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    Neural Networking

    Art wakes you up: Bending, blending and breaking your way out of the dailydoldrums

    Nancy Wozny
    Oct 9, 2011 | 2:00 pm
    • Houston Ballet artists Sara Webb and Luke Ingham in Indigo, choreographed byStanton Welch
      Photo by Amitava Sarkar
    • Fifth Ward Jam by Dan Havel and Dean Ruck
      Photo by Vicky Pink
    • Amy Bruce in Catastrophic Theatre's production of There is a Happiness thatMorning Is
      Photo by Anthony Rathbun
    • Amy Bruce, Kyle Sturdivant and Troy Schulze in Catastrophic Theatre's productionof There is a Happiness that Morning Is
      Photo by Anthony Rathbun
    • Walter De Maria, Bel Air Trilogy, 2000–2011 (detail), stainless steel rod with1955 Chevrolet Bel Air two-tone hardtop
      Photo by Robert McKeever
    • François-Thomas Germain, French, 1726-1791, La Machine d’Argent (Centerpiece fora Table), 1754, silver

    Sleepy? Lethargic? Listless? Having trouble focusing? Don't remember what you did yesterday? Walking around the house in daze, looking for your glasses while wearing them?

    I have just the thing for you — art.

    Yes, you heard it here first. Actually, I heard it elsewhere first, but I'm the one selling art as the wake-up cure. If all this art-making holds the potential to not only bring something of beauty into the world but also wakes us up, you have to admit it's considerably more alluring than gulping an energy drink.

    I've heard it all: art generates cash when we eat out, park and pay the babysitter. Art helps kids learn just about every subject, or at least make it more interesting. And then there's my favorite rant, art has value, now just get over and on with it.

    But when I heard Anthony Brandt utter, with a mischievous smile, "I protect consciousness, what do you do?" during his talk "Why Young Minds Need Art" to an eager crowd of educators and arts administrators at the first Houston Art Partners conference held at the MFAH last month, I thought, well now, that's a new one. The premise of Brandt's theory is that art has the power to wake us out of our coma though a process of bending, breaking and blending an idea.

    Brandt is an associate professor at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music and artistic director of Musiqa. He runs the popular Exploring the Mind through Music conferences and likes to hang out with neuroscientists. Later this season he teams up with celeb scientist/author David Eagleman for Maternity - Women's Voices Through the Ages, premiering with River Oaks Chamber Orchestra on April 21. The guy knows his way around gray matter.

    But let's let the brainy composer speak: "Human minds constantly make a choice — prune neural networks for efficiency and reliability, which removes options and makes the behavior unconscious; or allow redundancy to thrive and promote networking, which offers flexibility and allows the conscious mind to participate," says Brandt. "Activities that involve drilling and rote learning lead down the path to streamlining; that's why habits are so hard to break. Activities that offer novelty, problem-solving and subjective reasoning keep the brain's options open. That's how the arts protect consciousness: They fight automation and keep us awake to our experiences."

    Here's how the three B's rouse us out of our automated trance: Bending involves a transformation to the original. Breaking happens when we smash up the pieces to make something new. Blending occurs when two sources merge.

    It's no wonder I could penetrate Stanton Welch's angled offshoots from classical technique in Indigo, during Houston Ballet's recent performances. In fact, much of Welch's work bends classical forms to new contours, summoning many a "how did they do that?" sort of experience. Nice, Mr. Welch, keep that up. I wasn't alone in my accolades; the audience went bananas. We like waking up when it comes to ballet.

     Amy Ell, artistic director of Vault, challenged the norm of partnering in Torn as part of her DiverseWorks residency ConTornTion. Bending the rules of aerial dance, Ell twists the rules of gravity as the dancers lift each other through novel uses of rock climbing harnesses. Later in the piece, a trio hanging from the ceiling further skews our perspective by dancing perpendicular to a wall. The founder of "area" dance, the choreographer considers walls, ceilings and floors all reasonable places to dance.

     

      "Activities that offer novelty, problem-solving and subjective reasoning keep the brain's options open. That's how the arts protect consciousness: They fight automation and keep us awake to our experiences," says Musiqa artistic director Anthony Brandt.  

    If Houston Ballet and Vault woke up my eyes, then the Catastrophic Theatre woke up my ears in their recent production of Mickle Maher's There Is a Happiness That Morning Is, running through Oct. 23 at their Sul Ross office. The entire play rolls off the tongue in rhyme. You don't want to miss a word. Even the title represents a clever arrangement of words. The set-up of two William Blake scholars facing the aftermath of a night of public love-making on the yard of the their fledgling liberal arts college makes for a rich language feast. Blake liked to mess with the order of words, too. In fact, "I happy am" from Songs of Innocence factors into the drama big time. Maher bends language with a breathtaking originality. The terrific cast has a blast with Maher's word wonk ways.

    For breaking, head over to 3705 Lyons St. to see Dan Havel and Dean Ruck's Fifth Ward Jam, made possible in part by a 2008 Houston Arts Alliance Artist and Neighborhood Project grant. The public art for the everyman team, who gave us the sucked in house called Inversion, sure know how to smash up a couple of bungalows to show us what breaking looks like.

    I found blending in the most unusual place — the 18th Century — as part of MFAH's Life and Luxury: The Art of Living in Eighteenth-Century Paris. French aristocrats' savvy silversmiths merged their designs with the food underneath it. Who would imagine broccoli would blend so well with silver?

    Bending, breaking and blending are harder to discern at The Menil in Walter De Maria's Bel Air Trilogy, featuring three red shiny 1955 Bel Air Chevrolets, each speared by a 12-foot-long stainless steel rod, resulting is something new, bent, broken, blended and quite extraordinary.

    See what I mean? Nothing refreshes our neural networks like art.

    As we continue to quantify the value of art in our children's lives, Brandt's thesis may be the one with staying power. Too often, we speak about creativity as a vague, mysterious thing. Clearly defining the territory, as Brandt elegantly did, elevates the discussion. Musiqa will be doing their part in that mission on Oct. 25 through 28 with their NEA-funded school programs Around the World and Musiqa Remix on Dec. 6 and 7.

    I've often gravitated toward art as a way to change my brain, my mood, or just to jar me into a new perspective. As I traipse the the city, eyes wide open, I see much to keep me awake.

     Amy Ell's company Vault performing at Diverse Works:

     

     Houston ballet soloist Joseph Walsh bends classical technique in Stanton Welch's Indigo:

     

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    weekend event planner

    Here are the 15 best things to do in Houston this 4th of July weekend

    Craig D. Lindsey
    Jul 2, 2025 | 6:30 pm
    Shell Freedom Over Texas
    Courtesy of Shell Freedom Over Texas
    The city has revealed the performers for its July 4 celebration.

    The 4th of July lands on a Friday this year, which means things will get especially patriotic this weekend.

    We’ve already listed all the fireworks celebrations and restaurant specials that’ll be popping off on Friday. (Don’t forget about the screenings of Independence Day at River Oaks Theatre, Rooftop Cinema Club and Marriott Marquis Houston.) But there are also other must-see events happening this weekend, including a LEGO convention, the second anniversary of a Third Ward eatery, the return of a Stanley Kubrick classic, and an outlaw music festival featuring Willie Freakin’ Nelson and Bob Freakin’ Dylan!

    Thursday, July 3

    Brick Rodeo
    Brick Rodeo is a family-friendly event that features hundreds of custom models and displays made from LEGO bricks. Creators from Texas and around the country will be available to talk about their creations. Fans who want to display their own creations, attend workshops, and participate in all the activities should purchase an All Access Pass. Families and individuals who want to spend a day viewing incredible custom creations, talking with builders, and shopping with vendors should purchase a public exhibition ticket. 9 am (8:30 am Friday-Sunday).

    City Place presents Young Audiences of Houston: Painting with Watercolor Pencils Art Workshop
    This free art workshop, hosted by Young Audiences of Houston teaching artist Judy Malone Stein, transforms City Place’s central waterfront plaza into a classical art studio with easels and other essential supplies. Participants are introduced to the medium of watercolor pencils and will learn basic color theory which includes the color wheel and primary and secondary colors, along with complimentary colors. They will also focus on creating compositions, using traditional visions (portraits, landscapes, still life) as their subject matter. 9:30 am.

    Improv Houston presents Dustin Ross
    Dustin Ross is a NAACP Image Award-winning host, writer, and producer. Fans of The Read podcast may know him as a longtime guest/friend to the show. These days, you can hear him on two pods: The Friend Zone, with co-hosts Hey Fran Hey and Assante; and Holding Court, with Eboni K. Williams. He has also hosted seasons of Bet on Black, REVOLT TV’s competition series, Bet On Black. As an on-air contributor, Ross has appeared on multiple platforms, including MTV, BET, Bravo TV, HBO, FUSE TV, GLAAD, Fox Soul, and more. 7:30 pm.

    Friday, July 4

    Freedom Over Texas
    With an average of 50,000 people in attendance, Freedom Over Texas has become Houston’s annual, signature July 4th celebration. The live, televised event will feature local, regional, and national entertainment, headlined by Ashley McBryde and Lee Brice, and will be capped off with a musically choreographed, “Texas-sized” fireworks finale. It also features a unique non-profit component, as the event will donate a percentage of food and beverage sales to the Houston Food Bank. 4 pm.

    Ensemble Theatre presents The Tap Dance Kid
    Over at The Ensemble Theatre, The Tap Dance Kid is about a 10-year-old African-American kid named Willie who doesn’t want to be a lawyer like his well-to-do strict father, and dreams of becoming a dancer like his talented Uncle Dipsey, an aspiring Broadway choreographer. The final production in the theater’s 2024-25 season, this musical is filled with imaginations of stardom that keep us tapping along. Through Sunday, July 27. 7:30 pm (2 and 7:30 pm Saturday; 3 pm Sunday).

    Dan Electro’s presents The Broken Spokes & Oliver Penn 4th of July Party
    Freedom, music, and a 4th of July Party will be going down at Dan Electros. The show will feature a performance from traditional Texas country band The Broken Spokes, a well-seasoned outfit that’s put in the time honing their craft in honky tonks across Texas,. Also performing will be Rhode Island-born, Houston-based country singer Oliver Penn, who has shared the stage with Charley Crockett, Shakey Graves, Randall King, The California Honeydrops, and Shinyribs. 9 pm.

    Alamo Drafthouse LaCenterra presents Graveyard Shift: Attack the Block
    Guy Fawkes Night in London is a time for fireworks, fooling around, and an occasional surprise or two. But when vicious extraterrestrials decide to crash the hellraisers’ holiday, a time for making merry quickly turns scary. Writer-director Joe Cornish also ensures it’s frequently humorous as well. This frisky, vigorous 2011 spoof — propelled by an insistent electronic score by Steven Price & Basement Jaxx and a star-making lead turn from John Boyega — shows a similar sensibility in its breezy blending of goofiness and gruesomeness. 10 pm.

    Saturday, July 5

    Rado Market 2 Year Anniversary Celebration
    Chef Chris Williams’ market and cafe at the historic Eldorado Ballroom will celebrate its two-year anniversary with a celebration that’s free and open to the public. The event will include complimentary champagne during the first hour, food specials from chef Jaden Gaines, and live music from a DJ for the first two hours. Guests can also browse and shop from a curated lineup of local vendors offering various products for sale, including Posh Body, Ambrosia Nectar, 77 Stash, and Juxx. Patrons can also enter two raffles featuring Radiant Aura samples and other giveaways. Noon.


      
     
     
     
     
     
     
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    Winnie’s presents Labubu Face Tattoo Korean Corn Dog Karaoke Party
    Never has an event’s name been a more complete description of what’s happening at the Midtown sandwich shop/cocktail bar on Saturday. Artists from Rodeo Tiger will be tattooing Labubu, the must-have accessory that feels destined to become the Beanie Babies of 2025 ($25 minimum, $50 for both sides, and $100 for full face custom work). While you wait, snack on a Korean corn dog created by chef Jennifer Hoffman. Karaoke starts at 8 pm. 1 pm.

    The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents Barry Lyndon
    This weekend, catch the 50th anniversary screening (in glorious 35mm!) of Stanley Kubrick’s lavish, Oscar-winning 1975 adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray’s 18th-century novel. Forced to leave Ireland after killing an English officer in a duel, young Redmond Barry (Ryan O’Neal) seeks his fortune as a soldier in Prussia, as a spy, and then as a gambler living among the elite of Europe. He changes his name and marries an aristocrat (Marisa Berenson) for her wealth, but will he finally gain the acceptance he seeks? 5 pm (2 pm Sunday).

    Kings Harbor Waterfront Village presents “Fireworks on the Pier”
    Looking for a post-4th of July throwdown this weekend? Kings Harbor Waterfront Village in Kingwood will have its annual “Fireworks on the Pier” celebration, a patriotic evening of family fun, live entertainment and a spectacular fireworks display. Festivities include family-friendly games like Connect Four, a balloon artist, face painting and bubble stations for kids. Local restaurants will be serving up a variety of delicious food and drink options throughout the evening. A dazzling fireworks show over the pier will begin around 10 pm. 7 pm.

    Movies at Miller: Wicked
    We know there is a lot of y’all who can’t wait for Wicked: For Good to drop in multiplexes this winter. Before that happens, head over to Miller Outdoor Theatre and revisit the Oscar-winning Broadway musical adaptation that set it all off. In the magical Land of Oz, Wicked covers the first act, following Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), the future Wicked Witch of the West, and her friendship with Galinda (Ariana Grande), the future Glinda the Good Witch. The audience is encouraged to come in costume. 8:30 pm.

    Sunday, July 6

    Eldorado Ballroom presents Ball N’ Parlay
    Dubbed “A 1st Sunday Vibeout,” Ball N’ Parlay is a vibrant, Third Ward day party that’s going to be held outside the legendary Eldorado Ballroom. They’re really hyping this one up, calling it “the Sunday you’ve been waiting for, where music, community, and culture meet.” We’re just psyched that some of our favorite DJs will be doing live sets, including DJ Elevated, Maiya Papaya, Alist, and DJ Bloom. 3 pm.

    Outlaw Music Festival
    If you grew up going to Cactus Music and picking up the latest issue of No Depression, looking for the latest in outlaw country releases to scoop up, a fest full of iconic, guitar-strumming banditos will be making a stop at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion this weekend. The 10th anniversary tour of the Outlaw Music Festival will feature an unparalleled lineup of legends and superstars, including Willie Nelson & Family, Bob Dylan, The Avett Brothers, The Mavericks, and Tami Neilson. 4:05 pm.

    CONCACAF Gold Cup Final
    As of this writing, we don’t know who will be playing in the final match of the soccer championship known as the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup, going down this weekend at NRG Stadium. What we do now is that the winners will be determined on Wednesday night, when the semifinal matchups – the USMNT vs. Guatemala and Mexico vs. Honduras – will take place. This also marks the first time the Gold Cup Final will be held in the state of Texas. 6 pm.

    Freedom Over Texas
      
    Courtesy of Freedom Over Texas
    The Freedom Over Texas celebration takes place on the Fourth of July.
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