Hottest headlines of 2024

10 top Houston arts stories of 2024 spotlight local cultural treasures

Editor's note: It was a big year in the arts in Houston, as evidenced by the 10 most-read stories. The city's beloved Rothko Chapel embarked on groundbreaking renovations that were sidelined by Hurricane Beryl; the poplar Art Car Museum got a second chance; and, of course, Meow Wolf opened a new portal to local art lovers. The most-read story of all interviewed a local actress who came home to star in a musical that was "simply the best."

Read on for the 10 hottest arts headlines of 2024 in Houston:

1. Houston-born actress comes home to star in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. Excited didn't quite capture the emotion Houston native GiGi Lewis felt about coming through her hometown in the national tour of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical,which opened January 2 at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts and earned rave reviews. "I'm trying to keep it down because I'm over here losing it," she laughs. "I'm like a kid in a candy store!"

2. Rare showing of John Lennon's art comes together at Houston gallery. A rare showing of artwork by the late, legendary Beatles guitarist John Lennon would be going on display for a limited time at Off the Wall Gallery in The Galleria. Dubbed Give Peace a Chance - The Art of John Lennon, the showing would run from August 20 to September 7, 2024.

3. Museum of Fine Arts takes Houston to Paris cathedral with new virtual tour. 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 reopened in early December. For those who couldn't make it to the reopening, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston has a very special virtual trip on this holiday season: “Notre-Dame Immersive Experience” runs through January 5, 2025.

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

4. Houston's iconic Rothko Chapel breaks ground on $42 million campus expansion. On April 17, Houston’s iconic Rothko Chapelbroke ground on a substantial expansion that’s designed to enhance its spiritual and temporal missions. Dubbed Opening Space, the $42 million project is adding new buildings just north of the existing Chapel on the other side of Sul Ross St. Unfortunately ...

5. Houston's Rothko Chapel indefinitely closed by Hurricane Beryl damage. One of the city's most-loved landmarks announced its indefinite closure in August, following damage from Hurricane Beryl. The Rothko Chapel's ceiling and several walls sustained water damage following the storm, and three of Mark Rothko’s panels were also affected to varying degrees. The building was set to reopen on Tuesday, December 17.

6. Texas is a bust in new ranking of best states for arts and artists. The arts bring vibrance and color to communities everywhere, but a 2024 report paints a somewhat bleak picture for artists and arts funding in Texas. Texas ranks 28th in a new report on best states for the arts in 2024 by SmileHub, a nonprofit tech company founded by the same CEO as personal finance website WalletHub.

7. Heights-area museum devoted to Houston's iconic Art Cars will close in April. In March, it seemed Houston might be reaching the end of a keeping-it-weird era as the Art Car Museum was set to close on April 28th, according to a statement on the organization’s website. But that wasn't the end of the story. In October, new plans revved up to not only keep it open, but give it a brand new home - one where its delightful quirkiness will find a kindred spirit in strangeness.

The Art Car Museum got a second chance. Photo courtesy of The Art Car Museum

8. Houston Theater Week spotlights BOGO tickets to more than 230 shows. Houston has a wealth of arts organizations, offering performances of everything from avant garde theatre to classical music to multiple genres of dance. Thankfully, a popular program helps newbie arts lovers and longtime patrons alike. Houston Theater Week 2024offers buy-one-get-one-free deals for more than 230 performing arts programs for the upcoming 2024-2025 arts season.

9. Meow Wolf reveals Houston artists adding local flavor to its Fifth Ward project. In February, Meow Wolf revealed the 40 acclaimed Houston and regional artists who would collaborate on the project. But the Meow Wolf Houston surprises kept dropping with their announcement in May of the Texas artists would will be part of their Art Team Task Force.

10. New indoor water park & resort introduces itself to Houston with wolfish Art Car. In April, there was a new kid on the block of Houston's Art Car Parade, and it was ready to roll the streets, cementing a connection between a new resort and its adopted city. Great Wolf Lodge, which opened in Webster in October, jumped into Houston with enthusiasm.

Motley Crew Media

Aldine High School graduate GiGi Lewis landed the roles of Aline and one of the Ikettes in Tina: The Turner Musical.

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Salutations, Soon Youn

Houston Ballet principal dancer announces retirement after 13 years

Photo by Amitava Sarkar (2016). Courtesy of Houston Ballet.

Houston Ballet Principal Soo Youn Cho and in Theme and Variations.

Houston Ballet principal dancer Soon Youn Cho has announced her retirement, after 13 years with the company.

For more than a decade, she has captivated audiences with her elegance, emotional authenticity, and technical brilliance. Audiences have seen her in roles such as Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Kitri in Don Quixote, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, and Suzuki in Madame Butterfly, among many others.

Cho’s retirement follows a period of recovery from spinal surgery prompted by chronic back issues that intensified during and after her pregnancy.

"This decision was not made lightly, but with a great deal of reflection and acceptance over the past year," said Cho. “Since I first began ballet at the age of four, it has been the greatest love of my life. Even through pain and injury, I felt joy and purpose in every moment. I gave my best to every step along the way, and I now leave the stage with a peaceful heart and deep gratitude.”

Cho further said that even before becoming pregnant, she had been managing chronic back issues throughout her career.

“With dedication, careful conditioning, and the unwavering support of those around me, I was able to continue dancing for many years,” she said. “Despite my best efforts to recover, I’ve come to the difficult realization that I won’t be able to return to dancing at the level I once did. With a heavy but full heart, I’ve decided to retire from the stage.”

Born in Korea and trained there, as well as in Canada and Germany, Cho danced with Opera Leipzig Ballet in Leipzig, Germany and the Tulsa Ballet in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she was promoted to principal in 2010. She joined the Houston Ballet in 2012 as a demi soloist. She quickly rose through the ranks, promoted to soloist in 2014, then first soloist in 2016. In 2018, she became the Houston Ballet’s first Korean principal.

Upon achieving the designation, she said, “I feel like I have made an important mark in history, along with other great dancers, for my people in such a great company.”

Cho’s roles onstage reflected her wide artistic range and commitment to storytelling through dance. Her Houston Ballet colleagues and audiences admire and praise the passion and sincerity she brought to every performance. One of those, Cho’s portrayal of Suzuki in Madame Butterfly, is especially close to her heart, not only for its emotional depth but for the lifelong friendship it sparked with fellow principal Yuriko Kajiya.

“Becoming part of this Company and working alongside such extraordinary people has been one of the greatest blessings and privileges of my life. I close this chapter with a full heart and immense appreciation for the art, the audiences, and the people who made it all so meaningful.”

Cho said that while she doesn’t yet know what will come next, she departs the company filled with gratitude.

“Looking back, I feel nothing but gratitude,” she said. “Gratitude for the incredible colleagues and mentors I’ve shared the studio with. Gratitude for the audiences who supported us performance after performance. And gratitude for the art form itself — so demanding, so beautiful, and so deeply rewarding. I leave the stage with peace in my heart. Because I gave everything I had to this journey, I can move forward without regret.”

$\u200bHouston Ballet Principal Soo Youn Cho$

Photo by Amitava Sarkar (2016). Courtesy of Houston Ballet.

Houston Ballet Principal Soo Youn Cho and in Theme and Variations.

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