“This Thursday, April 28, from 6-9pm is the final exhibition opening reception of the 2010-2011 DiverseWorks Season. Stop by, mix and mingle, and meet the curators Carolyn Lee Anderson and Emily Johnson of This is Displacement. Saint Arnold Brewing Company and Whole Foods are providing the beverages. Plus, our good friends Oh My! Pocket Pies! Food Truck will be here from 6-8:30pm serving up dinner. Make sure to stick around after the opening reception for the Houston debut of The Thank-you Bar. Thursday’sThank-you Bar performance is PAY WHAT YOU WANT and promises to leave Houstonians with a very personal and truly unique evening. Reserve your tickets now, seating is VERY LIMITED.”

Grandalism featuring W3R3Curated by Gonzo247 April 28-June 11, 2011 Opening Reception: Thursday, April 28, 6-9pmDiverseWorks’ dock will be the backdrop for a rotating series of large-scale works by some of Houston’s most accomplished and sought after street artists. Grandalism explores the combination of street art’s traditional large scale format, it’s “grand” from the public, and sometimes its unappreciated label of vandalism.   The next Grandalism features Houston-based graffiti artist W3R3. He is on a mission to create eye popping images on walls throughout the city. Over the years W3R3 has taken his graffiti art-form to a higher level of design. His unique compositions give the viewers a look into the fantasy world where letters come alive in a vibrant array of color and movement.  For more information, click HERE.

Luck. We’re all envious of it. But a wise man once said, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

Well friends, I’m preparing you for your opportunity.

Diverseworks 9th Annual Luck of the Draw is upon us, and it’s your chance to be lucky. Two hundred Art Chance ticket holders will go home with a piece of contemporary art created by locally and nationally known artists, some of whom have exhibited at DiverseWorks ArtSpace over the past several years. And the best part? You’ll get these one of a kind art pieces at a fraction of the price. Why? Because Diverseworks believes in art BY the people, FOR the people. (Pssst. That’s you, people.)

By purchasing an art chance ticket, you’ll be entered into a random numbered drawing to make a mad dash for your one of a kind art piece. So put on your fastest kicks, and line up, because when you’re number’s called, you’re up. Make it a good one.

Option one is sold out. Damn my luck. Well, your luck. And only a few Option 2 tickets remain, which will inch you up in the line between #6-#20. All other art chance tickets 21-200 are available now. What’s your lucky number?

If you aren’t up to the challenge of the art scramble, no worries. You’re invited to watch as your friends claw each other’s…um…politely select their works of art. Party only tickets are available for $25.

Act quick, or your luck my run out.

Good LUCK, and see you at Luck of the Draw on June 16th!

Just a little info on the exhibit from Shawna:

“This is by far the biggest installation/ performance that we have ever done!!!  The installation will take over the entire space (theater, main gallery, and project space- 6000 sq. feet). There’s going to be 100,000 button waterfall, a book room consisting of 4,000 books, and several performances at the beginning of the run.  We’ve definitely never done anything like this. I’m so excited. I just saw the performance in Seattle and it was so good!!”

The installation for House of Mind will be on view during gallery hours. Admission is free and open to the public.

If you would like to purchase tickets to the House of Mind performances, look and click here.  Tickets are $15 for general admission, $10 for DiverseWorks members and $8.00 for students and seniors.  Seating is EXTREMELY LIMITED, so reserve your tickets ASAP.

Pat Graney
House of Mind
Installation on view: Jan. 30- Feb. 21, 2009
Performances:  Jan. 30 & 31, Feb. 5 – 7, 2009
7:30 pm
DiverseWorks Main Gallery, Project Space, and Theater

DiverseWorks and the Understanding Poverty Project will hold a reception at 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008, for the general public and media to learn more about Healthcare for the Homeless – Houston, an organization that provides healthcare services to homeless men, women and children.  Understanding Poverty, a more than 20-year photo investigation by photographer Ben Tecumseh DeSoto will serve as the background of the event.

Looking to get out of your no AC abode tonight?  Stop by Diverseworks from 6-8pm for a seaon opening reception.

Understanding Poverty
Photography by Ben Tecumseh DeSoto

Opening Reception: Fri., Sept. 19, 2008
6-8pm
DiverseWorks Main Gallery

Houston-based photojournalist Ben Tecumseh DeSoto opens the 2008-2009 season with Understanding Poverty, a multimedia exhibition that sheds light on poverty and homelessness in America by encompassing a 20-year investigation into life on the streets.  DiverseWorks partners with the Houston Endowment to bring DeSoto’s incredibly moving work to the Main Gallery.

Check out the latest issue of the Free Press featuring Ben’s image of Barry on the cover. Plus, it includes a great piece on Understanding Poverty from Editor, Omar Afra.

Experiential Opening: Saturday, August 23, 2008, 6-9pm

2445 North Blvd.,
Houston, TX, 77098

Exhibition Dates: August 23- August 28, 2008

Houston-New York based, experiential Artist Molly Gochman presents Release: Give-Away III as her last event at Commune on 2445 North Blvd, Houston.

The space will become alive with the interactive experience of Molly’s work on Saturday, August 23rd, from 6:00 to 9:00 PM.

Molly Gochman’s GIVE-AWAY PROJECT is a series that continually unfolds. Release: Give-Away III addresses relationships with change through exhibiting large-scale prints and intimate paintings, inspired by aspects within these prints. Both the prints and paintings serve as a way of archiving choices, circumstances, and personalities. During the exhibition, the image on selected prints will become less distinct. People will use cleansing tools designed to correlate with the body as instruments for physically engaging with the work. Release encourages one to be present, connect, and let go.

Creating opportunities for community interaction, connection, and exchange is a primary investigation of Molly Gochman’s work. When she began the GIVE-AWAY PROJECT in 2002, Gochman invited people throughout Houston to take place in an exchange, “Take home free clothes by modeling what you love”. People came throughout the evening the night of Give-Away Part I. Led by their curiosity, participants wove between the candy colored clothing and each other. It seemed as if garments were hovering at various heights within a large warehouse space. People chatted with each other. They also interacted with the objects by fondling them and evaluating their sizes and other features. They were considering the possibilities for these objects. Then, through documenting themselves with their chosen items, participants helped Gochman fulfill one of the intentions of this work, to investigate and record taste.

The lighthearted atmosphere encouraged visitors to openly express themselves while being documented. The prints, images of the participants, convey the type of energy present that evening.

Consistent with her entire body of work, Gochman explored the concept of value. Not only with the depiction of what her participants valued, but also by showing how the actions within her installations have at least as much value as the installation itself. Exhibiting the documentation during Give-Away II, showed how a group of collective actions can evolve into a significant series of work.

Molly Gochman is an experiential, inter-sensory artist working and residing in both Houston and New York. Her work provides evocative experiences through inter-disciplinary installations. Born in San Antonio, Gochman studied art in New York City and London, and received her BFA from Guilford College in 2001. In the last five years, Gochman’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally.

“My work returns what’s missing from life – fragile moments within cycles of creation and destruction. Through performances and installations and the documents that record them, I communicate a delicate dance between presence and absence. Creating work helps me come to terms with extremely contradictory experiences. Within the work, rigid contrasts soften and boundaries become blurred. Fabric, my primary medium, is used to transform surfaces into gurgling landscapes. My usage of materials within space allows me to create intimate experiences. Supple, penetrable materials like fabric, allow my work to have a softening affect. The common thread is not always obvious; mystery and romance hover. Unfolding myself as I work allows me to build environments that blur the relationships between particulars. A clarification can occur as one releases oneself within the mistiness of the work”.

The exhibition is in conjunction with Deborah Colton Gallery where the gallery’s portion of all sales will be donated to DiverseWorks and Aurora Picture Show.

Ad hoc dinner, originally uploaded by CosmoPolitician.

A group of us gathered last night for a dinner at the diverseworks “this old house” curated by aerosol warfare. jeff kaplan (new living) and adam grossman (gravitas) have recently moved into the house.

grossman has been creating weekly private dinners that benefit diverseworks. dubbed “Ad Hoc” the dinner bring together a diverse group of artists, journalists, and friend to the house for excellent food and (way too much) wine.

we had an awesome time. in attendance last night was diverseworks director diane barber, the orange show’s philip marshall, kaplan, grossman, houston journalist nancy wonzy, and artists Melanie Crader and Mick Johnson. Crader was showcased pieces she specifically created for the night’s dinner.

for more information, check out the chronicle piece on the dinners here: www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/arts/gray/5777325.html