“Critical Geography,” Installation view at FotoFest, 2024. Photo: Ryan Hawk Once upon a time, in a place far, far away there existed a geography that wasn’t critical. In my culture we call it the Heavenly City of Kitezh. Jews and Christians call it Eden. Other religions have various designations for that land of milk and honey. Since the moment we’ve left it, there has been nothing but strife and battle. Thus, Critical Geography, the topic of Houston’s most important recurring event, is infinitely expansive. The curatorial team mostly does a brilliant job of picking and choosing work. There ..read more

Note: the following is part of Glasstire’s series of short videos, Five-Minute Tours, for which commercial galleries, museums, nonprofits, and artist-run spaces across the state of Texas send us video walk-throughs of their current exhibitions. Let’s get your show in front of an audience. See other Five-Minute Tours here. MANUAL (Ed Hill / Suzanne Bloom): BEECH // BOOK; An Emblematic Pairing at Moody Gallery, Houston. Dates: March 9 – April 21, 2024. Via Moody Gallery: Moody Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of new photographs by MANUAL (Ed Hill / Suzanne Bloom), in conjun ..read more

Note: the following is part of Glasstire’s series of short videos, Five-Minute Tours, for which commercial galleries, museums, nonprofits and artist-run spaces across the state of Texas send us video walk-throughs of their current exhibitions. Let’s get your show in front of an audience. See other Five-Minute Tours here. Anthony Sonnenberg: The State of My Heart at Rockport Center for the Arts. Dates: March 19 – April 28, 2024. via Rockport Center for the Arts: Anthony Sonnenberg’s exhibition will explore the art of decoration. He expresses the process of decoration and adornin ..read more

Note: the following is part of Glasstire’s series of short videos, Five-Minute Tours, for which commercial galleries, museums, nonprofits and artist-run spaces across the state of Texas send us video walk-throughs of their current exhibitions. Let’s get your show in front of an audience. See other Five-Minute Tours here. Wilderness Passing: The Hudson River Portfolio, 1820–1825 at Wichita Falls Museum of Arts at MSU Texas. Dates: January 27 – December 21, 2024. Featured artists: William Guy Wall, John Hill, Thomas Cole, Asher Duran, John Kensett via Wichita Falls Museum of Arts: Experien ..read more

Raul Servin (b. 1946), “Olvidate del Alamo #2” (Forget the Alamo #2), 2003, acrylic on canvas, 16 x 20 inches, courtesy of the artist. Photo: Ruben C. Cordova, from the exhibition “The Other Side of the Alamo: Art Against the Myth.” In vertiginously shifting positive and negative space, the façade of Servin’s Alamo church seems to be completed by a black United Farm Workers eagle. The red background also reads as a screen of blood, alluding to the loss of life during the Texian Revolt, the Mexican-American War, and the Civil War. In 1836, abolitionist Benjamin F. Lundy warned in a pamphlet ca ..read more

Glasstire counts down the top five art events in Texas. For last week’s picks, please go here. “This Side Up,” installation view. Photo by Katy Anderson 1. THIS SIDE UP Houston Center for Contemporary Craft January 26 – May 4, 2024 From Houston Center for Contemporary Craft: “Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) is pleased to present THIS SIDE UP, a group exhibition that frames art handling and collections-care practices within the field of craft. Featuring the work of mount makers, crate builders, and exhibition fabricators, as well as artwork informed by these practices, the show b ..read more

Artists James Surls and Charmaine Locke have announced that they are gifting 20 acres of wooded land north of their studio and family land in Splendora, Texas to create the SURLS + LOCKE MUSEUM.  James Surls, “Oak Stump,” 2022, wood. Photo: Paul Hester. The land to be donated is the same plot where A Gift from the Bower, an exhibition that was organized by DiverseWorks and featured sculptures by 14 artists and collaboratives, was located. In addition to the land, the artists will donate approximately 50 sculptures, more than 40 prints, including one print from each edition the artists h ..read more

The Affordable Art Fair has announced local, national, and international galleries participating in its upcoming inaugural Austin-based event.  Earlier this year, the fair, which hosts events in 11 cities across the world, announced that it will debut its inaugural Austin edition this spring. More than 60 galleries will be displaying thousands of artworks by emerging and established living artists. The prices of works will range from $100 to $10,000.  Affordable Art Fair Austin-based Big Medium is partnering with the Affordable Art Fair to present an exhibition on-site at the fair ..read more

Marfa Invitational has announced dates and events for its 2024 iteration in the West Texas town of Marfa. The Marfa Invitational Foundation is a contemporary art nonprofit founded in 2018 by artist and curator Michael Phelan and his wife Melissa Bent with the support of Kenneth Bauso, a former investment banker. The foundation hosts an annual art fair bringing artists and galleries from across the U.S. and the world to Marfa. The first fair was held in 2019, then in 2020, the yearly occurrence was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.  In May 2023, the foundation temporarily lost its 501 ..read more

Meow Wolf Grapevine, an arts entertainment company located in North Texas, has announced an open call for artists, designers, and creatives, to participate in its inaugural Trashion Show. Meow Wolf, Denver Fashion Week 2022 In 2022, during Denver Fashion Week, Meow Wolf Denver hosted its first fashion show, featuring a fantastical line of designs by Kate Major, a Costume Designer at Meow Wolf. The following year, the organization hosted its inaugural Trashion Show in Denver, which focused on themes related to sustainability.  In a press release, Kelly Schwartz, Meow Wolf Grapevine’s Gen ..read more