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    Art news

    Curator carousel: As Kristina Van Dyke exits, Josef Helfenstein explains why theMenil is such a good training ground

    Steven Devadanam
    Aug 5, 2011 | 1:29 pm
    • Kristina Van Dyke
    • Photo by Monica Rhodes

    In less than six years as the curator of collections and research at the Menil Collection, Kristina Van Dyke rapidly reenvisioned how the Houston museum presents its non-Western art collection and its connection with the institution's iconic cadre of 20th-century art. Now the curator is bidding adieu to her post in Houston as she takes on the role of director at St. Louis' Pulitzer Foundation in November.

    While at the Menil, Van Dyke co-managed the curatorial department, supervised the exhibition department, archives and library and initiated scholarly research and projects on the museum's collection of 17,000 objects. She also worked closely with the development department to raise funds for research and exhibitions and acted as Menil liaison with the Byzantine Fresco Chapel Foundation.

    CultureMap spoke with Menil director Joself Helfenstein to discuss Van Dyke's curatorial acumen, the non-Western art collection's resonance with the diverse Houston community and how the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts is endeavoring to emulate the Menil.

     CultureMap: Can you speak to your original desire to find a non-Western art expert and scholar when you arrived at the Menil Collection?

     Josef Helfenstein: When I came here, the plan was to hire another curator with a specialty in modern and contemporary art. I decided not to go forward with that, and I'm so glad, because we would have had a very one-sided staff. We never before had someone competent in African art.

    It just seemed an obvious lack, a kind of gap, in terms of what we had on staff. This was sort of a broad collection and we had only people whose fields were either contemporary or modern Western art. Therefore, I felt rather strongly that we needed to broaden our competence, which is why I hired Kristina, of course.

    That remains unchanged. I would love to find again someone who has a passion and expertise about these parts of the collection. Kristina did so beautifully. She was someone with the passion for the dialogue these pieces can create with the better published parts of the collection.

     

      I'm proud that our people are going to great institutions. I want to give young people a great opportunity. If they do extraordinary work, then they'll move on and go to bigger institutions. It's a good thing for the field, and it's a good thing for us philosophically as an institution to do.

      CM: What drew you to Kristina during the selection process?

     JH: She was the least experienced of the three candidates we interviewed. Honestly, it was my trust — it's kind of an intuitive decision in the end. She's extremely smart. She had not finished her PhD yet on representation in the oral cultures of Mali, which we discussed. She seemed the most hungry and promising, perhaps also because of her young age but also her intelligence. The other candidates were intelligent too, of course. This was the right fit and moment for her. It was her first job, and she was my first hire. I knew we'd gain somebody really passionate who would jump right in. And she did of course.

    Choosing a curator involves a combination of requirements. You have to have somebody with intellectual, scholarly and managerial talents. You want to build a team, so the chemistry has to be right. All of that worked in Kristina's case. There's no recipe really.

     CM: Do you believe that the Menil Collection's special holdings in non-Western art speaks to Houston's own diversity?

     JH: It speaks to the global situation anywhere in the world. We're much closer to one another, both ethnically and in terms of travel opportunities. The planet is getting smaller and we really have to take care of it and study it. I think it's a really obvious responsibility we have.

    With regards to Houston, the answer is completely yes. The most fascinating aspect of the city for me is exactly its diversity. We need to always connect with that. It's a huge potential I want to tap into.

     CM: In terms of national and international collections of non-Western art, where does the Menil Collection stand?

     JH: I think that as Kristina's publication of the African collection proved, our African collection is fascinating, although eclectic and not comprehensive. There are big gaps and holes, but in terms of idiosyncrasy, it is world class. The same is true for our Oceanic art, as seen in the current exhibition of art from Lake Sentani.

    We would never claim that our non-Western collections are at the level of the Met, but they're significant and aesthetically strong and culturally fascinating. For me, they really add to the rich fabric that this museum has and the sort of potential dialogue, references and inspirations that are created between these different cultures in a building that really works well in that regard.

     CM: What does the future hold for the museum's African art collection? Will you pursue a curator with strengths in other areas of non-Western art, such as Oceania?

     JH: I will be every open: We're not done with examining our African collection. Kristina will continue to do projects. She is currently in France for a mini-sabatical at the MFAH Dora Maar Residence.

    There are still two major exhibitions she'll continue to do here over a year and a half — one in collaboration, I hope, with the Pulitzer Foundation. The fact is that our African collection is deeper and bigger than the Oceanic, and is such an inspirator for what happens in Western art — cubism and surrealism and so on. Honestly, we won't rush with this. We'll think about it this fall and come up with a timetable for finding a successor.

     CM: Former Menil curators Susan Davidson and Franklin Sirmans left the museum to land high-ranking positions at the Guggenheim and Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Do you perceive the Menil as a breeding ground for up-and-coming curators?

     JH: That seems to be the case. I'm proud that our people are going to great institutions. I want to give young people a great opportunity. If they do extraordinary work, then they'll move on and go to bigger institutions. It's a good thing for the field, and it's a good thing for us philosophically as an institution to do.

    I also think it has to do perhaps with the Menil exhibition program. We're considered to have a good reputation nationally and internationally; people watch what we're doing. For me, most importantly, I want our curators to be successful, to have the best opportunities they can have. It will mean most often that at some point they will leave. It's like losing your children. You're happy about it as long as they're going to the best place that advances their career. When Kristina told me she was leaving, my first question to her was, "Are you happy about this opportunity?" She said "Yes," and so I support her all the way.

     CM: To what extent are the Menil Collection and Pulitzer Foundation like-minded organizations?

     JH: We are kind of unique institutions. We're not just museums of contemporary art, or big encyclopedic museums of modern art. The Pulitzer is much smaller. What I find stunning about it is the marriage in their beautiful Tadao Ando-designed building and a high quality collection, very much like what we have here with our Piano building.

    But there's perhaps a more philosophical connection that I believe both the Pulitzer and the Menil share in that we're not trying to do what all the other museums do. I think we're trying to do more challenging semantic projects. We're commited to more scholarly endeavors. It's hard to raise the money to do these things, but it's important.

    So, yes, there's a great similarity between these two institutions. I gave the Pulitzer board a tour of our museum a few years ago, and afterward they said that the Menil is what they dream of becoming. And here we are.

    unspecified
    news/arts

    Best July & August Theater

    Broadway hits and Shakespeare festival headline Houston's 12 best summer shows

    Tarra Gaines
    Jul 1, 2025 | 9:30 am
    Broadway at the Hobby Center presents Parade
    Photo by Joan Marcus
    Broadway at the Hobby Center presents Parade

    Lions and tigers and zebras and murder. Oh, my! From big blockbuster shows to annual chilly thrillers, summertime is some of the best time for theater in Houston. Shakespeare, jukebox musicals, mysteries, and madcap comedies always headline our summer must-sees. This year is no different, but we’re also got intriguing musical dramas, Tony Award winning Broadway shows, bittersweet love stories, and even a local world premiere. There’s no place like Houston for summer theater.

    The Wizard of Oz at A.D. Players (July 9-August 10)
    Something wicked this way comes from A.D. Players this summer. Yes, long before the musical told from certain witches’ perspectives, L. Frank Baum’s original journey to Oz began with a Kansas girl’s ride on a tornado. She found a magical and musical land filled lively lions, tin men, and scarecrows. Follow the yellow brick road to classic songs like “Over the Rainbow” and “We’re Off to See the Wizard,” but after a great adventure, learn that enduring message that there’s no place like home. Our favorite Galleria area Players say this newly imagined production will have incredible production values to delight the whole family.

    Crabs in a Bucket at MATCH (July 10-19)
    This satire comes by Houston-raised, nationally acclaimed playwright Bernardo Cubría gets its first regional production with a stellar local cast. Amargo and Pootz are two bitter crabs living in a shucking bucket. They spend their days judging the other crabs that got out, the ones who couldn't take it, and the losers who still live among them. When a new crab arrives filled with hope and change, they are faced with who they once were and their incessant dream of getting the shuck out. Any similarities between this crabby circumstance and human relationships are purely intentional.

    The Mirror Crack’d at Alley Theatre (July 11-August 17)
    Move over Hercule Poirot and you too Sherlock, because it takes a woman to untangle all the mysterious threads of jealousy, lies, and ambition in those seemingly charming English towns. One of Agatha Christie’s greatest detectives, Miss Marple, uses a cheerful and kind-auntie demeanor to disguise a keen intellect and nose for solving crime. For this Miss Marple case, the filming of a star-studded movie in a quaint village leads to a chilling murder, and everyone becomes a suspect. The Alley’s annual Summer Chills mystery production is usually one of their most popular shows, but this one will also make a bit of theatrical history as this production of the Christie classic, adapted by Rachel Wagstaff, marks the first time iconic sleuth Miss Marple has appeared on the U.S. stage.

    The 39 Steps at Main Street Theater (July 12-August 10)
    The classic Alfred Hitchcock spy thriller becomes exhilarating comic mayhem onstage when performed by just four actors. The original 39 Steps film is the story of an ordinary man accused of a murder he did not commit after he accidentally becomes involved with a mysterious and deadly woman. He must then go on the run over the English and Scottish countryside trying to allude both the police and an international spy ring attempting to steal British military secrets. In this hilarious parody adaptation by Patrick Barlow, the four actors leap in and out of over 150 characters, sometimes playing multiple roles in the span of seconds while also performing dynamic chase scenes, including an onstage plane crash. Look for some of our local favs to get quite the theatrical workout in this breakneck comedy.

    Parade presented by Broadway at the Hobby Center (July 15-20)
    For the penultimate show of Broadway at Hobby’s 24-25 season, they’re bringing in the 2023 Tony Award winner for Best Revival of a Musical. Set at the turn of the 20th century, the dramatic and still very timely story chronicles what happens when murder, politics, and prejudice meet during a sensationalized murder trial. Based on a true story, Parade depicts newlywed Jewish couple, Leo and Lucille Frank, struggling to make a home and find community in Georgia. When Leo is accused of an unspeakable crime, it propels them into an unimaginable test of faith, humanity, justice, and devotion. Riveting and complex, Parade reminds us that to love, we must truly see one another.

    Iolanthe from the Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Houston (July 19-27)
    We always look forward this annual summer performance treat, as Houston’s own esteemed Gilbert and Sullivan Society presents another opera gem from the Gilbert and Sullivan treasure trove of musicals. Marrying fantasy and satire, Iolanthe is set in a magical version of England filled with both snobby aristocrats and equally smug faeries. The fairy and human world clash when Strephon, the half-fairy, half-human son of the title character falls in love with the lovely human Phyllis, a ward of the Lord Chancellor. Chaos ensues amid a lively and beautiful score as the fairies interfere in British politics, elevating Strephon to Parliament and upending tradition. The comic opera skews the British legal system, the House of Lords, and Victorian sensibilities all with clever lyrics. Keeping with the fairytale setting, the production design will showcase dreamy lighting, larger-than-life flora set pieces, and costumes inspired by whimsical bugs.

    The Last Five Years at Queensbury Theatre (July 23-27)
    When this bitter sweet musical made its debut in the early 2000s, it garnered lots of critics and audience acclaim with its fresh way to tell its love story, simultaneously from both the ending and beginning. Cathy, an aspiring actress, sings their story from the end of their marriage looking back, while Jamie, a rising novelist, begins with their first meeting full of sparks and attraction. The musical tellings of their love and loss cross just once, with a wedding song they sing together in the middle of the show. Then, fate pulls them apart. Queensbury plans on updating the already innovative show for our cell phone-obsessed digital age. The show will blend live performance with social media and technology to reflect how we connect, communicate, and fall apart today. Get ready for a fresh take on this iconic musical, where texts, tweets, and time collide.

    Honky Tonk Laundry at Stages (July 25-August 17)
    The history of this show at Stages has all of the highs and lows of a real honky tonk song. The feel-good musical created by Roger Bean, who also brought the world The Marvelous Wonderettes, was supposed to be one of the first shows through the wash cycle when Stages’ Gordy campus opened back in 2020, but the pandemic put it on hold after only a week of shows. Stages did release a streaming version of the show, but now it’s back in its full live and in-person glory. The title says it all as a woman tries to turn an inherited washeteria into a honky tonk club. Two unlikely friends spin suds, stories, and songs by Reba, Dolly, Carrie, and more. This musical load contains over 20 country hits, including “Before He Cheats,” “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’,” and “Wide Open Spaces.” At the center of all the sudsy songs is a story of friendship, grit, and finding your voice, one spin at a time.

    Houston Shakespeare Festival at Miller Outdoor Theatre (July 31-August 8)
    It wouldn’t be summer without free Shakespeare productions at Miller thanks in no small part to the University of Houston School of Theatre & Dance. This year brings a bard-tacular pairing with one of the great history plays, Henry V, and the effervescent comedy, As You Like It. Henry V lets us explore the qualities of leadership in all its challenges, complexities, and compromises as the young English king attempts to claim the French throne via battlefields and princess wooing. As You Like It marries some of Shakespeare’s best comic tropes including women disguised as men and urbanities losing their way, and sometimes sanity, in forests. Mix in some brotherly hate, mistaken identity, mixed up lovers, and a happy ending, and what’s not to like. The annual festival also offers some of the greatest roles for young regional actors getting their professional start and local favorites who have graced many a Houston stage.

    Life of Pi presented by Broadway at the Hobby Center (August 19-24)
    The Broadway at the Hobby Center 24-25 season ends not with a musical, but with this epic play. Based on the internationally award-winning novel and visually stunning film, this show won three Tony Awards and the Olivier Award for Best Play. After a shipwreck in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a sixteen-year-old boy named Pi survives on a lifeboat with four companions: a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan and a Royal Bengal tiger. On this makeshift, floating menagerie, boy and animals must survive together. Told with jaw-dropping visuals, world class puppetry and exquisite stagecraft, this beguiling show creates a breathtaking journey filled with wonder, awe and joy.

    While Childhood Slept from Garden Theatre (August 15-17)
    This emotional musical has some deep Houston history, as it had its world premiere here in 1999. It later received an off-Broadway reading, and its finale number, “We Will Not Forget,” was featured in the documentary Paperclips. In 2005, a revised version with new songs was performed once again in Houston. Based on a true story of the boys of Home Number One in the Nazi concentration camp, Terezin, the musical chronicles how the children create a secret republic within the camp, publishing their own magazine of art, poetry, and short stories. A visit from The Red Cross presents the opportunity to disguise their magazine as a secret message and a means of escape. The show will be produced in partnership with Holocaust Museum Houston.

    The Chosen Ones from Thunderclap Productions (August 28-September 6)
    While we have many new takes on classic stories on stages across the city this summer, if you’re looking for something new with some timely resonance, don’t miss this world premiere musical, by local and award winning playwright Aaron Alon. The show chronicles the stories of a group of LGBTQ+ teens sent to a conversion therapy summer camp, led by an “ex-gay” minister. With humor, sorrow, and hope the Chosen Ones explores themes of living authentically, found families, and defying conventions. Look for a large cast of fresh and up and coming local performers in this funny and moving musical, which is also a part of Thunderclap’s John Steven Kellett Memorial Series of works relating to LGBTQ+ equity.

    Broadway at the Hobby Center presents Parade
      

    Photo by Joan Marcus

    Broadway at the Hobby Center presents Parade.

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