Cultural treasure hunt

More than salsa: Concert series sets the record straight on Houston's Latino community

By Joel Luks

03.23.13 | 11:36 am

Salsa music isn't any more Latin than Taco Bells' Gorditas or Chalupas. Salsa is as Latin as Coca-Cola is American, meaning, they embrace traces of their respective lifeways without being a ...

Nowruz Festival

Discovery Green

03.24.13

Nowruz, the Persian New Year, is a celebrated symbol of rejuvenation of life and the rebirth of nature. The Iranian Cultural Foundation has kept this tradition alive by organizing a festival at Dis

Asia Society Texas Center Family Day: Storytelling and Portraiture

Asia Society Texas Center

02.24.13

Asia Society Texas Center's fifth Family Day since opening will celebrate storytelling and the current exhibitions, Portraiture Now: Asian American Portraits of Encounter and kip fulbeck: part

Hometown Glory

Is Houston the culinary and culture capital of Texas? One study says yes

By Sarah Rufca

12.12.12 | 3:31 pm

It turns out all those travel writers coming to Houston and raving about the food — as well as the slick adverts starring Jim Parsons and The Tontons — have made an impact on how people ...

Calendar Closeup

Your weekly guide: Five (plus) don't-miss events — Houston's own Epcot Center included

By Joel Luks

10.04.12 | 1:02 pm

On this week's itinerary are happenings that explore the city's diversity, films about bold art, socials that usher in major performances, avant garde music and an adventure ride that surve ...

Not a melting pot, but Frito Pie

Cultural beauty amid struggle: Houston World Refugee Day celebrates finding a new home

By Joel Luks

06.19.12 | 2:31 pm

He must have been 12 or 13 years old, a boy who appeared to be of South Asian heritage with dark spiked hair and bronze skin tone clothed in American shorts, a Burmese-type tunic and running shoes. ...

CultureMap Art & About Video

The art of survival: Weaving Home reveals the courage of Houston's Karenni refugees in cloth

By Joel Luks

05.23.12 | 11:40 am

The activity of weaving is to the Karenni community from Burma (currently Myanmar) what home cooking, cleaning and checking email is to most Houstonians — it's just something everyone doe ...

new music now

The Awl introduces Awl Music, a curated streaming video site powered by Tumblr

By Samantha Pitchel

01.11.12 | 5:00 pm

If you thought you couldn’t possibly love The Awl any more, SIT DOWN. The site, founded in 2008 by David Cho (formerly of College Humor and Radar, now at Grantland) and ex-Gawker writers ...

around the globe

The way the world celebrates: ringing in the New Year with grapes, games, feasts, first-footing and more

By Samantha Pitchel

12.31.11 | 6:30 pm

Champagne. Times Square. Midnight kisses. Dick Clark. In the U.S., there are plenty of New Year’s traditions, from the writing of resolutions to the blowouts that mark the calendar’s of ...

Cohesión: Art + Fashion + Culture + Philanthropy

Américas — River Oaks

08.04.11

Américas River Oaks kicks off a series of after-hour gatherings featuring local talent and a special late-night menu. Showcasing live music by Arthur Yoria and visual art by Hanh Tran and Ta