Photos by Jhane Hoang
Styling by René Garza
Models Charlie Ferguson, Sarah Wohlschlaeger
Hair and makeup by Tonya Riner
Photo assistance by Collin Kelly
Styling assistance by Tyler Treadwell
Shot on Location Downtown, at Dancie Perugini Ware Public Relations in the Niels Esperson Building
Post Oak Plaza
Post Oak Plaza, located on the southeast corner of Post Oak at San Felipe, has been reimagined to be a more pedestrian-friendly experience, one bolstered by the addition of the Zadoks' Post Oak Place and the continued evolution of BLVD Place. The newest openings at the LEVCOR-owned Post Oak Plaza include new outposts of the Umami-happy Rakkan Ramen, taqueria fave Tacodeli, and beloved staple Local Foods (with a huge patio!).
Luxury mattress purveyor Saatva also opened a 4,000-square-foot "viewing room" in the development, showcasing their handcrafted mattresses and eco-friendly bedding alongside high-end furnishings and tech-savvy offerings. And a new interactive appliance showroom has nearly 15,000 square feet of the best Bosch, Thermador and Gaggenau products.
These new additions bring the total occupancy of the BRR Architects-designed center to 98 percent; restaurants and home retailers make up the majority of tenants. Arhaus, Bassett Furniture, Home Source, Kohler and Madison Lily are among the other furniture and home stores here, while Bluestone Lane, Balboa Surf Club, il Bracco, Kenny & Ziggy's and Nando's Peri Peri are dishing out good eats for Galleria-area visitors.
Photo courtesy Children's Museum Houston
The afternoon at CMH includes a special storytime reading with Houston author Tonya Duncan Ellis, who will recite her recently released children’s picture book They Built Me For Freedom: The story of Juneteenth and Houston's Emancipation Park.
Tonya Duncan Ellis (photo by Madison DiMarco)
In this unique and beautifully illustrated book, Duncan writes in succinct, melodious prose from the perspective of Houston’s Emancipation Park, which occupies 10 acres in Houston’s historic Third Ward. The land was purchased in 1872 by three formerly enslaved church and community leaders to commemorate the events of June 19, 1865, when, two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, 250,000 enslaved people of Texas found out they were free. In the era of Jim Crow, it was the only public park in Houston open to Black people, and since then has been the site of community celebrations, sporting events, and social protests.
Toward the conclusion of her book, on a page illustrated with butterflies in flight and a grandmother and granddaughter dancing in the park, their shadows cast on the green grass, Ellis writes, “While they enjoy my beautiful grounds, they recall their ancestors and all they overcame. Standing strong. Walking proud. Singing songs of jubilee . . . running free.”
Celebrated Texas poet, novelist, and photographer Van G. Garrett will also be at the story time to read his book, Juneteenth: A Picture Book for Kids Celebrating Black Joy.
Other events for Sunday's Juneteenth Freedom Fest include a DJ set in the Kids’ Hall Alcove by DJ Ferbidden; an opportunity for visitors to help paint a community mural; Ted Ellis’ Juneteenth Champions art exhibition, which highlights 29 historically influential African Americans; and a music, poetry and dance performance by Express Children’s Theatre.
Additional festivities and exhibits will be activated on Wednesday, June 19.