Ramble On

Art Ramble returns to Houston's Sawyer Yards for big fall open house

Spend a creative day at Art Ramble.

Photo courtesy of Sawyer Yards

Good news, art lovers: Art Ramble is returning for its second year. The free walkable art event debuted in 2023 to great acclaim and now Sawyer Yards is gearing up to host this year's immersion into the "heART" of Houston's thriving art scene.

On Saturday, September 14, more than 100 art studios will open their doors from 12-5 pm for the Second Saturday Art Ramble.

You'll get to wander through a kaleidoscope of artistic expression, marveling at everything from breathtaking paintings to mesmerizing sculptures, captivating photography, and exquisite ceramics. Each studio visit offers a chance to engage with local artists, explore their work, and even take home a piece that speaks to you (expect a variety of price points).

Art Ramble Meet with artists and explore their work.Photo courtesy of Sawyer Yards

But it's not just visual art you'll get to savor. Sample local flavors served by popular drink purveyors, let the melodies of talented musicians serenade you through the corridors, and create art of your own art with Arts District Houston and Black Swan Screen Printing, all from 2-5 pm.

Here's a guide to where you'll find what:

Sabine Street Studios: exhibitions include Ch-Ch-Changes, WiVLA Presents: Entangled, and John Maloney: Scenes from Films I'll Never Make. Platypus Brewing + activity with Arts District Houston.

Spring Street Studios: exhibitions include Shapes of Summer, Celebration of Spirits, Michelle Vo: Resilience, and Woman : WAR(RIOR). Eureka Heights Brewing + Black Swan DIY screen printing benefitting Rescued Pet Movement.

Winter Street Studios: exhibitions include Back on Track. Tejas Brewing, live music + activity with Arts District Houston.

The Silos at Sawyer Yards: exhibitions include Sources of Light, Oluseyi Soyege: Fundamental Livelihood, The Pieces & The Puzzle, and Dana Cargile: Sticks and Stoneware. Saint Arnold Brewing, live music + activity with Arts District Houston.

Silver Street Studios: exhibitions include PARADOX, and Color in Motion. Maven Coffee + Cocktails, live music + Black Swan DIY screen printing benefitting Rescued Pet Movement.

Art Alley: live painting new murals with UP Art Studio.

From paintings to sculpture to music and more, Art Ramble is full of fun.Photo courtesy of Sawyer Yards

Head here for more information and a complete list of participating studios.

Sawyer Yards is a creative community thriving in the heart of Houston’s historic First Ward and Arts District Houston. One of the largest working artist communities in the country, Sawyer Yards is home to over 400 artists and creative businesses.

galleries artist studio sawyer yards art ramble promoted

a 14 minute tour

Museum of Fine Arts takes Houston to Paris cathedral with new virtual tour

Still image of digital rendering of Notre- Dame Cathedral, Ars Electronica.

Museum of Fine Arts courtesy image.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston opens “Notre-Dame Immersive Experience.” (Still image of digital rendering of Notre- Dame Cathedral, Ars Electronica.)

Lovers of art and architecture around the world mourned when a 2019 fire destroyed significant portions of the exterior and interior of Notre-Dame Cathedral, one of the most beloved landmarks in all of France. After five years of intense rebuilding and repair, Notre-Dame is set to open again this December. For those who can’t make it to the reopening, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston has a very special virtual trip planned this holiday season with their just announced monumental installation, the “Notre-Dame Immersive Experience.”

Set within the MFAH’s vast Cullinan Hall, this animated, 14-minute, immersive presentation will surround visitors with images of Notre-Dame, simulating the experience of walking through the medieval cathedral. Viewers will go on a virtual journey from the outside of Notre-Dame as day turns to dusk, then move into the candle-lite interiors and stained-glass windows. The immersive video will also replicate the fire and its aftermath before revealing the cathedral’s newly reconstructed spire, topped with a cross and a golden rooster, a national emblem of France and a symbol of Christianity.

“It is difficult to exaggerate the role Notre-Dame plays in the public imagination, from its iconic architecture, emblematic of the Northern Gothic style, to its magnificent stained-glass rose windows,” Museum of Fine Arts, Houston director Gary Tinterow said in a statement. “When fire erupted five years ago, millions of people around the world grieved the loss of a monument that had personal significance to each of them. Happily, the cathedral has been restored, and now Houstonians will be among the first to experience the reconstructed building that rose from the ashes.”

“Notre-Dame Immersive Experience” was created by Ars Electronica Futurelab, in partnership with French start-ups Iconem and Histovery. To create a virtual 3D model of Notre-Dame, the installation uses point cloud data compiled by the late Belgian art historian and Vassar College professor Andrew Tallon, who created 3D laser scans of the cathedral in 2010 that proved instrumental in guiding the reconstruction of the cathedral as well as additional scans and 3D material by Histovery.

Over the years, we’ve come to expect perception-defying immersive artworks from the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston every summer, but this “Notre-Dame Immersive Experience” November surprise looks to be a perfect place to take any visiting art, history, or Francophile friends and family for the holidays.

The "Notre-Dame Immersive Experience" will be on view at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston from November 23, 2024, through January 5, 2025.

Courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston opens “Notre-Dame Immersive Experience.”

museum of fine arts houston museums notredame cathedral