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    best february art

    10 vivid and eye-catching February art events no Houstonian should miss

    Tarra Gaines
    Feb 10, 2021 | 11:35 am

    After some starts and rescheduling last month, February presents the perfect valentine for Houston art lovers.

    Look for big, new exhibitions at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, while museums and galleries across serve up a range of themes from the political, to human bodies, to fundamentals of light and color.

    Meanwhile, contemporary artists continue to wrestle with the trauma and glimmers of human hope that 2020 brought to us all. Here then is a roundup of the best visual shows to see this month in the artopia that is Houston.

    Museum openings

    “Carriers: The Body as a Site of Danger and Desire” at Blaffer Art Museum (now through March 14)
    Featuring a renowned array of contemporary artists, the new exhibition resonates with these pandemic times forcing us to confront the fragility and hazards of our bodies. “Carriers” highlights personal narratives and intimate stories — bridging biography with broader themes of representation, health, labor, sexuality, and gender.

    Look for work from a plethora of mediums from Francis Almendárez, j. bilhan, Violette Bule, Michael Ray Charles, Ryan Hawk, Robert Hodge, Matt Manalo, Lovie Olivia, Preetika Rajgariah, Dario Robleto, Gerardo Rosales, Sarah Sudhoff, Vincent Valdez, Nick Vaughan & Jake Margolin, and Jasmine Zelaya.

    “Stories of Survival: Object. Image. Memory” at Holocaust Museum Houston (now through April 18)
    Artifacts become a kind of historical art in this photography exhibition. The show pairs 60 personal artifacts brought to America by Survivors of the Holocaust and other genocides with their personal stories and then documented in oversized photographs of by award-winning photographer and author Jim Lommasson.

    The exhibition includes artifacts and stories of eight Houston-area Holocaust survivors. “This exhibition so beautifully brings together photography with testimony,” describes HMH CEO Dr. Kelly J Zúñiga. “The process of marrying the two brings to life the human rights atrocities suffered by so many, while poignantly showcasing their stories of survival.”

    “Shahidul Alam: Truth to Power” at Asia Society Texas (February 13-July 11)
    This new exhibition showcases the work of Bangladeshi photographer, writer, activist, institution builder, and a Time magazine Person of the Year in 2018. With an eye on the merging of art and justice, “Truth to Power” includes 60 images by Alam, including portraits, landscapes, and scenes of daily life, strife, and resistance.

    “My introduction into photography was for political reasons,” Alam explained of his work in a statement. “It was social justice I was after and I recognized that photography was this powerful tool. And if I was going to fight, I would use the most powerful tools available.”

    “Electrifying Design: A Century of Lighting” at Museum of Fine Arts Houston (February 21-May 16)
    As the first large-scale exhibition of its kind in the U.S, “Electrifying” will trace how a century of lighting design influenced artistic innovation within major avant-garde design movements. Organized by themes of Typologies, the Lightbulb and Quality of Light, “Electrifying” will feature works ranging from early design breakthroughs from the 1920s to 21st-century national and international cutting-edge designs.

    Showcasing 85 rare or limited-production lighting designs, the exhibition includes works by renowned designers such as Achille Castiglioni, Christian Dell, Greta Magnusson Grossman, Poul Henningsen, Ingo Maurer, Verner Panton, Gino Sarfatti, Ettore Sottsass, and Wilhelm Wagenfeld.

    “Hockney-Van Gogh: The Joy of Nature” at Museum of Fine Arts Houston (February 21-June 20)
    This presentation of 57 selected landscape paintings and drawings by Vincent van Gogh and contemporary artist David Hockney will illustrate how Van Gogh’s perspective on nature influenced Hockney. The exhibition will especially trace that inspiration in the series of Hockney paintings depicting the in Yorkshire Wolds, in northeastern England, Hockney produced in the early 2000s. The exhibition will also draw a comparison between both artists fascination with nature, bold use of color, and experimentation with perspective.

    Galleries and installations

    "Mine the Gap” and “Carnage” at Lawndale Art Center (now through April 25)
    Two new shows open this month at Lawndale. With work created during their 2019-2021 Artist Studio Program residencies, collaborators Jacquelyne Boe and David Janesko and individual artists Gerardo Rosales, and Holly Veselka each explore the gap between reality and the represented, a fertile ground to mine the fleeting, fragmentary, and fragile.

    For “Carnage,” Jennifer May Reiland’s works on paper and wood create a personal pantheon of secular and religious saints and martyrs, ranging from Princess Diana to bullfighter Juan Belmonte to Maria of Agreda. Reiland draws from medieval European imagery and the tradition of Mexican devotional painting to examine female guilt, martyrdom, and violence against women.

    “Regeneration" at Archway Gallery (now through March 4)
    In this shared exhibition, Carol Berger, Liz Conces Spencer, and Gene Hester explore nature’s regenerative force with a focus on the impact of human encroachment, the destruction of habitats, and Earth’s survival. The artists use different mediums glass, ceramics, paintings on wood, and canvas to depict ideas and warnings of what may be lost if we do not quickly act to protect the planet.

    Portal of Healing at Rice University’s Houston Asian American Archive (now through March 30)
    Filipino American artist Rachel Gonzales created this site-specific installation for the Fondren Library to hold space for “collective grief, despair, avoidance, and the reclamation of joy, resilience, and healing in the present moment,” per a statement.

    The large-scale hanging canvases, painted by sponge with one color, serve as a physical and metaphorical bridge between gallery spaces. Gonzales also weaves sound into the work with the addition of voices reading excerpts from Asian American narratives and poetry of Wei-Huan Chen and Jenah Maravilla.

    “Fractured Light” and “Afterimage” at Anya Tish Gallery (February 13-March 27)
    For “Fracture Light,” Mexico City-born, Houston-based artist Veronica Ibargüengoitia creates paintings and objects inspired by photographs of windows she collects from around the globe, and considers as views from a private space to the outside world.

    Also opening this month, Polish painter Paweł Dutkiewicz continues his ongoing series “Afterimage” with new works that strip away all figurative representation, communicating atmospheric light through the application and composition of color, creating a luminosity akin to an afterimage.

    “Visionary Futures from Diverse Works” (streaming February 19-April 11)
    For this series of digital projects Diverse Works asked queer, non-binary artists of color to contemplate questions of survival and why they create art. Playing with ideas at the intersections of art, technology, and spirituality, artists Antonius-Tín Bui, Chandrika Lucienne, Lovie Olivia, Preetika Rajgariah, S Rodriguez, Y2K, and the digital platform Time Zone, imagine possible futures and their legacies through a variety of virtual performances and gestures.

    ---

    While many Houston museums and galleries have reopened to the public, some require a ticket or an appointment to enter, so call ahead.

    Lawndale Art Center presents "Jennifer May Reiland: Carnage."

    Lawndale Art Center presents Jennifer May Reiland: "Carnage"
      
    Image courtesy of Jennifer May Reiland
    Lawndale Art Center presents "Jennifer May Reiland: Carnage."
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    this ballerina knows business

    Houston Ballet names new executive director with deep ties to its past

    Tarra Gaines
    May 5, 2025 | 10:00 am
    Sonja Kostich Houston Ballet
    Photo by Bre Johnson
    Houston Ballet appoints Sonja Kostich as the organization’s next Executive Director.

    Dance lovers who saw Houston Ballet artistic director Stanton Welch’s beautiful and fierce Maninyas back in February probably didn’t realize they were witnessing a dance with significant hidden history. Maninyas was the Australian-born Welch’s first American commissioned work when it had its 1996 world premiere in San Francisco. Seeing that premiere inspired Ben Stevenson, Houston Ballet's artistic director at the time, to invite Welch to create a piece for the company, eventually paving the way for Welch to serve as the company's artistic director.

    Sonja Kostich Houston Ballet
      

    Photo by Bre Johnson

    Houston Ballet appoints Sonja Kostich as the organization’s next Executive Director.

    It seems those dance waves from Maninyas continue to reverberate, for on stage for that 1996 world premiere performance was acclaimed ballerina Sonja Kostich. And today Houston Ballet announced Kostich will leap into the role of Houston Ballet executive director beginning in August.

    Kostich assumes the directorship after major triumphs in roles onstage, backstage, and behind executive desks across the dance world. As a young dancer, Kostich trained at the prestigious School of Classical Ballet, a program created by Mikhail Baryshnikov. Then at 17 she was chosen by Baryshnikov himself to join the American Ballet Theatre. Such began a impressive career dancing with the San Francisco Ballet, Zurich Ballet, Baryshnikov’s White Oak Dance Project, and collaborations with renowned director Peter Sellars. One of Kostich’s big endeavor mixing dance and entrepreneurship came in 2008, when she co-founded the contemporary dance company OtherShore in New York. She also served as co-director for six years.

    After hanging up her ballet slippers, at least professionally, Kostich pursued a career in business, earning a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from the Zicklin School of Business at CUNY Baruch College, where she graduated Salutatorian at age 42. She also completed a master's degree in arts administration.

    Kostich's professional experience includes roles at Goldman Sachs, Mark Morris Dance Group, and New York City Center. From 2018 to 2022, she was Chief Executive and Artistic Officer of Kaatsbaan Cultural Park, leading a successful rebranding and revitalization of the organization.

    Since 2022, Kostich has served as president and executive director of Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York City. Her work at the Center likely caught the HB board’s eye, as her tenure helped to achieve financial stability, expand opportunities for artists, and increase both earned and contributed income to record-breaking levels while engaging new, diverse audiences.

    “We are thrilled to welcome Sonja Kostich to Houston Ballet,” said Kristy Bradshaw, Houston Ballet board chair, in a statement. “Our board has worked diligently to ensure the continued financial strength and operational excellence of our company, building on the legacy of our retiring executive director, Jim Nelson. It is through this solid foundation — marked by fiscal stewardship, exceptional senior leadership, and a highly capable organizational structure that we have been able to attract such remarkable talent in Kostich. We are confident that her vision, creativity, and leadership will further elevate our company on the global stage. We look forward to this exciting new chapter for Houston Ballet.”

    Kostich has as many good things to say about the company as the board does about welcoming her.

    “Houston Ballet is an exemplary company with exceptional artists, dedicated employees, and a robust history of supporters and audience goers,” said Kostich. “I am deeply humbled and honored to build upon the company's remarkable legacy and look forward to developing thoughtful and valuable long-term relationships within the community. Ballet as an art form has a phenomenal capacity to generate real inspiration and engagement in all ages."

    Along with collaborating with Welch in the past, Kostich also has ties to the company’s co-artistic director, Julie Kent. Kent and Kostich overlapped during their dance careers at the American Ballet Theatre.

    Both Welch and Kent also sing Kostich’s praises.

    “I am thrilled that Sonja will be joining Houston Ballet as executive director. She will be an excellent partner to bring Houston Ballet into our next chapter,” said Welch. “Along with her exceptional leadership capabilities, Sonja will also bring a level of unique dance expertise that will enhance our Company.”

    Julie Kent added, “I very much look forward to what will be a highly collaborative experience that will only elevate what Houston Ballet can achieve, both artistically and as an organization. Sonja’s extraordinary talents and drive are a perfect match for our future goals.”

    The feelings are mutuals from Kostich who ended her statement saying, “I am thrilled by this opportunity to work with Stanton and Julie, truly accomplished and respected artistic leaders, as we work together on a firm vision for the limitless potential for the future of Houston Ballet.”

    James Nelson, the retiring executive director, will assume the title of executive advisor, supporting Kostich during her transition.

    houston balletsonja kostich
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