Mitchell Center for the Arts Unveils 2010- 2011 Season

The University of Houston's Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts will continue exploring the intersection of creativity and social action with world-renowned visiting artists and citywide partnerships.

The Mitchell Center's 2010-2011 season will showcase projects and events that examine community activities in global contexts. Among these is "Life Is Living: Houston," a community festival focused on environmental justice, neighborhood sustainability and hip-hop culture.

The season also will include the opening of "Oil," a new exhibition by artist and filmmaker Amy Patton and the launch of "The Shrimpboat Project," an extended 2011 residency with Houston-based artists and researchers Zach Moser and Eric Leshinsky.

The center also will co-host the Red Block Bash at Blaffer Art Museum and will continue to deliver innovative arts curriculum through its Interdisciplinary Arts (IART) minor.

"The Mitchell Center's 2010-2011 season engages artists in a number of juxtapositions - celebratory presentations with serious undertones, global artists examining local subjects, and regionally-driven projects with global implications," said Karen Farber, director of the Mitchell Center. "We are thrilled that such accomplished artists as Marc Bamuthi Joseph and Amy Patton have chosen the Mitchell Center and Houston as home for these exciting projects."

The center's 2010-11 activities include:

  •  Aug. 28 - Nov. 13; Opening Reception: Friday, 6 - 8 p.m., August 27
    "OIL": Amy Patton - Blaffer Art Museum
    "OIL" is both a filmed theater piece and a documentary on the making of the film itself. Amy Patton takes Upton Sinclair's novel, "Oil," as a point of departure and plays with slippages between the novel's characters and plot and the experiences of the actors and artist in making the film.  An installation will accompany the film for the run of the exhibition at Blaffer Art Museum. The exhibition is commissioned by the Mitchell Center with support from the Blaffer Art Museum and the School of Theatre & Dance. Location: Blaffer Art Museum, 120 Fine Arts Building, Houston, TX 77204.  Free admission.
  •  Sept. 16-18
    Media Archeology Festival: Texas Focus
    The Mitchell Center joins the Aurora Picture Show to present a three-day media dig right in the heart of Texas. Featured artists include Luke Savisky of Austin, Potter Belmar Labs of San Antonio (Leslie Raymond and Jason Jay Stevens) and Graffiti Research Labs of Houston (Kirk Moreno and David Sutherland). Through site-specific installations, these artists will present cinematic experiences that explore the past and the present. See Aurora Picture Show's website for additional details www.aurorapictureshow.org.
  • Sept. 30, 4 - 7pm
    Red Block Bash: a UH Arts Open House - Arts Quadrangle (Entrance 16 off of Cullen Boulevard)
    The Red Block Bash features live music from the Moores School of Music, readings from the Creative Writing Program, demonstrations by the School of Art and performances by the School of Theatre & Dance. All events offer a sneak peek at the UH arts fall season. Free admission.
  •  October 2
    Deborah Hay- Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (5216 Montrose Blvd.)
    In collaboration with the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH), the Mitchell Center will bring legendary choreographer and artist Deborah Hay to Houston for a lecture and performance in conjunction with the CAMH exhibition "Dance with Camera." The exhibition explores a crossover between artists and dancers who create choreography for the camera.              
  •  Nov. 6, 11 - 5 pm
    "Life is Living" Houston -
    Emancipation Park in Houston  (corner of Dowling Street and Elgin Boulevard)
    Artist-in-residence Marc Bamuthi Joseph will lead "Life Is Living: Houston" festival in the Third Ward. The hip-hop and environmental justice event features music, dance and spoken word performances and activities by celebrity guests and Houston-based organizations including Aerosol Warfare, CKC StART Street & Urban Arts, The Last Organic Outpost, Workshop Houston, The Awakenings Movement, Project Row Houses, the UH College of Architecture and youth slam poetry group Meta-Four Houston. "Life Is Living" is a national campaign celebrating neighborhood sustainability and exploring new pathways to environmental justice. Previous festivals have been held in Chicago, Harlem and Oakland. "Life Is Living" also will include a day of service and volunteerism at a range of urban community gardens Nov. 7. Free admission.

 For additional details on these events or updates, visit www.mitchellcenterforarts.org or call 713-743-5548.

 

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