howlin' good

Meow Wolf reveals Houston artists for highly anticipated opening exhibit

It looks like some Houston artists are going to get an amazing moment in the spotlight, and it’s all thanks to a group named (checks notes) Meow Wolf?

Yes, Meow Wolf Houston, to be exact. The visionary art collective turned pioneers in the experiential art world, are proud to unveil some of the creative minds behind the collective’s fifth permanent installation in Houston's historic Fifth Ward. A diverse ensemble of more than 40 contributing artists from Texas will collaborate with Meow Wolf’s in-house artist team for what promises to be an vibrant addition the city's art and cultural landscape..

"The brilliance and vision of these artists echo the heartbeat of Houston,” noted GONZO247, who serves as Meow Wolf’s Houston artist liaison, in a press materials (locals know him as our city's most famous graffiti artist). “Collectively, this exhibition will be a reflection of Houston culture as much as the fantastical realms of Meow Wolf that fans expect.”

Houstonians will recognize the roster of talent. Participants will include Kill Joy, the prominent international art activist; El Franco Lee, a Fifth Ward mainstay; Afsaneh Aayani, one of Houston's few female theater puppeteers; and Trenton Doyle Hancock, who weaves comic book elements, classical mythology, and multimedia installations into his work.

Han Santana-Sayles, Meow Wolf's senior director of artist collaboration, invited local curators and nonprofits to build artist lists for the exhibition. "I want each Meow Wolf exhibition to be a reflection of relevant contemporary artists in that region,” Santana-Sayles noted in a statement. “In order to find the best creatives to work with, we love consulting with local curators or nonprofits who support emerging artists to build artist lists with us."

Several curators contributed to the exhibition. They include Harrison Guy, director of arts and culture at the DeLUXE Theater; Christine West, an art administrator and curator with 20 years of experience focusing on public art access in Houston; Y.E.Torres, an interdisciplinary artist and the Public Programs and CAMHLAB manager at Contemporary Art Museum Houston; and Fresh Arts, a Houston-focused nonprofit that empowers local artists and public arts initiatives.

Meow Wolf has not yet revealed the name, theme, or opening date of the exhibition, but art fans can expect updates as they are announced.

$Adela Andea: \u201cChaos Incarnate\u201d$

Image courtesy of the artist

Adela Andea: “Chaos Incarnate.”

Arts News

Houston arts organization spins up a new record label for creative works

Two CD copies of Tyshawn Sorey's Monochromatic Light (Afterlife)

Photo courtesy of DACAMERA Editions

DACAMERA's unique musical contribution to Houston now comes in LP form.

For more than three decades, Houston arts and music non-profit DaCamera has brought innovative and unique jazz and chamber music performances to the city. Now, they are launching their own record label called DaCamera Editions, starting with TyShawn Sorey's Monochromatic Light (Afterlife) releasing on January 30.

Since 1987, DaCamera has been a nationally-celebrated curator, commissioner, and presenter of modern works that often fly under the mainstream radar. With the establishment of an in-house record label, the music they are known for becomes more widely available to audiences.

"Following the thrilling experience of commissioning, performing, and recording Monochromatic Light (Afterlife), we saw an opportunity to launch our own label," DaCamera artistic director Sarah Rothenberg said in a statement. "DaCamera Editions will enable us to share our distinctive, curated mix of new music, classical repertoire, and jazz in a way that emphasizes connections to art, literature and the world in which we live, all under the DaCamera umbrella."

Monochromatic Light (Afterlife) is the perfect album to herald a new Houston record label. The meditative piece was a joint commission from DaCamera and the Rothko Chapel to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the renowned Houston landmark. Featuring soloists Davóne Tines (bass-baritone), Kim Kashkashian (viola), Sarah Rothenberg (piano/celesta), Steven Schick (percussion), and the Houston Chamber Choir, the 75-minute work was a critical hit when it premiered in 2022. It built on a previous work, Morton Feldman's Rothko Chapel, which debuted at the site in 1972. Sorey composed a bass-baritone part for Tines and expanded the keyboard role by adding piano. As part of the performance, Tines sings lines from the spiritual "I Feel Like a Motherless Child."

Both The New York Times and The New Yorker named the premiere of Monochromatic Light (Afterlife) as a top 10 classical performance of 2022. It was also a Finalist for the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Music.

The album will be released on both CD and digital formats. Pre-orders are available at DaCameraEditions.com.

Future planned releases include Rothenberg's In Darkness and Light (May 2026), a piano album inspired by the anxiety of COVID and featuring Vijay Iyer’s eloquent personal memorial "For My Father;" and Tyshawn Sorey’s solo piano work For Julius Eastman, a tribute to the minimalist composer and activist whose work has undergone a 21st Century renaissance since his death in relative obscurity in 1990.

"DaCamera Editions will enable us to share our distinctive, curated mix of new music, classical repertoire, and jazz in a way that emphasizes connections to art, literature and the world in which we live,” Rothenberg said.