New HIFC gallery location opening, environmental film series, and more
Mark Lacy
opening a new gallery and community event space in Houston's historic
East End. You're invited to attend the opening activities and bring
some friends on October 31 and November 1.
IN THIS ISSUE
Community Space Opening
Volunteer Open House
Environmental Film Series
Accordion Festival Recap
A Note on Hurricane Ike
About this Email Newsletter
Houston Institute for Culture will open a gallery and community
meeting center at 708 Telephone Road near Lockwood.
Two miles southeast of downtown Houston, the historic location was
built in 1929. It is part of a complex of businesses and organizations
located in the Tlaquepaque Plaza that are working to elevate cultural
programs and community services in the historic East End.
View an exterior photo of the space and compare it with one made circa 1930.
http://www.houstonculture.org/office/location.html
We will hold an opening on October 31 in conjunction with Bohemeo's,
featuring music, Aztec dancers and a traditional Mexican Day of the
Dead (el dia de los muertos) altar. We will offer a gallery exhibit in
partnership with Museo Guadalupe Aztlan on Friday, October 31. The
exhibit opening will take place at 7:00pm and Day of the Dead
activities will follow at 8:00pm in Bohemeo's.
At 7:00pm on Saturday, November 1 we will show "Darkness into Light:
Following the Spirit," produced by Patricia Lacy Collins and Robert S.
Cozens (San Rafael Films). The 56-minute film is narrated by actor
Edward James Olmos.
"Following the Spirit," the third documentary in the Darkness into
Light series, brings the story of the spiritual journey of the people
of Mexico to the present time. It traces a long-standing friction
between church and state that resulted, in the 19th and 20th
centuries, in somber and bloody repression of religious and human
rights in Mexico. Suppression of religious life became particularly
bitter following the Constitution of 1917. Leading historians paint a
broad canvas of multiple struggles that are little known outside of
Mexico.
The historians and authors who tell this story include Drs. John Mason
Hart, Guadalupe Jimenez Codinach, Manuel Ramos Medina, Raul Gonzalez
Schmal, Elena Poniatowska, and John Meyer.
The irrepressible spirituality of contemporary Mexico plays against
the dark years of struggle. Observances of the Days of the Dead, the
revived processions of Corpus Christi, and the canonization of San
Juan Diego provide memorable counterpoints.
Today, resolution of the conflict is underway. As never before, the
Mexican people can choose to believe - or not believe - in matters of
religion.
For Artists, Authors, Musicians and Nonprofit Organizations
The 2,300 square foot space will serve many community needs and work
to promote local artists, authors and musicians. Houston Institute for
Culture plans to include a bookstore and gift shop in the center that
will offer books and CDs by local authors and musicians, as well as
art and items with a distinctive regional appeal. Topical documentary
films and books will be available in coordination with events in the
center and Tlaquepaque Plaza.
Artists, authors and musicians should contact us about offering their
creations through the gift shop or during events that will take place
on the plaza. In the early stages of our bookstore, we will mostly
acquire items for sale on consignment and eventually grow to keep a
larger inventory. We plan to include published works by University of
Texas Press, Literal-Latin American Voices, Carnivalesque Films, San
Rafael Films, Smithsonian Folkways, Arhoolie Records and many more.
The bookstore and gift shop will carry books and films about local and
regional history and interests, as well as international cultural and
social issues. It will carry works by Houston artists and regional and
international music.
We will partner with other non-profit organizations to create exhibits
and offer events for the public. Organizations that are interested to
hold meetings or host book signings and readings should contact us for
policies and reservations. We will also organize outdoor festivals on
the plaza, such as a Community Gift Giving Fair, which will provide an
opportunity for members of the Houston community to support local
authors and artists during the winter holidays. We will work with
Bohemeo's to present the seasonal East End Cultural Arts Festival.
Student Organizations and Academic Activities
Located just one mile north of University of Houston, two miles
northeast of Texas Southern University and within just a few miles of
several other Houston universities, the center has great potential to
help student organizations hold activities that serve their missions.
We regularly collaborate with academic departments and may bring
cosponsored activities into the center.
The Historic Houston East End
Located roughly between the east edge of downtown, the Port of Houston
and Hobby Airport, the East End is the most historic part of Houston.
It includes Magnolia Park and Second Ward. Harrisburg, a community
settled over a decade before Houston, is within the East End, along
Buffalo Bayou. The industrial area east of downtown has been home to
many Eastern European and Latin American immigrants who came in the
latter half of the nineteenth century. African Americans settled in
the area following mass migrations that fled the great Mississippi
River floods of 1927, bringing with them many southern and Creole
traditions. They worked in the freight yards, built several historic
churches in the area and constructed sections of Interstate 45 to
Galveston. Asian immigrants settled in the area immediately east of
Highway 59 and along Sims Bayou, operating large import warehouses,
popular restaurants and religious temples. Evidence of aquaculture
gardens still exists.
The East End is more than 50 percent Latino, and includes many
original families and recent immigrants. The annual Cesar Chavez
Parade is a traditional event held in April.
Needless to say, many of our programs will focus on the history of the
East End, including oral histories of the people, presentation of
traditional arts and entertainment, and examination of the impact of
businesses and industries.
Transportation
The Tlaquepaque Plaza has plentiful parking spaces for events. It is
easily accessible by bus and bike. Located less than a half mile north
of the Eastwood Transit Center and less than a half mile south of the
future Harrisburg rail line, the center can be accessed by many bus
lines, including the 40 (Pecore/Telephone) and 36 (Kempwood/Lawndale).
The Magnolia Park Transit Center is one east and University of Houston
is less than one mile southwest.
Bus information: http://www.ridemetro.org
Bike: http://www.publicworks.houstontx.gov/bikeways/maps.htm
Community Support
The new center will provide a tremendous asset to Houston and the East
End, as well as area universities and artists.
As we are making significant steps forward, we need additional
volunteers to support what we are doing. There are many opportunities
in our programs for volunteers to take the lead on important
initiatives. If you have ever wondered what the Houston Institute for
Culture is up to and why we are determined to build an organization
that will have tremendous beneficial impact on Houston communities,
now is the best time to become an insider.
To learn more about our future plans, please attend an open house for
volunteers on November 1. The open house will take place during our
regular monthly program meeting at 2:00pm and everyone is invited.
Please note: The meeting will take place at 708-B Telephone Road, in
the new center, and not at the Harwin Drive office location.
In addition to increased support of volunteers, we also need community
members to support activities in the center by spreading the word,
becoming involved in planning, and supporting activities of artists
and organizations in the center.
Contact us for more information about getting involved. But, most of
all, please come out and see us at the openings.
See a schedule of our events and many other area events at Houston Monthly:
http://www.houstonmonthly.org/calendar
Learn more about our new location:
http://www.houstonculture.org/office/location.html
____________________________________________________
Environmental Film Series
We have an excellent and critical series of environmental films coming
up. Please help spread the word about the events.
Houston Institute for Culture, The Artery and KPFT present an
important Environmental Film Series from Sunday, October 19 through
Tuesday, October 28, 2008.
All films are free and open to the public, beginning at 7:00pm (unless
otherwise noted).
The Artery [http://www.arteryhouston.org]
5401 Jackson at Prospect, Houston, Texas 77004
FILM SCHEDULE
=============================================
Sunday, October 19
"The Water Front"
The story of Highland Park, Michigan, and the larger issues of water
privatization and human rights.
=============================================
Tuesday, October 21
"Everything's Cool"
Examines the media strategies, on both sides, that have resulted in
the US government's failure to take decisive action on global warming.
=============================================
Sunday, October 26
"Black Diamonds - Mountaintop Removal & The Fight For Coalfield Justice"
Examines the escalating drama in Appalachia over mountaintop removal mining.
With "Fighting Goliath: Texas Coal Wars", 8:20pm
=============================================
Tuesday, October 28
"King Corn"
By growing an acre of corn in Iowa two friends uncover the devastating
impact that corn is having on the environment, public health and
family farms.
Read film descriptions and reviews on line:
http://www.houstonculture.org/film/env_fall08.html
Learn more about Houston Institute for Culture
http://www.houstonculture.org/resources/hifc.html
____________________________________________________
Accordion Festival Recap
Houston Institute for Culture was a partner organization in the
International Accordion Festival in San Antonio last weekend, October
11 and 12. We had many roles and were primarily responsible for
presenting artists on the Bolivar Stage. Taking place in the city's
historic old town, La Villita, this was an extremely fun and
educational activity and it gave us the opportunity to work alongside
many organizers and promoters of the event.
Along with the Consulate of Spain, the Consulate of Panama, National
Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, Friends of the Canary
Islands, Voice of Roma, and many more, we attended a city-sponsored
reception in the International Center. The festival featured Ritmos
Santeros de Osvaldo Ayala from Panama, Rupa and the April Fishes from
San Francisco, Kal, a group from Serbia, and many more. On the Bolivar
stage we presented small combos, including highly acclaimed
accordionists from Bulgaria, Neshko Neshev with guitarist Kalin
Kirilov, and Romania, Andrei Mihalache. HIFC transported Ritmos
Santeros from Houston to San Antonio for the event. We also presented
many acts, including Trio Roi Maceda from Spain, Charles Thibodeaux
and the Austin Cajun Aces, Daddy Squeeze Trio from Minneapolis, and an
exceptional Roma Convergence workshop with many excellent Eastern
European musicians.
Not only were the festival talent, organizers and volunteers
exceptional, but City of San Antonio officials and media were really
behind this event in a serious way that Houston officials and media
should strive to emulate. We will definitely discuss this further in
upcoming meetings as we continue to raise the organizations level of
involvement in quality-of-life issues and programs in Houston.
We will surely take part in the festival next year and take several
more volunteers to support various functions of the festival. We will
also play music of many of the artists and tell some memorable
anecdotes on upcoming radio programs. (Kalin Kirilov was very helpful
to me personally as I worked as sound engineer, stage manager and
emcee simultaneously. I'm very thankful for his advice and humor in
stressful situations. During my very first assignment on a hectic
Saturday morning, Neshko Neshev looked serious and whispered to
Kirilov, who translated for me, "Neshko says make volume loud enough
to be heard in five Bulgarian villages.") Stay tuned for news of a
follow-up to the festival on Houston radio.
____________________________________________________
A Note on Hurricane Ike
We hope you have fully recovered from Hurricane Ike. Our offices
sustained damage, with water entering from the roof of our building
and soaking several computers and documents. We were forced to
reschedule many events and meetings. Regular meetings are back on
schedule, but please be sure to check on the location as we are
beginning to move them to our new East End location.
The reception for "Campaign for Achievement: Finding Heroes in the
Faces of Houston, " originally scheduled for September 18, was
canceled. We will have children and their families come to the
Children's Museum on Saturday, October 25 to see the exhibit and
receive awards.
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.
Student participants from the Houston Institute for Culture Camp Dos
Cabezas program will receive certificates for being Young Achievers.
All camp participants, family members, and HIFC volunteers and
supporters are encouraged to attend. Contact us for more information.
The exhibit can be viewed through Sunday, November 2.
The Children's Museum of Houston
1500 Binz
Houston, TX 77004
(713) 522-1138
http://www.cmhouston.org/directions