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Houston's first all-female art gallery pops up in Rice Village

Call it the art gallery Houston didn’t know it needed. A new pop-up gallery recently opened in Rice Village showcases the fresh, artistic work of female-identifying individuals. Dubbed Houston’s all-female art gallery, Inside HER STUDIO was created by artist Magen Pastor to address the systemic inequities still faced by female and femme artists in the art world, according to a press release.

The gallery, located at 2542 Amherst St., features eight female artists aged between 16 and 65: Anat Ronen, Laura Goodson, Lesli Gawrecki, Meredith O’Neal, Olga Saldivar, Sevy Marie Eicher, Shelbi Nicole, and Vivian Pastor.

In developing Inside HER STUDIO, Pastor developed an exclusive community program for female-identifying artists that includes access to exhibition space, collector networking, and strategic marketing consulting. The membership is designed to empower artists to support themselves with their work, per a release.

How glaring is the need for an all-female gallery? A 2019 study notes that among 18 prominent museums in the United States, some 87 percent of the artists in those collections are men. Meanwhile, another study conducted by the Association of Art Museum Directors found that a mere 43 percent of director-level roles in their member institutions are held by women.

“My hope is that this platform provides female-identifying artists at any stage of their career the knowledge and guidance through consultancy to make their art business a success,” Pastor said in a release. “The art gallery is part of a bigger platform and new marketplace that will also serve as an integrated community where curators, brands, and collectors can source from a broad selection of female artists and their work. All female-identifying artists should feel valued, heard, seen, and ultimately supported, and I’m offering a solution to bridge that gap.”

Pastor says she is planning subsequent potential shows in Austin, Chicago, Denver and “other art-centric destinations.” She also plans to launch courses early next year.

Female artists who are interested in consultancy and membership are invited to visit the gallery’s site for more information.

Artist Vivian Pastor and gallery curator Magen Pastor at the opening event.

Inside Her Studio Houston Rice Village Vivian Pastor Megan Pastor

Photo by Emily Jaschke

Artist Vivian Pastor and gallery curator Magen Pastor at the opening event.

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Emerging talent

Houston Grand Opera's 'Concert of Arias' showcases rising star singers

Winners of the 2024 Concert of Arias on stage at Houston Grand Opera

Photo by Michael Bishop, courtesy Houston Grand Opera

Winners from the 36th Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers. Concert of Arias is one of Houston Grand Opera's most-loved traditions. It affords cash prizes to the winners and determines placement in HGO's Sarah and Ernest Butler Houston Grand Opera Studio program.

Houston audiences can hear seven emerging opera singers from around the globe at Houston Grand Opera’s upcoming 37th Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers. The annual audience favorite, also known as Concert of Arias, is Friday, January 17 at the Wortham Theater Center at 7 pm.

Prior to the performance, the seven finalists spent a week immersing themselves in HGO’s culture and collaborating with its music staff. Each finalist will sing two arias, accompanied by the HGO Orchestra, conducted by Maestro James Gaffigan. They are competing for cash prizes and placement in HGO’s prestigious Sarah and Ernest Butler Houston Grand Opera Studio, one of the country’s top residency programs for emerging opera talent.

The winners will take home $25,000 for first place, $15,000 for second place, $10,000 for third place, and $5,000 for the Audience Choice Award. Each non-placing finalist will receive $3,500, with one of them selected for the $2,000 Ana María Martínez Encouragement Award.

The finalists are:

Lauren Carroll, a soprano from Bettendorf, Iowa who earned her Master of Music degree from Rice University and her Bachelor of Music degree from Drake University.
Daria Lupu a soprano from Romania who is a member of the Experimental Studio in Musical Performing Arts “Ludovic Spiess” at the Bucharest National Opera.
Alexis Seminario, a soprano who is currently a Young Artist with Palm Beach Opera and a 2020 alumna of HGO’s Young Artists Vocal Academy. She holds a Master of Music degree from Bard College Conservatory.
Meg Brilleslyper, a mezzo-soprano and 2022 alumna of HGO’s Young Artists Vocal Academy who is pursuing her Master of Music degree at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music.
Luke Norvell, a tenor from Tacoma, Washington who is a fourth-year resident artist at Academy of Vocal Art and has a Bachelor of Music degree from the Master’s University.
Luka Tsevelidze, a tenor from Georgia and student at the Tbilisi State Conservatoire who made his operatic debut as Tamino in The Magic Flute with the Tbilisi State Conservatoire Opera Studio.
Geonho Lee, a baritone from South Korea who holds a bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance from Seoul National University and was a 2024 semifinalist in the renowned Operalia Competition. He is currently pursuing advanced studies at the University of Music and Theatre Munich.

Tickets are sold out, but people can watch a live stream of the performance, interviews with the singers, and more on HGO's YouTube channel.

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