Gish Picks: Week of April 14, 2010

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WHAT'S NEW THIS WEEK?

Tomorrow is tax day and I know we’re all thrilled about that! Hope you got yours in – the only extensions offered now are until October 15. But doncha worry, I found cheap thrills this week so scroll down for more.

Thanks to Voices Breaking Boundaries, rocker and poet and mother and more Patti Smith is coming to town next Monday (4/19) and I’m excited! You can hear her read from her new book, Just Kids, and perform a few songs, for only $5 at UH's Cullen Performance Hall. The show starts at 7pm (doors open at 6pm and I recommend arriving early to get good seats). I’ll see you there!

WORLD MUSIC FEATURED AT MFAH’S HOUSE MUSEUMS.

Cross your fingers for more glorious weather this Sunday, April 18 because the Museum of Fine Arts is hosting their monthly free family day from 1-5pm. “World Music throughout the Ages” is jointly hosted by MFAH’s House Museums, Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens and Rienzi. Families will enjoy a festival of music, performances, and art-making activities throughout the homes and gardens as each House Museum features something a bit different. Houston’s Blue Monks, a swing and jazz band, will rock and roll on Rienzi’s terrace while a solo Spanish guitarist serenades guests inside the mansion. Children can attend a “musical masks” workshop led by Danny Jones of Young Audiences of Houston or create their own crafts -- Mexican maracas and jingling tambourines. Children and families are invited to enjoy house tours and a garden scavenger hunt. Over at Bayou Bend, families can explore the unique styles of international music influences on America through performances or by joining in craft workshops and activities that celebrate American innovations in dance, sport, and dining. Visitors will also enjoy children’s games and house tours along with refreshments in the visitor’s cottage.

Rienzi is located at 1406 Kirby Drive and the Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens is located at 1 Westcott (Westcott at Memorial Drive). Parking is free at Bayou Bend at the Memorial Drive at Westcott entrance with a complimentary trolley shuttle between Rienzi and Bayou Bend. The first trip from Bayou Bend to Rienzi leaves at 1:15pm; the last trip from Rienzi to Bayou Bend will be at 4:45pm.

LAWN BOYS HAVE ALL THE FUN.

You gotta love a guy who glorifies life as a lawn boy! Gary Paulsen is the featured author this Sunday, April 18 at 3pm for “Cool Brains! Inprint Readings for Young People,” a program that presents award-winning children’s writers. Kids will get to hear Mr. Paulsen read in a place where many lawn boys roam the halls: Pershing Middle School. He will read from and talk about his latest books, Woods Runner and Lawn Boy Returns and the presentation will be followed by a book sale and signing, giving audience members a chance to visit with the author. Paulsen will personalize an unlimited number of copies of Woods Runner and Lawn Boy Returns purchased at the event and will sign (not personalize) one backlist title brought from home and up to three purchased at the event. Mr. Paulsen is a master storyteller whose 200 plus books have featured funny tales about boys as well as a variety of other subjects, including the Revolutionary War. He is a three-time Newbery Honor Book winner for Hatchet, Dogsong, and The Winter Room and his other major works include Bluebonnet book Mudshark and fan fave, Lawn Boy. Lawn Boy Returns is a slapstick comedy which finds the protagonist dealing with the media, the IRS, fans, and much more. Who knew pushing a mower could be so exciting?!

“Cool Brains! Inprint Readings for Young People” is presented by Inprint, a Houston-based nonprofit dedicated to inspiring readers and writers. Pershing Middle School is located at 3838 Blue Bonnet at Stella Link. The auditorium doors will open at 2:30pm and seating will be on a first come, first served basis. Admission is free and open to the public.

THESE BIKES GOT ART.

Your kids will surely enjoy these fun art bikes as a warm up to the May 8 Art Car Parade! Several local artists were asked to make art out of bikes for an exhibition at Discovery Green “Art Bike 2010,” which will be on view through April 25 (park hours are 6am-11pm). The National Multiple Sclerosis Society: Lone Star coordinated the exhibition, which is a month-long outdoor art installation of over twenty uniquely-designed bicycles on view at Discovery Green’s Bill and Andrea White Promenade at the intersection of McKinney and Crawford (by the Grove Restaurant). Discovery Green participating artists include Sandi Seltzer Bryant, Nicole Strine, Nicola Parente, Smitty Regula and Violetta Giornoat among others.

THIS WEEK'S ATTRACTION...PECKERWOOD GARDEN. For more attractions, go to www.gishcreative.com/attractions.htm.

Head towards Hempstead on 290 for about an hour and you’ll find Peckerwood Garden, a unique piece of nature poised on the edge of three climatic zones. Access to Peckerwood Garden and their onsite Mexican Folk Art Collection is by tour only on select weekends (this weekend being one!) at 1pm and 3pm (the Garden) and 2pm (the Mexican Folk Art Tour). Peckerwood Garden is the setting for an expanding collection of more than 3,000 plants (including many rarities) that are native to a wide region of the southern United States and to Mexico mingled with their Asian counterparts. Architecture prof and artist John Fairey is the passionate owner and founder of Peckerwood Gardens, built on a piece of land he bought in 1971 which he has cultivated over the years to become, as he puts it, “a conservation garden containing examples of numerous threatened species; a laboratory garden testing a wide range of "new" plants and our Mexican discoveries; a garden with a mission to encourage other gardeners to see a beauty in landscape that is consistent with our plants and climate; a pioneering garden exploring new plants and cultivation methods and aesthetic concepts for other gardeners; and, most essential, it is my studio, a place where artistic and horticultural research are fused to create an environment that stimulates all of the senses, including the most elusive of all, our sense of time.” I told you it was a special place!

Each “Open Days” is accompanied by a plant sale, in which special cultivars collected or propagated by the garden and other select plants will be available for sale at the garden. The Garden Tour is $10/person and the Mexican Folk Art Tour is $15/person. Both tours together are $20/person. There is no fee for visiting the Peckerwood Garden Plant Sale, which takes place from noon-5pm. No reservation is needed, but a minimum $10 donation is required for admittance to the Garden. Students (12 and older) are admitted free. Unfortunately, small children, baby strollers, and pets are not allowed in the garden due to the delicate and sharp plants. If you can’t make it to one of their “Open Days,” you can bring a little bit of Peckerwood to your home and support their cause by ordering seeds selected from the Garden’s many plant varieties.

CELEBRATE SPRING WITH THE HOUSTON CHILDREN’S CHORUS!

Mark your calendars now to hear the Houston Children's Chorus at its popular annual “Spring Concert” on Saturday, May 1 at 5pm at Rice University’s Alice Pratt Brown Hall, 6100 Main Street (entrance #8 on University Boulevard, Entrance #18 on Rice Boulevard). The Chorus will be performing a variety of popular compositions from its repertoire and premiering a new composition written to the poetry of child prodigy Mattie Stepanek, a bestselling young author and world renowned peace advocate who was a friend of Jimmy Carter, Oprah, and many others. The Chorus will be showcasing its talents in preparation for its June 2010 performance at Carnegie Hall. Don't miss this chance to hear one of our city's most delightful singing groups!

The Houston Children’s Chorus is currently hosting auditions for boys and girls in grades 2-8. This is perfect for kids who love to sing, perform on stage, and make new friends. To learn more about the Chorus, please log onto www.houstonchildren.org and to request an audition, please click on the "Auditions" tab and complete a Prospective Chorister form.

The Houston Children's Chorus, now in its 21st year, is one of the finest children's choruses in the country. Led by founder and director Stephen Roddy, the Chorus performs a variety of concerts for thousands of people each year. More than 100 children in grades 4 through 8 from across the greater Houston area sing in the Chorus each year. The Chorus has toured around the world, singing for presidents and many other famous people. Rehearsals for their 2010-2011 season will begin in September at a convenient central location.

Tickets for the May 1 concert are $16/orchestra and $13/balcony. Special discounts are offered for groups of 6 or more and no children under five years of age are allowed at the concert.

PARLEZ FRANÇAIS AT THE ALLIANCE.

The Alliance Française is starting up a new series of French classes for children this Saturday, April 17. Their children’s program immerses children ages 4-15 in the French language, allowing them to learn in a natural way, through visual, kinetic and auditive experience. Classes meet in seven-week sessions on Saturday mornings at either 9:30am or 11:15am. Tuition is $175 for the seven-week session. Registration must be in advance or a $25 late fee will be assessed and there is a one-time registration fee of $15 for children. You may register by phone anytime using a credit card.

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Sarah Gish Gish Creative 1940-A Fountainview, PMB 116 Houston, Texas 77057 phone/fax: 713.532.1173 email: sarah@gishcreative.com web: www.gishcreative.com and: www.thesummerbook.com and: www.saveourlandmarks.org © 2010 Sarah Gish Designed by West of the World