Matters surrounding genocide may be somber in nature, but that doesn't scare off Holocaust Museum Houston's Cultural Bridges from affixing hands-on artsy sass to its young professionals social affairs.

Getting a little messy while doing so? We are in.

At "Vino in Vilna: An Evening of Wine, Art and Conversation" Wednesday evening, an attentive studious crowd pored through the rich canvasses of Samuel Bak's exhibition. The 78-year-old Lithuanian artist survived the Vilna Ghetto through 1944, sheltered from his surrounding by loving parents. Using Pre-Raphaelite coppers, turquoises and greens, his images are suffused with surrealistic overlays nodding to childhood memories.

It was up to 11-year docent Susan Babendure to guide the exhibition walkthrough and pique curiosity.

HBU professor Michael Collins' task, alongside fellow artists and pupils, was to unleash creativity as guests tried a hand at photo transfer process with gel and Dura-Lar Wet Media collage.

That's when the fun began, perhaps encouraged by adult beverages. A mayhem of paint brushes, magazine cutouts and watercolors ensued. This was no cutesy crafty activity. There was serious art making going on.

For Cultural Bridges' second gathering since its inception last year, event chair Jennifer Brand sketched a masterpiece. Museum board member and Bridges committee co-chair Corey Powell, who was hard-at-work on his current events-themed bricolage, was thrilled at the strong turnout.

Arting away were Estevan Bunker, Jennifer Perez, Lori Shenker, Rachel Halpern, Arielle Kowenski, Scott Ross, Anat Kaufman, Jay Zeidman, Reema Kasavich, Jennifer Varadi, Sharon Sulami, Melissa Klotz, Leah Arlen, Amy and Taylor Cann, Marc Eichenbaum, Debra Rempelland Andrea Cohen Fineman.