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    Calendar Closeup

    Your weekly guide to Houston: Five (plus) don't-miss events — cosmic mixer included

    Joel Luks
    Aug 22, 2014 | 9:14 am

    On the agenda this week are the opening of a hyper local art exhibition, a film festival that explores architecture's relationship to the natural order, a community market and talent showcase, an artsy display of Houston prowess and a young professionals pity party for a has-been cosmic A-lister.

    Contemporary Arts Museum Houston opening reception: Right Here, Right Now: Houston

    The title of this hyper local exhibition says it all. Contemporary Arts Museum Houston director Bill Arning and curators Valerie Cassel Oliver and Dean Daderko chose to focus on the works of Debra Barrera, Nathaniel Donnett and Carrie Marie Schneider in an effort to bring attention to what's happening right here in Houston, artistically speaking, at the present moment in time.

    The skinny: Friday, 6:30-9 p.m.; Contemporary Arts Museum Houston; free event.

    Fourth Annual ArCH Film Festival "Architecture Meets Life"

    The three-day festival continues on Friday and Saturday with The Human Scale, a film that explores how spaces influence human interaction by looking at urban centers such as New York, Berlin and London; and Biophilic Design, a survey of how buildings should connect to nature.

    The skinny: Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m.; Architecture Center Houston; $10 per screening.

    Project Row Houses' Third Ward Community Market and Talent Showcase

    Project Row Houses is one of the most successful arts-centered experiments in which creativity acts as a catalyst for social change and community enrichment. Founder Rick Lowe's vision has surely been noticed: He was appointed by Mayor Annise Parker as one of the co-chairs to develop a cultural strategic plan to bolster local arts endeavors.

    You can get a taste of what this Third Ward destination is all about at this relatively new ongoing event. This showcase — a mixture of performances, visual art, installations and hands-on activities — spotlights emerging artists in a family-friendly display.

    The skinny: Saturday, 3-7 p.m.; Project Row Houses; free event.

    21st Annual TransCanada Theater District Open House

    Think of this affair that's held at the Hobby Center, Alley Theatre, Jones Hall, Wortham Theater Center and Bayou Music Center as an appetizer to the city's menu of delectable artsy offerings that contributes to the city's national standing as a desirable place to call home.

    Hands down the best prices on subscriptions and select single tickets to downtown's performing art presenters are available during Theater District Open House. Check out the day's activities here to plan your outing. How does a free tango lesson sound?

    The skinny: Sunday, noon-4 p.m.; Theater District; free event.

    Houston Museum of Natural Science's Mixers and Elixirs

    He was the smallest of the bunch, the little planet that couldn't. Although he enjoyed many years in the company of other official planets, eventually Pluto's true self was revealed: He was a dwarf planet and no longer belonged among the other cosmic A-listers.

    The theme for this month's Mixers and Elixiers young professionals brainy fete pays homage to the celestial body with music courtesy of the Space Rockers, drinks and grub from H-Town StrEATs, Coreanos and Golden Grill.

    The skinny: Sunday, 7-10 p.m.; Houston Museum of Natural Science: $20.

    Carrie Marie Schneider, Mixed Use Development, 2014. On view as part of Right Here, Right Now: Houston at CAMH.

    Carrie Marie Schneider, "Mixed Use Development," 2014. Digital collage, Dimensions variable.
    Courtesy of the artist
    Carrie Marie Schneider, Mixed Use Development, 2014. On view as part of Right Here, Right Now: Houston at CAMH.
    unspecified
    news/arts

    Get inspired

    Noted Houston street artist paints vibrant new mural at downtown venue

    Jef Rouner
    Dec 15, 2025 | 4:29 pm
    GONZO247 poses in front of his new mural, "Houston is Inspired" inside Hobby Center
    Photo courtesy of Hobby Center for the Performing Arts
    GONZO247 poses in front of his new mural, "Houston is Inspired" inside Hobby Center

    Visitors to the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts can now see an incredible new mural by one of Houston's most iconic street artists.Mario Enrique Figueroa, Jr., known as Gonzo247, debuted his piece, "Houston is Inspired" on Friday, December 12.

    “This piece is all about capturing the energy that makes Houston, Houston," said the artist in a statement. "It’s that raw, vibrant hustle — the music, the culture, the stories we’ve been telling for generations. I wanted to create something that pulls people in, gets them hyped for what they’re about to experience. Every color, every shape, every detail is telling a story, a vibe. This ain’t just a mural or a piece of art — it’s a journey. It's about the grind, the growth, and the inspiration we pass on to each other, on and off the stage.”

    The piece is called "Houston is Inspired," after the program at Hobby meant to showcase local performers by offering them week-long residencies on a prestigious stage. This season includes CJ Emmons's one-man comedy musical show I'm Freaking Talented; a rhythmic interactive storytelling experience called Our Road Home by Jakari Sherman; and Lavanya Rajagopalan's combination of music, dance and verse, Kāvya: Poetry in Motion. Information about all three shows, including ticket prices and availability, can be found at TheHobbyCenter.org.

    The last show (debuting May 1) was a particular inspiration to Gonzo247. Viewers may notice a pair of hands in a traditional Indian dance pose, a direct reference to Rajagopalan's show.

    The Houston is Inspired program was launched launched in the 2023-2024 season. In addition to the residency in Zilkha Hall, artists are given a $20,000 stipend for production and marketing costs. It is now a permanent fixture of the Hobby season. Applicants for future seasons can submit here.

    Known for his original "Houston is Inspired" mural in downtown's Market Square, Gonzo247 has been an active force in Houston art for 30 years, including producing the video series Aerosol Warfare about the street art scene in the 1990s and 2000s as well as founding the Graffiti and Street Art Museum. He also served as the artist liaison for Meow Wolf's Houston installation. If anyone's visual vision is perfect to welcome audience members to shows highlighting homegrown talent, it's him.

    “Art’s all about telling stories, but it ain’t just what you see — it’s what you feel," he said. "This piece speaks to the heart of everything we’re about: culture, rhythm, struggle, and triumph. When you walk into the space, you gotta feel the anticipation, the energy building up. That’s what I wanted to capture — the vibe of the whole city, the passion in the work, and that next-level hunger to rise up and create something fresh. It’s like the beat drops, and everything just connects.”

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