October 5, 2023

Dear GISH PICKS: CURATED CULTURE FOR KIDS & ADULTS

reader, 

If you're new here, well howdy! Welcome to my blog about Houston arts and culture, plus whatever else I wish to share from my brain. I've been publishing this since 2004 (yes, 'tis true) and I am very proud of being Houston's "cultural champion"! If you'd like to get to know me, please click here.

This week's curated KID PICKS and ADULT PICKS are below -- they are my PICKS of the best and most unique arts events coming up this weekend (and sometimes beyond!). I focus on the greater Houston area, I hope you'll join me in loving local.

Sprinkled throughout, I also feature a VIDEO PICK and OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST. Please check those out too!

If you’ve watched my video about this blog, you know that it’s my goal to cover a variety of arts (dance, film, literary, music, theatre, visual art) and local culture as much as possible. This is the most diverse city in the country -- over 166 languages are spoken on a daily basis! -- so I always PICK with our multi-cultural tapestry in mind.

➡️ As you read, please note that all the words in blue are linked to websites. Click on all of them (and all of the images!) -- you never know what you'll find. ⬅️

If this missive was forwarded to you or you read it online, please subscribe by clicking below. You won't want to miss a single edition!

WANT TO UPDATE YOUR PROFILE? Please scroll to the very bottom of this email. I have 2 lists for GISH PICKS -- one for adults and one for families. Each list gets the same blog weekly -- both also get occasional separate targeted emails. You can be on both lists or just one if you wish -- it's super easy! Just scroll down and click on "Update Profile."

LET'S CONNECT! If you are wondering wassup with me, my offerings are at the end of this blog. Scroll on down to see info about my events, workshops, labyrinth walks, and more, including my IGNITE YOUR LIFE! project -- AND! -- a book I'm writing about it, filled with wisdom from my 12 Ways to Ignite Your Life Daily, a road trip warriors guide, many stories, and over 100 beautiful photos.

I love to tootle around town in my Iggy the Igniter art car! LIKE that Facebook page and find out about all of our adventures, including the Orange Show's Houston Art Car Festival & Parade. If you want to get ignited with t-shirts and sweatshirts, check out my IGNITE YOUR LIFE! shirt shop.

Be sure to follow my other Facebook pages too -- Gish Picks Kids and Gish Picks Adults and also my PaperCity Magazine articles and my Natural Awakenings Houston magazine articles. I'm always throwing words and pictures around somewhere!

This week's VIDEO PICK features my friend Outspoken Bean reading his poem "People" when he was the Houston Poet Laureate. The reading took place in conjunction with the Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs Steppin' Back in Time exhibit that was at Houston City Hall at the start of this year. Are we people? Or a person?

Kids can get bouncy at HANDS-ON HOUSTON this Saturday, October 7 from 11am-3pm at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft! There will be lotsa bouncing outdoors with a bouncy house (cancelled in the event of heavy rain) and balloon-character sculpting indoors. They'll get inspired by the Museum's exhibit of textiles and inflatable sculptures, Max Adrian: RIPSTOP (on view through January 6, 2024). Kids will be encouraged to unleash their creativity by exploring and shaping their own balloons and adding life to them with ears, eyes, and tails.

HANDS-ON HOUSTON is a free drop-in event held the first Saturday of every month in which a teaching artist demonstrates a craft related to the current exhibitions. Families and children of all ages are welcome to come any time between 11am and 3pm and participate in a short creative activity; all materials are provided. This program supports HCCC’s mission to advance education about the process, product, and history of craft.

Click on the image for more info.

The Nature Discovery Center is hosting "messy, sensory play" events -- Mess Makers -- several times this fall on Sundays. The next one is Stamp, Stomp, Smash this Sunday, October 8 at 10am or 1pm. Upcoming dates: 10/22; 11/5; 11/19; and 12/3. Click on the image for more info.

It's Carmela's birthday and she makes a wish to join her big brother on errands through their migrant community steeped in Mexican culture. Carmela Full of Wishes is based on the book and is onstage at Main Street Theatre on Saturdays (October 7, 14, and 21) at 10:30am and 1:30pm. Click on the image for more info.

What the Constitution Means to Me is onstage at Main Street Theater through October 15 and it's an important look at the Constitution's damaging effect on women and their bodies. Playwright Heidi Schreck is the central character and draws on her real-life experiences. Mature themes are discussed. Click on the image for more info.

It's time for the annual Houston Art Car Klub display of their finest wheels at Traders Village, which takes place this Sunday, October 8 from 10am-4pm. It's a great way to see the art cars up close (and meet the artists!) because they're all under one roof, entry is free, and parking is only $5. Click on the image for more info.

The Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra and Chorus presents Straight from the Soundtrack: Westerns this Sunday, October 8 at 2pm at the Stafford Centre. Enjoy themes from classics like Gunsmoke and The Lone Ranger. Giddyup, ya'll! Click on the image for more info.

Market Square Park is hosting Movies Under the Stars on select dates -- this Friday, October 6 starting at 8pm, they're screening the biopic Selena. J Lo stars as Selena Quintanilla-Perez, who was the most popular Latin singer at the time of her tragic death at the age of only 23 in 1995. Click on the image for more info.

You just never know what you’ll see and experience in Houston (did I tell you how much I love our diverse city?!)! Archaeology Now (the Houston chapter of the Archaeological Institute of America) and the Arab-American Educational Foundation recently teamed up to commission a Marsh Arab reed mudhif that sits on the Rice University campus. The Houston structure is only the second mudhif to be erected in the United States and you can see more about the fascinating project here. There are a few events activating the space – the next one is Culinary Adventure: An Ancient Meal on Sunday, November 5 at 6pm.

Mid Main Houston ("the soulful blocks of 3500-3700 Main Street") hosts First Thursday Block Parties, and the next one is tonight – Thursday, October 5, from 6-10pm. There’s art and music and vendors and more -- I recommend you check out Houston’s A.S.S., a fab accordion-based band that is playing at Shoeshine Charley’s Big Top Lounge at 9pm! A $10 donation at the check-in at 3550 Main Street gets you All Access, baby. Also this weekend: the Original Greek Festival (Thursday, October 5 through Saturday, October 7); Banned, the first concert in the Apollo Chamber Players’ Silenced Voices season (tomorrow, Friday, October 6); and the Launch Party for this year's Houston Cinema Arts Festival 2023 at Sanman Studios (Saturday, October 7).

It’s National Hispanic Heritage Month (aka Latinx Heritage Month) through October 15 and there’s plenty to do. The 44th Annual Festival Chicano is onstage at Miller Outdoor Theatre tonight (Thursday, October 5) through Saturday, October 7 and The Heritage Society is hosting free Hispanic Heritage Month bus tours with Mister McKinney on Saturday, October 7 and Sunday, October 8 at 2pm and 3pm. Other celebrations of Hispanic culture continue as we zoom towards Day of the Dead – my fave imports store Casa Ramirez is hosting 3 Saturday classes on Traditions of Dia de los Muertos from 10-11am: this Saturday (10/7), next Saturday (10/14), and Saturday, 10/21. And the Holocaust Museum Houston is hosting a Community Altar Workshop on Saturday, October 14 from 2-4pm.

Here's one last thing for ya: mark your calendars now and plan to attend the Friends of River Oaks Theatre's next "Mobile Movie Palace" monthly event. It's a John Waters Trash-A-Thon at Numbers on Thursday, October 12 (one week away!) and they will be showing 3 of his films: Pink Flamingos, Polyester, and Serial Mom. The event has been planned to complement John Waters: The End of the World, presented by Performing Arts Houston the following night (Friday, October 13).

HIRE ME! If you want to learn ways of getting centered -- or igniting your life -- or getting your creative juices flowing...I can help. Check out my list below and let's get started!

If you want to ignite your wardrobe, be sure to check out my new IGNITE YOUR LIFE! t-shirts and sweatshirts shop. Click on the image above and let the fun colors start your ignition mission.

• MONTHLY Labyrinth Walks: I've been hosting labyrinth walks each month of 2023 and have just two more left! I'll do some kind of labyrinth walking program in 2024 -- stay tuned here for details.

Join me on select dates from 7-8pm at the University of St. Thomas Chapel of St. Basil's labyrinth for a lighted path and healing music to close out our meditation time. I'll have hand-held labyrinths and plenty of educational materials. The event is free but donations are gratefully accepted. The next walk is on Thursday, November 16. It's a Labyrinth Walk for Self-Compassion and is one of the Compassion Week 2023 events. The final walk of the year is on Tuesday, December 5. Click on each walk date for all the info.

• Virtual IGNITE! Sessions: see more about those here and call 713.492.1173 to book one. We'll explore what makes your heart sing and you'll leave with a personal mantra I'll write to guide you in igniting your life. Those are $100/one hour and $50/thirty minutes. I'm also doing sessions in person at Body Mind & Soul most Mondays from noon-6pm; book online or call the store at 713.993.0550 for an appointment.

• One-on-one or small group labyrinth walks or nature mandala-making sessions or art-making workshops...or just about anything creative! The fee varies based on what we are doing. AND: I can also do workshops based on my IGNITE YOUR LIFE! art project concepts. More information about those is given upon request.

• Virtual or in person meditation & mindfulness lessons for individuals or groups. You can see some of my teachings in my seventeen Meditation Chats and in my interview with Debra Duncan on Great Day Houston about how to meditate with household objects. The fee varies based on what we are doing, and all ages are welcome.

To book me for anything, please call me at 713.492.1173

or email me. I'd love to help you find PEACE anytime.