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.

Chef Jerald Jason Aguilar, left, with Mallory and Jacques Rodrigue.

Blue Dog West Ave event April 2015 Rodrigue

Photo by Ray Redding

Chef Jerald Jason Aguilar, left, with Mallory and Jacques Rodrigue.

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long live the king

Texas Renaissance Festival founder George Coulam has died at 87

Film still from Ren Faire

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George Coulam, the founder and owner of the Texas Renaissance festival, was found dead in his home on Tuesday. He was 87, according to media reports.

Coulam’s death comes two weeks after a Grimes County judge found against him, forcing the sale of the festival to new owner Meril Rivard. Although untimely, Coulam’s death is unlikely to affect the new ownership deal, according to Anthony Laporte, lead counsel on the case.

“Because this deal is primarily with corporate entities, everything should progress without too much interruption,” Laporte tells CultureMap. “Obviously this is a sad day for those of us who knew George. We all mourn together, but it is unlikely to affect the way the new Renaissance Festival deal proceeds.

Rivard issued a brief statement following the news.

“We are shocked and deeply saddened to hear of the death of George Coulam,” it reads. “Our thoughts go out to his loved ones. Like everyone else who loves the Texas Renaissance Festival, we remain committed to ensuring that the festival lives on, and we are working steadfastly to make that happen.”

The Texas Renaissance Festival also issued a statement.

We are deeply saddened by the loss of George Coulam, founder of the Texas Renaissance Festival. For more than 50 years, he built a community that has become a cherished tradition for generations of performers, staff, and guests.

At this time, we ask for respect and privacy for Mr. Coulam’s family and the extended Texas Renaissance Festival family as they grieve. As this is a deeply personal matter, we are not offering additional comments at this time.

The cause of death is currently unknown. Grimes County sheriffs were notified of his death at 9 am Tuesday morning. Bystanders reported seeing an ambulance leave Coulam’s home, which is known as Stargate Manor. The Navasota Examiner, which was first to report the news, includes an account of gunshots being heard near the home.

Regardless of the circumstances, Laporte said that after the recent judgment that forced the sale, everyone, including Coulam, seemed relieved and happy that the matter had been resolved.

Coulam’s death ends a long and sometimes toxic reign over the Texas Renaissance Festival. Over the past two decades, Coulam was sued multiple times for sexual harassment of employees. The HBO docuseries Ren Faire showcased Coulam’s mercurial nature in dealing with potential buyers of the festival while also offering glimpses into his “sugar daddy” dating life.

Following the release of Ren Faire, several corporate entities sued Coulam for breach of contract. The case came to a close this month, with a judge saying the $60 million sale must go through. Coulam also owes Rivard and the other plaintiffs $22 million in damages and $1 million in lawyer fees.

As CultureMap has previously reported, the Texas Renaissance Festival is expected to proceed as planned, with an opening in October 2025.

obituary deaths texas renaissance festival