Super Heroes!

The Ballet Ball is always the ultimate dance party — and this year’s “Heroes, Gods and Stars” bash was no exception. Richard Flowers of The Events Company transformed a tented space outside of the Houston Ballet Center for Dance into a custom ballroom filled with gold and gilded details, a nod to the company’s production of Sylvia, a show rooted in Greek mythology. A silent auction touted items like a trip to Aspen and gems from Tenenbaum Jewelers, contributing to the evening’s overall till of $1.6 million — and making this year’s ball the most successful ever. The crowd of 500-plus enjoyed a dinner of sea bass with pesto (made with olives from the Greek island of Thassos!) and orzo risotto with lobster, then joined The Big Beyond on the dance floor.

Wilson Parish
Hayden Stark, Jessie Gill and Bridget Kuhns



Parties

A detail of 'Cycle' (Photos courtesy Barbara Davis Gallery)

NEWS OF RECENT commissions by Houston artist Paul Fleming led us to several photos of his eye-catching, large-scale wall installations, many of which are installed in the sunlit interiors of some of the city’s most beautiful homes and apartment communities, including the resident lounge of The Southmore, located just a few blocks from the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

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Art + Entertainment

Installation view of 'THIS WAY: A Houston Group Show' at Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, 2023. (Photo by Sean Fleming)

IN THE SUMMER of 1865, less than two months after the end of the Civil War, thousands of former slaves, or “freedpeople,” from the Texas countryside and every state in the former Confederacy made the pilgrimage via the San Felipe Trail to Houston’s Fourth Ward and established Freedman’s Town — a neighborhood for families determined to build and establish a thriving community as the country entered the Reconstruction era. Nearby cypress trees provided wood to construct family homes and handcrafted bricks were used to create the neighborhood’s streets. In June 2021, the Houston City Council voted to make Freedmen’s Town the city’s first official Heritage District, which allows nonprofits to help fund the restoration and care of the community’s historic structures, including those brick streets.

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