The Ultimate Guide to FotoFest

The ultimate guide to FotoFest: 5 don't-miss events from Houston's international photo party

With six weeks of programming and more than 100 participating gallery spaces, the 2014 FotoFest Biennial offers art fans an ocean of outings and events.

CultureMap has combed though this year's jam-packed schedule of exhibits, lectures, films and more for the best and brightest happenings. Here's a quick rundown of five must-see events to get you started.

Opening night party (Saturday, 7 p.m., Spring Street Studios)

Taking place at Spring Street Studios (and not the old FotoFest headquarters on Vine Street), the biennial opening night bash is a sight to behold. This free event — a wild blend of photography, music, artists, beer and food trucks — drew an estimated 4,000 revelers in 2012, a record for the arts organization.

This year, guests will get a chance to hear the eclectic jazz stylings of Kinan Azmeh, a Syrian clarinetist who has performed and recorded alongside some of the biggest names in music, including Yo-Yo Ma.

Conversation with Fred Baldwin & Wendy Watriss (Monday, 7 p.m., The Menil Collection)

After creating FotoFest more than 30 years ago, Houston photographers Fred Baldwin and Wendy Watriss are passing the torch to the organization's newly-appointed director Steve Evans. In their honor, the Menil Collection has curated a small survey of the couple's work titled In the Midst of Things, featuring vintage images from the Civil Rights Movement and a newly-built Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

At 7 p.m. on Monday, Baldwin and Watriss will discuss their early careers, the legacy of FotoFest and their future plans in front of an intimate crowd at the Menil.

FotoFest Fine Print Auction (March 24, 7 p.m., Doubletree Hotel–Downtown)

One of the highlights of every FotoFest Biennial, the fine print auction lures hundreds of collectors to the downtown Doubletree for a chance to acquire museum-quality pieces from current and past FotoFest artists. Funds from the auction support FotoFest's Literacy Through Photography education program as well as the organization's outreach efforts in more than 60 counties.

Arab world art conference and film series (March 29 and month of April, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston)

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston will host a free day-long conference on contemporary art from the Middle East and North Africa. Speakers include FotoFest Biennial curators Karin Adrian von Roques and Wendy Watriss as well as Stephen Stapleton of UK arts initiative Edge of Arabia and acclaimed Palestinian photo artist Steve Sabella.

The MFAH continues its focus on the Arab world with an April film series that includes 2012's Academy Award-nominated Wadjda, the first feature film shot entirely in Saudi Arabia.

Rice University seminar on "Arabophobia" (April 2, Rice University)

Sponsored by FotoFest along with Rice University's Humanities Research Center and Baker Institute for Public Policy, this unique seminar pairs scholars with artists from FotoFest's biennial exhibits to deconstruct the rise and continuing threat of anti-Arabism across the globe.

Speakers include Rice University Arab Studies professor Ussama Makdisi, noted Middle East historian Melani McAlister and Palestinian-American poet Fady Joudah.

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10-dollar founding father

Broadway behemoth Hamilton announces first Houston shows in 3 years

Photo by Joan Marcus

Hamilton returns to Houston in March

From the minute it opened on Broadway nine years ago, Hamilton caused a sensation, infusing traditional musical theater with rap and hip-hop stylings, and turning the story of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton into an immigrant’s epic American Dream.

Now, Houstonians have an opportunity to catch the global sensation for the first time since 2022. Single tickets to the show, which runs at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts March 4-23, 2025, go on sale at 10 am Thursday, November 21 at TheHobbyCenter.org. Patrons can also purchase tickets in person at the Hobby Center box office.

Prices start at $49. A limited number of premium seats, priced at $229-269, will be available for each performance. Each performance will also hold a lottery for 40 tickets priced at $10 each. Those wishing to grab seats before the general public are encouraged to sign up for the Broadway at the Hobby Center eClub.

“It's tempting to get tickets any way you can," producer Jeffrey Seller said in a statement. "There are many sites and people who are selling overpriced, and in some cases, fraudulent tickets. For the best seats, the best prices, and to eliminate the risk of counterfeit tickets, all purchases for the Houston engagement should be made through TheHobbyCenter.org or BroadwayAtTheHobbyCenter.com.”

Based on Ron Chernow’s acclaimed biography, with book, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton won 11 Tony Awards, also bringing home Grammy, Olivier Awards, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and an unprecedented special citation from the Kennedy Center Honors. Focusing on Alexander Hamilton, "the ten-dollar Founding Father's" rise from penniless immigrant to Secretary of the Treasury (as well as founder of the Coast Guard and writer of the majority of the Federalist Papers, among many other contributions to U.S. history), the show brings to life the Revolutionary War era, and the challenges facing the new United States of America.

The musical has become a phenomenon, impacting culture, politics, and education, and garnering scores of “HamilFans” around the world. With its diverse casting and propulsive music, Hamilton includes characters like George Washington, King George III, Thomas Jefferson, Aaron Burr, and other names from the history books, tying their experiences and stories together and making history come alive for a new generation of Broadway fans.

performing arts hamilton musicals hobby center