Arts and Culture Texas magazine

A FRESH TAKE: DACAMERA’S SEASON EXPLORES NEW WAYS OF LOOKING AT OLD THINGS

Sherry Cheng — Fri, 25 Sep 2026 12:11:36 +0000

As Artistic Director Sarah Rothenberg pulled together the repertoire and artists for DACAMERA of Houston’s 2026-27 season, she came across composer Gabriella Smith’s notes on her work for string quartet Carrot Revolution, in which she envisioned the piece as a celebration of the spirit of fresh observation and of “new ways of looking at old things.”

The post A FRESH TAKE: DACAMERA’S SEASON EXPLORES NEW WAYS OF LOOKING AT OLD THINGS first appeared on Arts and Culture Texas magazine.

Time for Tranquility: Apollo Chambers Players Offer a Contemplative New Season

Steven Brown — Tue, 22 Sep 2026 22:35:57 +0000

The Apollo Chamber Players were taking part in a festival in Seattle when violinist Matthew Detrick, the group’s founder and artistic director, slipped away for a hike in nearby mountains.

The post Time for Tranquility: Apollo Chambers Players Offer a Contemplative New Season first appeared on Arts and Culture Texas magazine.

Three Inches from the Past: The tactical, tactile birth of photography at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth

Jonathan Hopson — Tue, 22 Sep 2026 21:43:11 +0000

We were both dealing with the heat when we started talking about it—I managing an overheated kid and a sudden ice-cream run in Texas, George Shackelford locked in a Massachusetts office while a carpenter yelled about framing in the background.

The post Three Inches from the Past: The tactical, tactile birth of photography at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth first appeared on Arts and Culture Texas magazine.

The Grand Calculus of Darkness: Winslow Homer’s Spatial and Conservation Mechanics at the MFAH

Jonathan Hopson — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 22:08:40 +0000

Watercolor is an unforgiving, fragile medium.

The post The Grand Calculus of Darkness: Winslow Homer’s Spatial and Conservation Mechanics at the MFAH first appeared on Arts and Culture Texas magazine.

Bats, Swans & Bon Bons: Avant Chamber Ballet’s 15th season positions classical dance for modern audiences

Lindsey Wilson — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 21:43:23 +0000

Since its founding in 2012, Dallas’s Avant Chamber Ballet has commissioned more than 50 world-premiere ballets, including four full-length works, all from female or minority choreographers. Its 2026-27 season continues that tradition with world premieres from founding artistic director Katie Puder and former New York City ballet principal Jock Soto, but audiences can also expect plenty of classical ballet’s greatest hits, including The Nutcracker and the second act of Swan Lake. The season also features the most performance dates in the company’s 15-year history, all occurring at Moody Performance Hall.

The post Bats, Swans & Bon Bons: Avant Chamber Ballet’s 15th season positions classical dance for modern audiences first appeared on Arts and Culture Texas magazine.

When Choreographers Mind the Gap: Houston’s Favorite Dance Showcase Hits Forty

ADAM CASTAÑEDA — Thu, 03 Sep 2026 22:00:55 +0000

It’s been almost ten years since the heads of Dance Source Houston, the Bayou City’s diligent and committed resource organization for the local field of dance, hatched an inspired plan. Executive Director Mollie Miller and then Board President Stephanie Todd Wong recognized a need for performance opportunities for the city’s dance-makers, as well as production training so that these artists could utilize the newly opened Midtown Arts and Theater Center Houston (MATCH).

The post When Choreographers Mind the Gap: Houston’s Favorite Dance Showcase Hits Forty first appeared on Arts and Culture Texas magazine.

Witnessing the Cycle: Gabriel Martinez at the Ismaili Center Houston

Jonathan Hopson — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 02:42:58 +0000

I step into the Ismaili Center—opened last December on the banks of Buffalo Bayou—and the space announces its intention immediately. The light is controlled. The quiet is profound, engineered so conversation is possible, so presence can be felt.

The post Witnessing the Cycle: Gabriel Martinez at the Ismaili Center Houston first appeared on Arts and Culture Texas magazine.

Anonymous No More: Dallas’s Vignette Art Fair 2026 Draws Attention to Women Artists in Texas

Nancy Zastudil — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 13:57:59 +0000

The news is out: Artist and activist Joyce Kozloff was one of the founding members of the Guerrilla Girls.

The post Anonymous No More: Dallas’s Vignette Art Fair 2026 Draws Attention to Women Artists in Texas first appeared on Arts and Culture Texas magazine.

Heavenly Bodies: Portraits of Saints, life, and faith from Colonial South America at the Meadows Museum

Kendall Morgan — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 02:25:24 +0000

Spectacles of Power and Faith draws from the Dallas-based Thoma Foundation’s extensive collection. In present-day Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela, and Ecuador, an ethos of painting emerged that captured the cultural complexity of South America in all its glory.

The post Heavenly Bodies: Portraits of Saints, life, and faith from Colonial South America at the Meadows Museum first appeared on Arts and Culture Texas magazine.

The Finale and Future: Austin Symphony Orchestra’s Peter Bay Passes the Baton

Tara Munjee — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 02:57:15 +0000

ACTX spoke with Austin Symphony Orchestra’s lead conductor and musical director, Peter Bay, about his decision to “pass the baton” at the 2026-2027 season’s conclusion.

The post The Finale and Future: Austin Symphony Orchestra’s Peter Bay Passes the Baton first appeared on Arts and Culture Texas magazine.

The Haas Brothers: Cuteness as a Trojan Horse, and an Irreverent Austin Homecoming at the Blanton

Jonathan Hopson — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 02:01:35 +0000

How well do you know the Haas Brothers? Niki and Simon.

The post The Haas Brothers: Cuteness as a Trojan Horse, and an Irreverent Austin Homecoming at the Blanton first appeared on Arts and Culture Texas magazine.

Performania: A Spotlight on Texas Stages

Nancy Wozny — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 21:15:15 +0000

Performania: A Spotlight on Texas Stages

The post Performania: A Spotlight on Texas Stages first appeared on Arts and Culture Texas magazine.

Gallery Row: A Seasonal Spotlight on Six Texas Galleries

Nancy Zastudil — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 20:08:58 +0000

Gallery Row: A Seasonal Spotlight on Six Texas Galleries for July - August 2026

The post Gallery Row: A Seasonal Spotlight on Six Texas Galleries first appeared on Arts and Culture Texas magazine.

Next Chapter: Inprint Welcomes a New Director and New Line-up of Authors

Tarra Gaines — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 19:09:02 +0000

Giuseppe Taurino may be the new guy at Inprint, one of Texas’ most prestigious literary organizations, but he’s hardly a novice when it comes to Houston or the contemporary writing world. Taurino took over the Inprint directorship after a tenure at Writers in the Schools and was associate director of the creative writing program at University of Houston.

The post Next Chapter: Inprint Welcomes a New Director and New Line-up of Authors first appeared on Arts and Culture Texas magazine.

What Carries Forward: Emily Johnson’s ‘Overflow Radio’ at DiverseWorks

MICHAEL MCFADDEN — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 17:23:07 +0000

A voice travels from one homeland to another, crossing distances without collapsing them. Eighty-four quilts gather beneath a community, each holding the memory of hands, conversations, and questions stitched over more than a decade. Elsewhere, a tree enters the earth; its care extends beyond the lives of those gathered to witness it.

The post What Carries Forward: Emily Johnson’s ‘Overflow Radio’ at DiverseWorks first appeared on Arts and Culture Texas magazine.

Paper, Skin, Shadow: Exploring Fragility at the Menil Drawing Institute

MICHAEL MCFADDEN — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 17:20:27 +0000

A needle passes through a sheet of paper and leaves behind a wound no wider than its point. Light catches along the raised fibers. Repeated hundreds of times, these punctures gather into a composition: marks made not by adding material to the surface, but by breaking through it.

The post Paper, Skin, Shadow: Exploring Fragility at the Menil Drawing Institute first appeared on Arts and Culture Texas magazine.

The Drama Map: Trends, Patterns and Premieres on Texas Stages

Tarra Gaines — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 16:36:13 +0000

For several years as Arts and Culture’s resident theater cartographer, I’ve been mapping the big Broadway and West End touring shows as they tour across Texas.

The post The Drama Map: Trends, Patterns and Premieres on Texas Stages first appeared on Arts and Culture Texas magazine.

Embracing the New: Texas Performing Arts’ New Season

Steven Brown — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 16:25:30 +0000

Audra McDonald has been a leading light of Broadway for three decades, and the José Limón Dance Company has enriched the modern-dance world for more than twice as long.

The post Embracing the New: Texas Performing Arts’ New Season first appeared on Arts and Culture Texas magazine.

Meet Lady Liberty: America’s symbol of freedom finally tells her story at the Carter

Lindsey Wilson — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 23:15:00 +0000

This August, the Amon Carter Museum of American Art will unveil The Statue of Liberty from Bartholdi to Warhol, a sweeping exploration of how one of the world’s most recognizable symbols has been reimagined, reinterpreted, and reclaimed by artists over 150 years.

The post Meet Lady Liberty: America’s symbol of freedom finally tells her story at the Carter first appeared on Arts and Culture Texas magazine.

Glorious Sound: Threads of History Come to Life in Harmonia Stellarum Houston’s Season Five

Sherry Cheng — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 20:39:19 +0000

The Harmonia Stellarum concert experience is completely unique.

The post Glorious Sound: Threads of History Come to Life in Harmonia Stellarum Houston’s Season Five first appeared on Arts and Culture Texas magazine.