arftul sugar land

Crafty new art museum makes a splash in Sugar Land's Town Square

The new art space brings culture to Sugar Land's Town Square.

Photo courtesy of Art Museum TX

As a blossoming ‘burb to raise a family, Sugar Land scores high marks. The town was recently named one of America’s best small cities and also a top value for first-time home buyers. However, the area, which is bigger than many U.S. states’ capital cities has never been a hotbed for culture.

Here to help is Art Museum TX, a Fort Bend-based non-profit dedicated to the presentation and understanding of Texas contemporary art through exhibits, events, and education. The nonprofit is launching the experience at Sugar Land Town Square in May in a 4,000-square-foot space adjacent to the central plaza.

This new project comes courtesy of well-known curator, Ana Villaronga-Roman, per a press release. In advance of the public opening, Art Museum TX will host a ticketed preview benefit on May 6 from 5:30 until 9 pm.

Guests can get a first look at the venue, catch live music, art performances, and enjoy light bites. General admission is $45 per person; $95 VIP tickets will include a discounted annual membership.

Meanwhile, opening weekend festivities launch on May 27 from 6 until 9 pm with a spotlight on local artists including Kelley Devine, Rachel Gardner, Carrie Swim, Amanda Wood, and KK Grether.

Villaronga-Roman’s credentials make her ideally suited for launching a new art space in Sugar Land. She founded the first art museum in Fort Bend County in 2013 (the Katy Contemporary Arts Museum), then later, CAM Fort Bend in the Rosenberg Arts District in 2017. She has partnered with organizations such as Latino Art Now!, Harvest Green, Fort Bend Libraries, and the Fort Bend Art Center.

“The contemporary art scene is firmly in place in Fort Bend County with our second location of Art Museum TX in Sugar Land Town Square,” said Villaronga-Roman in a press release. “Despite the uncertainty of the past year, the museum continued to have an impact, and we stay steadfast in our goal of doing our part in building Fort Bend’s reputation as an art market to watch.”

For more information or to purchase tickets to the benefit, visit this site.

museums openings

taking center stage

Stage adaptation of iconic Black movie Jason's Lyric to debut in Houston

Courtesy of Jason's Lyric

Most of the movie's cast will appear in the play.

Next year, Houston writer/producer/director/promoter Je’Caryous Johnson will be bringing another beloved Black movie to the live stage.

Jason’s Lyric will join New Jack City and Set It Off in the lineup of ‘90s Black-movie favorites that Johnson has adapted for the stage. The 1994 made-in-Houston drama stars Allen Payne and a pre-Will Smith Jada Pinkett as young lovers trying to maintain a relationship as conflicts and obstacles keep getting in the way.

Jason’s Lyric Live will go on a nationwide, 22-city tour, premiering right here in H-Town on Thursday, February 13 — just in time for Valentine’s Day.

“Houston is my home, and bringing Jason’s Lyric Live to life here first is my way of paying homage to the city and its people who inspired this story,” Johnson said in a statement. “This is more than a play; it’s a love letter to the community.”

Payne will reprise his role as Jason, with actress/model Eva Marcille stepping in Pinkett’s role as Lyric. Naughty by Nature rapper Treach, who played Lyric’s criminal big brother Alonzo in the movie, will also return to the role for the stage production. Tyrin Turner (Menace II Society), K. Michelle (Love & Hip Hop), and Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs (Welcome Back, Kotter) will round out the cast.

"Jason’s Lyric is one of the films that defined my career as an actor,” Payne said. “To bring it to life on stage for audiences who loved the movie — and a new generation experiencing it for the first time — is an incredible honor."

Marcille is also psyched for the show, taking on the role that Pinkett memorably brought to life. "Lyric is a character who embodies resilience and hope, and I’m honored to bring her story to life on stage,” Marcille said.

Tickets will go on sale this Friday, December 13, at 10 am. For a full list of dates and ticket information, visit the website.