WEDNESDAY 02.18.2026

5–7 PM RECEPTION + DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM SCREENING Susan Budge: Ecstatic Transcendence at Heidi Vaughan Fine Art – free; reception at 5 PM followed by in-gallery screenings of this 13-minute film by Raymond Hylenski at 6 PM and 6:30 PM



6:30–10 PM RECEPTION + DOCUMENTARY SCREENING When Houston Had the Blues: Celebrating Bayou City’s Blues Music and Culture at The DeLUXE Theater – $22.05 ticket includes live music and reception at 6:30 PM, film at 7:30 PM, and post-film talk at 9:30 PM

THURSDAY 02.19.2026

4–6:30 PM Here and There: Valentine Ollawa and Tijani Lawal at University of Houston-Downtown O'Kane Gallery (NEW LOCATION: Willow Street Pump Station at 811 N. San Jacinto St., Houston 77002)

4:30–6:30 PM HAPPY HOUR Gail Peter Borden: Shallow Spaces at Hooks-Epstein Galleries

5–7 PM OPENING RECEPTION Esther Santee: A Shell of Myself at Elgin Street Studios on University of Houston campus (4224 Elgin Street Houston 77004)

6–8 PM FILM SCREENING Deborah Colton Gallery presents Kemisha's Story and Calvin's Story at The Jung Center – free; two documentary short films by filmmaker Anne Colton

6–9 PM OPENING RECEPTION Stones that Learned to Breathe: Meredith Pardue at Laura Rathe Fine Art (River Oaks District)

7–8 PM CONVERSATION: Matisse: Art in a Time of Turmoil at The Menil – author Christopher C. Gorham and Menil director Rebecca Rabinow discuss the artist's life and work during France's German occupation.

7:30–8:30 PM PERFORMANCE Navigating The Archives Within: Francis & Anthony Almendárez at Aurora Picture Show

FRIDAY 02.20.2026

3–5 PM CLOSING RECEPTION + ARTIST TALK City Rhythms, Italian Dreams: Donna Carnahan at The Oliver Sawyer Yards – Italian wine plus an artist talk at 4 PM, too!

5:30–8 PM COMMUNITY PROGRAM Our Labor, Our Stories: Remembering the Bracero Program at MECA Dow School (Sixth Ward)

6–9 PM OPENING RECEPTION Cat Spring Collection: In Two Parts at 4411 Montrose Building – featuring artists Nina Chanel Abney, John Alexander, Matt Connors, Stuart Davis, Vernon Fisher, Mark Flood, Dana Frankfort, Will Henry, Jammie Holmes, Ron Hoover, Raymond Jonson, Bradley Kerl, Matt Kleberg, Marcelyn McNeil, Tudor Mitroi, Thomas Nozkowski, Alfonso Ossorio, Ludwig Schwarz, Howard Sherman, Roger Shimomura, Sable Elyse Smith, Doug Welsh, Emerson Woelffer, Christopher Wool

6–9 PM OPENING RECEPTION In Search of History at Throughline Collective – group photography show curated by MFAH curator Lisa Volpe

7–9 PM READING Gulf Coast: A Journal of Literature and Fine Arts presents Poetry & Prose at Lawndale Art Center – UH graduate students paired with prominent visiting writers

7–11 PM ART SHOW All About Art HTX presents Anything But Canvas Group Exhibition at BOX 13 ArtSpace – artists include Jonathan Paul Jackson, Neato Rodriguez, Scott Tarbox, Aisha Tida, and others.

7:30–9:30 PM PERFORMANCE DACAMERA presents Brooklyn Rider: Frida’s Dreams (World Premiere) at Hobby Center for the Performing Arts – tickets $48.50–$78.50

SATURDAY 02.21.2026

1–3 PM ARTIST TALK + BOOK SIGNING Rachel Gardner and Whispers of the Wild: Shadows and Light at Foltz Fine Art

1–4 PM ART EVENT Woodson Black Fest 2026 at Contemporary Arts Museum Houston

1–4 PM OPENING RECEPTION All Kinds of Love: Shang-Yi Hua, Doug Welsh, Sarah Fisher in Rice Village (2516 Times Blvd., Houston 77005) – pop-up show through Saturday 02.28.2026

3–5 PM OPENING RECEPTION Kaima Marie Akarue: Under the Atlantic Veil at Jonathan Hopson Gallery

4–8 PM ONE-NIGHT GROUP ART SHOW FLATS presents Interval: Kaima Marie Akarue, Keliy Anderson-Staley, William Bossen, Simon Silva, Isabella Mireles Vik, Emily Wang at a Private Residence

5–7 PM ARTIST TALK Jeff Jennings: Blossom St. Series at Andrew Durham Gallery

7:30–10 PM ART EVENT T Lavois Thiebad | Joe Wozny | Únies Gonzalez at Stinson House – poetry, digital collage, and video paired with soundscapes, and more (plus homemade sourdough bread!)

SUNDAY 02.22.2026

1–3 PM PERFORMANCE Houston Grand Opera co-presents The Big Swim at Asia Society Texas Center – one-act opera about the 12 characters of the Chinese zodiac calendar; pre-show activities at 1 PM; performance at 2 PM; tickets $40 general, $50 premium ($10 discount for AST members); performances also on Friday and Saturday nights

3–7 PM BENEFIT MUSIC EVENT Pupusa Shop with Global Sounds by DJs Rosez and ActBadd at Johnny's Goldbrick – all pupusa sales support FIEL Houston, an immigrant-based nonprofit

5–7 PM PERFORMANCE DACAMERA presents Branford Marsalis Quartet Belonging Tour at Wortham Theater Center – tickets $56–$101