Spring ahead
Art everywhere! Weekend guide includes blue trees, cool sculptures and "alternative forms of life"
Springtime has sprung and so has a fresh season of Space City art. This weekend will see not only an explosion of gallery openings, but also the National Council on the Education of Ceramic Arts (NCECA) conference as well as the spring edition of the Bayou City Art Festival.
Here's a look at some art scene highlights:
FRIDAY
The 47th annual NCECA conference — which has a slew of programming on Friday and Saturday at the George R. Brown — has inspired roughly 120 ceramics-themed shows all over town. Click here for the full list and be sure to hit up Mother Dog Studios' Friday night reception (6 to 9 p.m.) for a series of shows exploring "alternative forms of life" in clay.
The 4411 Montrose building hosts Friday openers for pop-hued works by German artist Maxim Wakultschik at Anya Tish, cool sculptures by Andrea Bianconi at Barbara Davis and abstract works by Guus Kemp and Lucinda Cobley at Zoya Tommy and Wade Wilson, respectively.
Contemporary Arts Museum Houston kicks off its performance art show Parallel Practices: Joan Jonas & Gina Pane with a reception from 7 to 9 p.m. Meanwhile, in the Heights, Avis Frank unveils the work of 16 new artists from 6 to 8 p.m.
SATURDAY
Art Palace at Isabella Court on Main will host a special 1 p.m. talk with multi-faceted artist Charlie Morris, whose exhibit Spinning Under Trees is on view through Mar. 30.
From 6 to 8 p.m. along Colquitt, Peveto and d.m. allison host NCECA receptions, while McMurtrey, Catherine Couturier and Hooks-Epstein each highlight some rather fascinating new surreal works. From 5 to 7 p.m., Moody launches an exhibit for noted Houston artist Randy Twaddle.
Starting at 2 p.m., Fotofest has scheduled a series of artists talks from participants in its new International Discoveries show.
SUNDAY
For those who like their art outdoors, check out Konstantin Dimopolous' Blue Trees installation for the Houston Arts Alliance along Memorial Drive at Waugh.
And of course, there's also the Bayou City Arts Festival, which ends its three-day run at Memorial Park on Sunday. Tickets are $12 and free to anyone 12 and under.