Thursday, July 23 | 6-8 pm | Opening:  Charlie Ferguson at Vaughan Christopher Gallery.

Head to the chic new Vaughan Christopher Gallery this Thursday, July 23rd, from 6 – 8 p.m., for the opening of an exhibit from native Houstonian, photographer Charlie Ferguson. Take in his riveting images from Buenos Aires, and sip wine by the backyard pool in a bungalow-turned-art space. RSVP at heather@theprboutique.com. 

Thursday, July 23 | 6:30 pm | Opening: Gallery One Three Seven: Jay Giroux @ CAMH.

The opening of Jay Giroux’s mini-art exhibition in Gallery One Three Seven, a 1.37 square foot gallery, curated by Sharon Engelstein.  Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH), 5216 Montrose.

Thursday, July 23 | 7-10 pm | Workshop Houston: Summer Social. 

Workshop Houston builds the foundations for empowered communities through creative and enriching activities for youth. Workshop Houston has five shops that provide artistic, technical and academic resources: the Third Ward Bike Shop (do-it-yourself bike repair), the Chopper Shop (welding and metal fabrication), the Beat Shop (hip-hop music production), the Style Shop (fashion design), and the Scholar Shop (tutoring and academic enrichment). Our programs use hands-on projects and dynamic collaborative processes to create an environment in which youth explore new knowledge and power on their own terms. $25-$100.  www.workshophouston.org.  4401 Gibson Street.

Friday, July 24 | 8 pm | Kailash Kher: the Bollywood Sufi Rock.

Kailash Kher (born June 6 1976) is an Indian singer of popular sufi music. He has risen to fame with a series of hits.  He was born in a small village on 6 June 1976 in Meerut to a Kashmiri Pundit family, and spent most of his childhood in Delhi. He grew up listening to his father rendering Indian folk songs all day and started learning classical music from the age of twelve.  He was inspired by legendary Pakistani Sufi singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.  www.iaahouston.com.  Wortham Theater Center, Brown Theater, 501 Wortham.

Saturday, July 25 | 2 pm - 4 pm | SKYDIVE @ the CAMH: Saturday Free School For The Arts: Learn to play the ukulele.

Celebrating its one-year anniversary, SKYDIVE is a cutting-edge artist-run space whose mission is to add to the dialogue in Houston by exhibiting projects by artists working outside of Texas. The aim of SKYDIVE is to host a range of art practices that push the limits of their material forms, including non-traditional methods of sculpture, installation, video, performance, and works that engage the viewer through participation, as well as text and web-based projects. www.theskydive.org.

For information on the Saturday Free School for the Arts sessions, please contact Sasha Dela, (713) 551-3497, info@theskydive.org. All classes will take place at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston in the Cullen Education Room, lower level of the museum. No advance registration required.

July 25, 2:00-4:00 pm: Learn to play the Ukulele
Instructor Ariane Roesch and special guest

August 1, 2:00-3:30 pm: Capoeira Master Shows Basics
Instructor Mauricio Campos

August 8, 2:00-3:30 pm: Come Talk with Lauren Kelley
Artist Lauren Kelley interviewed by Christian Baer

August 15, 3:00-4:00 pm: How to Look at Rock Videos as Art
Instructor Bill Arning

August 22, 2:00-4:00 pm: Learn to play the Recorder
Instructor Rosane Volchan O’Coner

September 5, 2:00-3:30 pm: Learn About Free Schools
Instructor Sasha Dela

September 19, 2:00-3:30 pm: Contemporary Music in Film
Instructor Marcus Cone

Saturday, July 25 | 7:30 pm - 2 am | The Music of ABBA + After Party with Young Professionals Backstage at Houston Symphony.

When ABBA fans heard the tribute band Arrival singing “Dancing Queen” on Swedish national radio, they thought they were listening to the original group. Now Arrival performs at Jones Hall with original ABBA drummer Roger Palm and the Houston Symphony. Hits like “Dancing Queen,” Mamma Mia,” “Money, Money, Money” and “Take a Chance on Me” come to life with groovy lighting, stage sets and exact duplicates of ABBA’s fantastic costumes, which the members of Arrival have exclusive rights to wear.  Turn into your own “Dancing Queen” at the afterparty at new Montrose hotspot, Dean’s Credit Clothing, 315 Fairview.  Concert + after party: $25; after party only: $15. For tickets call 713-224-7575 or nurit_blum@houstonsymphony.org.
 

Sunday, July 26 | 1 pm - 5 pm | Zulu Creative’s 3rd Birthday + TOMS “Style Your Sole” Party.

Be a shoe designer for a day, celebrate + put new shoes on the feet of children in need.  Art supplies, refreshments + music by DJ Chicken George provided.  Aerosol Warfare’s GONZO247 will also be designing shoes for the event.  TOMS shoes will also be available for sale at the event: for every pair you buy, another new pair goes to a child in need.  Free, all ages.  rsvp@zulucreative.com.  Spacetaker Artist Resource Studio @ Winter Street Studios, 2101 Winter Street.

Sunday, July 26 | 4 pm - 2 am | Houston Press Music Awards Showcase.  50 Bands. 10 Stages. 10 Bucks. 

Support Houston’s local music scene and get a taste of some of the best musicians in Houston.  Multiple venues throughout Downtown Houston and a lot of fun!  www.houstonpress.com. $10. 

Sunday, July 26 | 8 pm - 11 pm | Baile Funk Sundays at El Pueblito.

After being a do-gooder for the day, reward yourselves with some fun patio time and good music feat. percussionist Charlie Perez and DJ Sun at El Pueblito.  A great patio, drink specials and funk Brazilian style every Sunday at 8 pm.  El Pueblito, 1423 Richmond Avenue.

If you missed our newsletter, you can check it out here.

Listed below are some events coming up that I plan to check out and some we missed!

Friday, July 17, 4 pm - 8 pm - “Knitting a Rothko” Live Performance by Unknitting artist, Rachel Gomme.  Stop by the Small Gallery at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft  to watch Unknitting performance artist, Rachel Gomme, knit a Mark Rothko-like piece on Thursday and Friday. The completed piece will be installed in the exhibit. Gomme has performed “Knitting a Rothko” all over the world. Read more about her work here. Rachel Gomme hosts a gallery talk on Saturday, July 18 at 2 pm.  Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, 4848 Main Street.  www.crafthouston.org.

Friday, July 17, 6 pm - 2 am - Opening: I Love You Baby - Milk Duds: Fondu Yolanda’s Fond Memories of Henry Fonda’s Honda on Golden Ponda - The Joanna.  www.iloveyoubaby.org.  More here.

Friday, July 17 | 6-8 pm | Opening: $TIMULUS: 2008 Artadia Awardees Houston.  Showcasing some of the hottest talent in Houston’s vibrant contemporary art community, DiverseWorks once again joins forces with Artadia to present $TIMULUS. The exhibition features new work by the 2008 recipients of the Artadia Awards. Artadia: The Fund for Art and Dialogue offers substantial artist awards in five cities including Houston. Feat. Mequitta Ahuja, Dawolu Jabari Anderson, Katy Heinlein, Lauren Kelley, El Franco Lee II, Lynne McCabe, Delilah Montoya, Katrina Moorhead, Floyd Newsum, and Stephanie Toppin.  Through August 15. Free. DiverseWorks, 1117 E. Frwy.  www.diverseworks.org. 
 
Friday, July 17 | 6-9 pm | Opening: Detritus, paintings and sculptures by Angela Beloian and Jessica Moon Bernstein.  Finding inspiration in a plethora of mundane discarded materials, Beloian and Bernstein re-evaluate society’s notion of trash, using mass produced materials to create organic art forms.  Artist talk at 6:15 pm. Free.  Art League Houston, 1953 Montrose. www.artleaguehouston.org. [Visual Harrassment, paintings by El Franco Lee II, also opens this evening!)

Saturday, July 18, 5-9 pm - Closing Reception - “The Third Level” - Elder Street Gallery.  Among the artists who have confirmed are: Sharon Kopriva, Bert Long, Charles Criner (artist in residence printing museum), Navid Ghedami, Jeanette Chinelli, Bruce Badeau, Kevin Peterson, Shelley Shanks, Lacey Crawford, Ron Gordon, Alissa Fereday, Sue Donaldson, Al Nash, Sergio Santos, Martin de Vore, Lynet McDonald, Marcus Mann, Tanna Bennett, Alberto Godoy, Lorena B. Fernandez, T. Smith, Sorange Castillo, Susan Goettsche, Linda Chateau, Christian Perkins, Kelly Devine, Matt Adams, Dune Tencer, MaryAnn Lucas, Gerardo Copado, Keith J. R. Hollingsworth, Dan Houston, Ted Brown, Sam Sartorius, Lenard Brown, Hebe Brooks, Solomon Kane, Jonatan Lopez, Elizabeth Cencini and Shelley Bibbins.  Elder Street Gallery, 1101 Elder Street, www.elderstreetartist.com.

Saturday, July 18, 10 pm-2 am, HYPE! Dance Party.  Live sets by Posr (ATX), Glasnost (played HYPA gala last January!), Southern Class Music w/ DJ sets by GRRRL parts, Dayta, Ceeplus Bad Knives and more.  Free before 11 pm, $4 after.  The Mink/Backroom, 3718 Main Street.

Lawndale Art Center announced The Big Show 2009 award winners at the opening reception on July 10.  Winners were selected by guest juror, Laura Fried, Assistant Curator for the Contemporary Art Museum, St. Louis.  Laura considered the 3 award winners equally, and in lieu of awarding 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place awards, decided to split the total award amount evenly between the three recipients.

A total of 95 works by 65 artists were selected for the exhibition from 994 works submitted by 409 artists.  Artists selected for the exhibition include:

John Adelman, David Ancira, Michael Arcieri, Lori Avramis, Heather Bause, Mack Bishop 3rd, James Burns, Douglas Cason, Federico Cavazos & Sarah Jones, David Cobb, Chris Comperry, Shannon Crider, Anne Delpine, Ben Tecumseh DeSoto, Nathaniel Donnett, Jane Eifler, Xenia Fedorchenko, Orna Feinstein, Jed Foronda, Frank Fuzzy, Jesus Galvan, James Glassman, David P. Gray, Buster Graybill, Jasmyne Graybill, Chris Dethloff Greene, Natasha Hakala, Maria Cristina Jadick, Jason Kishell, Trish Klenow, Mindy Kober, Stephen Kwok, Julian Joseph Kyle, Larry Larrinaga, Cody Ledvina, Anna Lide, M. E. Buddy Marrs, Michael Meazell, Donna M. Meeks, Rahul Mitra, Christian R. Mora, Jessica Ninci, Jim Nolan, Emily Peacock, Donna Perkins, Kevin Peterson, Page Piland, Julon Pinkston, Tim Robtoy, Allan Rodewald, John Runnels, Stephen Ruth, Lynne Rutzky, Kay Sarver, Sarah Schellenberg, Tra Slaughter, Dirk Strangely, Kamila Szczesna, Tala Vahabzadeh, Rebecca Villarreal, Lillian Warren, William Witte, Catherine Zaras, Zepeda.

The three $1,000 cash award prizes were awarded to: Buster Graybill for “Junked,” Maria Cristina Jadick for “Play Ball,” and M.E. Buddy Marrs for “American Genre / Roll Over Norman.”

Join the Lawndale Art Center on Wednesday, July 29 and Thursday, July 30, 6-8 pm for THE BIG SLIDE SHOW, where some of the participating artists join for a short, informal slide presentation of their work.

For more info visit www.lawndaleartcenter.org. The Big Show runs through August 8.