September 7, 2008 [ CURRENT ]   [ ARCHIVE ] [houston institute] Regional Films at River Oaks Theatre, Houston Monthly, Finding Heroes September 7, 2008 IN THIS ISSUE Film directors discuss KAMP KATRINA and INTIMIDAD at River Oaks Theatre Thank You, Houston: A Celebration of Gulf Coast Voices, Music and Food Houston Monthly is for People Who Enjoy Travel, Arts and Meaningful Dialogue Campaign for Achievement: Finding Heroes in the Faces of Houston Volunteers Make All the Difference in the Services We Provide to Houston Digital Story Resource Center Photography Classes Registering for October About this Email Newsletter Houston Institute for Culture had a fun and exciting summer. After producing the city's Juneteenth celebration at Miller Outdoor Theatre, we were off to the Smithsonian to work with cultural exchange programs on the National Mall. It wasn't all work; the twelve hour days were rewarding. Take a look at what we saw: http://www.houstonculture.org/travel/bhutan/photos.html Back in Houston, hurricanes are on our minds. We have several programs this week that examine the stories of hurricane survivors. And we will be watching the tropics closely, hopeful that a hurricane doesn't disrupt our lives (not to mention our best-planned programs). Two powerful, award-winning regional films will be showcased at River Oaks Theatre this week. Directors David Redmon and Ashley Sabin will be present to answer audience questions. KAMP KATRINA, an award winning cinema verite documentary, follows a small group of people who have taken refuge in a garden transformed into a tent city by an extraordinary New Orleans couple, Ms. Pearl and her husband, David. Filmed over six months in New Orleans' Bywater/Upper Ninth Ward, Kamp Katrina focuses on the dialectic between madness and hope in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. More than a document about a hurricane, "Kamp Katrina" is a story about the trials and tribulations regular people go through everyday in communities all across the country to make life better for family or friends, even if they've sunk to an all-time low. Kamp Katrina will be shown at 7:00pm, Tuesday, Sept 9, 2008 River Oaks Theatre, 2009 West Gray, Houston, Texas 77019 Free screening; donations accepted INTIMIDAD - To understand the condition of Mexico and its people, you can start by understanding the aspirations of one family. "Intimidad" is an in-depth poetic story of life on the Mexico-Texas border, as the filmmakers follow a family on their quest for financial security in Reynosa. Cecy and Camilo – ages 21 – recently moved to the border, Reynosa, Mexico, from Santa Maria, Puebla with a dream to save money, buy land, and build a home. A year later they return to their rural hometown to reunite with their two year-old daughter Loida. What seems like a satisfying reunion turns into a confusing dilemma that transforms the course of their marriage. Both the family in the film - and the directors - documented "Intimidad" over the course of five years, lending the story to an incredibly intimate, dream-like impression. "Intimidad" mixes digital verite with Super 8 and 16mm film stock. Read an excerpt from a review of Intimidad in the Texas Observer: http://www.houstonculture.org/film/intimidad.html Intimidad will be shown at 7:00pm, Wednesday, Sept 10, 2008 River Oaks Theatre, 2009 West Gray, Houston, Texas 77019 Free screening; donations accepted Get more information about the screenings of "Kamp Katrina" and "Intimidad": http://www.houstonculture.org/film ____________________________________________________ Thank You, Houston: A Celebration of Gulf Coast Voices, Music and Food A great celebration and a commemoration of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita is planned for Discovery Green this weekend. [We will send an update as we learn more about the path of Hurricane Ike later in the week.] "Thank You, Houston" is a live music event in honor of Hurricane Katrina survivors and Houstonians who volunteered their support. Music by Al "Carnival Time" Johnson and Bluebonnet Brass Band. There will also be free food, and a survivor story video display. In the park's Houston Public Library Express, a video version of the photo/audio exhibition, WHO WE ARE, will be playing. In addition, patrons may check out headsets to hear podcasts focusing on stories of thanks and gratitude recorded from survivors by the Surviving Katrina and Rita in Houston project. A workshop on Mardi Gras Indian suit making will start things off at 6:30pm. And last but not least, hearty servings of red beans and rice and jambalaya will be available for free - as long as it lasts. "Thank You, Houston" will take place from 6:30 - 9 pm at Discovery Green, just outside the George R. Brown Convention Center, where thousands of Hurricane Katrina survivors were welcomed and housed in September 2005. "Thank You, Houston" is sponsored by Houston Institute for Culture, Surviving Katrina and Rita in Houston project and Discovery Green. "Thank You, Houston" is funded in part with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast, Discovery Green, the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, and the Houston Endowment. The public will find information about this free event at: http://www.houstonculture.org/houston Hear Audio Excerpts: http://www.houstonculture.org/houston/SKRHphotos.html ____________________________________________________ Houston Monthly is for People Who Enjoy Travel, Arts and Meaningful Dialogue If you enjoy travel, local arts and music, hobbies like photography and blogging, and want to be part of a group that promotes meaningful social interaction, then check out "the next small thing" from Houston Institute for Culture. This program is meant to be small and meaningful, while presenting a full magazine of interests in a live setting. You've heard of Atlantic Monthly, Texas Monthly and Washington Monthly. Now meet Houston Monthly: http://www.houstonmonthly.org Houston Monthly invites the Houston community to meet each month to mingle and share interests. Following a light social hour in an interesting Houston artspace, one or two presenters will share their insights into interesting travel, fun activities that are uniquely Houston, and beneficial community programs. Community involvement is needed in planning fun and educational monthly activities and developing the Houston Monthly blog. If you or someone you know is interested, please contact us. We have also upgraded our Events Calendar to promote more opportunities for meaningful social interaction in Houston. You can now sort events by category, print a weekly listing of events (by using the Weekly Reports link at the bottom) and you can post events more easily. An editor will have to approve them before they appear live to prevent spam. If you would like to become a calendar editor to help us provide this valuable service to Houston, please let us Events Calendar: http://www.houstonmonthly.org/calendar Take our poll to tell us what activities you would most like to see at Houston Monthly events and what you think are the most critical issues Houston faces in its future. Online Polls: http://www.houstonmonthly.org/poll/db/poll.php ____________________________________________________ Campaign for Achievement: Finding Heroes in the Faces of Houston Campaign for Achievement, a National Urban League program, helps children recognize achievement in their daily lives. The Children's Museum of Houston and the Houston Area Urban League have partnered for the past eight years to create exhibits that reflect examples of achievement through the eyes of Houston's urban youth. What is a hero? As defined by one of this year's youth artists: "Heroes are normal people who do the right thing." Through a partnership with the Children's Museum of Houston, the Houston Area Urban League, Houston Institute for Culture, and SHAPE Community Center, photographer Ben DeSoto taught local youth between the ages of 8 to 13 a "bag of tricks" of how to capture the concept of heroism through the art of photography. Parents, siblings, doctors, policemen and scientists are just some of the heroes these children portray in this exhibit. Special thanks to the University of Houston-College of Education CITE lab for providing digital cameras for the students during the program. Students from the Houston Institute for Culture Camp Dos Cabezas program who are included in the exhibit and will be awarded for being Young Achievers include Yessenia, Miguel, Daniel and Alex. All camp participants, family members, and HIFC volunteers and supporters are encouraged to attend. Opening Reception and Awards Ceremony 5:30 to 6:30pm, Thursday, September 18, 2008 The Children's Museum of Houston 1500 Binz Houston, TX 77004 (713) 522-1138 http://www.cmhouston.org/directions ____________________________________________________ Volunteers Make All the Difference in the Services We Provide to Houston Volunteers are our most critical need. There are many decisions to be made, leadership roles to fill and challenging goals ahead. For a relatively young organization, Houston Institute for Culture came a long way over the past year. We increased our budget significantly with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, United Way, and many more. We reached out to broad audiences and garnered tremendous local and national media coverage. The organization is in an ideal position to produce both cultural arts events and proactive social services. Our programs are generally divided in two categories: Cultural Literacy and Social Innovation. Houston Institute for Culture achieves its goals by providing education through public events about cultural influences - family, history, media, religion, arts, business, economy, environment, technology - and programs to improve communities through education and empowerment. By seeking audiences in unexpected places and involving students of all ages, we drew exceptional numbers to documentary film and photography events, and concluded the season with an audience of thousands at the Miller Outdoor Theatre. To learn more about our programs and see examples, please visit: http://www.houstonculture.org/meeting/index.html#about Juneteenth, the celebration of the emancipation from slavery, is the most significant historical event in Texas and A Gulf Coast Juneteenth is one of the region's most exciting commemorations of this occasion. We are beginning monthly meeting to establish the most effective plan for citywide promotion of Juneteenth in Houston. The Juneteenth Publicity Committee meets at 2:00pm, Saturday, September 13, 2008 [We will send an update as we learn more about the path of Hurricane Ike later in the week.] Houston Institute for Culture 7111 Harwin Drive, Suite 132 Houston, Texas 77036 The Juneteenth Publicity Committee works to promote A Gulf Coast Juneteenth (a city-wide event at Miller Outdoor Theatre), as well as other Juneteenth activities in Houston. Learn more about meeting schedules and our office location: http://www.houstonculture.org/meeting See information about last year's Juneteenth event: http://www.houstonculture.org/juneteenth ____________________________________________________ Digital Story Resource Center Photography Classes Registering for October In the upcoming year, Houstonians will see major advances in the programs and services Houston Institute for Culture offers through its Digital Story Resource Center. And, you will see more benefit to youth groups through the increased funding for this center. In fact, we are currently seeking another student intern to work on digital storytelling projects with middle school students in schools. Responsibilities for this internship are to: present workshops for students to develop their ideas as digital stories; facilitate the students' work to completion and presentation for peer groups. The paid internship is open to university students in applicable fields, such as education, communication, and media production. Contact us for more details. But this isn't only an initiative for schools and community centers. Anyone can take part in the center's activities, which include classes from digital photography to digital publishing and multi-media creation. The best place to begin is the introductory photography course, which meets two consecutive Saturdays and explores the fundamental uses and functions of all cameras (which also can be helpful for video camera users). It focuses on camera techniques and understanding light conditions to make the best possible pictures in various situations. The $45 class fee benefits youth activities. Introduction to Photography and Lighting October 4 & 11, 11:30am to 1:30pm http://www.houstonculture.org/class ____________________________________________________ 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 Learn more about Houston Institute for Culture: http://www.houstonculture.org/resources/hifc.html HOUSTON INSTITUTE FOR CULTURE    SEARCH    info@houstonculture.org