LOCAL Houston | The City Guide July 2017 | Page 34

FOOD | ARTS | COMMUNITY | STYLE+LEISURE
MUSEUM DISTRICT
HIGHLIGHTS
Illustration by German Arellano
DIVERSEWORKS
into the midst of things
3400 Main Street, Suite 292 | 713.223.8346
www.diverseworks.org
Performance, drawing and writing are each
about mark-making. The bodily gesture in a
performance carries with it a historical trace
and movement knowledge, the linear gestures
of drawing leave physical marks on a surface,
and writing can be thought of as a form of
drawing with language. into the midst of
things brings together three artists – Regina
Agu, ruby onyinyechi amanze and Wura-
Natasha Ogunji – who are truly invested in
mark-making in all of its forms to offer complex
counterpoints to dominant cultural and histori-
cal narratives. The exhibition title refers to in
media res, a literary term that describes a
narrative that begins somewhere in the middle
of the action. Through July 22.
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L O C AL
| july 17
CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF HOUSTON
Cum Yah Gullah: Inspiring Songs. Candid Folktales.
African Heritage Preserved.
MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS
Pipilotti Rist: Pixel Forest and Worry Will Vanish
1001 Bissonnet | 713.639.7300 | www.mfah.org
1500 Binz | 713.522.1138 | www.cmhouston.org
Buried deep within the American tale lies the
story of the Gullah. A vivid and fertile culture
where the sounds of “Michael Row the Boat
Ashore“ flow through the salty air and clever
little Br’er Rabbit taught the world brains are as
good as might. The roots of these mysterious,
pleasant pieces of folklore can be traced back
to Gullah, a West African culture that sur-
vived the hardships of slavery and remained
almost unscathed until the 1950s when the
Sea Islands were connected to mainstream
America through bridges. Now, the Children’s
Museum of Houston (CMH) is reviving the
arts and practices of the Gullah people in a
reinvented, powerful exhibit, titled Cum Yah
Gullah.
This summer, the MFAH continues its series of
grand-scale, immersive exhibitions. Pipilotti
Rist: Pixel Forest and Worry Will Vanish
brings together two mesmerizing works newly
acquired by the Museum. Under the direction
of the artist, these light-based and video-based
installations transform the vast, central gallery
of Cullinan Hall into a cosmic journey through
time and space. Swiss artist Pipilotti Rist (born
1962) has been among contemporary art’s
chief innovators since the mid-1980s, working
at the forefront of video and digital imagery.
Pixel Forest, created in collaboration with
lighting designer Kaori Kuwabara, is among
Rist’s newest works, consisting of thousands
of hanging LED lights, each controlled by a
video signal so that the “forest” is constantly
changing. Through September 17.
Sam
Houston
Monument
1. HOUSTON CENTER FOR PHOTOGRAPHY 8. CZECH CENTER MUSEUM 15. CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF HOUSTON
2. THE ROTHKO CHAPEL 9. HOUSTON MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE 16. THE HEALTH MUSEUM
3. THE MENIL COLLECTION 10. ASIA SOCIETY TEXAS CENTER 17. HOUSTON MUSEUM OF NATURAL SCIENCE
4. DIVERSEWORKS 11. HOLOCAUST MUSEUM HOUSTON 18. RICE UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY
5. BUFFALO SOLDIERS NATIONAL MUSEUM 12. THE JUNG CENTER OF HOUSTON 19. HOUSTON ZOO
6. HOUSTON CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY CRAFT 13. CONTEMPORARY ARTS MUSEUM HOUSTON 7. LAWNDALE ART CENTER 14. THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, HOUSTON
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