Join the Revolution: The Hidden Agenda
Frida Kahlo, “Self-Portrait on the Border Line between Mexico and the United States,” 1932 (detail). Collection of María and Manuel Reyero, New York. © 2024 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico D. F. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
This week draws an array of unique arts events, including a gallery talk about Mexican modernism at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and opening receptions at Art League Houston and Art Palace.
Thursday, August 3
The Big Slide Show at Lawndale Art Center
At 6 pm, join Lawndale Art Center (4912 Main) for the final installation in a three-part series of presentations by more than a dozen artists who are featured in the institution’s annual juried exhibition, The Big Show. Each artist will give a brief, informal presentation about their work, providing additional insight into their creative practices.
Friday, August 4
Yoga Workshop at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
From 9:30 and 10:30 am, join the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (5216 Montrose) for a free hour-long, breath-based yoga class. Participants are encouraged to bring their own mat, water and towel and all levels are welcome to attend.
Diego Rivera, “Ballad of the Proletarian Revolution,” 1928–29. © Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico D.F. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Gallery Talk — Paint the Revolution: Mexican Modernism, 1910–1950 at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
From 2 to 2:45 pm, join The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (1001 Bissonnet) for a docent-led tour of Paint the Revolution: Mexican Modernism, 1910–1950. The exhibition charts the development of modern art in Mexico and the social, political, and cultural forces that shaped it over the course of nearly half a century. Featuring more than 175 works — including prints, photographs, books, newspapers, easel paintings, large-scale portable murals, and mural fragments — this free tour gives in-depth insights into the sprawling exhibition, which is on view through October 1.
Opening Reception — Blacklight at Art League Houston
From 6 to 9 pm, Art League Houston (1953 Montrose) will host the opening reception for Blacklight, the 2024 Summer High School Studio Art Intensive Exhibition, an annual group exhibition by students from the institution’s four-week intensive summer program. Participants in the program range from 14 to 17 years old and receive rigorous training in a multitude of different disciplines, from painting and drawing to less traditional forms. The program concludes with a final exhibition of their work, which will be on view through August 26.
Jim Nolan, “Chandelier,” 2024.
Opening Reception — Jim Nolan: Matter-in-the-World/Ideas-in-the-Head at Art Palace
From 6 to 8 pm, Art Palace (3913 Main) will host the opening reception for Matter-in-the-World/Ideas-in-the-Head, a solo exhibition by Jim Nolan. Nolan’s sculptures and wall work expound on what he refers to as “blue-collar minimalism,” using readily available dollar store and hardware store materials to both chide and extol minimalism. The exhibition will be on view through September 9.
Saturday, August 5
Workshop — Hands-On Houston: Pressed-Flower Necklaces at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
From 11 am to 3 pm, the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (4848 Main) invites patrons to join HCCC current resident artist Rebecca Lynn Hewitt to design and create pressed-flower necklaces as part of their monthly craft workshop series. Participants will be able to arrange pressed plants and flowers with laser-cut wood pieces to assemble nature-inspired necklaces. The event is free and open to the public.
“Public Trust” by Paul Ramírez Jonas at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
From 1 to 5 pm, the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (5216 Montrose) will present “Public Trust,” an interactive artwork by Paul Ramírez Jonas. The piece asks museum visitors to examine the value of a word by declaring a promise, the words of which are recorded in a drawing that is shared with them and posted on a marquee board alongside similar pronouncements made by notable figures from the week’s headline news.
Screening — AK-47 vs M16, The Film at Blaffer Art Museum
Starting at 4:15 pm, Blaffer Art Museum (4173 Elgin) will present a screening of Ho Chi Minh City-based artist collective The Propeller Group’s AK-47 vs. M16, The Film, a feature-length montage edited together from various sources, including Hollywood films, promotional videos, documentaries, news footage and YouTube clips. Portrayed as storied rivals, the story’s main characters are the AK-47 and the M16, historically used by opposing forces in the Vietnam-American War, illustrated through these varied clips.
