Party Watch

Portraits and pets steal spotlight at Houston nonprofit's preview party

What: Studio 39 Portrait Reveal for the Citizens for Animal Protection (CAP) Celebrity Paws Gala

Citizens for Animal Protection Studio 39 Portrait Reveal

Photo by Daniel Ortiz

Kamisha Mickey, Melanie Camp, and Angela Hernandez.

Where: Art Gallery of the World

The Scoop: Art met heart as more than 90 animal lovers gathered at Art Gallery of the World for a stylish sneak peek of the Studio 39 honoree portraits for the upcoming Citizens for Animal Protection (CAP) Celebrity Paws Gala. The gallery’s gleaming white walls made the perfect runway for the Gittings Photography portraits, displayed in luminous acrylic frames featuring each honoree alongside their beloved pets.

Attendees mingled among the artwork while sipping cleverly themed cocktails mixed with Branson Cognac courtesy of Sire Spirits. Light bites from Demeris Catering kept spirits high as gala chairs Angela Hernandez, Daphne Savva, and Steve Savva took a moment to thank the crowd for their support.

Among those to be honored and later to strut the runway with their furry companions are Iraida Brown, Melanie Camp, Emily Carruth, Kellie Geitner, Tori Halbert, Mandy Kao, Kimberly and David King, Jenna Morris and Sarah Morris, Suzanne and Adam Stiles, and Sarah Vercher. Guests also got a close-up look at the shiny 2025 Subaru BRZ Premium World Rally Blue Pearl, courtesy of auto sponsor West Houston Subaru, on display outside the gallery.

Who: Jody Merritt, Sandi Mercado, Anna Kaplan, Lisa Gochman, Edna Meyer-Nelson, Judy Maldonado, Tracy Marks, Charley Oxley, Lidiya Deane, Frankie Demeris, JT Torres, Tarek El-bjeirmi, Ceron, Ashton Bremer, Elizabeth Martin, Stephanie and Eric Nielsen, and Taiven Ybarra.

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Painted with Purpose

21 Houston doctors trade scrubs for canvases at Arts of Healing gala

Photo by Alida Bonifaz

Chita Craft, Bethany Buchanan, and Nora Jarrard.

Turns out, creativity isn’t just for the canvas. It pulses through the hands of healers, too.

Photo by Alida Bonifaz

Chita Craft, Bethany Buchanan, and Nora Jarrard.

That was the spirit of The Arts of Healing Eighth Annual Gala, where physicians traded lab coats for aprons and oils to showcase their artistic prowess at The Post Oak Hotel on November 8.

Guests — close to 500 — were greeted by a floral fantasia courtesy of Blooming Gallery. A grand circular bar anchored the room, while a curated silent auction, wine pull, and an ultra-chic Valobra raffle for a diamond necklace tempted attendees. The centerpiece? Art by 21 physician-artists being honored that evening lining the entire ballroom.

Among the physicians celebrated for their contributions both in hospitals and on canvas were Dr. Shetal Amin, Dr. Deepak Bedi, Dr. Mark Dannenbaum, Dr. Meshann Fitzgerald, Dr. Matthew Goldman, Dr. Brandon Goodwin, Dr. Mollie Gordon, Dr. Maysoon Hamed, Dr. Emily Jamea, Dr. Henry Kuerer,Dr. JP LeFave, Dr. Dean Moore, Dr. Marlene Morales, Dr. Sehar Najamus, Dr. Eric Powitzky, Dr. Terrence Wadley, Dr. Cindy Williams, Dr. Jose Miguel Yamal, Dr. Sarrah Zadeh, and Dr. Isaac Raijman, who, alongside his wife, Lori Raijman, founded the Arts of Healing Foundation.

Co-chaired by Rachel and Warren Ellsworth IV and Natalie and Mark Bordman, the evening marked a fundraising high, collecting more than $560,000 to support The Arts of Healing and its Sunshine Kids Summer Camp collaboration. The initiative brings children facing cancer from across Texas together for creativity, connection, and joy.

A special musical cameo brought the house down when honoree Dr. Jeff Ross took the stage, trumpet in hand, for a guest appearance with Dry Water Band. The dance floor stayed thumping well into the night, a tribute to the spirit of creativity as medicine.

Summoning their inner Picassos were Sarah Collins, Michele and Youval Meicler, Kristen Collins, Betsy and Jimmy Montgomery, Courtney and Zac Harmon, Kristen Cannon, Cathleen Fishel, Stephanie Wilcox, Alexis Rosales, Faith Majors, Bethany Buchanan, Susan and Steve Beatte, Larry Doty, Vanessa and Chuck Ames, Dana Barton and Robert Clay, Rita Shuma, Jennifer Wisler, Dr. Rukmini Rednam, Dr. Victoria Chang, Dr. Danielle Antosh, Katie Tsuru, and Dr. Kathy Nguyen.

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