e-culture: Japan Festival, Latino Music in DC, Adobe Housing, More Events
March 31, 2005


IN THIS ISSUE

Upcoming Cultural Adventures
Houston Quality of Life Report
The Season for Festivals
Adobe As Environmental Politics
More Houston Events


There are many ways to participate in Houston Institute for Culture activities, including trips for leisure adventure and education, and exciting research and volunteer projects, as well as many local activities to get involved in. Since it's the season to travel, we will start with that. Read further to learn about research projects and a list of festivals to attend in our region.

Upcoming Travel Programs

In addition to great fun and educational opportunities, very low cost is always a characteristic of our travel programs. Even our New York City and Washington DC trips are reasonable, with lodging under $50.00 per night and minutes from the National Mall in DC and in Gramercy Park adjacent to NYC's Union Square (a real bargain for anyone familiar with the usually high prices in these touristy destinations). We've always said these adventures are great for students, or anyone on a student budget.

SMITHSONIAN FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL and NYC ADVENTURE, June 25 - July 4, 2005
($550 for lodging; transportation and meals not included.)
We will enjoy two weekends in Washington, DC during the Smithsonian Folklife Festival Latino Music Initiative, visit the National Museum of the American Indian, and celebrate Caribbean Carnival in the nation's capitol. In addition to Latino music, the Folklife Festival will also feature the nation of "Oman: Desert, Oasis, and Sea", "Food Culture USA", and "Forest Service, Culture and Community". Taking the Amtrak to New York for a side adventure, we will tour the historic Lower East Side, enjoy international restaurants and traditional delis, hear Puerto Rican plena and bomba music in the parks, and enjoy some Italian traditions on Staten Island. All local transportation in the two cities will use the inexpensive rail systems and most of the events and museums we will visit offer free admission.

LAND OF ENCHANTMENT and LAKE POWELL PHOTO WORKSHOP, August 6 - 14, 2005
($680 for lodging and transportation; meals not included.)
On a tour of the culturally rich landscape of New Mexico and Arizona, we will enjoy the Gallup Intertribal Ceremonial and attend Matachines dances commemorating the Fiesta de San Lorenzo, on the anniversary of the Pueblo Revolt, at area pueblos. We will also visit Museum of International Folk Art and other units of the Museum of New Mexico, and enjoy great southwestern food.

WEST INDIAN CELEBRATION and NYC ADVENTURE, September 1 - 6, 2005
(Itinerary and cost to be determined.)
If you can't get enough of New York when we visit Manhattan in July, you can join us for this tour of Brooklyn and Queens, as we go for the liveliest party in America, the West Indian Day Celebration. We'll enjoy West Indian roti shops on Liberty Avenue in Queens, museums in Brooklyn, and a great Labor Day weekend tradition, Coney Island.

THE DAY OF THE DEAD IN MEXICO, October 29 - November 4, 2005
(Itinerary and cost to be determined.)
We will experience traditional Day of the Dead remembrances in Mexico. The best part of this trip is the intimate experience local people share with us as we document their public and private activities during this unique celebration.

COPPER CANYON and THE ENCHANTED SOUTHWEST, Winter, 2005
(Itinerary and cost to be determined.)
We may forego our traditional winter trips to Mexico's spectacular Copper Canyon, and Santa Fe's traditional holiday observations, for a trip to Peru. We will release dates for these trips once they are determined. Let us know if you are interested in travel during the 2005 holiday season.

MULTICULTURAL NEW ORLEANS, March 16 - 20, 2006
($300 for lodging and transportation; meals not included.)
In our recent "Multicultural New Orleans" tour, local people invited us into their homes to see their St. Joseph altars, and share their Sicilian traditions and memories of their immigrant families. We visited Grand Isle, witnessed the opening of the Calling the Tribes Powwow, reveled at the Irish-Italian Parade in Metairie, and visited many of our favorite shops and restaurants. We had several requests too late this year, so be sure to contact us early about this and all of our tours, so we can make arrangements for you to join us at the best possible price.

For our 2006 New Orleans adventure, we will arrive in New Orleans in time for St. Patrick's Day parades and the celebration of St. Joseph's Day, tour the Los Islenos Cultural Center, and conclude our visit with the Super Sunday procession of the Mardi Gras Indians.


Current Volunteer Projects

Volunteers are always welcome to help in any way possible with our ongoing projects. Several are listed below.

HOUSTON QUALITY OF LIFE REPORT
We are forming a committee to prepare a report on all aspects of quality of life in Houston. Participation requires a base of experience with activities and issues in Houston, and a willingness to provide your constructive ideas and contribute some simple statistical research to compare and contrast Houston with other cities in our region.

THE LOUISIANA PROJECT
During the weekend of April 16 and 17, we will visit remote Marsh Island, Louisiana and Vermillion Bay to conduct a survey of the best possible "in-tact" prehistoric coastal environments and meassure Gulf currents as Spanish explorers may have experienced them. This ongoing project has previously taken us to Barataria Bay and Sweet Bay Lake, and into the Gulf of Mexico from Atchafalaya Bay.

We will also return to New Orleans to conduct interviews with participants of Sicilian-American traditions. And, we are seeking a translator who is fluent in Vietnamese to volunteer time for a series of interviews we plan to conduct with traditional Vietnamese community members who live east of New Orleans.

AID TO COLONIAS ON THE TEXAS-MEXICO BORDER
We have two more trips planned to distribute food and health aid to border colonias during this year. Due to increased violence and state department warnings, we have decided to suspend travel with volunteers to sections of the border along the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Volunteers are needed locally to help organize collections of needed aid items for the colonias in Texas and Mexico. During our deliveries of food, toothbrushes, educational materials, and comfort items, we have polled many of the trash collectors, maquiladora workers and domestic servants regarding their personal economic situations. Many earn $2.00 to $5.00 per day, yet are forced to pay prices that are nearing our local Houston grocery store prices for their food. Aid to families living in trash dumps and along railroad tracks is vital, but many of the relief efforts are being thwarted by increased tensions, corruption and violence on the border.

FOURTH WARD INTERVIEWS
We are in the beginning stage of a project to interview people in the historic Fourth Ward regarding the history and lore of Freedmen's Town.

UPCOMING EVENTS
We are planning several arts and film events for the summer and fall, which we will highlight in our newsletter along with many other great Houston events.

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The Season for Festivals

April brings in a great season to get outside and enjoy many festivals in our region. With good weather this weekend, festivities will get underway with the 12th annual Houston Japan Festival in Hermann Park.

Featured artists include:

- Kabuki performer Ichikawa Kamejiro at 3:00pm on Saturday and 1:30pm on Sunday
- Japanese Drummers Kaminari Taiko of Houston at 1:15 on Saturday, and 12:30 and 5:00pm on Sunday
- Japanese classical dance ensembles Takahamaryu Mitsujuroku Dance Academy and Hanayagi Japanese Dance Academy
- Japanese folk dance, Sakura Japanese Dance Company, featuring students from Rice University
- Jazz and pop vocals by Kumiko Kato from Tokyo and Nabuko Kiryu from New York

Saturday, April 2nd and Sunday, April 3
Japanese Garden at Hermann Park
Free admission
713-963-0121
http://www.jashouston.org


Mark your calendar for these upcoming festivals, and stay tuned for our recommendations of some great live artists appearing at the International Festival and Jazz Fest:

Cesar Chavez Parade, April 9 (beginning at 9:00am)
http://www.tejanoahp.org

Fiesta San Antonio, April 15 - 24
http://www.fiesta-sa.org

Festival International de Louisiane, Lafayette, LA, April 20 - 24
http://www.festivalinternational.com

Fiddlers Frolics, Halletsville, Texas, April 21 - 24
http://www.fiddlersfrolics.com

New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, April 22 - May 1
http://www.nojazzfest.com

WorldFest-Houston Film Festival, April 22 - May 1
http://www.worldfest.org

Houston International Festival, April 23, 24, 30, and May 1
http://www.ifest.org

Bob Wills Day, Turkey, Texas, April 30

Asia Pacific American Heritage Month, May
http://www.apaha.org

Cinco de Mayo, May 5

Dragon Boat Festival, May 7
http://www.houstondragonboat.com

Art Car Parade, May 14
http://www.orangeshow.org

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Upcoming Houston Events

Please tell others about these Houston activities and recognize the hard work the organizers put into them. And stay tuned to the calendar for more upcoming events:
http://www.houstonculture.org/events

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Adobe as Environmental Politics: Earth-material Affordable Housing
Sponsored by Project Row Houses, Voices Breaking Boundaries, and Friends of KPFT Pacifica

Simone Swan will present a slide presentation on the use of Adobe to build sustainable housing. Her project uses earthen materials to empower owner-built cooperative housing and to create a new building standard for environmentally compatible, sustainable homes and communities. Swan will discuss her work, and her mentor, Hassan Fathy, of Women & Their Work. Learn more at http://www.adobealliance.org.

Friday, April 1, 7:30pm
Donations Accepted.
Project Row Houses
2521 Holman at Live Oak
713-524-7821
info@voicesbreakingboundaries.org

Simone Swan will also appear on the KPFT, 90.1 FM, program LivingArt at 11:00am on Friday, April 1.

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Shaping the Human Rights Agenda in the Era of Globalization: The Human Right to Mobility
Presented by First Friday Forum

First Friday Forum presents a talk by Maria Jimenez, human rights and immigrant activist. She is a visiting lecturer this spring in UH's Center for Mexican American Studies. The talk will focus on how the restructuring of the global economy has seriously eroded communities worldwide, forcing millions to leave their country of origin. Migrants are participants in a "globalization from below," and their rights need to be protected.

Friday, April 1, 7:30pm social, 8:00pm program
Maryknoll House
2360 Rice Blvd. (Just west of Greenbriar)

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Yale Street Arts Market

Spring is in the air and the Yale Street Arts Market artists are both relieved and ready! Thirty-two artists will be offering paintings, jewelry, wood art, metal sculpture and more this Saturday. With the number of pets joining their patron owners increasing at the market, Pet Psychic Myra Logan will return for her 3rd show and new artists this Saturday will have pet portraiture, painting and clothing.

The "Turning Spaces Into People Places" mural project will get a fresh look as muralists Cynthia Hinchey & Michele Macy continues painting live. A special "Gallery Tent" will be nearby to display their artwork as the artists paint.

Music at this weekend's market includes Paul & Kelli Seitz, Jim DePitts, Fahl & Folk, Tabitha Monet and introducing Carrie Ann Buchanan of the Apocalyptics.

Big B's Bar B Que will be on hand to satisfy all appetites!

Saturday, April 2 (with Sunday as a rain date), 9:00am-5:00pm
210 West 21st Street (one block off Yale behind Kaplan's Ben Hur)
Free admission and parking in the Kaplan's lot. Enter from 22nd street for parking.
713-802-1213
http://www.YaleStreetMarket.com

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Historic Heights First Saturday ­ Small town cool - Heights Home and Garden Tour

Over 40 Heights area businesses host Historic Heights First Saturday every month for a celebration of the small town experience, including original art, historic trolley tours, antiques, shopping, and something for everyone ­ from beer and barbeque to cakes and tea. On April 2nd and 3rd the Houston Heights Association hosts the Historic Heights Home and Garden Tour.

Now with two Historic Heights Trolley Tours to carry residents and visitors around the neighborhood, there is lots of transportation between member businesses. Parking is easy and plentiful around the neighborhood. The Yale Street Arts Market, Houston's art hotspot, always features fine art in a festival atmosphere, live music and local restaurants that provide food, operating from 9 to 5. The new Indian Summer Lodge bills itself as the anti mall and retail sanctuary ­ always with visionary art and music features. Buchanan's Native Plants always features a popular speaker on gardening topics. Other businesses host artists and provide fun, festive food and entertainment. The events are scheduled to entertain residents and bring visitors to the neighborhood to share the best kept secrets of the Heights, the first residential area of Houston, home to more artists than any other area in Texas ­ unique Victorian architecture, loads of antiques, and unmatched shops and boutiques in the area.

Contact: Buchanan's Native Plants
713-861-5702
http://www.HeightsFirstSaturday.com

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Weekend Screenings at the Aurora Picture Show

The Monster Loteria Tour 2005: Jim Finn and Arthur Jones
Saturday, April 2, 8:00pm
Sunday, April 3, 3:00pm

Jim Finn returns to Aurora for round two, with his Monster Loteria touring partner, Arthur Jones. Finn lives in Chicago and makes videos about small animals, love and communism. His house is a kind of MGM lot for experimental animal videos. Finn's latest series of shorts, entitled La Loterķa, is a group of experimental music videos loosely based on Mexican "Loteria" cards. Arthur Jones is an animator and illustrator whose animated shorts are fast-paced, meticulously detailed, creepy and cute. Jones is touring his newest animated series Monster Team, about a fraternity of dysfunctional suburban beasts living in an Enron-style corporate office park.

Jonas Mekas: Film Framed
Curated by L. Brandon Krall (in attendance)
Co-presented by the Deborah Colton Gallery
Sunday, April 3, 7:30pm

Aurora Picture Show is pleased to co-present a special screening of films by Jonas Mekas, in conjunction with Mekas' first Texas solo exhibition at the Deborah Colton Gallery (2500 Summer Street, 3rd Floor, Houston), opening Friday, April 1, 6:30-9:00pm.

Subjects in the films include Salvador Dali performance events, Mekas' family, fellow filmmakers Stan Brakhage and Samuel Fuller, Andy Warhol, and the Fluxus movement. Curator L. Brandon Krall will conduct a post-screening Q & A.

Artist, filmmaker and author, Jonas Mekas, is considered a leading figure in American Avant Garde film, and is one of the authors of the New American Cinema movement (late 1950s). Mekas founded Film-makers' Cooperative, The Filmmakers' Cinematheque (now called Anthology Film Archives), and Film Culture magazine, and contributed the influential "Movie Journal" column to the Village Voice during the 1950s and 60s.

Tickets $5 unless otherwise indicated.

Aurora Picture Show
800 Aurora Street
Houston, Texas 77009
713-868-2101
http://www.aurorapictureshow.org


Mondays in April at Dean's Credit Clothing (316 Main), 9:00pm
Illegal Art: Freedom of Expression in the Corporate Age
Organized by Stay Free! Magazine
Illegal Art celebrates what is rapidly becoming the "degenerate art" of a corporate age: art and ideas on the legal fringes of intellectual property. Whether through the use of found footage, image and music sampling, or appropriation/recontexualization of existing material, the films and videos in this program resist the silencing effect of threatened litigation, and advance the free exchange of ideas.

Visit http://www.illegal-art.org for the full line-up.

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KTRU Outdoor Show

The annual KTRU Outdoor Show features Anna Oxygen, Treewave, James Kochalka Supertstar, Scenic Railroads, Bruckmann/Rawlings/Dove, Hokum Guff, and more.

Sunday, April 3, 12:00pm (noon)
Free
Ray Courtyard (behind the Rice Memorial Center)
Rice University, Entrance 13
http://www.ktru.org

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"African Cultures and Institutions... Gender, Patriarchy and Society in Africa"
Sarah Anyyang Agbor, PhD. from Cameroon, Africa is presented by HCC Central College

Visiting Fulbright Scholar and Professor of English (Oral Literature), African Literature, Prose and Drama will be speaking on "African Cultures and Institutions... Gender, Patriarchy and Society in Africa" during HCC Central's International Festival.

A short and informal reception for Dr. Agbor will take place in Room 111 directly after the presentation.

Tuesday, April 5, 11:00am-12:00pm (noon)
Free and open to the public
The Fine Arts Center, Room 115
Houston Community College
Cynthia Cupach: 713-718-6585
email: cynthia.cupach@hccs.edu

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Tribal Feat Workshop and Performance

Urban Gypsy is bringing Tribal Feat [http://www.tribalfeat.com] to Houston for a Saturday workshop on April 9th. There will be four hours of instruction where they will share their very fun, sharp and HOT approach to the tribal style of belly dance.

Tribal Feat is planning a pretty rigorous workshop, so be prepared for a workout! TF will be covering some combinations and some of their signature moves... and maybe a spicy choreography, too! So, if you have some knowledge of bellydance movement, that's great. If not, you will still be Okay - Beginners are welcome! This workshop will not be tribal-specific, but suitable for any type of dancer wanting to add strength and heat! Bring water, kneepads, and a yoga mat and be prepared to sweat. The workshop will be held at 4400 Memorial (at Shepherd) in the Fitness Center at Bayou Park.

Tribal Feat was founded in San Luis Obispo, California in July of 2001 by four women wanting to explore tribal fusion bellydance. Since then, the troupe has expanded to include a branch in Fort Worth, TX. Tribal Feat has performed and taught around the country, appeared on Belly Dance TV and Urban Ghawazee, and has been featured in IAMED's This is Bellydance.

Saturday, April 9, 9:00pm
Fitness Center at Bayou Park
4400 Memorial (at Shepherd)
713-862-8707
Workshop registration at http://www.urbangypsy.cc


There will be a dance showcase Saturday night at 9:00pm. We will be the opening act for Beans Barton & the Bi-peds [http://www.beansbarton.net]. Come enjoy some fabulous dance numbers... and then stay for Rock & Roll Theatre Under the Bars.

Saturday, April 9, 9:00pm
Dan Electro's Guitar Bar
1031 E. 24th (Just blocks east of North Main in the Heights)
713-862-8707
http://www.urbangypsy.cc

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The Aga Khan Award for Architecture
Presented by Peter G. Rowe

The Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) is the world's largest prize for architecture. Presented every three years, the AKAA was established in 1977 to enhance understanding and appreciation of Islamic culture as expressed through architecture. Unique among the major architectural awards, the AKAA not only rewards individual architects for exemplary contemporary work, but also recognizes projects that propose original, replicable solutions that satisfy physical, social, and economic needs. Winning projects have included social housing developments, restoration of individual buildings, area conservation projects, innovative landscape designs, and urban development programs.

Dr. Peter G. Rowe, a member of the 2004 AKAA Steering Committee, will discuss the 2004 winning projects, the significance of the award, and its history. Dr. Rowe is the Raymond Garbe Professor of Architecture and Urban Design and Distinguished Service Professor at Harvard University. He also currently serves as Education and Culture Program Director for the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. Prior to joining the Harvard faculty in 1985, Dr. Rowe was Director of the School of Architecture at Rice University.

Sunday, April 10, 2:00pm
Brown Auditorium, Museum of Fine Arts
1001 Bissonnet

Admission to the April Special Lectures is open to the public and free with general museum admission. Admission is free for members of the Ismaili community, Asia Society Texas, and the MFAH. A reception follows lecture.



Thank you for supporting great educational and cultural activities.

____________________________________________________
M  a  r  k @houstonculture.org


Traditions of Mexico:
http://www.houstonculture.org/mexico

Latino Music Initiative:
http://www.houstonculture.org/musica

Texas-Mexico Border Issues:
http://www.houstonculture.org/border