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THIS WEEK IN HOUSTON

April 29–May 3, 2026


Okay, Thursday looks promising (check out the Texas art at Horizon on Sunset), and Friday is easy (go to Bisong Art Gallery) but Saturday is ridiculous. So many events, so little time. Choose wisely, and plan to circle back to exhibitions you miss.


I’m prioritizing what’s ending and what’s fleeting – like the closing celebrations at Lawndale Art Center and Unity of Houston plus the weekend-only show at the Green Light Gallery (Tod Bailey's underground art space). With rain in the forecast, outdoor events may shift to other dates.


Saturday is also National Independent Bookstore Day, which feels like a perfect counterpoint to the visual overload (check out Basket Books & Art). And don’t miss Bach Society Houston’s season finale (free with a suggested donation) as it marks a meaningful passing of the baton: longtime Artistic Director Rick Erickson’s final concert and the transition to incoming director Ben Kerswell.


On Sunday, my friends in the amazing Grammy Award-winning band Los Lobos roll into town. And Throughline Collective closes its current exhibition with cocktails and artist walkthroughs — a reminder that the weekend doesn’t end with openings.


Hope to see you out and about!


Melissa Richardson Banks

Founder, Publisher & Editor

MUSED HOUSTON

www.musedhouston.com


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WEDNESDAY 04.29.2026

6–11 PM MUSIC EVENT Ice House Radio at The Car Wash (underneath Echoes) – free, weekly Tuesday–Saturday


6:30–8 PM COMMUNITY EVENT Urban Paths presents Weekly Wellness Walk at Buffalo Bayou Park near The Cistern (105 Sabine St.)


7–9 PM MUSIC EVENT Houston Music Classifieds' Open Mic and Song Swap with Dani Hooper, Amber Gutierrez and Marley Moon at Bad Astronaut Brewing


9:30–11:10 PM FILM SCREENING Graveyard Shift: Nightmares at River Oaks Theatre – a series of scary short stories

THURSDAY 04.30.2026

5–8 PM OPENING RECEPTION Texas Art Now: Rhythms and Myths at Horizon on Sunset


6–9 PM OPENING RECEPTION Beneath the Surface: KX2, Audra Weaser, and Sydney Yeager at Laura Rathe Fine Art (River Oaks District)


6:30–7:30 PM POETRY READING Undercurrents: Nick Flynn at Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern and Wortham Insurance Terrace


7–9 PM PERFORMANCE Michelle Brangwen Dance & Music Ensemble presents Conversation with Aria at 4411 Montrose Building (reception follows at Vivianne Falco Gallery) – pay-what-you-like tickets ($25–$35 suggested)

FRIDAY 05.01.2026

5–8 PM OPENING RECEPTION Othered: Sketching the Blueprint of Biracial Identity by Melissa Aytenfisu at Bisong Art Gallery


7:30–9 PM LECTURE Russians in the United States: Their Lives and Spiritualities at Our Texas Cultural Center

SATURDAY 05.02.2026

10:30–11:30 AM CURATORIAL EXHIBITION WALKTHROUGH Ziesook You: Scent of Broq-pa at Houston Center for Photography


11 AM–1 PM WELLNESS EVENT 2026 Meditative Moment for Families with Align Mind at Rothko Chapel


11 AM–3 PM ART EVENT Hands-on Houston: Wire Garden Critters at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft


11 AM–6 PM ART EVENT First Saturday Arts Market in Houston Heights


11:30 AM–5 PM CLOSING EVENT Sarah Gish presents Breath to Breath: Celebrating Life & Death at Unity of Houston Pyramid – live harp music, poetry, art, massages, reiki, and much more; check out the exhibition in the Bookstore building


12–2 PM OPENING RECEPTION Ernesto Solana: Another Sunset at Laura (the gallery) in the Heights


12–2 PM ARTIST TALK Jordan Lumpkins for Roots & Routes: A Visual Exploration of Black Southern Legacy at Anderson Center for the Arts


12–6 PM OPENING DAY Overdoings: Motte Thomas and Tod Bailey at Green Light Gallery


2–5 PM CLOSING CELEBRATION Mud + Corn + Stone + Blue at Lawndale Art Center – drop-in zine making, exhibition-inspired DJ sets by Ice House Radio, food and coffee, and more


2–5 PM OPENING RECEPTION Houston Artists | Holding Light: Ken Mazzu, Eve Leonard, Margaret O’Brien Nelson, Jonas Criscoe and Alfredo García: Patina of the Highlands at Monterroso Gallery


3–4:30 PM CONCERT Bach Society Houston presents its Season Finale: Vespers & Music in the Americas, Part 3 at Christ the King Cathedral – free, donations accepted ($35 suggested, $10 students)


3–5 PM OPENING RECEPTION Katsumi Hayakawa: Constellations of Matter and Henrique Oliveira: London Works at McClain Gallery


4–6 PM OPENING RECEPTION Artifacts | Every Act of Making Leaves a Mark at Glassell School of Art


5–8 PM OPENING RECEPTION Poetics of the Mundane: Jeff Forster & Silvia PintoSouza at Archway Gallery


5:30–7 PM IMMERSIVE CONCERT ROCO Connections: Sense of Mind at Artechouse. Houston – season finale featuring a bold exploration of how music and the brain intertwinepay-what-you-wish tickets ($45 suggested)


6–8 PM BENEFIT The MARTY: Flower Power at Art League Houston


6–8 PM OPENING RECEPTION Carlos Cruz-Diez and Julian Stanczak: A Difference in Tone – Two Investigations of Color at Sicardi | Ayers | Bacino


6–8 PM OPENING RECEPTION Jürgen Wolff: Paper Cuts – Structures in Light at Gallery Sonja Roesch


6–9 PM OPENING RECEPTION Dave Clark: Sardonic Short Stories at Redbud Arts Center


7–9 PM OPENING RECEPTION The Land That Raised Us at Mitochondria Gallery – works by Okoye Chukwuemeka John, Matthew Eguavoen, Martin Jakaila, and Hirwa Bless Aine Jovial that examine the relationship between place and the formation of masculine identity


8:30–10:30 PM ART EVENT BYOB (Bring Your Own Beamer) at The Menil

SUNDAY 05.03.2026

12–4 PM CLOSING DAY Overdoings: Motte Thomas and Tod Bailey at Green Light Gallery


2–7 PM BENEFIT Grow Awareness for Big Bend Community Plant Swap and Sale at Poison Girl Bar


4–6 PM CLOSING RECEPTION Four, After All: Luisa Duarte, Carolina Otero, Gabriela Gamboa, Toña Vegas at Throughline Collective – cocktails and artist walkthroughs, too


7–10 PM CONCERT Los Lobos with the Greyhounds at Heights Theater

NOTE: Event details may change without notice. Confirm with the venue or event organizer before attending. Missed an opening? Visit exhibits during public hours.

Since launching MUSED Houston on July 20, 2023, I’ve featured 3,000+ events at nearly 400 local venues presented by over 400 organizers — highlighting the incredible work of Houston’s artists, curators, galleries, alternative art venues, and museums. 


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