Guerrero in front of her new mural
ON THURSDAY, JULY 27, 15-year-old artist Abby Guerrero, who just completed her freshman year at North Shore Senior High School, unveiled and dedicated her mural Free of Judgement to Judge Lina Hidalgo. Among those present to celebrate the unveiling were County Commissioner Rodney Ellis; Guerrero’s art teacher and mentor Alex “Donkeeboy” Roman Jr. and his mother and Sylvia “Donkeemom” Roman; and artist Franky Cardona. Judge Hidalgo was also there and was clearly moved by the sight of such a powerful work of art realized by a young and talented Houstonian. “To hear Abby say she’s inspired by me is so touching,” said Hidalgo, who is the first woman and Latina to hold office as Harris County Judge. “We’re lucky to live in a place where young minds feel empowered to express themselves in larger-than-life ways.”
Roman Jr. began teaching Guerrero in 2019 at the Break Free Hip-Hop School: Houston, helping her refine her already formidable talents and drive to realize a singular and collaborative vision. When Roman Jr. challenged his students to create “something meaningful to them,” it was Guerrero who proposed the idea to create a mural of Hidalgo. “I was really impressed she knew exactly what she wanted,” says Roman Jr. “I knew that her vision was ambitious, but that’s exactly what sets her apart. I’m so proud of her achievement.”
The 16-by-23-foot mural is an awesome portrait of Hidalgo: Dressed in blue and white, she stands in profile against a pink background, microphone in her right hand, her left hand open and extended, delivering a speech to the city and to the world. The numbers behind her jet black hair, 18,183, is the exact number of votes the judge won in the 2018 election. A quote from Hidalgo, “We need different voices in the government,” is written in her favorite color purple, and the words “hold her own” are written in yellow, blue, and red, the colors of the Colombian flag, a reference to the judge’s heritage. Guerrero completed the mural over the course of 40 hours between February and May 2023, and the cost of materials and the wall space were entirely crowdfunded.
Throughout the challenging months of the Covid-19 pandemic, a time when preteens and teenagers were bravely attempting to navigate schoolwork as well as their health and the health of their families and community, Guerrero took great comfort in Hidalgo’s leadership as a strong, Latina woman.
“I chose to depict Judge Hidalgo as a strong, composed leader because that is what I saw in her every time I looked at the TV during the brutal times of COVID,” said Guerrero. “The mural represents my gratitude for her.”
Free of Judgement can be seen at 2647 Crawford Street, near Axelrad Beer Garden.
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Kelley Peters as Patsy Cline (photo by Os Galindo)
TO KICK OFF its 45th season, Stages has brought back a crowd favorite. Last night marked opening night for the eighth run of Always . . . Patsy Cline, one of its most popular biographical cabaret-styled shows.
Woodlands native Kelley Peters reprises the role of the pioneering country singer Patsy Cline, a rowdy, honky tonkangel born in 1932 who smashed stereotypes and always wore her heart on her sleeve, whether she was rockin’ a fringed cowgirl outfit or a sequined cocktail dress. As the first woman to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, Cline blazed a trail for countless women in country music and inspired singersacross genres, including Loretta Lynn, K.D. Lang, jazz singer Dianne Schuur, Cyndi Lauper and Margo Price.
When it comes to delivering a song, Peters herself is no slouch. She performs with such Texas-based bands as the Kelley Peters Trio, Danny Ray and the Atlantic Street Band, and the Richard Brown Orchestra. Throughout the show, she sings 27 of Cline’s classic, emotionally wrought songs, including “Walking After Midnight,” “I Fall to Pieces,” and “Crazy” — composed in 1961 by the inimitable Willie Nelson while he was living in Houston. (Apparently, Cline did not dig Nelson’s version of the tune, and drastically rehauled it to make it her own.)
Written by Stages’ Founding Artistic Director Ted Swindley and directed by current Artistic Director Kenn McLaughlin in his final season, Always . . . Patsy Cline recounts the real-life friendship between Cline and Texan Louise Seger, who met Cline at a show in Houston in 1961; the two connected and kept in touch through letters until the singers’ tragic death in a plane crash in 1963. Seger is played for the first time by veteran Stages performer Holland Vavra, a veteran of 27 Stages productions and the Miss Texas pageant.
Always . . . Patsy Cline premiered at Stages 35 years ago and has since gone on to enjoy international acclaim. (It is one of only two approved and licensed by the family of Patsy Cline.) “Patsy belongs at Stages,” said McLaughlin in a press statement. “It started here, our audiences ask for it day after day, and the pure theatrical joy and exuberance that radiate from this play are such an important part of Stages’ history and identity.”
Always . . . Patsy Cline runs through Oct. 29.
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