Shoppers with an eye for fine details and one-of-a-kind buys are in luck. The 2018 Theta Charity Antiques Show brings together nearly 70 new and returning exhibitors from across the U.S. and Europe to present fine art, furniture, and décor spanning a wide variety of design styles and time periods. Back for its 66th year, the annual show combines two things Houston loves: shopping and donating to good causes.
The show, which runs Thursday, November 15 through Sunday, November 18, will take place in the George R. Brown Convention Center’s Hall A, and this year’s theme spotlights the timeless beauty of botanicals.
In addition to browsing the exhibits on their own, guests can attend talks and book signings by renowned designers. Highlights include Miles Redd, who will discuss collecting and sign books on Friday at 10:30 am, and Ashley Woodson Bailey, who is also this year’s honorary design chair, who will speak at 2 pm on Saturday. There are also 45-minute, expert-led art and design walks through the exhibition.
Design summit
Participating professionals include Paloma Contreras of La Dolce Vita Blog; Courtnay Tartt Elias, creative director and designer at Creative Tonic; James Farmer, professional garden, floral and interior designer; Courtney Hill Fertitta, principal of Courtney Hill Interiors; Sarah Foltz, art appraiser and owner of William Reaves | Sarah Foltz Fine Art; Melissa Kepke Grobmyer, founder of MKG Art Management; J. Randall Powers, Houston-based interior decorator; and Hallie Henley Sims, of the Hallie Henley Design firm. This year’s co-chairs are Vicki Lovin and Jennifer Donovan O’Donnell and honorary design chair Ashley Woodson Bailey.
An artisan village
New this year is the Artisan Village, featuring an expertly curated collection of artisan-made items for the home and a pop-up flower shop. Also on display are photos of past show chairmen from 1952 to the present, alongside objects from the Bayou Bend Collection whose purchases were made possible by proceeds from past shows. Proceeds from the annual event benefit local charities.
Founded in 1952 by the Houston Alumnae Chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta with an inaugural event at the Shamrock Hotel in downtown Houston, the Theta Charity Antiques Show has become one of Houston’s most popular events. Over the last 66 years, it has donated nearly $8 million to cultural, community, educational, and medical causes in Houston.
The show has four permanent beneficiaries: Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens/The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Child Advocates, the Kappa Alpha Theta Foundation and Texas Children’s Hospital’s cancer and hematology centers.
The show’s proceeds will also benefit Arrow Child & Family Ministries – Freedom Place, a trauma informed, comprehensive care and recovery facility for underage female victims of domestic child sex trafficking; Martha’s Way – CCSC, a vocational training program designed to increase the earning potential of low-income women and men; Second Servings, Houston’s only prepared and perishable food rescue organization; and Small Steps Nurturing Center which operates two preschools for economically at-risk children, providing a high-quality education, and social and emotional support.
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The 2018 Theta Charity Antiques Show runs 10 am-6 pm on Friday, 10 am-6 pm on Saturday, and noon-6 pm on Sunday. A special preview party takes place 7 pm-10 pm on Thursday. General admission tickets are $20 and include access to all exhibitor booths. Preview party tickets are $250 regular admission and $50 for young collectors under 35.
In its 66th year, the Theta Charity Antiques Show is a one-stop antiquing paradise.
