Blue Dog Night

It's a Blue Dog night at pop-up gallery party honoring work of legendary Louisiana artist

A celebrity "blue" carpet lined the second floor of West Ave and most of the well-dressed guests wore blue, which made perfect sense at the "Rodrigue: Houston" champagne preview party.

A who's who of Houston fans of artist George Rodrigue filled the former St. Genevieve lounge space to celebrate a retrospective featuring the work of the renowned Cajun and Blue Dog artist. Honorary chair Susan Sarofim and chairs Dr. Roland Maldonado and Edward Sanchez welcomed more than 300 guests to view 75 works of original art by Rodrigue, including the artist's dark Louisiana landscapes, Cajun genre scenes and iconic Blue Dog paintings, spanning a 50-year period.

Rodrigue passed away in 2013 and his son, Jacques Rodrigue, told the crowd about the work of the George Rodrigue Foundation for the Arts that funds art programs in Louisiana and Texas schools. The evening brought in $35,000 to directly benefit the foundation's Arts in Education programs at 50 Houston schools.

As Al Campbell's Westbury High School Jazz Band and Mike Owens' New Orleans Jazz Trio performed, guests nibbled on Louisiana-inspired light bites from Ruth's Chris Catering and marveled at original works from the collections of the Rodrigue family, former president George H.W. Bush and Houston art collector Don Sanders, who owns a large number of Rodrigue's artwork.

Jacques Rodrigue presented Sanders with a special pair of sunglasses with a Blue Dog embossed on each lens to thank him for his support and to tout a new book, Rodrigue: The Sanders Collection, which was unveiled at the party. Each guest was given a lapel pin of a blue dog with a Texas state flag scarf around its neck. Guests also bid on rare, out-of-circulation Rodrigue artwork in the silent auction and sampled a "Blue Dog" inspired cake, donated by Jerald Aguilar of What's the Occasion Creative Cakery.

Seen in the crowd were Susan Fowler, Terry Hamman, Laura Sanders, Education Outreach underwriters Tyson Dunn and Jana and Richard Fant, host committee members Carrie Colbert, Carolyn Farb, Debbie and Rudy Festari, Debra and Mark Grierson, George Lancaster, Patti and Don Murphy and Kristi Schiller.

Other guests included Mallory Page Rodrigue, Scott Miller, Tina and Fikri Ozcelik, Nicole and James Lassite, Jo and Jim Furr, Monte Stavis, John De La Cruz and Patrick Palmer, and Yuni and JJ Paufigues, who loaned Rodrigue's "Take Me Back To Texas" from their collection.

The pop-up gallery featuring Rodrigue's work will be on display in Houston through July 5 in the West Ave location. It is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sunday from noon - 5 p.m., and Monday by appointment.

Jonathan Tinkle and Carolyn Farb.

Photo by Ray Redding

Jonathan Tinkle and Carolyn Farb.

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Sky’s The Limit

Hot air balloons lift spirits at Houston mental health nonprofit's gala

Photo by Dave Rossman

Co-chairs Will and Caroline Brown; Virginia and Cramer Williams.

With dreamy hot air balloons drifting overhead and a mission firmly grounded in impact, Communities In Schools of Houston’s Soaring to New Heights Gala lifted off at The Post Oak Hotel on April 9. More than 550 guests gathered for an evening that paired playful elegance with a powerful purpose: Raising $603,000 to support local students navigating real-world challenges both inside and outside the classroom.

Photo by Dave Rossman

Co-chairs Will and Caroline Brown; Virginia and Cramer Williams.

Co-chaired by Caroline and Will Brown and Virginia and Cramer Williams, the evening honored longtime Communities In Schools champion Jan Redford, whose 46-year commitment to the organization was celebrated with warmth and gratitude. Guests began with a spirited cocktail hour before moving into the grand ballroom for dinner and a program emceed by Lisa Malosky.

The mood was celebratory, but the message was clear: Communities In Schools is a lifeline for students. CEO Lisa Descant emphasized the organization’s impact across 135 campuses and its role as the largest provider of school-based mental health services in Harris County, reaching more than 143,000 students each year.

Special guest Linda Gale White, former First Lady of Texas and a steadfast Communities In Schools supporter, was on hand, as was Joseph Patty of Chapelwood United Methodist Church, who offered a blessing.

The program featured moving testimonials from staff and students. Mandy Kolbaba, Madison Wimmer, Alma Nava, Melody Hall, and Julia Barnwell-Joseph shared stories of academic triumphs, emotional resilience, and transformational support. Standout moments included Marisabel, once homeless and now college-bound for psychology, and Joshua, a Lone Star College graduate heading to UH with an eye on politics.

Funds raised will help the organization continue surrounding students with the community and care they need to thrive in school and beyond.

Present were Omar Reid, Bob Gower, Judy Tate, Margot Cater, Bill Kroger, Pat Rosenberg, Cody Biller, Jennifer Espey, Allison Gower, Maynard Holt, Suzie Johnson, Deanna Jones, Cathy Malone, Cassie Milam, Jill Ramshaw, Brian Salazar, David Sambrooks, Suzanne Stiles, William Walker, Elizabeth Young, Diana and Russell Hawkins, Terri Lacy and Jim Baird, Ginny and L.E. Simmons, Sue White, and many more.

communities in schools fundraisers