Upcoming Educational Programs


  • Sat
    12
    Jul
    2014
    10:45 am1370 Southmore Blvd 77004 (Map)
    Program events

    Join us for an architectural tour at the Asia Society.

    Visit their website at AsiaSociety.org/Texas for a preview.

     

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  • Sat
    02
    Aug
    2014
    9:45 am9771 Westview Dr 77055 (Map)
    Program events

    Studio tour with Daniel Brents at Daniel Brents' Studio.

     

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  • Wed
    03
    Sep
    2014
    6:00 pmArt League Houston 1953 Montrose Blvd 77006 (Map)
    Program events


    Exhibition Tour with JoAnn Fleishouer at Art League Houston.

    Visit artleaguehouston.org for a preview.

     

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  • Sat
    04
    Oct
    2014
    9:45 amHouston Center for Contemporary Craft, 4848 Main, 77002 (Map)
    Program events

    Join us for an exhibition tour of CrartTexas 2014 at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, 4848 Main, 77002.

    Visit their website at www.crafthouston.org for a preview.

     

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  • Sat
    08
    Nov
    2014
    9:45 amFreed Auditorium at The Glassell School of Art - 1001 Bissonnet, 77005 (Map)
    Program events

    The Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) presents Contemporary Sculpture in Houston,a discussion of the city’s contemporary sculpture collections in area museums and art galleries. Noted Houston artist and head of the Sculpture/Foundry department at The Glassell School of Art, James Hill, will lead the discussion, providing an orientation to contemporary sculpture in Houston.

    Mr. Hill is a practicing multidisciplinary artist whose work is rooted in history and social structure. His work has been exhibited in solo and group shows nationally and internationally.

    Contemporary Sculpture in Houston will begin at 9:45 a.m. on Saturday, November 8 in the Freed Auditorium at The Glassell School of Art, 1001 Bissonnet. There is no charge to attend and reservations are not needed. The talk is open to the public.

     

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  • Sat
    22
    Nov
    2014
    10am - 2pm~ address supplied to members only ~
    Program events, Workshops

    Join us for a discussion on broadening your visibility in the digital age.

    Location information will be provided to members via the newsletter and event emails.

     

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  • Sat
    06
    Dec
    2014
    9:45 amArt League Houston - 1953 Montrose Blvd 77006 (Map)
    Program events

    unnamedOn Saturday, December 6, Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) presents Jason Villegas who will be discussing Mineral Spirit, his installation at Art League Houston. The final in the VAA’s 2014 lecture series, the free program begins at 9:45 at Art League of Houston, 1935 Montrose Boulevard. The installation features a spirit-like form, a recurring character in the artist's work, breaking through the brick patio in the ALH Sculpture Garden, and emerging from the ground, ready to the anoint the world with its crystal and mineral power. Inspired by the idea of string theory and spiritual vibrations, the installation explores how science and spirituality can, at times, not only share the same space, but also develop along the same line.

     

    Mr. Villegas, who was voted best artist in 2005, is a contemporary visual artist. His work includes sculpture, painting, drawing, video and more. Mr. Villegas teaches at Art League of Houston and has had exhibitions nationally and internationally including world-renowned museums and nonprofit spaces such as the Contemporary Arts Museum of Houston, El Museo del Barrio, Exit Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Ruffino Tamayo Museum.

     

    Contact:

    Julia Koutroulis, Chairman, Publicity & Community Relations

    Publicity@VisualArtsAlliance.org

    832.876.5176

     

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  • Wed
    07
    Jan
    2015
    5:45 pmAvis Frank Gallery, 1606 White Oak Dr., 77009 (Map)
    Program events

    On Wednesday, January 7, Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) presents Artists’ Business Practices with David Hardaker. The free program begins at 5:45 at Avis Frank Gallery, 1606 White Oak Dr.

     

    Mr. Hardaker studied at the Eleanor Street School of Art and the Blackpool College of Art before embarking on a career as an artist. Professional for twelve years and involved in art related promotion for two decades, Mr. Hardaker embraces the power that art brings to any situation whether it be raising funds for charity, furthering the career of an artist, or being a part of the regeneration of a city. He is the owner of Avis Frank Gallery.

     

    The talk will cover professional practices for artists and include the following:

    • Understanding your own personal motivations for creating.
    • Honest self-criticism.
    • Identifying the best way to have people see your work.
    • Identifying the best way to market your work.
    • The role of a gallery.
    • How to measure success.
    • Are you your worst enemy or your best friend?

     

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  • Sat
    07
    Feb
    2015
    5:45 pmThe Printing Museum 1324 Clay St. 77019 (Map)
    Program events

     

    Experience a personalized tour of Houston's own Printing Museum.

    From their website:

    The mission of the Museum is to promote, preserve, and share the knowledge of printed communication and art as the greatest contributors to the development of the civilized world and the continuing advancement of freedom and literacy.

    Featured in the July 2006 issue of Texas Highways, the Museum is described as “a honeycomb of intimate gallery spaces . . . with a stunning collection of objects and artifacts devoted to the history, science, and art of printing."  The portrait of the Museum concludes with the observation that "printed text may be taken for granted these days, but a visit to the Museum of Printing History somehow makes it seem magical once again.”

     

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  • Wed
    04
    Mar
    2015
    5:45 pmThe Glassell School of Art Auditorium, 5101 Montrose Boulevard, 77006 (Map)
    Program events

    9th Invitational juror Anna Tahinci making her selections

    Critique by Patrick Palmer, Nicole Longnecker & Dennis Nance

    On Wednesday, March 4, Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) offers members and guests a rare insight into a juror’s selection process for art competitions with a discussion by three prominent figures and frequent jurors in the Houston art world. Nicole Longnecker, owner of Nicole Longnecker Gallery; Dennis Nance, director of exhibitions and programming at the Lawndale Art Center; and Patrick Palmer, Glassell School of Art, Studio School Faculty Chair/Dean; will participate in an open discussion of a juror’s selection process. The presentation begins at 5:45 p.m. in the auditorium of The Glassell School of Art, 5101 Montrose Boulevard, 77006.

     

    The three speakers, all of whom have been jurors for VAA, will discuss their selection processes when judging a competition. Previously submitted works will be projected for the audience, and panelists will discuss the selection/elimination process applied to each work. Artists will discover the whys and hows of selection from a juror’s point of view, including the constants of technique and presentation as well as the unique personal biases of jurors.

     

    “VAA is so pleased to be able to present this first-hand look into a juror’s thought process. Every artist who has ever entered a competition wonders what makes a piece worthy of selection. What does a juror look for? How does a juror’s background affect the selection process? These are the questions the morning’s session will investigate,” says Matt Adams, President at VAA. “This is a rare opportunity for artists to get inside the mind of a juror and learn how to make each submission the best.

     

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  • Wed
    01
    Apr
    2015
    5:45 pmThe home of Victoria Lightman, 5203 Gibson St, 77007 (Map)
    Program events

    VictoriaLightman

     

    Visual Arts Alliance program on Wednesday, April 1
    features noted Houston art collector Victoria Lightman

    Connecting Through Collecting to focus on works Lightman has acquired and how to build an art collection

     

    On Wednesday, April 1, Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) presents Connecting Through Collecting, an overview of the collection she and her husband Marshal have acquired over the years and an insight into how to build a personal art collection. The program is scheduled for Wednesday, April 1 at 5:45 p.m. at 5203 Gibson Street, 77007.

     

    Victoria and her husband Marshal Lightman are active collectors who run Houston's Looking At Art project, an initiative that supports the local art scene by educating prospective collectors and connecting them with artists during visits to studios and exhibitions. Ms. Lightman is currently board president of the Houston Center for Contemporary Crafts.

     

    There is no charge to attend VAA monthly programs. 

     

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  • Sat
    18
    Apr
    2015
    9 a.m. - 9 p.m.1717 Michigan Street, 77006 (Map)
    Program events

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    Visual Arts Alliance presents art720,

     

    a 12-hour pop-up fund-raiser and mix-and-mingle, Saturday, April 18

    VAA-member artists paint, draw, sculpt on the spot from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.;

    reception and sale of work from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

     

    On Saturday, April 18 at Next Wall Gallery, member artists of the Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) will participate in a 12 hour (720 minute) pop-up fundraiser and mix-and-mingle for artists and patrons.  Artists will begin painting, drawing, sculpting at 9 a.m., with work continuing throughout the day. An art720 reception will begin at 6 p.m. and all pieces created during the day will be available for sale for $100 each, including tax.  All proceeds benefit VAA. 

     

    The public is invited to attend art720, observing and interacting with the artists as they create the art in the medium of their choice. All artwork will be for sale before, during and after they are complete.  Guests can pop in and out throughout the day, and return during the reception to pick up or purchase work. 

     

    “We held our first art720 last year and it was great fun – and an excellent fund-raiser for VAA. Everyone who stopped by loved the opportunity to see how artists work. And then to have the opportunity to actually purchase an original art piece for only $100! It was a unique experience for all, not to mention a wonderful way to collect art, and get to know Houston artists in person,” says Matt Adams, President, Visual Arts Alliance.

     

    Any artist that would like to participate can register by clicking here.

     

    There is no charge to watch artists creating their works or to attend the reception. Reservations are not necessary. Next Wall Gallery is located at 1717 Michigan Street, 77006. For directions to the gallery, visit www.facebook.com/Next-Wall-Gallery.

     

     

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  • Sat
    09
    May
    2015
    10:00 amThe Glassell School of Art Auditorium, 5101 Montrose Boulevard, 77006 (Map)
    Program events

     

    On Saturday, May 9, the Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) takes a comprehensive look at the contemporary art scene in Paris, guided by Anna Tahinci, PhD, who is professor and head of the Art History Department of the Glassell School of Art. Dr. Tahinci will present an in-depth consideration of Paris, a city that keeps renewing itself by constantly showcasing vibrant contemporary art. The lecture will be held at 10 a.m. in the Freed Auditorium of The Glassell School of Art, 5101 Montrose Boulevard, 77006.

     

    Through virtual visits to both well-known Parisian contemporary art spaces (including the newly-inaugurated Louis Vuitton Foundation built by Frank Gehry) and hidden gems, Ms. Tahinci will analyze relational aesthetics and trace the history and culture of France in Paris. The VAA-sponsored lecture will also address the historical, financial, administrative and political challenges Paris is facing in the 21st century: globalization and export of French art and culture, the neglect of permanent collections in favor of blockbuster temporary exhibitions, the necessity of being profitable due to less governmental support and the requirements for introducing contemporary art in the context of a rich cultural heritage.

     

    Ms. Tahinci, a native of Greece, studied history and archaeology in Athens and spent a total of 11 years in Paris, where she studied art history and comparative literature at the Sorbonne (Ph.D. on Rodin's collectors) and Museum Studies at the Ecole du Louvre. She has worked at the Musée Rodin, the Musée d’Orsay, the Louvre and the Harvard Art Museum. Further credentials include teaching at Boston University Paris, the University of Minnesota, Macalester College in Minnesota and the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. She co-curated the sculpture exhibition that was organized in Athens for the Olympic Games in 2004 and the exhibition Rodin and America at the Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University in 2011.

     

    There is no charge to attend VAA monthly programs. 

     

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  • Wed
    03
    Jun
    2015
    6 - 8 p.m.Art Supply on Main - 2711 Main St 77002 (Map)
    Program events

    ATCOn Wednesday, June 3, Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) presents Introduction to Artist Trading Cards, a lecture, demonstration and workshop by Keri Bas. The lecture will feature Artist Trading Cards (ATCs), a movement in which individuals throughout the world make and exchange/trade miniature works of art. The lecture is Wednesday, June 3 at 5:45 p.m. at Art Supply on Main, 2711 Main, 77002.

     

    Ms. Bas will discuss the movement that has grown to include thousands of individuals who make and exchange ATCs. About the size of a baseball card, 2.5”x3.5”, the small-scale works of art are produced in a variety of media, depending on an artist’s preference. Some artists exchange ATCs and others sell their cards at Artist Card Editions and Originals (ACEOs). Other small-scale art trends that use similar techniques include Inchies, Postcard or Envelope Art.

     

    During the VAA event, attendees will be able to create an ATC. “Bring your own materials or use some of mine,” says Ms. Bas. “Try collage, colored pencils, stencils, stamps, paint, textiles or whatever you have. The possibilities are limitless.” Ms. Bas recommends that artists bring their own scissors, x-acto knives and preferred glue.

     

     

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  • Sat
    11
    Jul
    2015
    10:00 amHouston Public Library, 2510 Willowick Rd 77027 (Map)
    Program events

     Visual Arts Alliance presents book signing and discussion of To Catch an Art Thief by author Vivian T-N Ho on Saturday, July 11

    Discussion of the shady world of art thieves where masterpieces are currency

    For its monthly program, Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) presents a fascinating look into the art world’s dark underbelly, courtesy of Vivian T-N Ho, author of To Catch an Art Thief. The discussion will be held on Saturday, July 11, beginning at 10 a.m. at the Houston Public Library, Looscan Branch, 2510 Willowick Road, 77027.   

     

    The years surrounding 1985 were boom times for art thieves and Ms. Ho offers a unique view into this shady world of crooks, fences, and unscrupulous art dealers where masterpieces are the currency of choice. Writing as Vivian T-N Ho, artist and criminal justice scholar Dr. Truc-Nhu Ho reconstructs this dark period in art history, exploring the strategies and tactics used by art thieves, from simple shoplifting to elaborate burglary schemes. At the lecture she will also delve into the response of law enforcement to art-related crimes, recounting and reconstructing cases from the New York City Police Department.

     

    There will be a book signing and Dr. Ho has offered to donate 15% of the sales to VAA.

    Contact:

    Julia Koutroulis, Chairman, Publicity & Community Relations

    Publicity@VisualArtsAlliance.org

     

     

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  • Sat
    01
    Aug
    2015
    9:45 amThe Printing Museum 1324 Clay St 77019 (Map)
    Program events

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    On Saturday, August 1, Visual Arts Alliance presents Digital Tools in Traditional Sculpture Making, a lecture by Houston artist and author Bridgette Mongeon. Ms. Mongeon, who is the author of 3D Technology in Fine Art and Craft, will discuss the possibilities available for artists using 3D printing, sculpting, scanning and milling. The program begins at 9:45 a.m. at The Printing Museum, 1324 Clay Street, 77019.

     

    Ms. Mongeon, a Houston resident, is a master sculptor with more than 20 years of experience in figurative sculpture. She writes and lectures about the arts, technology and marketing in the arts. She holds a master of fine arts degree in combining 3D technology and fine arts from Goddard College. Her most recent public art commission is the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, a monumental bronze sculpture created in honor of the 150th anniversary of Lewis Carroll’s famous children’s book. The sculpture is intended for a Texas part and will be installed in 2016.

     

     

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  • Wed
    02
    Sep
    2015
    6:00 pmThe Printing Museum 1324 Clay St 77019 (Map)
    Program events

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    On Wednesday, September 2, Visual Arts Alliance explores Houston’s three newest arts districts

    Art leaders address the impact of these new developments devoted to the arts

     

    As art and artists become part of the fabric of the city of Houston, arts districts nurturing creativity are popping up in all quadrants of the city. On Wednesday, September 2, Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) gathers art leaders and district directors for a talk titled The Power of Three: New Arts Districts in Houston. The panel will address the impact of three of the city’s newest art developments, including the East End Arts District, the Midtown Cultural Arts and Entertainment District and the Washington Avenue Arts District. The presentation will begin at 5:45 p.m. in The Printing Museum, 1324 W. Clay Street, Houston, 77019.

     

    Diane BarberThe Director of the East End Cultural District, Diana Barber, will discuss Houston’s newest cultural district, which is rooted in one of the city’s oldest communities near Buffalo Bayou and the recently re-designed Guadalupe Plaza Park. The East End Cultural District is home to a number of historic sites and an impressive and ever-growing collection of visual and performing arts venues, artist studios, maker spaces, urban farms, iconic restaurants, outdoor murals and reimagined parks and public spaces such as The Esplanade at Navigation that serve as hubs for cultural activity.

     

    Cynthia Alvarado and Vikki Trammell will represent the Midtown Cultural Arts and Entertainment District. Established in 2012, every form of art is represented in this community. Midtown has more than 170-art-based venues including studios, museums, galleries, theater groups, artist-in-residence programs, culinary arts, live music venues and art-related retailers. Midtown continues its commitment to the arts while working toward creating Houston as an arts destination.

     

    Susannah MitchellThe Washington Avenue Arts District will be represented by its Director, Susannah Mitchell. Home to several converted warehouse studio buildings with more than 250 studios of artists and creative entrepreneurs plus exhibition and event space, this District boasts what is believed to be the highest concentration of working artists in Texas. The area is also home to many individual artists’ residences, studios and arts-focused institutions such as Crockett Elementary, an award-winning fine arts school, and Multicultural Education and Counseling through the Arts (MECA), a multicultural arts education and performance center.

     

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  • Wed
    07
    Oct
    2015
    5:15 pmTurrell's "Skyspace" (Map)
    Program events

    On Wednesday, October 7, Visual Arts Alliance invites Houstonians to take a free tour of the public art collection on the Rice University campus. The one-hour art walk begins at 5:15 p.m. and will be followed by attendance at the sunset light show at James Turrell’s Twilight Epiphany Skyspace. The art walk will depart from the Twilight Epiphany, which is located directly behind the Shepherd School of Music.

    The art walk will showcase pieces from Rice University’s public art collection, including:

    • James Surls’ The Tree, The Knot, Flower and Me. 2009
    • Jaume Plensa’s Mirror. 2011
    • Charles Mary Kubricht’s Paramuseum: Environmental Exigencies.2010
    • Geoffrey Dashwood’s Monumental Barn Owl.2009
    • Jim Love’s Jack. 1972
    • Aurora Robson’s Lift. 2009
    • Michael Heizer’s 45’, 90”, 180”.1984. (Time permitting.)

     

    The art walk will conclude in time for guests to attend the 6:30 p.m. sunset light show at the Skyspace. There is no charge to attend, but reservations are required to attend the Skyspace light show. Reservations can be made, beginning Wednesday, September 23 at www.skyspace.rice.edu. The light show will end at approximately 7:10 p.m.

    Guests are advised to wear suitable clothing for the weather, walking shoes and possibly bring bug spray. A snack and water bottle will be provided to attendees. Rain date is Wednesday, October 14.

    Parking is available in West Lot 1, off Stockton near University Boulevard, in front of the Shepherd School of Music. There is a fee for parking. Guests should walk directly through the Shepherd School, exiting with the Skyspace structure in view.

     

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  • Sat
    07
    Nov
    2015
    9:45 amSouth Gessner Police Station - 8605 Westplace, 77071 (Map)
    Program events

    VAA-November-15-program

    Tara Conley highlights VAA November program with on-site tour and discussion of her work saluting Houston police

    On Saturday, November 7 at 9:45 a.m., Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) presents an in-depth look at Houston artist Tara Conley’s 35-piece permanent collection of sculptures that are installed at the South Gessner Police Station, in District 17 at 8605 Westplace, 77071. Located on the interior and exterior of the station, the work ranges from a monumental outdoor stainless steel sculpture, a welcoming stained glass sculpture in the lobby, to 33 cast bronze sayings woven throughout the building. Commissioned by Houston Arts Alliance (HAA) in partnership with the City of Houston, the permanent installation is the newest addition to the municipal art collection.

    During the program, Ms. Conley will lead guests on a tour of the installation, with discussions about the meanings and inspirations for each. She was inspired by officers and citizens working together with patience, tolerance and vigilance to establish a safe and prosperous community. The sculptures transform, encourage and connect those to whom they tribute and will endure in their honor. Highlights of the installation include:

    • Towering 18-foot stainless steel outdoor sculpture at the front entrance of the station.We Are in the Business of Changing the World, SS is an abstract, honeycomb design that illustrates the relationship between police officers and the Houston community.
    • Second major work in the public lobby. We Are in the Business of Changing the World, SGis also a honeycomb design, composed of steel and colored glass which reference the diverse communities within District 17.
    • 33 sculptural, hand-written phrases case in bronze that are located throughout the station.You Have the Right to Remain Silent presents 33 cast bronze phrases that Ms. Conley has collected for 15 years. The wise, witty, introspective and challenging phrases are found in public and private areas at the South Gessner Police Station.

     

    As part of its educational outreach, VAA presents monthly programs that are open to the public. There is no charge to attend and registration is not necessary.

     

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  • Sat
    05
    Dec
    2015
    10 - 11 a.m.Project Row Houses, 2521 Holman St 77004 (Map)
    Program events

    On Saturday, December 5 at 10:00 a.m., Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) presents Ryan N. Dennis, Public Art Director of Project Row Houses, who will describe the history and programs of this community-based arts and culture non-profit organization.  Located in the Third Ward of Houston, Project Row Houses is one of the city’s oldest African American neighborhoods.  The mission of Project Row Houses is to be the catalyst for transforming community through the celebration of art and African American history and culture.

    Ms. Ryan will also provide an orientation to Round 43: Small Business/Big Change: Economic Perspectives from Artists and Artrepreneurs, currently on view, that examines the role of small business in the context of gentrification such as that happening in the Third Ward.  The free talk will take place at Project Row Houses, 2521 Holman, 77004.

    As part of its educational outreach, VAA presents monthly programs that are open to the public. There is no charge to attend and registration is not necessary.

     

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  • Sat
    09
    Jan
    2016
    10 - 11 a.m.Silver Street Studios 2000 Edwards Street, Building C, #2, 77007 (Map)
    Program events

     

    FotoFest
    On Saturday, January 9, Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) presents a first look at FotoFest’s 2016 Biennial – CHANGING CIRCUSTANCES, Looking at the Future of the Planet. Vinod Hopson, FotoFest Press Coordinator, will offer an early overview of the exhibitions and programs. This free program will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. in unit 2 at Silver Street Studios, 2000 Edwards Street, 77007.

    There will be a discussion of the Changing Circumstances theme, which focuses on the creative and scientific visions for the future of our planet and its’ inhabitants. The preview also presents an opportunity for guests to become acquainted with Silver Street Studios, which is FotoFest’s location in the Washington Avenue Cultural District. Participants will learn about the many components that make up the six-week Biennial including curated exhibitions, participating spaces, The Meeting Place (aka “The Olympics of Photography”), auction and bike scramble which occurs in March and April of 2016.

    As part of its educational outreach, VAA presents monthly programs that are open to the public. There is no charge to attend and registration is not necessary.

     

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  • Sat
    06
    Feb
    2016
    10 - 11 a.m.Silver Street Studios 2000 Edwards Street, #213, 77007 (Map)
    Program events

    FaceBook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1713527842192036/

    Silver Street Artists

    Lorena Morales, Kyong Burke, Kelyne Reis, and Ana Archer at Silver Street Studios.

    For its February program, Visual Arts Alliance presents four emerging artists in the Houston arts scene. On Saturday, February 6, beginning at 10 a.m., attendees will have the opportunity to meet and visit with Ana Archer, Kyong Burke, Lorena Morales and Kelyne Reis in their studios at Silver Street Studios, 2000 Edwards Street, 77007

    The four artists are diverse in style, inspirations, age and home country. The connecting factor is that they all maintain their studios at Silver Street Studios and are quickly becoming known in the city’s art circle. The artists’ works and concentrations include:

    • Ana Archer, known for her large abstract painting, applies acrylic paints in primary colors onto the canvas creating form and texture with the volume and viscosity of the paint.
    • Kyong Burke is currently concentrating on a series with different subjects created in varying styles with different media.
    • Lorena Morales creates paintings and sculptures on plexiglass acrylic sheets. The paintings and sculptures vary depending on a room’s lighting as well as the angle of the viewer.
    • Kelyne Reis plays with bold colors, lines and graphic shapes, with color becoming the subject in her works. She lets bold colors interact with one another, hides details, combines unexpected hues and works with strong contrasts to create simple paintings.

    Along with tours of each of the artists’ studios, guests can view the Collective Art Show in the Hall Gallery of Silver Street Studios and drop in other artists’ studios in the building. The program will begin at 10 a.m. outside the Kelyne Reis Art Studio, #213, Silver Street Studios, 2000 Edwards Street, 77007.

    As part of its educational outreach, VAA presents monthly programs that are open to the public. There is no charge to attend and registration is not necessary.

     

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  • Sat
    05
    Mar
    2016
    10 - 11 a.m.The Glassell School of Art Auditorium, 2450 Holcombe Blvd, park at entrance 81, 2nd fl, 77021 (Map)
    Program events

    FaceBook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/880325052075604

    Visual Arts Alliance presents discussion
    of jurors’ criterion for art competitions Saturday, March 5
    Rare opportunity to get first-hand comments on selection process from three well-known jurors

    The three speakers, all of whom have been jurors for VAA, will discuss their selection processes when judging a competition. Previously submitted works will be projected for the audience, and panelists will discuss the selection/elimination process applied to each work. Artists will discover the whys and hows of selection from a juror’s point of view, including the constants of technique and presentation as well as the unique personal biases of jurors.

    On Saturday, March 5, Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) offers members and guests a rare insight into a juror’s selection process for art competitions with a free discussion by three prominent figures in the Houston art world: Chris Higham, noted Houston art collector and active volunteer in the Houston arts community; Gus Kopriva, owner of Redbud Gallery, Houston; and Dr. Anna Tahinci, Ph.D., Professor and Head of Art History at Glassell School of Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. The free presentation begins at 10:00 a.m. in the auditorium of The Glassell School of Art, 2450 Holcolmbe Blvd., 2nd floor, Houston 77021. Parking is at entrance 81.

    “VAA is so pleased to be able to present this first-hand look into a juror’s thought process. Every artist who has ever entered a competition wonders what makes a piece worthy of selection. What does a juror look for? How does a juror’s background affect the selection process? These are the questions the morning’s session will investigate,” says Matt Adams, President at VAA. “This is a rare opportunity for artists to get inside the mind of a juror and learn how to make each submission the best.

     

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  • Sat
    02
    Apr
    2016
    10 a.m. - noonCecil’s Pub, 600 W. Gray Street, 77019 (Map)
    Program events

    FaceBook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/222041671479501/

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    On Saturday, April 2 at 10 a.m., Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) presents art enthusiasts a unique opportunity to get a first-hand look at the city’s street art scene during a two-hour tour of some of the best murals and street art in the city.

    Lead by Joel Carpenter, local street art expert and curator of www.gulfcoastgraffiti.com, the group will travel by bus through downtown and midtown, offering guests a first-hand look and first-person discussion of the artwork, the lingo and the artists. Several local artists, including Daniel Anguilu, Black Cassidy and Scott Tarbox, have been invited to join the group.

    The Houston Street Art tour will begin at 10 a.m. at Cecil’s Pub, 600 W. Gray Street, 77019. Mimosas will be served to launch the tour plus snacks and adult beverages will be provided. The tour will return to Cecil’s at 12 p.m. and guests are invited to celebrate at a special happy hour.

    The tour is limited to 29 individuals. Tickets are $10 for VAA members and $20 for non-members and registration is online at https://form.jotform.com/VAAPresident/StreetArt.

     

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  • Sat
    07
    May
    2016
    10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.The Orange Show, 2402 Munger St, 77002 (Map)
    Program events

     

    A carnival of glittering glass, an homage to folk art and a family-friendly green space, there’s no place quite like Smither Park.

    Part collaborative art installation, part civil engineering project, the park reminds us to revere nature as a source of inspiration, and at its heart is “The Orange Show.” From 1956 to his death in 1980, Houston postman Jeff McKissack worked in isolation to transform an East End lot into an architectural maze of walkways, balconies, arenas and exhibits decorated with mosaics and brightly-painted iron figures.

    Join the Visual Arts Alliance for a private, docent-led tour of this incredible space Saturday, May 7 from 10 to 11 a.m. Admission is free for the first 20 people, then $5 per person, to “The Orange Show,” 2402 Munger Street, where members and non-members will learn about one of Houston’s quirkiest landmarks. After the tour, attendees are invited to experience Smither Park, featuring an amphitheater, memory wall, meditation area, covered pavilion, swings and an interactive sculpture. Structures in the park are adorned with elaborate mosaic work created out of recycled and found materials and designed and executed by local artists and those interested in exploring their own creative potential.

    Smither Park is a work of art in progress, providing a unique opportunity to see artists in action and the evolution of an international artistic destination. The space is a project of The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art in collaboration with renowned architect and designer Dan Phillips. McKissack created “The Orange Show” in honor of his favorite fruit and to illustrate his belief that longevity results from both hard work and good nutrition.

     

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  • Sat
    04
    Jun
    2016
    10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.Houston Makerspace, 3605 Texas Ave, 77003 (Map)
    Program events

     

     

    Imagine a “gym” for creatives, with a month to month contract where artists and makers of all kinds can go and exercise their ideas and build their artistic muscles. East of downtown Houston, Houston Makerspace is exactly that. Join VAA on Saturday, June 4 from 10 to 11 a.m. for a private tour at Houston Makerspace, 3605 Texas Street, where members and non-members will learn about this unique community centered warehouse studio, which includes shops for woodworking, welding, printing, jewelry making, ceramics, as well as a teaching farm.

    Houston Makerspace opened in April 2014 and moved to their new 8500 square foot warehouse a year later. Maclean Smyth, the founder and operator of Houston Makerspace, will lead this free tour. “I believe that creativity aspires innovation and ambition in our culture,” Smyth says. “With this space, we can build a society of makers right here in Houston.”

     

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  • Sat
    09
    Jul
    2016
    9:45 - 11:30 a.m.Taller ISMA Printmaking Gallery 1499 North Post Oak, Suite 103 77055 (Map)
    Program events

    Wonder Woman 72

    Long-time Houston artist and teacher Armando Rodriguez has held printmaking lessons at the Art League, Houston for years. Now he’s offering audiences the opportunity to learn about his studio and equipment, and will share his perspective on his own work.


    Rodriguez was born in Mexico and moved to the U.S. as a child. He received a BFA in printmaking from the University of Houston in 1982 and works in many media including photography, etching, lithography and monotype, graphic design and bookmaking. In addition to teaching at Art League, Houston, he also works for the Houston Chronicle and in the education department at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston.

     

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  • Wed
    03
    Aug
    2016
    1:00 - 2:30 p.m.Federal Reserve Bank 1801 Allen Parkway 77019 (Map)
    Program events

     

    Pre-registration required*: Deadline Monday August 1 by 1:00 P.M.

    The Art Collection of the Federal Reserve Bank, Houston Branch has about 60 pieces of diverse contemporary art, mainly by Texas artists. Some of the artists represented in this collection are Al Souza, Aaron Parazette, Dario Robleto, Helen Altman, Dixie Friend Gay, and Lance Letscher.

    There will be a limit of 30 attendees for this tour, on a first come - first served basis.
    The tour will begin at 1:00 PM on Wednesday, August 3.
    Please arrive in the lobby at the Federal Reserve Bank by 12:45 PM.
    The tour will last approximately 1 hour.
    *Please RSVP to Diane Gelman at dianegel@aol.com or 713-819-6377 by 1:00 PM on Monday, August 1.

    A list of attendees will be submitted to the Federal Reserve Bank and will be used by the Security Guards for check in.  Only those who are on this list will be allowed to attend. Please park in the Bank Visitor Parking Lot behind the Bank, entering from Taft Street. The Bank is located at 1801 Allen Parkway between Taft, Gillette and Dallas Streets.
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  • Wed
    07
    Sep
    2016
    5:45 - 7:30 p.m.Contemporary Arts Museum Houston 5216 Montrose Blvd 77006 (Map)
    Program events

     

    An Art Tour of the current exhibitions at the CAMH led by Thedra Cullar-Ledford. Details forthcoming.

     

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  • Wed
    05
    Oct
    2016
    6:00 - 7:30 p.m.Legacy Art Foundry 4071 Hollister Rd 77080 (Map)
    Program events

     

    pouring_horizontal

    October Educational Program

    Join VAA for a tour of Legacy Fine Art Foundry on Wednesday, October 5 at 6 pm. This full-service foundry offers all services related to casting in bronze, stainless steel, resin, fiberglass and plaster. Sculptures made at the foundry are also on display. Legacy Fine Art is located at 4071 Hollister Street, Houston, TX 77080. The tour is open to members and non members of VAA. Also, Legacy Fine Art does allow photography by guests on tour.

     

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  • Sat
    12
    Nov
    2016
    1:00 - 2:30 p.m.The Printing Museum 1324 W Clay 77019 (Map)
    Program events

    In this richly illustrated lecture Dr. Anna Tahinci will analyze a variety of artworks from the permanent collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, in relation both to formal elements (line, space, light and color, form, texture, and pattern) and the principles of design (balance, scale, proportion, rhythm, unity, and variety). Universal themes will be studied within historical, political, economic, sociological, conceptual, and aesthetic contexts. Join Visual Arts Alliance on November 12, 2016 from 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. at The Printing Museum, 1324 West Clay, Houston, 77019 for this free lecture. Members and non-members are welcome.

    Dr. Anna Tahinci is Professor and Head of Art History at the Glassell School of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. She has worked at the Musée Rodin, the Musée d’Orsay, the Harvard Art Museums, and the Louvre. She studied History and Archaeology in Greece, Museum Studies at the Ecole du Louvre, and Comparative Literature and Art History at the Sorbonne. She received her Ph.D. from the Sorbonne with a specialization on 19th and 20th century French sculpture (dissertation on Rodin's collectors during his lifetime). Dr. Tahinci has taught at Boston University–Paris, the University of Minnesota, Macalester College, the Minneapolis College of Art and Design as well as the University of Houston. She co-curated the sculpture exhibition for the Athens Olympic Games in 2004 and the exhibition "Rodin and America" at the Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University in 2011.

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  • Wed
    07
    Dec
    2016
    6 p.m. to 7 p.m.Lawndale Art Center, 4912 Main St, 77002 (Map)
    Program events

     

    bigshow-by-adam-clay

    The Big Show, photo credit: Adam Clay

    On December 7 at 6 p.m., Visual Arts Alliance is offering a guided tour at Lawndale Art Center, 4912 Main Street.

    Each year, through a competitive application process, Lawndale Art Center awards three artists with a studio and support for nine months, including a monthly stipend, studio visits and an exhibition at the end of their residency.

    The tour will include Double Digits: Lawndale's Artist Studio Program, 10 Years and Counting. This exhibition celebrates not only the thirty artists who have participated in the Artist Studio Program since 2006 but also the vital contribution that the Artist Studio Program has made to the Houston art community. Also included will be the Lawndale Archives, Gulf Coast Collaboration and Project Space with Lawndale Live by Maurice Duhon, Jr., Phillip Pyle II, Jawwaad Taylor and Stephen Wilson.

    Space is limited to 30 people. Email Programs@VisualArtsAlliance.org to reserve space.

     

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  • Wed
    11
    Jan
    2017
    6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.2808 Rice Blvd, 77005 (Map)
    Program events

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    On Wednesday, January 11, 2016 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Visual Arts Alliance will hold an art talk and tour of the Lester Marks Collection, courtesy of LCM Partners, Ltd. at 2808 Rice Boulevard, Houston. Lester Marks, President of LCM Partners, Ltd., and a represented artist himself, has been collecting contemporary art for 25 years. He has served as a trustee for both the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, among others.

    Mr. Marks has been included in Art News as one of the top 200 collectors in the world, and in Art & Antiques as one of the top 100 “collectors making a difference” in the art world. Most recently, American Art Collector featured the collection in the Winter 2016 issue of Iris Covet Book.

    The home of Lester Marks is a “mini-museum” of contemporary art. The home is built around an outdoor courtyard displaying the stone sculpture of the British environmental artist Richard Long. There are passageways to three small gallery spaces, a studio, and even a “subterranean playroom” for the adventurous. The collection features museum-quality works from internationally renowned artists as well works by hundreds of regional and Houston-area artists.

    Space is limited to 45 people. Email Programs@VisualArtsAlliance.org to reserve space.

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  • Wed
    01
    Feb
    2017
    5:45 p.m. to 7 p.m.Box13 Artspace, 6700 Harrisburg Blvd, 77011 (Map)
    Program events

     

    Join Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) on Wednesday, February 1, 2017, at 5:45 p.m. for a studio visit and tour of BOX 13 ArtSpace, hosted by ceramic artist Jessica Kreutter.

    BOX 13 ArtSpace is an innovative art space located at 6700 Harrisburg Blvd., Houston TX 77011. It is an artist run nonprofit space dedicated to the creation and advancement of experimental contemporary art in Houston. BOX 13 offers affordable work spaces for emerging and established artists, dedicating four interior spaces to the exhibition of artistic explorations, a window gallery for installations and an outdoor courtyard space. 25 residents, artists working in all media, participate in BOX 13.

    Kreutter works in parts and pieces and is interested in creating objects and spaces that are in transformation These transformations speak about a potential to be between, to be more than what contains us. It is both a connection and dissolution, something between remembering and forgetting that opens up a space for reality to be intersected with something other. In 2013, she designed an ice sculpture in collaboration with the Museum of Contemporary Art (Denver) and created an unfired clay installation for the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) Project Space. Her clay installation work was featured in the January 2014 Issue of Ceramics Monthly. In 2016, she was a recipient of a Houston Arts Alliance Individual Artist Grant.

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  • Sat
    04
    Mar
    2017
    10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.Freed-Montrose Neighborhood Library, 4100 Montrose, Houston, Texas 77006 (Map)
    Program events

    Visual Arts Alliance presents discussion
    of jurors’ criterion for art competitions Saturday, March 4
    Rare opportunity to get first-hand comments on selection process
    from three well-known jurors

    HOUSTON, TEXAS ~ On Saturday, March 4, Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) offers members and guests a rare insight into a juror’s selection process for art competitions with a free discussion by three prominent figures in the Houston art world: Jennifer Justice, Executive Director of Galveston Arts Center; Lester Marks, Mayor's Ambassador to the Arts.; and Zoya Tommy, owner of Zoya Tommy Gallery. The free presentation begins at 10:00 a.m. at the Freed-Montose Neighborhooud Library, 4100 Montrose, Houston, 77006.

    The three speakers, all of whom have been jurors for VAA, will discuss their selection processes when judging a competition. Previously submitted works will be projected for the audience, and panelists will discuss the selection/elimination process applied to each work. Artists will discover the whys and hows of selection from a juror’s point of view, including the constants of technique and presentation as well as the unique personal biases of jurors.

    “VAA is so pleased to be able to present this first-hand look into a juror’s thought process. Every artist who has ever entered a competition wonders what makes a piece worthy of selection. What does a juror look for? How does a juror’s background affect the selection process? These are the questions the morning’s session will investigate,” says Matt Adams, President at VAA. “This is a rare opportunity for artists to get inside the mind of a juror and learn how to make each submission the best.”

     

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  • Sat
    01
    Apr
    2017
    11:15 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.Houston Museum of African American Culture, 4807 Caroline St, 77004 (Map)
    Program events

    On Saturday, April 1, Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) offers members and guests a guided tour of the Houston Museum of African-American Culture. The free tour begins at 11:15 a.m. at 4807 Caroline St., Houston, 77004.

    The mission of the Houston Museum of African American Culture (HMAAC) is to collect, conserve, explore, interpret, and exhibit the material and intellectual culture of Africans and African Americans in Houston, the state of Texas, the southwest and the African Diaspora for current and future generations.

    Faith Ringgold, painter, writer, speaker, mixed media sculptor and performance artist lives and works in Englewood, New Jersey. Ms. Ringgold is professor emeritus at the University of California, San Diego where she taught art from 1987 until 2002. Professor Ringgold is the recipient of more than 75 awards including 22 Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts Degrees.

    Ringgold’s art has been exhibited in museums and galleries in the USA, Canada, Europe, Asia, South America, the Middle East, and Africa. Her art is included in many private and public art collections including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The National Museum of American Art, The Museum of Modern Art, The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, The Boston Museum of Fine Art, The Chase Manhattan Bank Collection, The Baltimore Museum, Williams College Museum of Art, The High Museum of Fine Art, The Newark Museum, The Phillip Morris Collection, The St. Louis Art Museum and The Spencer Museum.

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  • Mon
    22
    May
    2017
    10 a.m. - 2 p.m.Silver St Studios, #323 2000 Edwards St 77007 (Map)
    Program events

    VAA Program Committee Chairwoman Chell Vassalo

    Details forthcoming.
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  • Wed
    07
    Jun
    2017
    7 - 8:30 p.m.The Silos at Sawyer Yards #308 1502 Sawyer St 77007 (Map)
    Program events

    Details forthcoming.
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  • Sat
    15
    Jul
    2017
    2 - 4 p.m.Next Wall Gallery 1717 Michigan St 77006 (Map)
    Program events

    Emerging artists are oftentimes bewildered on how to price their work. Matt Adams, VAA president, art blogger and avid collector will share his years of observations from a collector's point of view in this workshop. It will start with an overview of strategic pricing that he has developed, followed by case histories and concluding with one-on-one consultations.

    By using the structured pricing model, you can easily explain to collectors/galleries why your prices are what they are. Also, you will see how and when to increase your prices.

    Attendance will be limited to the first 12 VAA members that arrive. Attendees must bring data about their own artwork for review. To do this, make a table with the following columns: Title, Height, Width, Asking Price.

    Your membership must be up to date prior to arrival; email Membership@VisualArtsAlliance.org if necessary.

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  • Sat
    04
    Nov
    2017
    11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.The Montrose Centre, 401 Branard St., room 107
    Program events

    New art collectors in Houston face an imposing variety of viewing and purchasing options. To help eliminate confusion and intimidation, Visual Arts Alliance has assembled a panel of 3 experienced collectors who will share their passion for the visual arts. Intended for new and experienced collectors alike, this panel will provide insight into personal tastes, experiences and opinions regarding the collecting of artworks. The discussion will also let artists discover what collectors look for when considering acquiring a new piece. Moderated by VAA Vice President, Erik Hagen, the panel will consist of Chris Higham, Henry Hunt and Professor Donna Tennant.

    Mr. Higham is a co-founder of an annual exhibition at Spring Street Studios and is a regular volunteer with the Bayou City Arts Festival, KUHF/Houston Public Media and Lawndale Art Center. Additionally, he conducts interviews of artists for Houston Art Showcase, a local organization that strives to ignite art appreciation and increase artistic standards in the local community, while providing opportunities to reach, develop and stimulate artists.

    Mr. Hunt is a reformed academic, longtime graphic designer and branding professional. He describes himself as a usual suspect in the art community.

    Professor Tennant is a former Houston Chronicle art critic, lecturer in Art History at UH-Downtown and Lone Star college, longtime art writer and editor for various local and national magazines and currently writing for Arts & Culture, the online publication Visual Art Source and recently Art Limited.

    The free discussion will take place at The Montrose Centre, 401,Branard St., room 107, on Saturday November 4th, starting at 11.00. There will be Q&A session at the end of the meeting.

     

    Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) is an educational organization for serious practitioners of the visual arts and interested members of the general public. Founded in Houston, TX in 1981, VAA is an all-volunteer-run, 501(c)3, nonprofit organization. In addition to educational and recreational programs, VAA also produces professionally juried art exhibitions providing opportunities for members and non-members to have their work professionally judged and viewed by the general public.  For membership details and more information, visit www.VisualArtsAlliance.org.

     

     

  • Thu
    07
    Dec
    2017
    6:30 - 8:00 p.m.Houston Studio Glass, 610 Jackson Hill, Houston, 77007
    Program events

    On Thursday, December 7, at 6:30 p.m., Visual Arts Alliance will be given a private demonstration of Italian glass blowing by DIck Moiel and Kathy Poeppel of Houston Studio Glass. Dick and Kathy will explain the art of Italian off hand or free hand blowing as done in Murano, Italy for hundreds of years. Sitting on a gaffer's bench, they will work the glass while hot and demonstrate the process of gathering, blowing and punting the glass. They will finish by putting the piece in the annealing oven or kiln. There the temperature is stabilized and over a period of hours the glass is brought down to room temperature.

    Dick Moiel and Kath Poeppel's interest began with collecting. After taking their first glass blowing class in 1994, they build a basic hot shop and began melting glass the following year. The couple blows both decorative and functional objects during climate friendly months (October through April.) They continue to take more classes during the summer months. The retired physician and his PA/RN wife are nationally known in glass blowing circles.

    Many of Dick and Kathy's pieces will be on display as well as for sale. Houston Studio Glass is located at 610 Jackson Hill, Houston, 77007.

  • Wed
    10
    Jan
    2018
    5:30 - 7:00 p.m.MFAH, 5601 South Main Street, Houston 77005
    Program events

    Have you thought about how much art you don't see when you visit a major museum already filled with so many masterpieces that you can't appreciate everything in one visit? The museum exhibits only a small portion of its holdings in each exhibition, so this is an excellent opportunity to explore and learn more about the entire collection.

    Join Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) on Wednesday, January 10, 2018, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 5601 South Main Street, Houston 77005, for a tour of the MFAH Works on Paper Study Center. Located on the mezzanine level of the Audrey Jones Beck Building, the center is a unique, multi-use site that houses the storage areas for the art works in secure, climate-controlled facilities.

    We will have an overview of the collection that contains, prints, drawings, and photographs from across curatorial departments of the MFAH. The Works on Paper Study Center has a large collection of works on paper and photographs, it is estimated they have in storage more than 14,000 prints and drawings, and 27,000 photographs from the Asian, Latin American, and modern and contemporary collections as well as from the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation.

  • Wed
    07
    Feb
    2018
    6:30 - 8:00 p.m.2808 Rice Blvd., 77005
    Program events

     

     

    On Wednesday, February 7, 6:30 p.m., join Visual Arts Alliance and Trenton Doyle Hancock for an informal discussion about contemporary art in general, and Hancock's work specifically. The talk will take place at the home of Lester and Penelope Marks. Located at 2808 Rice Boulevard, Houston 77005, their home showcases one of the top art collections in the country. Marks says they "have proudly been huge patrons of Trenton since his beginnings."

    For almost two decades, Trenton Doyle Hancock has been constructing his own fantastical narrative that continues to develop and inform his prolific artistic output. Part fictional, part autobiographical, Hancock’s work pulls from his own personal experience, art historical canon, comics and superheroes, pulp fiction, and myriad pop culture references, resulting in a complex amalgamation of characters and plots possessing universal concepts of light and dark, good and evil, and all the grey in between.  In the fall of 2017, Hancock was selected by Houston Art League as their Artist of the Year. The new Moody Art Center at Rice has also featured his work.

    There are 25 open seats for the event. Reservations are being take at: Programs@VisualArtsAlliance.org. A waiting list will be created and entry will be allowed on a first arrival basis. Light snacks will be available.

  • Sat
    03
    Mar
    2018
    11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.Montrose Center, 401 Branard Street, 77006
    Program events

     

    On Saturday, March 3, Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) offers members and guests a rare insight into a juror’s selection process for art competitions with a free discussion by two prominent figures in the Houston art world: Catherine D. Anspon, Executive Editor at Paper City Magazine; and Dr. Cindy Lisica, owner and director of Cindy Lisica Gallery. The free presentation begins at 10:00 a.m. at the Montrose Center, 401 Branard Street, Room 112, Houston, 77006.

    The two speakers, both of whom have been jurors for VAA, will discuss their selection processes when judging a competition. Previously submitted works will be projected for the audience, and panelists will discuss the selection/elimination process applied to each work. Artists will discover the whys and hows of selection from a juror’s point of view, including the constants of technique and presentation as well as the unique personal biases of jurors.

  • Sat
    07
    Apr
    2018
    11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.The Montrose Centre, 401 Branard Street
    Program events

    New art collectors in Houston face an imposing variety of viewing and purchasing options. To help eliminate confusion and intimidation, Visual Arts Alliance has again assembled a panel of three experienced collectors who will share their passion for the visual arts. Intended for new and experienced collectors alike, this panel will provide insight into personal tastes, experiences and opinions regarding the collecting of artworks. The discussion will also let artists discover what collectors look for when considering acquiring a new piece.

    Our second discussion of the Collector's Perspective will be moderated by Chris Higham. The guest panelists will be Gus Kopriva, Ray Hylenski, and Michel Muylle. Mr. Kopriva is the owner and direct of Redbud Gallery. Mr. Hylenski is a local documentarian and collector, specializing in prints. Mr. Muylle is an artist, curator and collector.

    The free discussion will take place at The Montrose Centre, 401 Branard Street, rooms 112-113, on Saturday , April 7th, starting at 11.00. There will be Q&A session at the end of the meeting.

    Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) is an educational organization for serious practitioners of the visual arts and interested members of the general public. Founded in Houston, TX in 1981, VAA is an all-volunteer-run, 501(c)3, nonprofit organization. In addition to educational and recreational programs, VAA also produces professionally juried art exhibitions providing opportunities for members and non-members to have their work professionally judged and viewed by the general public.  For membership details and more information, visit www.VisualArtsAlliance.org.

  • Wed
    02
    May
    2018
    6:30 - 7:30 p.m.The Printing Museum, 1324 Clay Street, 77002
    Program events

    On Wednesday, May 2, join Visual Arts Alliance at the newly re-opened Printing Museum for a lively conversation between artist and educator / collector about creating art, the artist's early career missteps, and what it takes to gain a foothold in the contemporary art world. The Q&A session with Howard Sherman and Professor Donna Tennant will take place from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. insinde the theater at the Printing Museum, 1324 Clay Street, Houston, 77002. 

     

    Howard Sherman has a Masters of Fine Arts in Painting and Drawing from the University of North Texas. He is leading a new generation of contemporary painters in the Texas art world. Professor Tennant is a Houston based art writer who reviews for various publications, including Arts + Culture Texas and Visual Art Source. Over the past thirty-five years, she has written about art for many local and national publications, including the Houston Chronicle, Southwest Art and the Houston Press.

  • Sat
    02
    Jun
    2018
    11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.The Printing Museum, 1324 Clay Street, 77002
    Program events

    On Saturday, June 2, join Visual Arts Alliance for a lecture and slide presentation on Andy Warhol.  "From Pop to Present: Warhol in the World" will be led by Cindy Lisica, Ph.D, former curator at the Archives of The Andy Warhol Museum.  The lecture will take place from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. inside the theater at The Printing Museum, 1324 Clay Street, Houston, TX 77002.

     

    In 1974, Andy Warhol began filling the first of his 600 Time Capsules with source material, correspondence and clothing. The Time Capsules reflect more than Warhol's personal life – they act as an insightful snapshot of the time and contain a wealth of information for researchers. Dr. Lisica was intimately involved with the re-opening of Warhol's Time Capsules and examining the minutiae of his daily life and the pop culture of that day.

     

  • Wed
    11
    Jul
    2018
    6:00 - 7:00 pmArchway Gallery, 2305 Dunlavy Street, Houston, Texas, 77006
    Program events


    Join Visual Arts Alliance for a lecture and slide presentation from Dan Havel and Dean Ruck, to learn more about their collaborative Havel Ruck Projects site-specific installations. The presentation will take place from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Archway Gallery, 2305 Dunlavy Street, Houston, Texas, 77006. After the presentation, walk across to their current installation, 'Ripple' at Cherryhurst House, for a guided tour.

    Havel Ruck Projects (Dan Havel and Dean Ruck) is an artist collaborative that works in public and quasi-public environments to repurpose architectural structures and remnants of no perceived market value into works of art. By reorganizing the physical construction of unremarkable spaces and places, their interventions bring attention and recognition to under appreciated and ordinary buildings and their histories.

    HRP projects have garnered broad attention from the public and media and the artists are honored to have received grants and awards from American Institute of Architects, Art League Houston, Houston Arts Alliance, Texas Society of Architects.

  • Wed
    22
    Aug
    2018
    6:00 - 7:30 pmHome of Lester Marks, 2808 Rice Blvd., Houston, TX 77005
    Program events

    Dario Robleto

    Join VAA for an enlightening conversation between collector Lester Marks and artist Dario Robleto. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions about Robleto's work, research, and practices.

    The talk will begin at 6:00 p.m. at the home of Lester and Penelope Marks. Their home showcases one of the top art collections in the country. Light snacks will be available.

    Beginning at 5:30 p.m., 50 tickets will be handed out.
    The first 35 will be seated; the remaining 15 will be standing.
    Doors will open at 6:00.
    You may get your ticket beginning at 5:30 and return at 6:00 p.m. when the doors open.

    Dario Robleto was born in San Antonio, Texas in 1972 and received his BFA from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 1997. He lives and works in Houston, TX. Robleto's transcendent work, his ideas on the confluence of art and science, and his involvement in the search for extraterrestrial communication will provide a broad foundation for egaging conversation.

  • Wed
    05
    Sep
    2018
    5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.Glassel School of Art, 5101 Montrose Blvd, Houston, TX 77006
    Program events

    Join VAA for a lecture from Pete Gershon on his new book, “Collision: The Contemporary Art Scene in Houston, 1972–1985,” which presents a survey of Houston's art scene during a transformative decade.
    The lecture will begin promptly at 5:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Glassell School of Art, 5101 Montrose Blvd, Houston, TX 77006. The evening will conclude with a tour of the exhibition curated by Gershon at the Glassell School gallery, featuring artists working during the years covered by the book. Copies will be available for sale and signing following the event.

  • Sat
    06
    Oct
    2018
    11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.The Montrose Center, 401 Branard Street, Houston
    Program events


    Visual Arts Alliance has assembled a third panel of three experienced collectors who will share their passion for the visual arts. Intended for new and experienced collectors alike, this panel will provide insight into personal tastes, experiences and opinions regarding the collecting of artworks. The discussion will also let artists discover what collectors look for when considering acquiring a new piece, providing insight into the best practices for selling artists in today's market.

    The Collector's Perspective will be moderated by Chris Higham. The fall 2018 guest panelists will be Deborah Colton, owner of Deborah Colton Gallery; Paula Siegel, owner of Mixed Emotions Frame and Art; and Christopher Kilgore, M.A., Art History Writing Fellow at the University of Houston.

    The free discussion will take place at The Montrose Centre, 401 Branard Street, on Saturday, October 6, starting at 11.00 am. There will be a break for Questions & Answers from the audience at 11:45 am.

  • Wed
    07
    Nov
    2018
    6:30 - 7:30 pmMichael Collins Studio, 2825 Saint St, Houston, TX 77027
    Program events


    This fall, the Visual Arts Alliance continues a tradition of bringing individual artists and collectors into the studios of working artists in the Houston area. Michael Roque Collins is an artist recognized for producing some of the most profoundly affecting figurative Post Symbolist paintings seen today in Contemporary art.

    Join VAA at his studio, 2825 Saint Street, at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 7, for a tour and first look at his newest body of work. Collins' painting work has been featured in hundreds of exhibitions nationally and internationally, and is included in the collections of 13 museums and numerous corporations.

    He was born in Houston, Texas, in 1955 and maintains his primary studio in this Gulf Coast city, with wife, Gayle. His works are primarily represented by LewAllen Galleries in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Collins has held many university teaching positions and is currently the Senior Director of the Visual Arts Department, at Houston Baptist University, where he is also Artist-in-Residence in Painting, Professor of Art and focuses on teaching in the MFA program.

  • Wed
    05
    Dec
    2018
    6:00 - 7:00 pmSabine Street Studios, 1907 Sabine St, Houston, Texas 77007
    Program events

    Tour the newest addition to the Sawyer Yards Campus with resident artists from VAA.

  • Wed
    06
    Feb
    2019
    5:00 - 6:00 pmForma110, 1824 Spring Street, Suite 110, Houston, Texas
    Program events

    Join us for an artist's talk immediately before the opening of Felipe Lopez's The Liquidity of a Right.  The Artist's Talk will be at 5:00 pm; the Opening Reception will begin at 6:00 pm.

    Get an early look at this new exhibition, in which Lopez elevates the concepts of light and water in a contemporary sculpture format. His work takes the Edison Bulb form and marries it with a commonplace bath faucet. The is some of Lopez’s strongest work to date, both conceptually and visually. It addresses the necessity of water to daily life while emphasizing the fragility of the earth's clean water supply.

    “We are allowing old tech to affect the future of our health in an age when we know how precious life’s greatest asset is which makes up 60% of our physical state…” says Lopez. “Regardless of people thoughts towards climate change, politics, or manufacturing practices, water is as precious as life itself.”

    Felipe Lopez is a multi-dimensional, self-taught visual artist based in Houston, Texas. Born in New York, Lopez began his career with his mixed media drawings & paintings. He has exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Exposure; Cindy Lisica Gallery; PrintHouston; the Aspen Art Fair; and Scope Miami, among others. He has been a facilitator at Artist INC with Fresh Arts, and is a recipient of a 2019 HAA Individual Artist Grant. 

  • Sat
    02
    Mar
    2019
    11:00 am - 12:00 pmThe Printing Museum, 1324 W Clay St, Houston, TX 77019
    Program events

    Join us for a lecture by Clare Elliott on the subject of Forrest Bess, a Gulf Coast abstract artist. The event will take place at The Printing Museum, 1324 West Clay Street, Saturday, March 2 at 11:00 a.m.

    A unique figure in the history of American art, Forrest Bess (1911-1977) lived an isolated existence in a fishing camp on the Gulf Coast. He painted visions that he saw in dream states, creating an abstract vocabulary that was mysterious, even to him, and he develop idiosyncratic theories about his work. “Forrest Bess: Painter-Fisherman” explores Bess’s curious and compelling abstractions and the letters that he wrote explaining how they relate do his theories of symbology and hermaphroditism.

    Clare Elliott is Associate Research Curator at the Menil Collection, Houston. In 2013 she curated “Forrest Bess: Seeing Things Invisible,” the first retrospective exhibition of the artist’s work in more than twenty years. Elliott received her M.A. in the history of art from Williams College in Massachusetts.

    The Printing Museum Hours:
    Friday & Saturday, 10am – 4pm with guided tours at 11am & 2pm
    Tuesday – Thursday, Group Tours by appointment only.

  • Wed
    03
    Apr
    2019
    6:00 pm - 7:00 pmSilver Street Studios, 2000 Edwards Street, Houston, TX 77007
    Program events

    Join the Visual Arts Alliance for a tour of “Diversity and Richness” - part of the Latino Art Now! Conference (LAN!) - with exhibition curator Rosa Ana Orlando. The exhibition features artists with connections to Latin American culture addressing themes of The Real, The Magical, and The Abstract.

  • Wed
    01
    May
    2019
    6:00 pm - 8:00 pmMATCH - Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston 3400 Main St, Houston, Texas 77002
    Program events

    Three Artists in Conversation: Pat Colville, Terrell James and Rabea Ballin
    Three generations of artists, currently based in Houston, speak about gender dynamics, challenges and rewards of creating through their personal experiences: Pat Colville during the 1960s, Terrell James during the 1980s, and Rabéa Ballin in the current decade. The artists will discuss experiences and challenges that shaped their careers, and what motivates them to continue to create and believe in their artistic practice. This conversation will also examine the current state of gender equality in the art world, considering progress we have made, but what steps are needed to move us forward. Moderated by Sarah Beth Wilson, Director of Exhibitions and Curatorial Projects, Art League.Limited seating. Get tickets at MATCH: https://matchouston.org/events/2019/work-identity-and-gender-disparity-arts
  • Sat
    01
    Jun
    2019
    11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.The Printing Museum, 1324 W Clay St, Houston, TX 77019
    Program events

    Charles Criner, artist in residence at The Printing Museum for over a decade, will give a lecture on his inspiration and experience creating his large body of work. His lithographs and paintings reflect his own childhood and the larger history of black people in the United States. He is especially known for his posters celebrating Juneteenth, the anniversary of the emancipation of slaves in Texas.

    RSVP now. 

  • Wed
    10
    Jul
    2019
    6:00 - 7:00 pmArchway Gallery, 2305 Dunlavy Street, Houston, Texas, 77006
    Program events

    Self-taught urban artist Anat Ronen, whose large-scale murals often ask the viewer to consider deep questions about their world, offers her thoughts on the artist's intention.

  • Sat
    03
    Aug
    2019
    11:00 am - 12:00 pmThe Printing Museum, 1324 W Clay St, Houston, TX 77019
    Program events

    Cindy Lisica, owner of Cindy Lisica Gallery, will offer a lecture entitled "The Artist as Brand: Takashi Murakami."

    For the last 15+ years, Cindy Lisica has taken her curatorial research and professional work to cities such as Paris, Miami, London, Taipei, Marseille, Berlin, Helsinki, Shanghai, Beijing and Tokyo. In addition to championing artists' careers through gallery shows, she has worked in museums including The Warhol, MOCA Los Angeles, Tate Britain, Tate Modern, and the Menil Collection. She is a scholar on Takashi Murakami and Andy Warhol and regularly presents at international speaking engagements and conferences. As a professor, she has taught at University of Houston, National University (Los Angeles), and University of Pittsburgh, and currently teaches multiple graduate courses Art History, Gallery and Museum Practices, and Writing About Art at Houston Baptist University. She regularly serves as a guest curator, juror, and speaker at museums, universities and other art institutions.

  • Sat
    07
    Sep
    2019
    11:00 am - 12:00 pmThe Printing Museum, 1324 W Clay St, Houston, TX 77019
    Program events

    Jay Wehnert is a Houston based writer, curator and collector. His new book, Outsider Art in Texas: Lone Stars, is the product of his explorations into the nature of what is now referred to as outsider art and its origins in Jean Dubuffet’s concepts of art brut. In it, he examines the lives and art of eleven extraordinary Texas artists who exemplify an essential isolation at the core their creativity. Jay Wehnert will share their art and stories with a special focus on three Houstonians. Mr. Wehnert will sign copies of his book Outsider Art in Texas: Lone Stars, following his presentation.

  • Sat
    05
    Oct
    2019
    11:00 am - 12:00 pmMontrose Center, 401 Branard Street, Houston, Texas, 77006
    Program events

    Chris Higham invites three collectors, Terry Hamman, Marc Schindler, and Meredith "Butch" Jack, to offer their unique insights into the process and experience of acquiring and curating a private art collection.

  • Wed
    06
    Nov
    2019
    6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. MATCH - Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston 3400 Main St, Houston, Texas 77002
    Program events


    Join VAA for discussion of social commentary in contemporary visual arts. Panelists include arts and culture writers Catherine Anspon and Garry Reece, artists Ann Johnson and Rabéa Ballin, and gallerist Johnathon Hopson.

    Tickets are FREE and available through the Match Houston Box office 713-521-4533.

    Door open at 6:00 p.m.

  • Sat
    07
    Dec
    2019
    10:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Hiram Butler Gallery, 4520 Blossom St, Houston, TX 77007
    Program events

    Join VAA for a gallery talk with Terrell James at 10:30 a.m. before her 11:00 a.m. opening showcasing her new work at Hiram Butler Gallery.

    Terrell James (b.1955) is a painter and artist based in Houston. She produces oil paintings, vigorous mural-scaled work to small panel works. Throughout her 35-year career, she has also produced studied works on paper, including etchings, lithographs, monoprints, and drawings. She has worked in bronze and clay, producing small-scale sculptures, and in patinated steel, producing large flat works very like paintings. James has also worked in various mediums producing site-specific and impermanent installations around the world.

    Her paintings are interpretations of landscapes, internal and external, and memory, real and intuited (or personal and collective).

  • Sat
    04
    Jan
    2020
    11:00 am - 12:00 pmWinter Street Studios, Studio 10, 2101 Winter St, Houston, TX 77007
    Program events

    Will Henry is a visionary artist based in Houston.  VAA will visit his studio, which is rarely open to the public. He and arts writer Garry Reece will discuss the current works Henry is readying for his next exhibition at the Galveston Arts Center in May. VAA members and guests will be the first to see these new paintings. The studio visit will be Saturday, Jan 4, 11:00 a.m., at Winter Street Studios, Studio 10, 2101 Winter St, Houston, TX 77007.

    Will Henry says of his work, “The paintings have a strong sense of narrative and the landscape functions almost as a backdrop to the drama that unfolds. Growing up in a rural area the landscape really imprinted on my psyche and noticing a sense of sparseness of melancholy or loneliness.”

  • Wed
    05
    Feb
    2020
    6:30 - 7:30 pmRSVP for address.
    Program events

    THIS EVENT & THE WAITING LIST HAVE REACHED CAPACITY.
    Sign up for VAA emails at visualartsalliance.org to get Programming notices.

    Leslie and Brad Bucher Mandell Artspace


    Designed as a private retreat and housing a major collection of contemporary and Latin American art, this converted plumbing supply warehouse is tucked away in Houston’s eclectic Montrose neighborhood. The collectors are strong supporters of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and in addition to an outstanding selection of modern and contemporary Latin American Art, have added a special balcony room focused on the works of alumni of the Museum’s Glassell Core Program. The collection tends towards minimalism and most pieces reflect a strong geometric component, including works by Kelly, Judd, de Kooning, Nevelson, and Eliasson and a strong Latin American emphasis with works by Soto, Cruz-Diez, Oticica, Kuitca, Crespin, Saraceno and Neto. Site specific installations by James Turrell, Soo Sunny Park and Henrique Oliviera round out the collection.

  • Sat
    07
    Mar
    2020
    11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.Cherryhurst House, 1603 Cherryhurst St, Houston, TX, 77006
    Program events

    Limited attendance: RSVP to vaa.rsvp@gmail.com with "Cherryhurst House" in the subject line.

    Join VAA for a private tour of the current exhibition at Cherryhurst House, "The Art of Music."

  • Sat
    04
    Apr
    2020
    11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.The Printing Museum, 1324 W Clay St, Houston, TX 77019
    Program events
    This event has been canceled.
    A conversation between collector and art consultant.
    Presented by Judy Nyquist and Lea Weingarten.

    A self-proclaimed civic arts activist, Judy Nyquist believes that the transformative power of art has the ability to expand understanding, communication, expression and tolerance between generations, ethnic groups and socioeconomic divides. Through longstanding board work and support, she has strengthened more than two dozen arts organizations in Houston, as well as supported many of Houston's cultural, historic and educational institutions.

    Judy's primary philanthropic activities have focused on emerging artists, arts education and public art, particularly in green spaces. She has served on the Boards and committees of the Contemporary Arts Museum, the Menil Collection, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Glassell School of Art, the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, the Rice University Public Art Program, the Blaffer Gallery, the Asia Society, Hope Stone Dance, Gulf Coast Journal, the Houston Arts Alliance, The Houston Seminar, Buffalo Bayou Partnership, Hermann Park Conservancy, and Discovery Green. Her roles in these organizations have been aimed at bolstering education, exposure and availability to wide audiences. An art historian and curator, Judy received her B.A. in art history at the University of Michigan and her M.A. in Northwestern University.

    Lea Weingarten began the Weingarten Art Group in 2006, after more than fifteen years’ experience of working with public and private art collections in achieving their collecting goals. Lea has an extensive private client clientele and travels nationally and internationally throughout the year to art fairs, galleries, and artist studios to provide the best and most knowledgeable access for her collectors.

    Ms. Weingarten co-founded The Menil Collection’s popular Contemporaries and has served on numerous Menil Committees, including as Chair of the Menil Society.  She has served on the boards of the Prints and Drawings Acquisitions Committee of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Glassell School Core Committee, and Civic Arts Committee for the Houston Arts Alliance. She has served multiple terms on the boards of the Contemporary Art Museum Houston and the Holocaust Museum Houston. Lea holds a Bachelor of Arts from Tufts University and an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.

    *AA: Art Addiction

  • Sat
    13
    Jun
    2020
    11:00 amWebinar
    Program events

    Curator Kelly Montana, the Assistant Curator at The Menil Drawing Institute and artist Erik Hagen explore the intersection of art and science in front of Hagen’s 48” by 72” painting. Using augmented reality, the painting transforms into a video in which the viewer virtually flies through a ghostly Houston-on-the-sea, set in the year 2550.

    Erik Hagen is a professional engineer and artist with work in the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Kelly Montana most recently organized the Menil’s Brice Marden exhibit, and is interested in the intersection of art, history, and politics. They will discuss the artist’s practice of layering work atop previous work as a metaphor for deep time and exploring humanities place in the cosmos through painting and video.

    The VAA program will occur as a live webinar with time for Q&A on June 13 at 11:00 A.M.  The video will be broadcast live to The Visual Arts Alliance's Facebook page and all to their YouTube page.

    To watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/NfcL2-e4o8A 
    To watch on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/visual.arts.alliance/live/

     

  • Wed
    05
    Aug
    2020
    6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.https://bluejeans.com/711620209
    Program events

    Join VAA live on the BlueJeans network at https://bluejeans.com/711620209, Wednesday, August 5, at 6:00 p.m. for a virtual presentation by Jason Dibley, Collections Manager for Prints, Drawings, and Photographs at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH). Dibley began identifying images of protests and marches in the MFAH photography archives a few years ago.

    By looking at photographs of protest, Dibley will explore the interaction of event and observation, discussing the ways such images are viewed, published, and understood. Photos will span decades and come from many countries, with a focus on the 1960s Civil Rights Movement in the USA.

  • Sat
    05
    Sep
    2020
    11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.LIVE on Facebook
    Program events

     Revisions in Representation: Artists Working to Decolonize Art History

    In discussion with Cindy Lisica, PhD

    Join VAA as art historian and curator Cindy Lisica discusses the works of Guillermo Gomez-Peña & Coco Fusco, Kehinde Wiley, Mickalene Thomas, and more. She will highlight the role of the artist, the public, and the institution in significant works like Wiley’s portrait of President Obama and Fusco & Gomez-Peña's performative artwork. Cindy dives into details and symbolism in their work as it relates to colonial histories, its acceptance by the general public, and the rethinking of public art monuments, justto name a few! This program will be live streamed our Facebook page.

    Cindy Lisica is an independent curator, writer, and art history professor at The Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) in Savannah,GA. She holds a PhD in History and Theory of Art from the University of the Arts London, MA in Modern and Contemporary Art from California State University, Long Beach, and BA in Integrative Art from The Pennsylvania State University. She has previously taught at University of Pittsburgh, University of Houston, and Houston Baptist University, operated two commercial art galleries, and worked in museums including The Andy Warhol Museum and Tate Britain.

  • Sat
    03
    Oct
    2020
    11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.Facebook Live
    Program events

    Join the Visual Arts Alliance Saturday, October 3 at 11:00 a.m. as Susana Monteverde sits down with Venezuelan-American visual artist Luisa Duarte to discuss recurring themes in Luisa’s work, including territoriality, Luisa’s cultural background, and her professional career as an architect. Luisa will reflect on the challenge of separating the influences of geometric abstraction from her work as an architect. This program will be live streamed on VAA’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/visual.arts.alliance/live/.

    Luisa Duarte currently lives and works in Houston. As an artist with formal training in architecture, Duarte found early inspiration in the geometric abstraction movement, which is loosely referenced in her work. Line and color provide structural bases for explorations around fragility, the space(s) we inhabit, and its limits. She holds a degree in Architecture from the University of Zulia, Venezuela, and has followed independent studies in printmaking, digital art, painting and art history.

    Duarte's work has been exhibited in the US and abroad. Selected achievements include being Artist of the month for April 2019 at the Museum of Geometric and Madi Art in Dallas, Texas, and receiving a Houston Arts Alliance and the City of Houston Initiative Grant.

    Susana Monteverde is currently the Program Director at the Katherine G. McGovern College of Arts at The University of Houston. As Principal of Art Indulgence, LLC, Susana has a passion for expanding the audience for contemporary art and cultivating clients for art education.

     

  • Sat
    07
    Nov
    2020
    11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.https://www.facebook.com/visual.arts.alliance/live/
    Program events

    Susan Budge, smiling in a black turtleneck, standing next to one of her works, a large egg-shaped off-white form with asymmetrical cuts in the surface.Join Visual Arts Alliance, Saturday November 7th at 11 a.m. as we sit with Susan Budge for an artist talk with Heidi Vaughan about her latest exhibition, Ecstasy Over Agony. We are also very excited as Susan will present us with an exclusive virtual tour of her current exhibit. This program will be live streamed on VAA’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/visual.arts.alliance/live/ .

    Image of Susan Budge's sculptural work: a pink branching arm with a center circle revealing a human eye.Susan Budge has been making ceramic sculptures for over 40 years. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Texas Tech University in 1983, a Master of Arts degree from University of Houston in 1987 and a Master of Fine Arts degree from University of Texas at San Antonio in 1999. Budge currently lives in Houston where she continues her
    studio practice and teaches ceramics at the Art League of Houston and the Museum of Fine Arts Glassell School.Susan’s work is inspired by mythology, illusions, and psychology. Most of her work is abstract as she tends to be more spontaneous and creates from her subconscious mind as her hands do the work! Susan’s latest work is a visual journey of her struggles and joy amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

    Image of Susan Budge's sculptural workHEIDI VAUGHAN FINE ART proudly presents Ecstasy Over Agony, an exhibition of new sculptural works by Susan Budge. The show opens Saturday, October 24, from 11 to 6 pm at the gallery, located at 3510 Lake Street at Colquitt in the Upper Kirby Galleries. The show is up through November 28, 2020. We will be open all day, limiting the number of people in the gallery at any one time. Our virtual exhibit will be filmed by Mel DeWees, Owner and Director of Gray Contemporary.

  • Sat
    06
    Feb
    2021
    11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. https://www.facebook.com/visual.arts.alliance/live/
    Program events

    Join Visual Arts Alliance, Saturday, February 6th at 11 a.m. as MFAH photography curator Malcolm Daniel presents a virtual tour of the photography galleries in the Museum’s new Nancy and Rich Kinder Building. The Museum’s first galleries dedicated to the display of photographs present more than 150 works from every period and major movement, 1840 to the present. Exhibits include thematic groupings like French and American daguerreotypes, avant-garde photography in the period between the World Wars, large-scale contemporary photographs, and portraits that convey the variety and ubiquity of photography. This program will be live streamed on VAA’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/visual.arts.alliance/live/.

  • Sat
    10
    Apr
    2021
    11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.https://www.facebook.com/visual.arts.alliance/ live/
    Program events

    Join Visual Arts Alliance Saturday, April 10, at 11:00 a.m. for a live discussion with Claire Rosen, “Threads of an Artist Approach,” facilitated by author Catherine Anspon. This program will be live streamed on VAA’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/visual.arts.alliance/ live/.

     

    Journey into the imagination of artist Claire Rosen — following the threads woven through her varied body of work; from fantastical animal banquets to poetic still lives. She will share the inspiration, artistic practices, and passions that underpin her creative work, and the adventures and misadventures they have invited into her life.

    Claire Rosen is an internationally recognized and widely collected artist, her portfolio of elaborate tableaus often feature anthropomorphic animals, archetypal heroines, or still lives steeped in symbolism that’s evocative of classical European painting. Though the work is rooted in traditional themes and aesthetics, it is intended to create dialogue around contemporary issues such as environmental conservation and the need for animal advocacy.

  • Sat
    08
    May
    2021
    11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.https://www.facebook.com/visual.arts.alliance/ live/
    Program events

     

     

    Join Visual Arts Alliance Saturday, May 8, at 11:00 a.m. for a presentation from Geoffrey Koslov, “Looking at Contemporary Photography Today.” This program will be live streamed on VAA’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/visual.arts.alliance/ live/.

    How are the content and presentation of photography changing today? Gallerist and reviewer Geoffrey Koslov will address this question in a a discussion which will be of interest to collectors and artists that want to challenge their appreciation, perception and understanding of this evolving medium.

    Geoffrey Koslov co-founded Foto Relevance Gallery, located in the museum district of Montrose in Houston, Texas, for contemporary photography-based art. He is interested in the creative use of media, light and new ways of seeing our diverse world through many different genres of photographic expression. In addition to life now as a Gallerist, and a life-long passion for photography, Geoffrey has 40 plus years of business experience he brings to the arts. Geoffrey is a collector himself who also enjoys writing about photographers he meets who are creating new and challenging work. He had served for many years on the Photography Acquisitions Subcommittee of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), and the Board of Directors for the Houston Center for Photography (HCP). He was formerly a member of HCP’s Exhibitions Committee and a former co-chair of its Print Auction. Geoffrey previously participated as a reviewer with Fotofest, the Center for Fine Art Photography (CFAP), the Colorado Photographic Arts Center (CPAC), The Medium Festival of Photography, PhotoLucida, Critical Mass, PhotoVisa, and ASmith Gallery. Other organizations in which he participates are the MFAH’s Photo Forum, and several photography critique groups, including Pixels&Silver, the Houston Inner Loop Photography, and the Houston Photographic Society.

  • Sat
    05
    Jun
    2021
    11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.https://www.facebook.com/visual.arts.alliance/ live/
    Program events

     

    Join Visual Arts Alliance Saturday, June 5, at 11:00 a.m. for a conversation with Shana Nys Drambot, an art critic, curator, and author based in downtown Los Angeles. This program will be live streamed on VAA’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/visual.arts.alliance/ live/.

    Shana will document the curation process for her upcoming exhibition called "Fragmentation and Harmony" featuring artists Soheila Siadate and Joshua Elias. She will also discuss the challenges in curating a cohesive show when using different artists.

    Shana Nys Dambrot is an art critic, curator, and author based in Downtown LA. She is the Arts Editor for the L.A. Weekly, and a contributor to Flaunt, Art & Cake, and Artillery. She studied Art History at Vassar College, writes book and catalog essays, curates and juries exhibitions, is a dedicated Instagram photographer and is the author of the experimental novella Zen Psychosis (2020, Griffith Moon). She speaks at galleries, schools, and cultural institutions nationally, and is a Co-Chair of Art Table's SoCal Chapter, is a member of the LA Press Club, and sits on the Board of Art Share-LA the Advisory Council of Building Bridges Art Exchange.

  • Sat
    07
    Aug
    2021
    11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.4173 Elgin St, Houston, TX 77004
    Program events

    Join Visual Arts Alliance Saturday, August 7, at 11:00 a.m. for a tour of The Blaffer Museum's exhibit Jamal Cyrus: The End of My Beginning with Katherine Veneman, Curator of Education.

    This event will be limited to 15 attendees. Email programs@visualartsalliance.org to RSVP.

    The Blaffer Art Museum, in partnership with Texas Southern University (TSU), is proudly organizing the first survey exhibition of artist Jamal Cyrus, which will span fifteen years of this artist’s prodigious career. As a singular maker, a former member of the pioneering collective Otabenga Jones & Associates, a current professor at TSU, the recipient of the 2020 David C. Driskell Prize, an occasional curator, and steadfast mentor, Cyrus and his influence reverberate throughout his native city of Houston. And while he has participated in a number of national contemporary art biennials, Cyrus’s work has not yet had the platform to be comprehensively studied and celebrated on its own terms.

    In the summer of 2021, the Blaffer will address this overdue need and partner with TSU to present Cyrus’s first museum survey and catalog, titled The End of My Beginning.

  • Sat
    04
    Sep
    2021
    1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.Lester Marks Collection
    Program events

    Join Visual Arts Alliance Saturday, September 4, at 1:00 p.m. for a tour of The Lester Marks Collection, led by Lester Marks in discussion with VAA's Chair of Programs Committee, Jaymes Earl.

    The tour will have a limited number of participants. Vaccination cards and masks will be required. 

    Email programs@visualartsalliance.org to RSVP. 

    Lester Marks, President of International Art Advisory Services, and a represented artist himself, has been collecting contemporary art for 25 years. He has served as a trustee for both the Museum of Fine Arts-Houston and the Contemporary Arts Museum-Houston. Mr. Marks has also served on the boards of numerous visual art organizations .

    Mr. Marks has been mentoring local artists and sharing his home collection for years, and will give VAA members a private tour of his “mini museum” of contemporary art. We will explore the reasons Lester became interested in contemporary art, the inspirations behind his collection and how his taste has changed over the years.

    The home is built around an outdoor courtyard displaying the sculpture of British environmental artist Richard Long. There are passageways to three small gallery spaces, a studio and even a “subterranean playroom” for the adventurous. The collection features museum-quality works by artists like Jean-Michell Basquiat, Louise Bourgeois, Joseph Cornell, Francesco Clemente, Christo, John Baldessari, Anselm Kiefer, Donald Judd, Kerry James Marshall, Nick Cave, and dozens of others, along with works by hundreds of Houston area artists.

  • Sat
    13
    Nov
    2021
    11:00 amDandee Warhol Studio
    Program events

    Artist Dandee Warhol sits on a stool in front of a large canvas featuring a giraffe's head against a yellow and green argyle pattern Join VAA for an intimate studio tour with Dandee Warhol, contemporary pop artist, as he prepares for the War'hous Astroworld Art Show later in the month.

    The tour will be limited to 20 participants. RSVP to programs@visualartsalliance.org for further instructions.

    Philippines native Dandee Danao, better known by his eponym Dandee Warhol, is a distinguished figure in the contemporary Houston art circuit. Valued for his distinctive aesthetic, Danao is also recognized as a dynamic collaborator, curator, and visionary. His work can be likened to that of his namesake, Andy Warhol, because of its ironic use of popular media as subject.

    “As a pop artist, I draw my inspirations from current trends in the world around me,” says Danao, “and that may come from other artists I admire or the fashion that I'm into, and even things I see on screen and social media. Inspirations have always surrounded me, I just have to choose and pick what I want to use.”

    Danao is self-taught and colorblind, two idiosyncrasies that grant his style definition. Many of his pieces are characterized by meticulously designed geometric patterns. He works chiefly with acrylic on canvas. His style exhibits purity of lines, undetectable brushstrokes and arrangement of contrasting colors.

    Danao founded War’Hous Visual Studios, an art space and assemblage of creative talent providing services including art consultation, design, and curation. Working through the studio, he demonstrats an avid commitment to the local and underground art community by coordinating eclectic shows and showcasing the city’s emerging talents. The upcoming Astroworld Art Show opens November 26 for an exclusive preview.

    Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) is an educational organization for serious practitioners of the visual arts and interested members of the general public. Founded in Houston, TX in 1981, VAA is an all-volunteer run, 501(c)3, nonprofit organization. In addition to educational and recreational programs, VAA produces professionally juried art exhibitions providing opportunities for members and non-members to have their work professionally judged and viewed by the public. For membership details and more information, visit www.visualartsalliance.org.

  • Sat
    08
    Jan
    2022
    11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.Facebook Live
    Program events

    Join VAA for a virtual interview and presentation on "From Space Planning to Building Paintings" by Veronica Ibargüengoitia, Saturday January 8, 2022 at 11:00 a.m.

    Veronica Ibargüengoitia was born in Mexico City. Her work is about exploring the dwelling space disregarding the location or country of origin. Her creative practice is motivated by photographs of intimate places she received from random persons. From them, she builds an understanding of how to use the space and its elements to keep and construct a safe and personal environment. She feeds her work with philosophy in a discerning approach to the migration and readaptation phenomena of humans.

    Ibargüengoitia will discuss how her work evolved over the past years and highlight future investigation. She will discuss her overall approach, since people ask frequently about her transition from the traditional canvas to the constructed object.

  • Sat
    01
    Oct
    2022
    11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.Poissant Gallery, 5102 Center St, Houston
    Program events

    Join Visual Arts Alliance Saturday, October 1, at 11:00 a.m. for an in-person event, “Solving Puzzles for Peace of Mind – the Covid Years” at Poissant Gallery, 5102 Center St, Houston.  Four artists, Eren Eiswirth, Brittani Kelley, Ryan Baptiste, and Chloë Helen Calthorpe Dillion Stewart, will discuss their art practice and how it has been influenced by and speaks to mental health and addiction, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, moderated by Frank Larkey, PhD.

    Chloë Stewart will moderate the panel, anchoring the discussion to the practice of art as a tool for communication and awareness. “Using my mediums of mixed-media painting, installation spaces, assemblage sculptures, photography, 3D printing technology, and fashion design, I explore my experience with mental health, addiction, and domestic violence. I tackle the stigma surrounding mental illness and addiction,” says Stewart.

    Ryan Baptiste’s artwork challenges viewers with symbolic narratives of memories, feelings, and individual experiences. Collapsed and decaying architecture in urban landscapes are personified in his work along with metaphorically charged portraits of people that have major influence in his life.

    Brittani Kelly describes her art as reliving the traumatic stories of her predecessors. “Having experienced domestic violence myself, my work focuses on how society views Black women, their roles and dynamics within their families, and how the environments affects their mental and emotional states.”

    Eren Eiswirth’s work focuses on human perception, self identity, mental health, and LGBTQ+ issues. These subjects are explored primarily with the use of optical illusions, using the physical limits of visual perception as an analogy for how people’s concept of self and understanding others are subject to change based on circumstance.

  • Sat
    05
    Nov
    2022
    11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.The Jung Center, 5200 Montrose Blvd. Houston, TX 77006
    Program events


    Join Visual Arts Alliance Saturday, November 5, at 11:00 a.m. for an in-personevent, “Cindy Shung discusses her solo exhibit ‘Mind is Universe’”, at The Jung Center, 5200 Montrose Blvd. Houston, TX 77006. Curated by Cindy Lisica, the exhibit is on view September 24-November 7. Shung’s complex mixed-media and photographic artwork begins within the microcosm of the private garden and extends outward into the larger world. She presents her subjects as fictitious interpretations borne out of a boundless imagination and fed by memories, skewed and blurred by time and distance but deeply embedded within the subconscious.

    Originally from Taiwan, Cindy Shung has been living in Houston for 30 years and calls Texas her home, where her once-hibernating artistic instincts have awakened through explorations of glass, roses, light and space. She has participated in workshops and classes at the Houston Center for Photography, and her works have been selected for juried exhibitions by Lester Marks (Mayor’s Ambassador to the Arts) and Alison de Lima Greene (Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston) for the Visual Arts Alliance. She has won honors and features by the Neutral Density Photography Awards, Chromatic, and Don’t Take Pictures.

  • Sat
    07
    Jan
    2023
    11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.Hobby Airport 7800 Airport Blvd, Houston, TX 77061 RSVP for details
    Program events

    Alton DuLaney, a young man in a hat and glasses, stands between a large canvas that says “ART” and a shelf of smaller artworks.

    Join VAA for a tour of public art installations at Houston’s Hobby Airport, 7800 Airport Blvd, Houston, TX 77061, with Alton DuLaney, Curator of Public Art at Houston Airports. Attendees will meet at the Skybridge Gallery at 10:45am, after parking on the top floor of the Blue Garage.  RSVP to jaymesearl2014ATgmailDOTcom for detailed directions. 

    Alton DuLaney is the Curator of Public Art at Houston Airports overseeing one of the largest collections of public art in the state of Texas, including nearly 350 works spread across multiple campuses.

    He is also a social media creator and conceptual artist who researches art’s ability to transform the perception of objects, images, and actions, as communicated through artistic expression, the relevance of site, and the identity of the artist. His multi-disciplinary practice includes painting, sculpture, photography, textile, neon, jewelry, video, tattooing, branding, mail art, public art, and, of course, performance art.

    Alton has shown his work in countless exhibitions in Texas, Los Angeles, and New York City as well as Europe and South America. He is in the collections of the Tom of Finland Foundation of LA, the Leslie Lohman Museum of NYC, the City of Marfa public art collection, and many important private collections.

    As The World’s Most Famous Gift Wrap Artist, Alton has appeared on numerous national TV shows including The Drew Barrymore Show, Rachael Ray, The Jimmy Kimmel Show, The Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS Sunday Morning, The Wendy Williams Show, Access Hollywood, ETV, The HarryConnick Jr Show, as a re-occurring judge on HBO’s Craftopia, as well as his own show the Great Gift Exchange on YouTube.

    Alton has a BFA from the University of Texas in Austin, MFA from the University of Houston, where he also taught Public Art. Additionally, he is an art and décor consultant.

  • Sat
    04
    Feb
    2023
    11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.Gallery Sonja Roesch, 2309 Caroline Street, Houston, TX 77004
    Program events

    A sculpture of coiled metal painted black mounted on a rock. Join Visual Arts Alliance Saturday, February 4, at 11:00 a.m. for an in-person event, a tour of the current exhibition at Gallery Sonja Roesch: “Eye of the Storm” by John Clement. Gallerist Sonja Roesch will lead the tour and talk about the art on view at the gallery, 2309 Caroline Street, Houston, TX 77004.

    John Clement effortlessly cuts, bends, joins, and welds steel pipes into flowing, interconnecting forms. Clement transforms this industrial material into monumental line drawings that swirl through time and space. The sculptures appear to defy gravity as they twist and turn in the air. Endlessly devoted to the geometry of the arc, John Clement refines cold steel into graceful, vibrant, curling sculptures with power and elegance.

    Gallery Sonja Roesch was originally founded 1991 in Germany. Inspired by gallerists like Denise René, Sonja Roesch established the gallery to spotlight work that embodies a minimalist aesthetic and to create an institution bolstered by strong programming. In 1996, she relocated to Houston, Texas and now she continues to pursue her vision with a program of international artists working with painting, drawing, sculpture, and installation.

    Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) is an educational organization for practitioners of the visual arts and interested members of the general public. Founded in Houston, TX in 1981, VAA is an all-volunteer run, 501(c)3, nonprofit organization. In addition to educational and recreational programs, VAA produces professionally juried art exhibitions providing opportunities for members and non-members to have their work professionally judged and viewed by the public. For membership details and more information, visit www.visualartsalliance.org.

  • Sat
    04
    Mar
    2023
    11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.Anya Tish Gallery, 4411 Montrose Blvd, Houston, TX 77006
    Program events

    Join Visual Arts Alliance Saturday, March  4, at 11:00 a.m. for an in-person event, a tour of the two-person exhibition at Anya Tish Gallery, Untamed/Unzoned. Ann Marie Nafziger and Lillian Warren will offer insights at the gallery, 4411 Montrose Blvd, Houston, TX 77006.

    The paintings of Untamed/Unzoned explore public space, memory, geography, and otherwise overlooked aspects and details of our daily life. Marfa-based Ann Marie Nafziger deconstructs the natural landscape of West Texas to interpret one’s relationship with nature. “Experiences in wild and remote places – places far from human culture – are central to my artistic work. As humanity’s existence feels increasingly fraught, the paintings reflect my own parsing out of ideas, myths, and stories about the natural world and a desire to find a deeper respect for her power and intelligence,” says Nafziger, who received her BFA in Art and Communication from Goshen College, Goshen, IN and an MFA in Painting from The University of Houston, Houston, TX.

    Lillian Warren’s constructed images of urban landscapes capture unusual yet familiar scenes to tell a story. “After a while I also began to paint works that are composites of different memories and places drawn from walks around my neighborhood. These are vaguely familiar, mundane spaces where no one would want to linger, in a slippery space between public and private, inhabited and abandoned,” says Warren. She received her BFA from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, completed graduate courses in Art History from the University of Toulouse, France, and received an MBA from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN.

    Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) is an educational organization for practitioners of the visual arts and interested members of the general public. Founded in Houston, TX in 1981, VAA is an all-volunteer run, 501(c)3, nonprofit organization. In addition to educational and recreational programs, VAA produces professionally juried art exhibitions providing opportunities for members and non-members to have their work professionally judged and viewed by the public. For membership details and more information, visit www.visualartsalliance.org.

  • Sat
    07
    Oct
    2023
    11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.Cloister Gallery, 1117 Texas Ave, Houston, TX 77002
    Program events

    Stop, Look and Wonder with Holly Hunter Berry

    Tour the Cloister Gallery with special artist talk

    Join Visual Arts Alliance Saturday, October 7, at 11:00 a.m. for an in-person gallery tour and artist talk with Holly Hunter Berry for her exhibit “Stop, Look and Wonder!” at the Cloister Gallery, 1117 Texas Ave, Houston, TX 77002. The event will feature a brief tour of the historic sanctuary followed by a tour of the exhibition in theAfter many years in “non art related businesses,” Holly jumped into art, studying under master painters in addition to formal academics. She has now spent decades honing her craft. Holly's paintings have been exhibited in both solo and group shows in the United States, Central America, and Europe for over 40 years. There are private collectors in the United States, Central America, and Europe. She has been represented by galleries in Scottsdale, Arizona, and in several locations in Texas.

    “I have created a series of paintings that are exaggerations of scenes found outside the city limits, in the quiet of nature,” says Holly. “I push the limits of realism to try to get one’s attention, to stop and look more closely and perhaps even wonder at how marvelous the creations around us are. It is too easy to drive past a landscape and not notice its unique characteristics so I just try to capture but a window of time and hope viewing these encourages reflection. Stopping, looking and wondering can benefit us all!”

    Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) is an educational organization for practitioners of the visual arts and interested members of the general public. Founded in Houston, TX in 1981, VAA is an all-volunteer run, 501(c)3, nonprofit organization. In addition to educational and recreational programs, VAA produces professionally juried art exhibitions providing opportunities for members and non-members to have their work professionally judged and viewed by the public. For membership details and more information, visit www.visualartsalliance.org.

  • Sat
    04
    Nov
    2023
    11:00 amMother Dog Studios, 720 Walnut Street Houston, TX 77002
    Program events

    Join Visual Arts Alliance Saturday, November 4, at 11:00 a.m. for an in-person tour of Mother Dog Studios, 720 Walnut Street, Houston, TX 77002, with founders John Carrol Runnels and Charlie Jean Sartwelle, including a peek at the work of resident artists.

    Runnels and Sartwelle co-founded Houston’s oldest surviving Artist-run warehouse, Mother Dog Studios, 38 years ago. The 22,000 square foot warehouse is comprised of 17 studios and an expansive exhibition space called the Mother Dog Museum of Modern Art. Mother Dog Studios serves as a working advocate for contemporary art and as a catalyst for nurturing emerging and established artists by providing opportunities for inspiration, experimentation and education. Mother Dog Studios remains committed to advancing innovative art and art practice as a vital social force.

    Runnels has innumerable public artworks in downtown Houston: 3 METRO light rail station platforms & over a dozen stainless steel boat sculptures that function as portals down along Buffalo Bayou. His private studio practice includes: painting, sculpture, photography & poetry. He is the Art Director & curator of shows at Mother Dog Studios.

  • Sat
    03
    Feb
    2024
    11:00 am2415 Taft St, Houston, 77006
    Program events

    Join Visual Arts Alliance Saturday, February 3,  at 11:00 a.m. for an in-person presentation by Matthew Reeves of Reeves Art + Design, at the gallery at 2415 Taft St, Houston, 77006. Join Matt as he discusses the ins and outs of building a personalized art collection. Learn about market trends and investment opportunities in the art world based on your preferences and collection goals. This program is ideal for anyone with a passion for art, from those just starting their collection to seasoned collectors looking to broaden their knowledge and network.

    Matthew Reeves is the owner of Reeves Art & Design. He graduated from the University of Houston with a degree in business and he practices art as a hobby.

    Reeves Art + Design is the largest family-owned and operated Houston art gallery located in the historic Midtown/Montrose district of Houston, TX. Founded in 1969, they have been providing a quality selection of fine art for over 50 years. While they offer a lot of pieces by international artists, they specialize in modern and contemporary fine art and design, highlighting works of both emerging and established local Houston Artists and craftsmen. Reeves' art and design gallery is carefully curated and all of our pieces are sourced and stored with the utmost care and attention to detail.

    Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) is an educational organization for practitioners of the visual arts and interested members of the general public. Founded in Houston, TX in 1981, VAA is an all-volunteer run, 501(c)3, nonprofit organization. In addition to educational and recreational programs, VAA produces professionally juried art exhibitions providing opportunities for members and non-members to have their work professionally judged and viewed by the public. For membership details and more information, visit www.visualartsalliance.org.

  • Sat
    06
    Apr
    2024
    11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.Archway Gallery, 2305 Dunlavy, Houston, TX 77006
    Program events

    'Grove' by Liz Conces Spencer

    Join Visual Arts Alliance Saturday, April 6, at 11:00 a.m. for a tour of new exhibit, Metamorphosis, at Archway Gallery, 2305 Dunlavy, Houston, TX 77006.  Artists Joan Laughlin and Liz Conces Spencer will lead the tour, offering insights into the work and answering questions.

    Metamorphosis interprets the artists’ observations of and reactions to the constancy of change in the natural world through paintings, drawings, mosaics and sculpture. The exhibit will be on view at Archway through May 2. Archway Gallery is one of Houstons and the nations oldest artist-owned and operated galleries.

    'June' by Joan Laughlin

    Joan Laughlin is inspired by daily walks through the Heights area, observing ever-evolving gardens and foliage with seasonal change. This practice has become a metaphor for her reflections about the nature of life in general and her conclusion that “ the only constant in life is change.” Her intricate works are meditative studies on the present, which is fleeting and transitional.

    The works of Liz Conces Spencer are also rooted in the natural environment, but from a perspective that vibrates with interpretive patterning and color.  Current works are mosaics, glass, wood and paint in compositions that unveil layers of being in stages of time, or as she has described the revelation, “the aching mystery of infinite change.”

  • Sat
    04
    May
    2024
    11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.Bisong Gallery, 1305 Sterrett St., Houston, TX 77002
    Program events


    Join Visual Arts Alliance Saturday, May 4, at 11:00 a.m. for a tour of Exhalewith Carla Bisong at Bisong Gallery, 1305 Sterrett St., Houston, TX 77002.

    This exhibition of works by Juan C. Torres can be described as an introspective Exploration of emotions and feelings. Each piece is a unique expression, capturing the fragility of life and embracing the concept of a Beautiful Disaster.

    Bisong Art Gallery is a contemporary fine art gallery and event venue, located in Houston’s historic Warehouse District, providing art collectors, art lovers, interior designers, non-profits and businesses the opportunity to buy original artwork created by emerging and mid-career artists.

    Carla C. Bisong founded Bisong Art Gallery in 2013 inside a 1300 sq.ft loft located in the Historic Warehouse District of downtown Houston, Texas. Carla and her team of art consultants love helping individuals and corporations discover meaningful artwork. With each piece of art, there is a story behind it, and Carla enjoys uncovering those stories for clients and art collectors. She finds great joy in supporting both emerging as well as globally known and sought-after artists. Bisong Art Gallery will provide a range of services to individuals looking to navigate the world of art.

  • Sat
    01
    Jun
    2024
    11:00 am - 1:00 pmRSVP for location details
    Program events

    Join Visual Arts Alliance Saturday, June 1, at 11:00 a.m. for a tour of the Cynthia Toles Collection. RSVP to programs@visualartsalliance.org for full details.

    Cynthia “Cindy” Toles is a recently retired financial services lawyer, but she has long cited art and artists as her true passions – particularly fostering the development of young artists and supporting artist residency programs. She has studied Art History at Glassell School of Art and has attended major art biennales and exhibitions nationally and internationally for over forty years. As an active board member and volunteer, Cindy has conceived and led patron development initiatives for museums and arts organizations, for which she organized and led collectors’ art tours. She has served on and/or led boards including: MFAH Glassell School of Art Core International Artist-in-Residency Program and its associated patron support group, Core Salon (Founder); Artpace San Antonio, an international artist residency; Rice Design Alliance (Secretary); Blaffer Gallery of the University of Houston; Buffalo Bayou Partnership Public Art Advisory Board; Houston Arts Alliance and its Public Art and Temporary Art Committees (now on Advisory Council); Blue Star San Antonio; Sala Diaz San Antonio, and Aurora Picture Show, a Houston-based micro-cinema.

    Known for her enthusiasm for daring artworks, Cindy has gained a reputation for identifying and collecting artists early in their careers. “I wait to be hit by shock, confusion, wonder and/or disappointment – any of these stimuli can morph into a desire to have a particular piece.”