• Home
  • popular
  • EVENTS
  • submit-new-event
  • CHARITY GUIDE
  • Children
  • Education
  • Health
  • Veterans
  • Social Services
  • Arts + Culture
  • Animals
  • LGBTQ
  • New Charity
  • TRENDING NEWS
  • News
  • City Life
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Home + Design
  • Travel
  • Real Estate
  • Restaurants + Bars
  • Arts
  • Society
  • Innovation
  • Fashion + Beauty
  • subscribe
  • about
  • series
  • Embracing Your Inner Cowboy
  • Green Living
  • Summer Fun
  • Real Estate Confidential
  • RX In the City
  • State of the Arts
  • Fall For Fashion
  • Cai's Odyssey
  • Comforts of Home
  • Good Eats
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2010
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2
  • Good Eats 2
  • HMNS Pirates
  • The Future of Houston
  • We Heart Hou 2
  • Music Inspires
  • True Grit
  • Hoops City
  • Green Living 2011
  • Cruizin for a Cure
  • Summer Fun 2011
  • Just Beat It
  • Real Estate 2011
  • Shelby on the Seine
  • Rx in the City 2011
  • Entrepreneur Video Series
  • Going Wild Zoo
  • State of the Arts 2011
  • Fall for Fashion 2011
  • Elaine Turner 2011
  • Comforts of Home 2011
  • King Tut
  • Chevy Girls
  • Good Eats 2011
  • Ready to Jingle
  • Houston at 175
  • The Love Month
  • Clifford on The Catwalk Htx
  • Let's Go Rodeo 2012
  • King's Harbor
  • FotoFest 2012
  • City Centre
  • Hidden Houston
  • Green Living 2012
  • Summer Fun 2012
  • Bookmark
  • 1987: The year that changed Houston
  • Best of Everything 2012
  • Real Estate 2012
  • Rx in the City 2012
  • Lost Pines Road Trip Houston
  • London Dreams
  • State of the Arts 2012
  • HTX Fall For Fashion 2012
  • HTX Good Eats 2012
  • HTX Contemporary Arts 2012
  • HCC 2012
  • Dine to Donate
  • Tasting Room
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2012
  • Charming Charlie
  • Asia Society
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2012
  • HTX Mistletoe on the go
  • HTX Sun and Ski
  • HTX Cars in Lifestyle
  • HTX New Beginnings
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013
  • Zadok Sparkle into Spring
  • HTX Let's Go Rodeo 2013
  • HCC Passion for Fashion
  • BCAF 2013
  • HTX Best of 2013
  • HTX City Centre 2013
  • HTX Real Estate 2013
  • HTX France 2013
  • Driving in Style
  • HTX Island Time
  • HTX Super Season 2013
  • HTX Music Scene 2013
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013 2
  • HTX Baker Institute
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2013
  • Mothers Day Gift Guide 2021 Houston
  • Staying Ahead of the Game
  • Wrangler Houston
  • First-time Homebuyers Guide Houston 2021
  • Visit Frisco Houston
  • promoted
  • eventdetail
  • Greystar Novel River Oaks
  • Thirdhome Go Houston
  • Dogfish Head Houston
  • LovBe Houston
  • Claire St Amant podcast Houston
  • The Listing Firm Houston
  • South Padre Houston
  • NextGen Real Estate Houston
  • Pioneer Houston
  • Collaborative for Children
  • Decorum
  • Bold Rock Cider
  • Nasher Houston
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2021
  • CityNorth
  • Urban Office
  • Villa Cotton
  • Luck Springs Houston
  • EightyTwo
  • Rectanglo.com
  • Silver Eagle Karbach
  • Mirador Group
  • Nirmanz
  • Bandera Houston
  • Milan Laser
  • Lafayette Travel
  • Highland Park Village Houston
  • Proximo Spirits
  • Douglas Elliman Harris Benson
  • Original ChopShop
  • Bordeaux Houston
  • Strike Marketing
  • Rice Village Gift Guide 2021
  • Downtown District
  • Broadstone Memorial Park
  • Gift Guide
  • Music Lane
  • Blue Circle Foods
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2022
  • True Rest
  • Lone Star Sports
  • Silver Eagle Hard Soda
  • Modelo recipes
  • Modelo Fighting Spirit
  • Athletic Brewing
  • Rodeo Houston
  • Silver Eagle Bud Light Next
  • Waco CVB
  • EnerGenie
  • HLSR Wine Committee
  • All Hands
  • El Paso
  • Avenida Houston
  • Visit Lubbock Houston
  • JW Marriott San Antonio
  • Silver Eagle Tupps
  • Space Center Houston
  • Central Market Houston
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Travel Texas Houston
  • Alliantgroup
  • Golf Live
  • DC Partners
  • Under the Influencer
  • Blossom Hotel
  • San Marcos Houston
  • Photo Essay: Holiday Gift Guide 2009
  • We Heart Hou
  • Walker House
  • HTX Good Eats 2013
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2013
  • HTX Culture Motive
  • HTX Auto Awards
  • HTX Ski Magic
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2014
  • HTX Texas Traveler
  • HTX Cifford on the Catwalk 2014
  • HTX United Way 2014
  • HTX Up to Speed
  • HTX Rodeo 2014
  • HTX City Centre 2014
  • HTX Dos Equis
  • HTX Tastemakers 2014
  • HTX Reliant
  • HTX Houston Symphony
  • HTX Trailblazers
  • HTX_RealEstateConfidential_2014
  • HTX_IW_Marks_FashionSeries
  • HTX_Green_Street
  • Dating 101
  • HTX_Clifford_on_the_Catwalk_2014
  • FIVE CultureMap 5th Birthday Bash
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2014 TEST
  • HTX Texans
  • Bergner and Johnson
  • HTX Good Eats 2014
  • United Way 2014-15_Single Promoted Articles
  • Holiday Pop Up Shop Houston
  • Where to Eat Houston
  • Copious Row Single Promoted Articles
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2014
  • htx woodford reserve manhattans
  • Zadok Swiss Watches
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2015
  • HTX Charity Challenge 2015
  • United Way Helpline Promoted Article
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Fusion Academy Promoted Article
  • Clifford on the Catwalk Fall 2015
  • United Way Book Power Promoted Article
  • Jameson HTX
  • Primavera 2015
  • Promenade Place
  • Hotel Galvez
  • Tremont House
  • HTX Tastemakers 2015
  • HTX Digital Graffiti/Alys Beach
  • MD Anderson Breast Cancer Promoted Article
  • HTX RealEstateConfidential 2015
  • HTX Vargos on the Lake
  • Omni Hotel HTX
  • Undies for Everyone
  • Reliant Bright Ideas Houston
  • 2015 Houston Stylemaker
  • HTX Renewable You
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • HTX New York Fashion Week spring 2016
  • Kyrie Massage
  • Red Bull Flying Bach
  • Hotze Health and Wellness
  • ReadFest 2015
  • Alzheimer's Promoted Article
  • Formula 1 Giveaway
  • Professional Skin Treatments by NuMe Express

    Shelby About Town

    So many parties, so little time? A dozen not-to-be-missed events on this fall'ssocial calendar

    Shelby Hodge
    Sep 7, 2011 | 6:29 am
    • The crowd goes wild at Una Notte in Italia, the Festari fashion fling for FamilyServices of Greater Houston.
      Photo by Michelle Watson/LastNightPics.com
    • They'll be toasting the good grape and fine food at the Best Cellars CelebrityDinner.
    • Jackson Hicks, left, pictured here with his partner Milton Townsend, will behonored at the Legacy luncheon.
      Fulton Davenport
    • The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Grand Gala Ball will take its inspiration fromthe upcoming Tutankhamun exhibition.
    • Ana Maria Martinez will add glamour to Houston Grand Opera's opening nightfestivities.
      Photo by Tom Specht
    • Lynn Wyatt was a great sport, dancing with the stars last November. ThisNovember she sings for Houston Grand Opera.
      Photo by Gary Fountain

    And so it begins — the post-Labor Day marathon, 15 weeks of the fundraising blitz known as the fall social season. Take your vitamins. Get the diamonds out of the vault and practice your struts in stilettos. It's party time, Houston.

    CultureMap has surveyed the frenzied social landscape now through mid-December and while we had intended to limit our list to 10 top fundraisers, we were hard put to keep it to even a dozen. So here we go, a dozen good reasons to go out on the town.

    We're going to assume that you've already made your plans for this week. And we know you've started filling in your dance card with next month's Fashion Houston Presented by Audi and Houston Ballet's Nutcracker Market in November. And if you don't already know all about the duo of art fairs headed our way, stay tuned to CM for details.

    Best Cellars Celebrity Dinner

    If you enjoy fine food served with great wines, River Oaks Country Club is the place to be on Sept. 13. Master chefs Robert Del Grande, Dean Fearing of Dallas and Tim Keating of Orlando, Fla., will man the kitchen while various table hosts raid their wine lockers to offer splendid vintages to guests at their table. Once dinner is served, the chef trio will reprise their Barbed Wires musical group for late evening entertainment. Music is a traditional highlight of the Best Cellars Celebrity Dinners.

    Bonus: You'll get to rub elbows with our dashing Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and his glam wife Tricia, presenting sponsors of the evening along with MorganStanley.

    The evening benefits the Nashville-based T.J. Martell Foundation, which will use proceeds for the Physician-Scientist Program at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Details and reservations are available here.

    Legacy Community Health Services Luncheon

    The mere cachet of the powerhouse chairs — Phoebe Tudor and Cerón — make this Sept. 20 event a hot ticket. Add the charm and community involvement of the honoree — Jackson Hicks — and you have a not-to-be-missed midday happening in the Grand Foyer of Wortham Theater Center. The social butterflies will swoop down in droves for this popular, fast-paced, no-long-speeches event. It's a fun time for a worthy cause.

    And you can't go wrong in supporting Legacy, which just opened its new center in the heart of Montrose, where it provides comprehensive primary health care to an underserved, uninsured community.

    Martini Madness

    Who doesn't love a a party centered around martinis — gin or vodka! That's just one of the reasons we wouldn't miss Houston Center for Contemporary Craft's 10th birthday bash on Sept. 22. Add the fabulous martini glassware created for the evening by local artists, the endless flow of juice and the hip crowd that dresses Mad Men style.

    Heading up the Martini Madness gang are chairs PR whiz Alton LaDay, artist Libbie Masterson and collector Judy Nyquist, a trio sure to stir up a load of mid-century fun.

    Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Grand Gala Ball

    This is it baby. This is where you'll find the city's reigning fat cats, your opportunity to rub shoulders with the people who run the corporations, who head the foundations and who make things happen in the city. The museum ball is the premier gala of the fall season for which the swans don their best designer gowns and jewels from the vault. The gents employ their diamond studs for the Zegna tuxes. And socializing reaches a seasonal high.

    Bonus: Chairs Michelle and Frank Hevrdejs have taken the museum's upcoming blockbuster Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs and translated it into their gala theme, "An Egyptian Fantasy" on Oct. 1. Expect impressive decor in the museum's Caroline Weiss Law Building.

    Bayou Preservation Association Gala

    Don't let the "gala" fool you. The Bayou Preservation Association event is always a casual, stellar evening under the stars in the gardens of a private home overlooking Buffalo Bayou. What's not to enjoy on Oct. 12 when strolling a beautiful landscape on what is typically a beautiful fall evening?

    This year's theme, "Welcome to the Jungle," adds a playful note with an invitation that encourages guests to wear safari/jungle chic attire. Me Tarzan, you Jane? Well, not that far down the jungle path but we bet there will be plenty of this season's stylish jungle prints in the party mix.

    Penny and Paul Loyd will generously open their gardens to the partying throng which will be led by chairs Jessica and Peto Meyer and Kristen and Lee Nix.

    March of Dimes Signature Chefs Gala

    Chairs Rosemary Schatzman and Vanessa Sendukas have kicked this baby up a notch, moving it to the Hilton Americas-Houston, adding a magical theme "La Cage aux Folles" and bringing in the city's top restaurants/chefs to cook up a storm for more than 800 black-tie attired guests. It's grazing through a field of gourmet delights on Oct. 13.

    Tony Vallone, who is one of the night's stellar honorees, is pulling out the stops for those buying tables at the $25,000 level. Seated in a special section, these guests will receive the Tony's treatment via a four-course tasting menu prepared and served by Tony's staff.

    With Sheridan and John Eddie Williams serving as honorary chairs, this is expected to once again be March of Dimes' most successful Signature Chefs event in the country.

    Houston Grand Opera Opening Night

    Is there anything more glamorous than Houston Grand Opera's season opener? The glitz, the excitement, the music! Opera patrons will begin the evening of Oct. 21 with HGO's colorful new production of The Barber of Seville and then carry the merriment on to an ornately-decorated party tent on Fish Plaza for the soirée and robust dinner in the hands of Tony's catering staff.

    Bonus: The opera's major performers will join patrons for dinner, which means that the lovely soprano Ana Maria Martinez, a Houston favorite, will be seated with a group of high-ticket supporters. Also joining the festivities will be the new HGO leadership team: artistic and music direcor Patrick Summers and managing director Perryn Leech. It's prime time for meeting and greeting.

    Una Notte in Italia

    Too much fun! How else to describe this annual men's fashion bash that brings out the inner beefcake in local sports celebs and business moguls. Family Services of Greater Houston is the beneficiary when the gents don the latest fashions from Festari and head down the catwalk on Nov. 4.

    You never know what will greet the manly parade. We've seen lacy thongs thrown at them, big bills tucked into their belts and roses tossed at their feet. All the while, the crowd goes crazy with hoots, hollers and whistles of approval.

    With the electric duo of Elizabeth Petersen and Melissa Mithoff in charge and Debbie and Rudy Festari trying to maintain order as honorary chairs, this promises to be one hot night.

    Houston Children's Charity Gala

    If you loved Jersey Boys, you're going to really love this black-tie gala on Nov. 5 at the Hyatt Regency. The one and only Frankie Valli headlines and you're invited to jump out of your seat and sing and dance like it was your high school prom.

    Newcomers to the charitable social scene trial lawyer Steve Mostyn and wife Amber chair the Houston Children's Charity gala that honors Soraya and Scott McClelland.

    HGO's Singing with the Idols

    Okay, we wouldn't typically single out two Houston Grand Opera events in such a highly-edited list but CultureMap's own Shelby Hodge is one of the songbirds (the term is used very loosely in this case) to lay it all out there on Nov. 8 for your amusement.

    We're pretty sure that contestant Bobby Tudor knows his way around the musical scales and surely Tony Mandola (cousin to Steve Tyrell) does. Also joining the playful competition in which anything goes are Lynn Wyatt, Robin Angly, Mike Plank and Harlan Stai.

    Bonus: The fun takes place at the home of John and Becca Cason Thrash, always a great place for a party. Dinner, cocktails and voting on your favorite talent. What could be better?

    The Orange Show Gala

    Who needs Halloween when you have the Orange Show Gala, the most wicked party of the year? It's the one time that your alter-egos, evil twins and inner sluts are welcome in public. Costuming is a must for the dinner evening on Nov. 5 that this year will feature Dr. John & the Lower 911.

    Orange Show founder Marilyn Oshman has pulled together what she's calling "The Gang of 30" (early supporters and patrons) to orchestrate what is guaranteed to be one of the most talked-about fundraisers of the season.

    Angels of Hope Luncheon

    There simply isn't a more worthy cause than that of helping children who are victims of abuse. And how fortunate for Friends of Child Advocates that it has such a loyal following of fashionable, charitable women. Case in point, the Dec. 6 luncheon and Neiman Marcus fashion presentation of Rena Lange spring designs. It's a great group that you'll be happy you joined for this midday social.

    Lucinda Loya and Stephanie Perkins chair the inspirational luncheon that honors Linda Messner.

    unspecified
    news/arts

    A Roman Holiday (Season)

    All roads lead to Houston museum's blockbuster exhibit of Imperial Rome

    Tarra Gaines
    Jun 11, 2025 | 3:15 pm
    ​The Museum of Fine Arts Houston presents "Art and Life in Imperial Rome: Trajan and His Times"
    Photo courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
    The Museum of Fine Arts Houston presents "Art and Life in Imperial Rome: Trajan and His Times" ("Statue of Trajan" Minturno, Italy, 2nd century, marble, National Archaeological Museum, Naples)

    Houston's holiday season will have a distinctly Roman feeling this year, as the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston is bringing the glory of the Gladiator era to Texas. On November 2, 2025 through January 25, 2026 the MFAH presents the monumental new exhibition “Art and Life in Imperial Rome: Trajan and His Times.”

    Featuring 160 objects of antiquity, including marble sculptures, frescoes, mosaics, delicate glass vessels, and exquisite bronze artifacts, the exhibition will transport visitors back in time to the Roman Empire during a flowering of art and architecture. The MFAH partnered with the Saint Louis Art Museum to organize the exhibition, which will showcase many pieces that have never been on view in the U.S.

    While Emperor Trajan might not be the most famous — or in some cases, most infamous — of the Roman emperors, he ruled between 98 and 117 C.E. during the empire’s height and was the second of the so-called “Five Good Emperors” of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty. He was also the first emperor born outside of present-day Italy, in what is now Andalusia, Spain. During his reign, he granted citizenship and rights to some peoples from conquered lands. The exhibition will explore how this time period expanded what it meant to be a Roman and how art reflected Rome’s power and promoted the empire’s values and ideals.

    \u200bThe Museum of Fine Arts Houston presents "Art and Life in Imperial Rome: Trajan and His Times"
      

    Photo courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

    The Museum of Fine Arts Houston presents "Art and Life in Imperial Rome: Trajan and His Times" ("Statue of Trajan" Minturno, Italy, 2nd century, marble, National Archaeological Museum, Naples)

    From statues of prominent men and women of the era, including Trajan, to vivid frescoes and furnishing from the villas of Pompeii, the objects in the exhibition will tell fascinating cultural and political stories of life in imperial Rome. To add context to the artworks and objects of antiquity, the MFAH will recreate a section of Trajan’s Column, which was a towering pillar with a spiraling narrative frieze, one of the few monumental sculptures to have survived the fall of Rome.

    “Art and Life in Imperial Rome: Trajan and His Times” brings such a wealth of objects to Houston thanks to unprecedented loans from the renowned antiquities collections of Italian museums including Museo Nazionale Romano, the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, the Parco Archeologico di Ostia, and the Musei Vaticani. It would would likely take months of travel across Italy to see this much art.

    “This is truly a rare opportunity for U.S. audiences to experience spectacular objects from this glorious era of the Roman Empire,” said Gary Tinterow, director and Margaret Alkek Williams chair of the MFAH, in a statement. “We are enormously grateful to our colleagues in Rome, Naples, and Vatican City for lending these treasures to us and broadening the appreciation of Italy’s cultural heritage.”

    museumsmuseum of fine arts houstonopenings
    news/arts
    Loading...