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[ CURRENT ] [ ARCHIVE ]
e-culture: Open House, Sat. April 22, 3 - 6pm, Houston Institute for Culture
April 18, 2006
IN THIS ISSUE
-Open House, Saturday. April 22, 3 - 6pm
-Camp Dos Cabezas Seeks Volunteers
-Rice Powwow, Back to Jamaica, and more events
-Houston Latino Book and Family Festival
-Topical film events: Argentina, The Other Side
-39th Annual WorldFest Independent Film Festival
-About this Email Newsletter
Open House, Saturday. April 22, 3 - 6pm
Please join us for an open house and refreshments on Saturday, April 22, from 3-6, at the Houston Institute for Culture's Rice Village office. This will be a good opportunity to lean more about our programs and services, meet children who attend our educational youth camp, and find out how you can help improve the city and region by being part of the Houston Institute for Culture. We will also debut a new book about the organization as part of a new awareness outreach campaign throughout the region. The publication outlines goals and initiatives for the future.
During the open house, information will be available on the following programs:
-Camp Dos Cabezas (Several of the Camp Dos Cabezas Young Scholars will be present before 5pm)
-Public Education Programs Based on Folk Arts and Cultural Traditions Identified by the Library of Congress Project, Surviving Katrina and Rita in Houston
-Volunteer Needs for Service Projects in New Orleans, Louisiana and Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico (as well as donation projects for Del Rio, Texas and Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila, Mexico)
-Documentary Photography and Video Classes, and Digital Storytelling Workshops
-Educational Adventure Travel Programs
-Radio and Internet Productions
-Projects to Benefit Arts Activities and Topical Forums in the Region
-Program Coordinator Volunteer Positions
-Topical Film and Discussion Events
-Future Initiatives, including a Center for Digital Storytelling and Center for Localism
-And More
Please join us and invite others.
Houston Institute for Culture Open House
Saturday, April 22, 2006
3:00 - 6:00pm
5555 Morningside, Suite 204
Houston, Texas 77005
We are located upstairs from Brian O'Neill's. Covered parking is available below the building on the north side and on a limited basis on the south side.
http://www.houstonculture.org
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Camp Dos Cabezas Seeks Volunteers
Summer is almost here and kids are getting ready for camp, even children whose parents do not have the means to send them. Camp Dos Cabezas provides at-risk children the experience of a lifetime to help them achieve success in their lives. The camp takes place in the mountains of southeast Arizona and visits dozens of museums and historic sites to help the children develop lifelong educational interests. Volunteers and scholarship providers make it possible. This year the camp will take place from June 3-11. To volunteer, please see the Houston Institute for Culture's website at http://www.houstonculture.org, or call 713-521-3686.
For those who would like to support the camp, a Sponsorship Booklet is available on line, as a free PDF download, as well as a Houston Institute for Culture Organization Overview.
http://www.lulu.com/houston
If you or someone you know would like to receive a printed copy of the Sponsorship Booklet, please let us know.
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Rice Powwow, Back to Jamaica, and more events
8th Annual Rice University Powwow
Friday, April 21, Gourd Dancing 4:30pm; Grand Entry 8:00pm
Free Admission, Everyone is Welcome! Food and Concessions - Indian Tacos! Prize Drawings! Bring lawn chairs. Sponsored by the Rice University Native American Student Association.
Rice University
IM Field #7 (next to Autry Court Gymnasium)
http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~natamer/
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On Sunday, April 23, on the new literary stage at the Houston International Festival, Roger Wood will read selected passages from his book Down In Houston: Bayou City Blues with accompaniment on viola by Rita Porfiris of the Houston Symphony Orchestra. Rita's amazing interpretations of the blues include musical references to artists such as T-Bone Walker, Freddie King, and Stevie Ray Vaughn. Come experience this unique collaborative tribute to the blues.
Photographs by James Fraher from Down in Houston are also on display at iFest. Sunday, April 23, at 12 noon, at the Literary Stage (aka Wordstock Café, near the corner of Bagby and Walker). Learn more about the Houston International Festival below.
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Houston International Festival (Back to Jamaica)
April 22-23 and 29-30, 2006, 11:00am - 8:00pm
With live music featuring Burning Spear, Robert Cray Band, Joe Ely Band, Steve Marley, Bobby Bland, Morgan Heritage, Yerba Buena, Skatalites, Gangbe Brass Band, Billy Joe Shaver, Neutral Sisters, Tinariwen, Grupo Fantasma, Avizo, La Bottine Souriante, Brave Combo, Gena Delafose, Iguanas, Buckwheat Zydeco, New Birth Brass Band, Erik Taylor, Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk, Kermit Ruffins, Echoset, Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience,Susan Gibson, Miss Lavelle White, Zydeco Dots, Carol Fran with special guest Marcia Ball, Step Rideau and the Zydeco Outlaws, Patrice Pike, Shake Russell, and Nathan Williams and the Zydeco Cha Chas
Downtown Houston
http://www.ifest.org
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Zen meditation classes at the Zen Center will begin May 3, 2006 - July 23, 2006, with Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced and Youth meditation evening classes, plus Saturday morning sessions. The classes are taught by ordained monks from Taiwan who are offering the classes for free (donations are welcome).
http://www.cthouston.org
Also, there will be two dharma talks coming up at Borders bookstore on April 22, Borders in Stafford (Fountains Shopping Center)
http://bordersstores.com/events/event_detail.jsp?SEID=79391
and April 29, Border's in Meyerland Shopping Center
http://bordersstores.com/events/event_detail.jsp?SEID=79392
More information about the lecture topic and the Zen Master (JianLiao, monk over 15 years, and Abbot of the Chung Tai Zen Center), who will give the lectures, is available at:
http://www.cthouston.org/cominglecture.htm
He has also been invited to speak at the Houston Chinese Culture Center on May 20, 2006 and at the Jung Center on June 16, 2006.
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Houston Social Forum
With panel discussions on immigration and international issues.
April 29 and 30
Texas Southern University
http://www.houstonsocialforum.org
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Cinco de Mayo Parade
Sat. May 6, 2006, 10:00am
Downtown Houston
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The Art Car Parade
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Allen Parkway (between Waugh Drive and downtown) Downtown Houston
http://www.orangeshow.org
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Houston Latino Book and Family Festival
The 4th Annual Edward James Olmos Houston Latino Book & Family Festival hosted by Nuestra Palabra will be held on Saturday, May 6th, 11:30 AM to 6 PM and Sunday, May 7th 12 noon to 6 PM. Authors will include: Laura Esquivel, author of "Like Water For Chocolate", launching her new novel, "Malinche", Esmeralda Santiago (author of "Almost A Woman"), Maria Elena Salinas (author of "My Father's Daughter"), Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez (author of "Make Him Look Good"), and Jackie Guerra (author of "Under Construction: How I've Gained and Lost Millions of Dollars and Hundreds of Pounds"). Other authors include: Hernán Moreno-Hinojosa, Diana Dávila Martínez, Sarah Cortez, Gwendolyn Zepeda and many more will also participate.
The Children's/Young Adult Village of the book festival will include interactive workshops for parents and students, as well as story time for the children.
The festival will be located at the Central Campus of Houston Community College at 1300 Holman. For more information, please visit:
http://www.nuestrapalabra.org
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Topical Film Events
Argentina - Hope in Hard Times
Wednesday, April 26, 7:00pm
FREE
University of Houston, Bauer College of Business, Melcher Hall Room 170 (Take I-45 South, exit Spur 5, turn right at UH entrance 1, then right on Calhoun; Melcher Hall is on the left.)
"¡Que se vayan todos!" Chants echo off the skyscrapers, burst through the plazas, and clamor down the streets of Buenos Aires. "Throw them all out!" shout legions of frustrated Argentine housewives, students and lawyers, weaving their way through the city one summer evening, banging on pots and pans. What would you do if you lost your job, they closed the banks so you couldn't access your savings, and the government seemed unable to help? In Argentina they stormed supermarkets for food; the police gunned down 30 people in just one day. But what happened next was truly extraordinary.
ARGENTINA - HOPE IN HARD TIMES joins in the processions and protests, attends street-corner neighborhood assemblies, visits workers' cooperatives and urban gardens, taking a close-up look at the ways in which Argentines are picking up the pieces of their devastated economy and creating new possibilities for the future. A spare narrative, informal interview settings, and candid street scenes allow the pervasive strength, humor, and resilience of the Argentine people to tell these tales. These are their inspiring stories - of a failed economy and distrusted politicians, of heartache and hard times, of a resurgence of grassroots democracy and the spirit of community - told in resonant detail.
Other films by Mark Dworkin and Melissa Young are NET LOSS, ANOTHER WORLD IS POSSIBLE, NOT FOR SALE, GENE BLUES, ISLAS HERMANAS, and RISKY BUSINESS.
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KPFT Dollar Cinema at MECA
Sunday, May 7, 2:00pm
Screenings will include:
The Other Side (provided by Houston Institute for Culture) 2002; Directed by Chris Walker; 27 minutes
Over the last century, hundreds of thousands of Mexicans have crossed the border to the United States in pursuit of permanent jobs, and a better life. But in the new millennium, that journey has become increasingly dangerous, and the costs are starting to outweigh the benefits.
This program from the City Life series reveals the devastating impact of Mexican-US migration. The people who attempt to cross suffer horribly and frequently die. The families and communities left behind are disabled and their languages and cultures are being destroyed. The Other Side tells the story of the villagers who have had enough - and now are trying to make sure their children will no longer have to migrate to realize their dreams.
S.P.I.C.
Animation and narration by Robert Castillo; 25 minutes
When Robert Castillo and his brothers were growing up in Chelsea, Massachusetts, the neighborhood kids gave them a "nickname" they didn't know was actually a racial slur. This candid documentary, which takes its title from that slur, recalls Castillo's 1977 arrival in New York from the Dominican Republic, where he was raised by his grandmother for seven years. When he returns to the United States and to his parents, he experiences quite a shock. This set of stories is described by Castillo as the storyboard of his life. Storyboards are the blueprint of a story or movie, he chooses to bring the unseen part of storytelling forward and create them as he tells you the story.
Oaxacan Hoops
20 minutes
The story opens in the Sierra Norte where playing basketball has been a tradition since the early 1930s. How basketball arrived in the mountain of Oaxaca remains a mystery. Some say teachers from Mexico City brought the sport to the Sierra Norte. Others say miners from Northern Mexico taught the sport to locals. They all agree, however, that in these isolated villages basketball has been an obsession for years and it is now a cultural tradition.
The film also takes us to Los Angeles, where thousands of Zapotecs have gone looking for work. It is here that the biggest Oaxacan basketball tournament outside of Mexico, the Oaxaca Cup, takes place. Played over two full Sundays and with its final on Thanksgiving Day, the Oaxaca Cup brings together more than 40 teams every year. Most teams represent a village back home.
The Oaxaca Cup is one of dozens of basketball tournaments that take place in the greater Los Angeles area throughout the year. In this city, where basketball is king, the sport has helped Zapotecs build community, find something familiar and stay connected to their roots.
==================================== WORLD CULTURE movie and discussion series
Sponsored by Houston Institute for Culture and University of St. Thomas-Modern and Classical Languages
Tuesday, May 9, 7:00pm
Who's Counting? Marilyn Waring on Sex, Lies and Global Economics Produced by The National Film Board of Canada; 52 minutes
Marilyn Waring is the foremost spokesperson for global feminist economics, and her ideas offer new avenues of approach for political action. With persistence and wit she has succeeded in drawing attention to the fact that GDP has no negative side to its accounts - such as damage to the environment - and completely ignores the unpaid work of women. "Why is the market economy all that counts?" Ms. Waring asks.
In 1975, when she was just 22 years old, she was elected to the New Zealand parliament. She was re-elected three times and eventually brought down the government on the issue of making New Zealand a nuclear free zone.
When she was chairperson of the Public Expenditures Committee, she perfected what she calls the "art of the dumb question." Ever since she has challenged the myths of economics, its elitist stance, and our tacit compliance with political agendas that masquerade as objective economic policy.
This film has inspired many people, notably the Who's Counting Project, to work on human-scale economic alternatives, local currency exchanges, and more humane ways of measuring the quality of life.
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39th Worldfest Independent Film Festival
April 21-30, 2006
http://www.worldfest.org
The 39th Annual WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival continues its totally dedicated Independent Film screening format for the upcoming April 21-30, 2006 unspooling at the AMC Studio 30 at Dunvale - located between Richmond and Westheimer. WorldFest will screen just 56 feature film premieres, with a total and absolute emphasis on the American and International Independent feature films and with a continuing annual spotlight on 96 award-winning short films and documentary films.
This year WorldFest is streaming its Short Film winners, and trailers of all Feature Films via a partnership with www.247Show.com. Anyone can visit our website and click on the Short or Feature they want to view, and it will stream via the very high band-width of 247Show.com ? Anyone can read and post comments on the films and the top entries will win cash prizes based on total votes received. WorldFest-Houston is the first and only international film festival offering a program like this. Some of the WorldFest Remi Award Winners have been viewed by more than 15,000 people all over the world.
The Opening Night World Premiere for WorldFest is Paradise, Texas starring Timothy Bottoms, Meredith Baxter, Polly Bergen, and 1st time Houston actor, Ben Estus. They are all expected to attend. This year the festival is premiering a total of 12 Houston-connected films, including both Shorts and Features. Other Houston connected films include A-List - Shira-Lee & Damon Shalit, ELCX-Planet Funk - Shawn Welling, Boy Next Door - Travis Davis, Into The Wind - Chris Page, Jack Everyman - Larry Czach, Miles To Surf - James Fulbright, The Fax - Matthew Kowalski, Be Bop Babies - Gail Reaben, Thumb POW - Joey Clark, Half Empty - Robert Peters, Common Practice - Marcos Efron.
WorldFest Artistic and Program Director, Kathleen Haney, said, "We are continuing our focus on a quality selection of individual films to maintain a smaller, yet effective program rather than an overly large and unwieldy slate of 150-300 films. In consideration of both our festival audiences and the independent filmmakers, we feel that a solid high-quality program of no more than 60 features is optimum in a ten-day festival with nine screening slots (on three theater screens) per day." Haney continued, "We are looking for 'A good story, well told' as our time-tested approach to film selection. We have special sidebars of Foreign, Children's and Family Film Sections plus Remi Award winning Documentaries. All of our films are totally Indie productions, and each film is well represented by their filmmakers, who attend to personally introduce their films!"
WorldFest will continue with its annual Short Film Showcase, a very special review of 96 new short and student films...from the festival that gave first honors to Spielberg, Lucas, Oliver Stone, Ang Lee, and David Lynch, among many others! No other festival has such a "discovery" track record. WorldFest has emerged as the oldest film festival management in the world with the same director, continuously for 38 consecutive years. A few other festivals are older, but they have had as many as ten different directors. Most USA film festivals today have evolved into publicity platforms for major studio distributors. WorldFest showcases the true independent film, offering a fiercely dedicated special venue for directors searching for an independent forum for their works. WorldFest continues with a focused emphasis on new, premiering films that are seeking a distributor. The Festival also screens DVD video via the Barco R20 Digital DLP Projection and Wagner Media, major sponsors of the festival, in addition to 35mm film.
For more information on the 39th Annual 2006 WorldFest-Houston, Call: 1-713-965-9955 or fax: 1-713-965-9960 or email: info@worldfest.org
http://www.worldfest.org
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About this Email Newsletter
The e-culture newsletter is provided to community members who have requested it, as well as Houston Institute for Culture volunteers and collaborators on beneficial programs. The newsletter features Houston Institute for Culture events and activities, as well as community and cultural activities throughout the region. We attempt to highlight events and organizations that resemble the educational mission of Houston Institute for Culture, as well as promote diverse interests.
If you would like to be added to the list. please send an email to info@houstonculture.org. To be removed from the list, please reply or send a message saying "remove" or "unsubscribe".
We regret that AOL has barred its users from receiving this information about educational events and topical forums, therefore we will not be able to include AOL customers on the email list to receive this newsletter electronically. Please refer to the newsletter on line at: http://www.houstonculture.org/feature
Thank you for supporting great educational and cultural activities.
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M a r k @houstonculture.org
Houston Institute for Culture
Havens Center
1827 W. Alabama Street
Houston, Texas 77098
HOUSTON INSTITUTE FOR CULTURE SEARCH info@houstonculture.org