party on the bayou

Celebrate an all new Buffalo Bayou with this free waterfront party

The newly planned Tony Morran Park along Buffalo Bayou.

Rendering courtesy of Buffalo Bayou Partnership

Houston might be the country’s fourth-largest metropolis, but that hasn’t slowed the cultivating of its green, natural areas.

One example is the historic Buffalo Bayou’s East Sector. For years, the Buffalo Bayou Partnership has worked to develop a master plan for the area, which spans the five-mile stretch of Buffalo Bayou from US 59 to the Port of Houston Turning Basin. This space joins Houston’s Fifth Ward and the Greater East End, two of the city’s most historic neighborhoods.

Now, a new plan will create parks, trails, and unique destinations reflecting the rich cultural and industrial legacies of the East Sector. It’s a culmination of the partnership of local organizations on programs that activate the Bayou in the short- term and development projects that will transform the waterway in the long-term, according to the Partnership.

The plan includes:

• Some 40 miles of new and improved waterfront trails and bikeways
• At least 200 acres of new and improved parks and open space
• Seven new boat landings
• Seven new pedestrian bridges

“This plan is about investing in a community that hasn’t benefited from the same level of park funding that more affluent communities in Houston have seen,” said Anne Olson, Buffalo Bayou Partnership president, in a statement. “Being true to the context of the neighborhoods lining the bayou is very important to us. Buffalo Bayou Partnership wants to create parks and destinations that really are ‘of’ the Greater East End and Fifth Ward – two areas that have historically been separated from the bayou and each other.”

To celebrate the culmination of the multi-year plan, the Buffalo Bayou Partnership will host a free waterfront event featuring live music, a presentation of the master plan, and the opportunity to tour a new site overlooking Buffalo Bayou on Saturday, October 26.

As a nod to the charms of the East End, guests can expect neighborhood vendors, refreshments courtesy of Saint Arnold Brewing Company, face painting, piñata making, slabs, and lowriders. As an extra incentive, the first 100 people to attend will receive a bike helmet, donated by BikeHouston.

---

The free event runs from noon to 4 pm at along the Buffalo Bayou waterfront at 5803 Navigation Blvd. For more information, visit the Buffalo Bayou Partnership online.

parks

bowled over

Houston artist dishes on Food Bank fundraiser happening this weekend

Picture of several artists at a table with a bunch of handmade ceramic bowls.

Photo courtesy Paula Murphy

Ceramics professor Cori Cryer and her students from Lone Star College Kingwood and the bowls they donated to the 20th Empty Bowls fundraiser

On Saturday, May 16, shoppers have an opportunity to feed those in need by purchasing unique, handcrafted items. The 20th Empty Bowls event takes place at Silver Street Studios at Sawyer Yards from 10 am to 3 pm. A preview party takes place on Friday, May 15 from 6-8 pm (buy tickets here).

The fundraiser is a collaboration between Houston-area ceramists, woodturners, and artists working in all media and Silver Street Studios.

Shoppers can purchase one-of-a-kind bowls for $25 each (larger bowls are priced accordingly). A simple lunch from Salata, a sweet treat from Ben & Jerry’s, and iced coffee from Katz Coffee is served until it runs out. Every dollar of the purchases goes to the Houston Food Bank, which estimates that for every dollar donated, it’s able to provide three meals to Houstonians in need. Since its inception, Empty Bowls Houston has raised $1,208,959 for the Houston Food Bank, which equates to more than 3.6 million meals.

The event also includes live music and art demos. More than 2,000 bowls will be available for purchase, donated by area artists.

Empty Bowls began as a grassroots effort started many years ago at a high school in Michigan and is now held all over the world. Nearly everything for Empty Bowls events, from the food served to the venues hosting events and the bowls for sale are donated.

Cori Cryer, a professor of ceramics at Lone Star College Kingwood, is one of those who, along with her students, donated bowls for the fundraiser. She’s been involved with the effort for all of its 20 years in Houston, and before that in other cities.

“When I started donating, I didn't have a whole lot of money,” Cryer tells CultureMap. “I was a graduate student, and so this was a way for me to give back to the local community. And I think my students today kind of recognize that same feel. You know, they may not have money to send a check off to someone, [but this is] an easy way for them to be able to contribute to the community.”

Cryer teaches Ceramics I and Ceramics II to a variety of dual-credit high school students, college students, and continuing education students. Those in her Ceramics II classes are required to create five bowls to donate to Empty Bowls. But her students in her introductory class often end up donating as well. This year, she and her students provided approximately 150 bowls for the event.

Cryer said that the style of bowls for sale range from something as small as a condiment bowl to much larger serving bowls As each bowl is an individual work, they represent a variety of styles and themes. One of her students this year designed a glazed, ceramic leaf-shaped bowl with ceramic insects on it.

“There's a ladybug and a caterpillar and a spider,” she says, each created out of clay and positioned around the bowl.

Cryer loves seeing how the artists use their imaginations and abilities.

“Most of my students do throw their bowls on the pottery wheel, but that's not required,” she says. “They can hand-build them. It’s completely up to them what kind of construction technique they use.”

Cryer loves knowing that this event is a way for students to see that their artistic efforts can have lasting impact on the community around them. In addition to being able to support the Houston Food Bank, the bowls her class donates, she knows, take on special meaning for those who purchase them.

“I tell my students there is a pot for every person and a person for every pot,” she says.

In fact, one of her personal favorite bowls is one she purchased from an Empty Bowls sale.

“It's a very small bowl, maybe like three inches in diameter, and two inches tall, and it's a little pink pig that I think an elementary student made,” she said. “He has no tail, and he has no ears, but he has a snout, and it is definitely a pig. And I love that little bowl. I have it sitting on my desk at home.”

Cryer knows shoppers attending the Empty Bowls sale will find similar, soon-to-be-beloved items.

The Saturday event is free. Those wishing to attend the preview party on Friday, May 15 from 6-8 pm, which offers light bites, beer and wine, and the first chance to purchase bowls, can purchase a $50 ticket online. In addition, Archway Gallery is hosting an exhibition of 30 one-of-a-kind bowls that can be purchased as part of the Empty Bowls fundraiser. The exhibit runs through May 30.