::CASE Magazine Release Party:: Three things we CASE magazine issue release party and GIVE UP show closing reception team up tonight at the new Aerosol Warfare Gallery. If you had any inclination to see the installation GIVE UP (the Houston street art legend) did at the gallery this will be the last chance, and the first chance to get the new issue of CASE featuring: Gary Baseman, DUEL, Atmosphere, The Faint, Sage Francis, Bask and......

Every day this week, Houstonist will feature an event scheduled in conjunction with Lawndale Art Center's 20th Century Modern Market. Today: The Hour: Cocktail Time Design 1930-1980 , Happy Hour Reception We told you on Monday about the exhibit opening at Lawndale in conjunction with the 20th Century Modern Market that displays over 100 vintage objects from the golden era of smoking and drinking. The exhibit includes works produced in ceramic, glass, metal and plastic......

Every day this week, Houstonist will feature an event scheduled in conjunction with Lawndale Art Center's 20th Century Modern Market. Today: American Jewelry 1940s-1960s: Wearable Modernism, Free Public Lecture If you missed the sparkling (heh) Ornament as Art: Avant-Garde Jewelry from the Helen Williams Drutt Collection exhibit at the MFA organized by Cindi Strauss, you'ce got a chance to see Strauss in action again, this time at Lawndale, in conjunction with the 20th Century Modern......

Every day this week, Houstonist will feature an event scheduled in conjunction with Lawndale Art Center's 20th Century Modern Market. Today: Opening of The Hour: Cocktail Time Design 1930-1980 Ah, cocktail time — one of Houstonist's favorite times of the day, not least because it can start anytime and go as long as we want it to. But even drunken debauchery needs a touch of class every once in a while, we think, which is......

::HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BLAFFER!:: Blaffer Gallery, the Art Museum of the University of Houston, is pleased to announce that the museum turns 35 years old in March. A handful of events are planned this spring in conjunction with its birthday, including a 35th Anniversary Celebration on March 13 and the 2008 Blaffer Gallery gala, HOT on H-TOWN, on May 15. The 35th anniversary celebration will take place on Thursday, March 13, at 7 p.m. in......

:: Stages presents Old Stories, a musical by Larry Dierker :: Yep. A musical. By Larry Dierker. Double take? Yeah, us, too. For the second night in a row tonight, Stages Repertory Theatre hosts a concert reading of Old Stories, a new musical by former Astros pitcher, broadcaster and manager Larry Dierker with music by Paul English. Old Stories is written by Larry Dierker, former pitcher, broadcaster and manager for the Houston Astros, a......

Charles Waldheim, visiting Cullinan Professor at Rice, and Associate Dean and Director of the Landscape Architecture Program at the University of Toronto, will be at Anderson Hall on Rice's campus Monday, March 10th at 5:00pm. Professor Waldheim is known for his pioneering work in landscape architecture, and urbanism. He is editor of the Landscape Urbanism Reader, Post-Fordist Public Works, has published numerous articles, and spoken and lectured at major US and international universities. Now,......

Internationally acclaimed artists, architect, and weirdo Vito Acconci will be lecturing at the MFA tonight. Over the course of his almost fifty year career in the art world Vito has stuffed marbles in his face, bitten himself, and whispered lewd remarks to strangers while inappropriately touching himself in public for the sake of his art. In the 1990's Vito turned his artistic talents to the fields of architecture and landscape design. And has developed......

If you missed out on the Beer Can Opener last Friday (because you were embroiled in the LRPC - any other excuse will not be accepted, unless accompanied by a note from your Dr.), you have a second chance to attend a special event. Join Mayor Bill White as he honors and officially opens the Beer Can House to the public, along with the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art. This Thursday, March 6th at......

The sun rose on a beautiful, windy day on Sunday. In the whispers of the wind, you could almost hear the encouragement, and smell the impending victory. Your valiant Houstonist staff would soon convene to take on the Houston Arts & Media Houston History Road Rally (HAMHHRR) for the sake of honor, historical preservation, and cheap beer. The starting point for this whole affair was the Czech fraternal hall in the west end of the......

>> Poll shows split over Clemens, McNamee: The court of public opinion currently stands divided in Harris County regarding the Roger Clemens steroid scandal according to a poll by The Chronicle. According to the results published yesterday by David Barron, 35.5 percent said believed McNamee; 32.8 percent sided with The Rocket; and, 31.7 percent did not respond. The margin of error is listed at 4.1 percent. These numbers may prove initially encouraging for Clemens......

::Sandra Organ Dance Company Performs José Limón's There Is a Time :: For the ten year anniversary of the Sandra Organ Dance Company, the group will be performing the outstanding choreographer José Limón's work, There Is a Time. Formerly a soloist at the Houston Ballet where she was the first African-American in the company, Organ founded her own company in 1998, focusing largely on black history themes. Limón's work is some of the best......

Professor Trinh T. Minh-ha, renowned film artist and curator, will be at the MFA today, tomorrow and Saturday to discuss her career and work. Currently a Professor of Rehtoric and Gender Studies at the University of California at Berkeley, Minh-ha has focused on film and cinema as a medium for cultural critique. She has completed installation exhibitions at the Kyoto Art Biennale, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, and most recently at......

::Chantal Akerman: Moving Through Time and Space:: Chantal Akerman is considered one of the premiere film directors ever, and the exhibition at the Blaffer Gallery is showing her work not only as film but also as art. And for good reason. Her visual elegance, coupled with an acute exploration of cultural rifts of our time, have brought her work to the attention of the world over. The Blaffer has five installations on view, so......

::Sonja Roesch Gallery Talk: Jac Leirner:: “I try to find a place for things that don’t have a place.” - Jac Leirner Join art lovers and lovers of installation art for a gallery talk with Toby Kamps, Senior Curator at the Contemporary Art Museum, about Jac Leirner's exhibition at the Gallery Sonja Roesch: January 23, 2008, 6pm Jac Leirner creates installations, sculptures, and mixed media pieces using everyday objects like business cards, plastic bags, cigarette......

::HCP Print Auction Preview Party:: Houston Center for Photography announces its largest annual fundraiser, the 26th Anniversary Print Auction. The auction preview and exhibition open on Thursday night, January 17 from 6-8pm and continue through February 13. The auction will take place on Friday, February 15 from 5:30-10pm at the Junior League of Houston, with world-renowned photography specialist Rick Wester as guest auctioneer. Cocktails and silent auction, as well as a live auction preview are......

::Spacetaker's Artist Saloon: Gene Morgan, Skeez 181, and Cory Wagner:: The salon and the saloon meet at the Winter Street Studios Gallery. Artists and art afficionados gather for drinks and an informal converstaion about art. Artists will present and give a short talk about their work. After the artist talk there will be the opportunity to ask questions/begin a dialogue with the artists. About The Artist Saloon Every third Wednesday of the month, Winter Street......

Houstonist has an active and amazing Flickr photo group. We receive many, many photos of Houston and the surrounding areas every day and unless you are an active visitor to our photo pool many of these photos go unnoticed. So in a weekly effort to bring you more amazing photos from Houstonist readers and photographers, we are going to feature a block of photos submitted to our Flickr photo group. The images will be dug......

::Diverseworks Exhibit Opening Night: Two exhibits we are particularly looking forward to seeing both open tonight at Diverseworks. An opening reception will feature a special performance by Brent Green's 3 Piece Band, MK Guth's Ties of Protection & Safe Keeping Interactive Sculpture, and the DiverseWorks Silk Screen Station where you can build you own t-shirt. And everyone loves t-shirts. Flicker Fusion Since 1914 when the first animated film was made, artists across the globe have......

::Spacetaker December Artist Saloon:: This month Buffalo Bayou ArtPark & Spacetaker, in conjunction with Winter Street Studios, present Brian Piana, YET Torres, and Sasha West in the December edition of The Artist Saloon. Every third Wednesday of the month, the salon and the saloon meet at The Artist Saloon where artists and art aficionados gather for drinks and casual conversation about art. Two to three artists from varying disciplines (visual, performing, literary, etc.) present, in......

::Double Header at AvantGarden:: A great double-book tonight at AvantGarden: Terell James opens his "Neoformalism 1" exhibit, followed by FrenetiCore's production of "Exile", a dance film. "Neoformalism" Terrell James Terrell James' paintings and prints evoke nature rather than depict it. With minimal contour line, gestural rubbing, and reserved color her works describe the landscape through abstraction. James' work is included in numerous collections including Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY, Museum of Fine......

Perspectives 159: Superconscious, Automatisms Now December 14, 2007 – March 9, 2008 Opening reception December 13, 2007, 6:30-9:00 p.m. Sigh. This is Houston's last hurrah with Senior CAMH Curator Paola Morsiani, and we are sad. Having been with the CAMH for over eight years, Morsiani is heading north to become Curator of Contemporary Art at the Cleveland Museum of Art, an internationally renowned encyclopedic museum in the midst of a $258 million renovation and expansion.......

::MFA Projection Bomb!:: We caught wind of this earlier this week and couldn't resist reposting. Introducing the first guerrilla drive-in theater on the roof of the MFA parking garage this Thursday night. Be part of a smart mob for a 20 minute projection bomb. Bring a car full! Details below, poster attached. (Good attendance would really help my thesis project). Thanks! Clint - - - - - - - - - - - - -......

With all the excitement surrounding the new Wu-Tang Clan record, what are some other bands you'd like to see return to the spotlight? We still say a prayer for a Fugees' comeback album, even though we know it's a lost cause. 8 Diagrams is the long-awaited new album from Wu-Tang, featuring the much-talked about Beatles' sample and guitar work by John Frusciante. Group members Ghostface and Raekwon have been vocal about their dissatisfaction with the......

Last second shopping anyone? If you are sitting at home bored today - or just feel in the mood for some locally -inspired retail therapy - head on over to the very first Houston Underground Arts Market today from 2-6pm. Houston artists, artisans, crafty bastards and threadheads will be selling their wares giving you ample opportunity to buy unique and funky gifts for your friends and/or enemies. Find locally crafted soap, clothing, stained glass, jewelry......

Candlelight Open House at Bayou Bend Dec 7, 2007 5:00 PM at the Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens This fall, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, has been hosting Candlelight Open House nights at their Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens on Friday nights. This Friday night is your last chance to go to the open house and tour the property in all of its holiday season glory. The central figure in Yuletide´s Holiday Heroines is......

::Nights on Blue Bayou: DeKam vs Nalepa:: We know, we know. You're ALL gonna be at the Houstonist 2nd Burfday Happy Hour tonight at Monsoon. So why should we bother even telling you what else there is to do tonight? Why? Because, well, you gotta have somewhere to stumble to when our tab runs out. A spectacle beneath the bridges of the Sabine Promenade on the banks of the Buffalo Bayou, this environmental light and......

For the next two Friday evenings, the Museum of Fine Arts will be showing The Cool School. Jeff Bridge narrates this award winning film that tells the story of Walter Hopps, the first director of the Menil Collection and an American art icon. Hopps, together with partner Ed Kienholz, created Ferus Gallery - a seminal force in the development of LA's postwar art scene. The provocative and dynamic works sparked controversy, dialog and, consequently, development......

December already? Everything is reversed from the summer: back then, the Astros were dead in the water, the upcoming Texans season looked promising because of some new additions, and the Dynamo were gearing up to defend their MLS Cup title. Now, the Texans are DOA, the Astros are looking exciting next year, and the Dynamo, well, at least someone's consistent. Here's what's been going on this week in the Houston sports blogosphere: - The Dynamo......

Some pret-ty, pret-ty, pret-ty cool stuff opening this weekend, kids. Check it out: Jeanne Cassanova / Reginald Rachuba The Joanna Gallery "Those in attendance can be assured a multi sensory onslaught of 'image spillage'." Oh, really. We have to admit, the term "spillage" sort of scares us, but the image at right is so cool, we're willing to risk it. Both Cassanova and Rachuba pull from contemporary images and create narratives woven between each other......