These Houston and Texas athletes and coaches will suit up for the 2023 Special Olympics World Summer Games

Go for the gold

Special Olympics Texas

And they're off! The Special Olympics World Games Berlin kicked off this past weekend, and several world class athletes plus coaches from Texas are involved as participants.

And the games aren't over yet — so let's meet our local competitors, shall we? First off is Allison Dohrman of College Station, competing in the cycling category. Dohrman has competed in the Special Olympics for an incredible 13 years and counting. In addition to her incredible athletic prowess competing in bowling, bocce, and now cycling, Dohrman also manages to find enough time to work hard as a server at her local Texas Roadhouse.

Joining Dohrman as a fellow Texas athlete is Tyler Dodson, who hails from Desoto. The silver medal-winning sailor (he won at the Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi back in 2019) is back this year competing in the same sport. He had also represented Texas at the Special Olympics USA Games the year prior, winning the gold medal in stand-up paddleboard.

Davy Holak joins Dohrman and Dodson as a Special Olympics unified partner. At 69 years old, Holak has been training diligently in golf (a sport relatively new to the Special Olympics veteran), in order to best represent Special Olympics USA at the Berlin World Games in the sport.

Speaking of golf, we have Holak's fellow Special Olympics veteran Kevin Harrell also competing in the sport. Harrell has been competing in the Special Olympics in some capacity since he was only 8 years old. Although Harrell has previously competed in sports like basketball, bowling, bocce, and softball, golf is his favorite sport to play, per the athlete himself.

Joining the three Texas-based athletes are two Texas-based coaches and one more unified athlete: Houston's resident Special Olympics sailing head coach Jack Yoes, Robert 'Bobby' Westlake of Midlothian, competing as a unified athlete in sailing; and finally, San Antonio's own Special Olympics kayaking head coach, Teresa Sullivan.

The Special Olympics World Games Berlin are ongoing until Sunday, June 25. You can support our local Texas athletes by following along on their progress via the official Special Olympics World Games Berlin website.

Because even if they don't win gold, they're all winners in our book.

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Provocative, awe-inspiring Kehinde Wiley MFAH showcase remains this season's must-see exhibit

the new masters

Houston art lovers who haven’t yet attended the “Kehinde Wiley: An Archaeology of Silence” exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston are missing out on a showcase of jaw-dropping art.

The recently opened exhibit is an awe-inspiring collection of paintings and sculptures from the Los Angeles-born, Brooklyn-based artist of color, best known for creating a majestically leafy portrait of former President Barack Obama. Locals will remember that the MFAH was one of the rare museums to showcase the works — starting with a free opening weekend that became a city celebration.

While “An Archaeology of Solace” premiered earlier this year at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the MFAH is actually the first stop on its tour. Located in the Audrey Jones Beck Building, the exhibit is an overwhelming experience of Black power.

And it’s a power shift. While Wiley’s large-scale paintings and sculptures call to mind the heroes, martyrs, and saints of Western European historical art, they are unmistakably Black and brown subjects who suffer under “the specter of police violence and state control over the bodies of young Black and Brown people all over the world,” Wiley notes in an artist statement.

Thus, the rooms are all Black, as the gigantic oil-on-canvas paintings (a couple are practically the size of billboards) of laid-out Black bodies – usually rocking streetwear gear – are brightly spotlighted. Many of these works were inspired by historical pieces, mainly German artist Hans Holbein’s The Body of the Dead Christ in the Tomb.

The bronze sculptures are equally grand and striking. The most impressive one is the titular statue, a reworking of his 2019 sculpture Rumors of War. While the Rumors sculpture depicts an upright Black rider on a general’s horse, this sculpture features a fallen figure atop a horse.

Both sculptures are based on a monument to Confederate army General James Ewell Brown Stuart, which was removed and placed into storage in the wake of the 2020 George Floyd murder.

This entire exhibit was inspired by the worldwide outrage that transpired after Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police. Wiley himself explains the inspiration for the exhibit via the audio guide given to visitors:

The birth of the show starts as the world shuts down. As we see George Floyd slain in the streets of America, I get to work. I start thinking not only about this explosive moment that triggers the whole world into thinking about Black bodies in a different way, But I start thinking about imaging of bodies slain historically.

Fans of the artist can look forward to Kehinde Wiley merch upstairs in the gift shop. An obligatory exhibition catalog is for sale, as well as hoodies, umbrellas, bookbags, playing cards, coloring books, and more. Proceeds will go to the Black Rock Coalition, a New York-based artists’ collective.

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“Kehinde Wiley: An Archaeology of Solace” will be on display at the Audrey Jones Beck Building of the MFAH (5601 Main St.). For exhibition schedule, tickets, and more, visit the MFAH online.

Kehinde Wiley, The Death of Hyacinth (Ndey Buri Mboup), 2022, oil on canvas

Wiley's The Death of Hyacinth (Ndey Buri Mboup), 2022.

Romantic River Oaks mansion boasting coveted neighborhood rarity lists for $11.5M

Where rustic and elegant meet

It's hard to come up with a more iconic River Oaks street than Chevy Chase Drive. It winds from Kirby to Willowick, meandering through the very heart of River Oaks, passing by beautifully maintained homes and the quiet Sleepy Hollow Park.

And on this iconic street, just a block or two away from that quiet park is 3244 Chevy Chase, a romantic, impeccably designed manor home that's listed at $11.5 million, represented by Ruthie Porterfield of Martha Turner Sotheby's International Realty.

The manse was designed Elby Martin, AIA, in the tradition of Addison Mizner, known for his Mediterranean Revival and Spanish style, and built in 2006. It is formerly owned by Paul Gerrit Van Wagenen, noted oilman, attorney, missionary, soldier, and family man, who passed away earlier this year.

Unfolding across more than 13,000 square feet, 3244 Chevy Chase sits on more than half an acre. Inviting, yet secluded, rustic, but elegant, it offers everything a modern homebuyer needs.

Notably, it boasts a rarity in River Oaks, according to Porterfield. A large, downstairs primary bedroom, nearly unheard of in most River Oaks properties, with two primary bathrooms and closets.

A barrel-ceiling foyer welcomes guests. Gorgeous wood detailing is found throughout, with carved doors and exposed beam ceilings. Windows flood the home with light, and exceptional views of the courtyard and grounds abound. There's a cozy gathering space off the kitchen with built-in shelves sure to are a conversation piece, as is the iron chandelier.

Cedar lines the closet in the primary suite, which also boasts two opulent full bathrooms. The kitchen is a gathering space, and offers home cooks Wolf, Thermador, and SubZero appliances.

Patrick Bertolino for Martha Turner Sotheby's International Realty

3244 Chevy Chase Drive

Outside, find sprawling loggias, a summer kitchen, indoor pool with spa, and a side yard with a stone fountain. There's also a flex area that is perfect for anything its owners might imagine, from play spaces to a putting green.

3244 Chevy Chase is unmatched in its ability to be both a space for entertaining and a cozy, lived-in home. All the bedrooms are en-suite. There are ample gathering spaces, from formal living room to the den and the media room. Ideal for a growing family and cornerstone estate, this is a place ready for new memories to be made and new traditions to begin.

Cozy neighborhood restaurant from Common Bond team opens doors on Heights' 11th Street

take me back

The Heights is home is to a new restaurant with an eclectic menu and a welcoming atmosphere. 1891 American Eatery & Bar is now open for dinner daily.

Photo by Andrew Hemingway

Entree options include steaks, salads, and a fried poblano pepper.

Located in the former Berryhill space at at 702 E. 11th St., 1891 comes from Garza Management, the restaurant group behind El Bolillo and Common Bond. Named for the year the Heights was founded, its operating partners include Common Bond director of operations Brad Serey and executive chef Jason Gould. Diners may recognize Gould from his time with legendary Montrose restaurant Gravitas, a modern bistro that operated in the aughts in the space that’s currently home to Bludorn. His resume also includes a lengthy stint with Tex-Mex favorite Cyclone Anaya’s.

“The building itself has been a mainstay in the neighborhood and we wanted to breathe life into it with an everyday, neighborhood bar and restaurant for the Heights community to enjoy,” Gould said in a statement. “We wanted to create something that was the essence of the Heights and that is community. This restaurant welcomes everyone from families with children, to couples on date night, or friends out on the town, and that is what we wanted to accomplish.”

Gould worked with chef de cuisine Gerardo Mendoza to develop 1891’s all-day menu, which caters to a wide range of tastes. Diners will find shareable bar snacks such as crab fritters, Korean BBQ fried cauliflower, a daily crudo, and hot honey pork ribs. An extensive selection of sandwiches and smash burgers include a BLT, grilled cheese, the “Classic Cheeseburger,” and a mushroom burger topped with a grilled portobello, goat cheese, provolone, and red onion jam. Entree options include salads as well as center of plate items like pastrami braised short ribs, confit duck legs, and a flat iron steak with a twice baked potato and green beans.

The family friendly atmosphere includes a kids menu that features choices such as popcorn chicken, popcorn shrimp, a pepperoni pizzette, and a petite steak and fries. Children of all ages will want to save room for desserts such as bananas foster croissant bread pudding, key lime cheesecake bar, and molten chocolate cake.

In keeping with the “& Bar” aspect of the restaurant’s name, the beverage options include eight beer taps. Cocktail choices start with margarita and mimosa flights as well as seasonal takes on classics like the Old Fashioned and Moscow Mule. A tidy list of wines by-the-glass and bottle rounds out the options.

Currently, the restaurant is open for lunch during the week and dinner night, staying open until midnight on Friday and Saturday. Weekend brunch service will begin in mid-December.

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