December 4, 2007 [ CURRENT ]   [ ARCHIVE ] [houston institute] A Brass Band and Zydeco Christmas, Artery Benefit, and more December 4, 2007 IN THIS ISSUE Celebrate the Season Gulf Coast Style Houston's Natural Art Space - The Artery Hillcroft and Harwin, Need We Say More Texas Meets Bhutan at the Smithsonian Houston Institute for Culture is a partner and collaborator with many of Houston's visionary and progressive arts organizations. This weekend we will be celebrating with two of them. With the Surviving Katrina and Rita in Houston project we will be having the party of the season on Friday night at the Orange Show, with a lively combo of New Orleans Brass Band music and some Texas Zydeco. And on Saturday we will celebrate the critical nature of the Artery, a visionary outdoor art space hidden under a dense canopy of trees in the Museum District. Here are the details: Friday, December 7, 7-11pm Surviving Katrina and Rita in Houston, the Orange Show and Houston Institute for Culture present "A Gulf Coast Christmas", featuring the Soul Rebels Brass Band and Zydeco phenomenon Corey Ledet. Based in Houston since the 2005 hurricanes, the Soul Rebels Brass Band is a beloved New Orleans group that blends Mardi Gras funk, rock and reggae with traditional jazz and a bit of Hip Hop to create a one-of-a-kind sound that encourages crowds to "Work It Out" on the dance floor. Having come up through the traditions of jazz funerals and the second line, the Soul Rebels made their professional debut playing for the Neville Brothers at famed New Orleans hot spot Tipitina's. The band's hard core funk groove has made them a favorite opening act for groups such as The Fugees, A Tribe Called Quest, Counting Crows and Robert Plant & Jimmy Page, just to name a few, and they are featured on Galactic's recent release, From the Corner to the Block. Corey "Lil Pop" Ledet returns to his hometown of Houston to play Zydeco favorites in the style of Clifton Chenier and Rockin' Dopsie. Corey and his band twist Zydeco traditions with a contemporary beat that has made them top bill at dancehalls throughout southwest Louisiana and Texas. Roger Wood will emcee and offer readings from his recent book, Texas Zydeco. The presentation will feature photography by James Fraher. Bring your friends and family. Food and drinks will be provided, including sweets from Treebeards, and there will be entertainment for the kids as well. The free event will take place Friday, December 7, from 7 - 11pm at The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, 2402 Munger Street, Houston, Texas 77023. For information, call (713) 926-6368. Surviving Katrina and Rita in Houston was initiated in partnership with Texas Commission on the Arts, the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, the University of Houston, the American Folklore Society and Houston Institute for Culture. The Surviving Katrina and Rita in Houston project has been funded in part by the Houston Endowment, Inc., the National Endowment for the Arts, the Houston Arts Alliance, the American Folklore Society, Weingarten Schnitzer Foundation, the Douglas County School District, Douglas County Colorado, the Texas Commission on the Arts and the United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast. =========================================== Saturday, December 8, 7-11pm Celebrate the Artery's 20th anniversary on Saturday, December 8, 7-11pm. The Artery had many achievements this year, including airing their first two episodes of the Artery Media Project on HoustonPBS, which featured Artery-produced events, as well as performances at FotoFest and DiverseWorks. Through its events and documentary productions, The Artery has made significant contributions to benefit hundreds of Houston artists and organizations. From art exhibits and rehearsals of a steel drum band that took place on the site in 1987, Bill Day and Mark Larsen, along with a host of collaborators that have included inventor Bruce Adams, artist Steven Potter, photographer Jim Hicks, and sculptor Richard Fleuer, The Artery has served the visual and performing arts communities, and social and environmental justice movements for twenty years. The Artery continues to meet increasing demands of its constituents by providing vital space for the Houston community to expand its collective interests. During the party and video screening, The Artery media team will share newly edited footage from the 2007 season, including international performances from the Music Beyond Borders world music festival. There will be wine, beer, apple cider and snacks. The event is free. Donations will be accepted to support the continued existence of this unique art space and media project. Donations to the Artery Media Project are tax deductible. Contact Mark Larsen at facets@earthlink.net, or Mark Lacy at mark@houstonculture.org to learn more. The Artery is located at 5401 Jackson, on the corner of Prospect (a couple blocks northeast of the Children's Museum). For more information, please see: http://www.arteryhouston.org ____________________________________________________ Our Locale at Harwin and Hillcroft We recently set up a project office in Houston's most diverse setting - Harwin near Hillcroft. It is the beginning of our Digital Story Resource Center and will serve other functions of Houston Institute for Culture, including a classroom space for our Camp Dos Cabezas Young Scholars, community outreach and workspace for volunteers. The address is: Houston Institute for Culture 7111 Harwin Drive, Suite 132 Houston, Texas 77036 Interesting projects at this location include: Recording the People's History of Houston - With easy access for people from all over southwest Houston's diverse communities, we will be prepared to record the interesting and vital stories of small business owners, immigrants, community advocates, music makers, religious leaders, and more. Classes for Family Chroniclers and Citizen Journalists - We will offer an increased schedule of classes in digital storytelling, photography, publishing, genealogy research, and more, while developing an extensive archive and digital story festival. Community Outreach and Meeting Space - As we determine the community needs and issues we can most effectively address, we will launch several outreach projects from this central location and share our meeting space with arts and community organizers. Services for Artists and Nonprofits - With a recording station and photo/video studio, we will be prepared to provide services, such as assistance with public service messages or publicity materials, to artists and organizations, as well as academic units of area universities. Stay tuned for more information as we settle in during January. ____________________________________________________ Educational Adventures for 2008 The Houston Institute for Culture 2008 Educational Travel Series has been posted: Traditions of Mexico, Semana Santa (Copper Canyon) March 17-25, 2008 Smithsonian Folklife Festival and Washington DC Tour July 1-7, 2008 Historic New Mexico Series (Pueblo Revolt and Fiesta de San Lorenzo) August 4-12, 2008 Celebration of West Indian Heritage, New York City August 28 - September 2, 2008 Autumn in Yellowstone and the Rocky Mountains September 22-30, 2008 Traditions of Mexico, El dia de los muertos (Day of the Dead) October 28 - November 4, 2008 California Migrant Worker Experience (from Steinbeck to Chavez) December 2008 For more information about these great educational adventures, please see: http://www.houstonculture.org/travel Additional tours, workshops and conferences, as well as volunteer opportunities with Camp Dos Cabezas, will soon be posted. Please contact us at 713-521-3686 for more information. =========================================== Featured tour location: Smithsonian Folklife Festival Each year, one of our most popular tours explores Washington DC during the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and citywide July 4th activities. The Smithsonian Institution recently announced it will feature the eastern Himalayan nation of Bhutan and the diverse state of Texas in 2008. The SI website describes the programs as follows: Bhutan at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival - Situated in the eastern Himalayas and bordered by China and India, Bhutan rises in just a few hundred miles from steamy jungles to some of the world's highest peaks. No roads led outside of the Kingdom until the 1960s, and access by air became possible only a few decades ago. This isolation throughout its history has provided refuge for its people to live and practice their rich cultural traditions freely. The Festival will celebrate Bhutan's special approach towards life in the 21st century, which, as national policy, is described as the pursuit of "Gross National Happiness." The Bhutanese have chosen a different path towards development, rooted in deep respect for and protection of the Kingdom's unique resources. With approximately 95 percent of its people practicing traditional farming, Bhutan is an agrarian society where people live close to the land that sustains them. Their eco-friendly practices are in part responsible for Bhutan's designation as a biodiversity "hot-spot." Bhutan also is the last country where the Vajrayana form of Mahayana Buddhism is practiced extensively and influences all aspects of daily life. The Festival will bring more than 100 Bhutanese artists, dancers, craftspeople, cooks, carpenters, farmers, and representatives of monastic life who will celebrate the living traditions that define and sustain their culture. Artisans will demonstrate Bhutan's thirteen traditional arts (zorig chusum) and specifically how these link the people to the land. Weavers will showcase the diversity of complex weaving traditions that have made Bhutanese textiles some of the most coveted in the world today. Sculptors, painters, and carvers will demonstrate the skilled arts that continue to adorn monasteries and temples, as well as most Bhutanese homes. Monastic dancers will perform ritual masked dances from the highly choreographed and symbolic sacred festivals (tsechus). =========================================== Texas at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival - Over ten days, the National Mall will host demonstrations, performances, and famous Texas talk about the Lone Star State's proud history and its contemporary traditions. Up to a million visitors will hear presentations of Texas blues, swing, conjunto, country and western, gospel, and tejano music; see demonstrations of wine making; enjoy diverse culinary traditions, old and new, from barbeque cook-offs to kolache making, from pan de campo contests to the production of artisan Texas cheeses. The Texas program will illustrate a dynamic and creative society built upon rich natural resources, thriving cosmopolitan cities and engaging rural landscapes, where a rich heritage of freedom, optimism, opportunity, and achievement contribute to a vibrant contemporary culture. =========================================== NASA at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival - On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival will showcase the role that the men and women of NASA have played in broadening the horizons of American science and culture, as well as the role that they will continue to play in helping to shape the future by stirring the public imagination. The NASA program at the Festival will include living presentations, hands-on educational activities, demonstrations of skills, techniques, and knowledge, narrative "oral history" sessions, and exhibits that will explore the spirit of innovation, discovery, and service embodied by the agency and its personnel. The Festival program will encourage visitors to participate actively-to ask questions of astronomers, astronauts, astrophysicists, educators, engineers, and other experts: a cross-section of NASA's 18,000 employees and 40,000 contractors and grantees. Visitors will come away from the Festival with a better understanding and appreciation of NASA's history and mission through a celebration of the people whose knowledge has made those achievements possible. ____________________________________________________ About this Email Newsletter The Houston Institute newsletter is provided about nine times per year 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". Thank you for supporting educational events in Houston. ____________________________________________________ M  a  r  k @houstonculture.org Houston Institute for Culture 7111 Harwin Drive, Suite 132 Houston, Texas 77036 HOUSTON INSTITUTE FOR CULTURE    SEARCH    info@houstonculture.org