January 17, 2008 [ CURRENT ]   [ ARCHIVE ] [houston institute] Mardi Gras Indians in Houston MLK Weekend, Photo Classes, Travel Schedule Posted January 17, 2008 IN THIS ISSUE Mardi Gras Comes Early in Houston! Our New Office at Hillcroft and Harwin Photography and Digital Storytelling Classes 2008 Travel Schedule is Available In a performance by The New Zulu Mardi Gras Indians, Houstonians will have a rare opportunity to experience the unique rhythms, chants and elaborate costumes on New Orleans' Black Indians during Martin Luther King weekend. When and Where Saturday, January 19, 2008 7:00pm performance, followed by reception The Artery 5401 Jackson St. (at Prospect) Houston, Texas 77004 In the Museum District Donation: $10; $5 students www.arteryhouston.org Sunday, January 20, 2008 5:00pm performance, followed by reception Bohemeo's 708 Telephone Rd. Houston, Texas 77023 In the East End, Tlaquepaque Plaza Donation: $10; $5 students www.bohemeos.com Mardi Gras Indian traditions combine African pictorials with Native American stylized carnival costumes. The multilayered "Indian Suits", decorated with beads, sequins and exotic feathers, can weigh more than 100 pounds. The suits are worn in parades during Mardi Gras and Super Sunday (near St Joseph's Day, March 19). Their percussion, derived from Africa and the West Indies, was passed down to modern generations through gatherings at New Orleans' historic Congo Square. Mardi Gras Indian chants are a mysterious language rooted in the history of slavery and oppression. Join us for two unique opportunities to discover the Mardi Gras Indians right here in Houston. The events are part of a Houston Institute for Culture educational series on African American Traditions, Connections and Migrations, supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, Texas Commission on the Arts and Houston Arts Alliance. The programs are sponsored by KPFT's Music Beyond Borders, Voz de la Tierra, and KTRU's World Music Show, and graciously hosted by The Artery and Bohemeo's. For more information, please see: http://www.houstonculture.org/indians Phone: 713-521-3686 Email: info@houstonculture.org More info on Mardi Gras Indians... The Mardi Gras Indians' Legacy of Defiance http://www.houstonculture.org/laproject/indians.html (An except from an HIFC radio transcript) Listen to Music Beyond Borders, 2-3pm, from January 17 in the archives of KPFT: http://archive.kpft.org ____________________________________________________ Our New Office 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. Look for announcements about the start of this program in spring 2008. 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. ____________________________________________________ Photography and Digital Storytelling Classes The 2008 Class Schedule is available on line. Please see: http://www.houstonculture.org/class Proceeds from the classes support our Youth Initiatives. For an example of one of our student's projects, please see Sophia's "Help Haiti" video public service message: http://www.houstonculture.org/student ____________________________________________________ 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