

Ray: It’s my belief that every great artist leaves a commentary on the times they lived in. In my art, I have always painted from within, meaning that which is real to me because when your true to yourself it seems to resonate the same with others and helps communicate a language that has no borders. Today a lot of my art is dealing with the fact we live in a world were we have so many ways to communicate at the speed of light and everything is connected at the end of your fingertips.

Yet our biggest problem is communication between each other. We have social media portraying one thing, but false lives on the other side. Cell phones were no words are spoken, dating like it is from a menu, and a lot of personal interaction that has vanished leaving relations of business and marriage to fail because were to caught up with technology and their distractions rather than the investments in one another.