Six Ways to Spend Your Weekend

Six Ways to Spend Your Weekend

Abbie Preston Edmonson gives a special presentation this weekend

DESPITE SOME APRIL showers, there's still plenty of fun to be had! From art-centric and Earth Day activities to family-friendly fests, check out a rundown of the weekend's best bets.

LEARN FROM AN ARTIST Tune in tonight for an hour-long talk by ceramicist and Houston Center for Contemporary Craft resident artist Abbie Preston Edmonson about her creative process. She'll give a virtual presentation about her work and a special demonstration in her studio space.

Brennen's exec chef Joey Chavez (photo by Kimberly Park)

TAKE A VIRTUAL PAINTING LESSON OR COOKING CLASS Be inspired by the great state of Texas during a virtual painting lesson hosted by Honey Art Cafe on Friday night. For only $20, stream a two-hour virtual lesson and make a series of stylized mini paintings inspired by West Texas and Big Bend National Park. Honey Art Cafe also has supply kits available for purchase for beginners or artists low on supplies.

And if painting isn't quite your speed, see what you can cook up in the kitchen! Brennen's exec chef Joey Chavez leads a "date night" cooking lesson for couples on Friday at 6:30pm. Hosted at the restaurant, the socially distanced demonstration, which costs $150, includes a reception, followed by an interactive demonstration and seated dinner.

CELEBRATE EARTH DAY! Join the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center from 10am-4pm on Saturday for a fun- and information-filled day! Explore informative booths, nature hikes, fun displays in the Discovery Room, and Earth-friendly take-home activities. Or join Discovery Green on Sunday from 12-5pm, when the park will screen a series of short films about Houston's environment, host a panel about February's freeze, and showcase a live painting demo by local artists working on murals to decorate the park.

GO ON AN OUT-OF-THIS WORLD ADVENTURE Fifty-one years ago, the Apollo 13 crew splashed down safely back on Earth after their famously harrowing mission to the moon and back. Space Center Houston is celebrating that anniversary on Saturday, hosting two livestreamed panel discussions with current NASA experts as well as Apollo-era legends.And now through May 2, local NASA and Apollo 13 fans can check out the center's new spring exhibition, titled "Apollo: When We Went to the Moon," that looks at the legacy of the Apollo era through the lens of the engineers and astronauts who actually lived the experience.

FIND FUN AT THE INTERNATIONAL KIDS FEST Traders Village hosts Kids Fest on Sunday, with games, activities, interactive shows, live music, acrobats, magicians, clowns and more. Parking is $5, but the event itself is free, sure to keep the whole family entertained from 12-4pm.


People + Places

ReelAbilities' ReelMusic 2022 concert

ON THURSDAY, SEPT. 7 at the Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston (MATCH), composer David Harris takes a break from his job as a financial consultant to present An Evening of Original Jazz Benefitting ReelAbilities Houston, a special concert of music from Harris’ new album You Loved Me Then performed by several of the city’s most talented and in-demand jazz musicians and singers.

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment

Alisha Pattillo

THOUGH NOW BASED in Fayetteville, Ark., saxophonist and former Houstonian Alisha Pattillo will always be connected to H-Town and its jazz community. On her brand new album Chromazone, Pattillo pays tribute to that connection with a program of alternately groovy, mellow, and scorching tunes pulled from her record collection, many recognizable to even the most casual jazz fan, and performed by some of the finest musicians in the city. “I formed great friendships with world-class musicians when I lived in Houston,” says Pattillo, who often returns to the city on weekends to play high-end private events with Avondale Entertainment. “It’s a big city, with a vast amount of talent.”

Keep Reading Show less