Gish Picks: Weekend of September 7, 2012

Click here to visit Miller Outdoor Theatre's website

Click here to register for the Red Tent Experience

WHAT'S YOUR PICK THIS WEEKEND?

Greetings and welcome to GISH PICKS: A GUIDE TO CULTURAL ACTIVITIES FOR FAMILIES, a free weekly e-newsletter/blog I created as a service to the Houston community in 2003. Please enjoy and please share!

Are you feeling harried and frazzled? Does Sandra Boynton’s “Busy Busy Busy” song speak to you just a little too much? Well, my friend, even though we’re creeping into fall, I recommend you SLOW DOWN before it gets too crazy – in fact, see if you can make quiet living a habit. Enjoy your kids! Take a break! “Life is too short to be busy” writer Tim Kreider tells us in his New York times blog and I tend to agree with his assessment. We rush here and there, barely taking time to assimilate what we’re doing and to really enjoy it. So stop reading this for a moment and take a few minutes to just BE. Now don’t you feel better?!

Fall has indeed kicked into gear and there is a lot coming down the cultural pipeline. First of all, “Girls Only: The Secret Comedy of Women” opens tomorrow night and I am so excited. It’s a hilarious show about two women who found their middle school diaries and decided to make a show about it. I’m giving away TEN PAIRS of passes to the show (good anytime) for the first ten people who like my GISH PICKS Facebook page today. Bring a girlfriend and LOL. Early registration for a conference called “Child Focus in the Family and Institutions” ends on September 10 so if you’re interested in ways to allay anxious parenting and to improve family/school relations, this is for you. And next weekend, the Montrose Counseling Center is hosting “Taking Back Our Schools,” a conference about creating safety for LGBTQ youth and reducing bullying in schools. Speaking of schools, check out Parents for Public Schools Houston – it’s a great way to get involved in making changes in our classrooms. And for education outside the classroom, click below for classes on parent/child acting and French.

Mark your calendars now and plan to attend an exhibition of my re-purposed hubcap art, MOD MANDALAS: THE CHAKRA SERIES, which opens on Thursday, October 4, 7-9pm (families welcome!). It’s a show I created in response to a personal need for balance and introspection so I hope you’ll be inspired by my message. The exhibit will be up through November 18 and all art is for sale. To get a sneak peek of my work, click here.

Have a great week and GO.FIND.FUN.

HEAD TO THE BAY FOR ART.

This Saturday, September 8, from 10am-4pm, the University of Houston-Clear Lake Art Gallery is taking art on the road to the “Bay Area Art Walk,” a free bimonthly event being held in the Nassau Bay Town Square, located at the intersection of Saturn Lane and Space Park Drive in Nassau Bay. Artisans, performers, and businesses will be on-hand to showcase their talent and sell their wares. The UHCL Art Gallery’s goal is to engage the artist in everyone so they’ve planned an activity geared to get everyone of all ages at the walk involved with art at all levels. In fact, participants will not only get to make art at the UH-Clear Lake booth, but they will also get to experience the work of other artists participating in the walk, as well as some of the craft booths who are selling jewelry and other handmade items. Future “Bay Area Art Walks” with UH-Clear Lake Art Gallery participation will be held November 10 and December 15.

“THE MIRACLE WORKER” IS HERE.

Stage Right is presenting “The Miracle Worker” starting this Friday night and running through September 23 at the Crighton Theatre in Conroe. Here’s your chance to see the classic tale of the true story of Annie Sullivan's struggle to teach the blind and deaf Helen Keller how to communicate. The show dramatizes the volatile relationship between the lonely teacher and her charge. Trapped in a secret, silent world, unable to communicate, Helen is violent, spoiled, almost sub-human and treated by her family as such. Only Annie realizes that there is a mind and spirit waiting to be rescued from the dark, tortured silence. With scenes of intense physical and emotional dynamism, Annie's success with Helen finally comes with the utterance of a single, glorious word: "water". It is through persistence, love, and sheer stubbornness, that Annie is able to break through Helen's walls of silence and darkness to teach her to communicate with the world.

Tickets are $12-17 and Stage Right will be collecting used eyeglasses with the local Lions Club during the run of the show.

DOG PARKS WERE NEVER SO CLEAN.

If you and your kids love dogs, then head over to G Gallery sometime between now and September 30 to see their new show, “Dog Park”, which features the work of artists who use dogs as subject matter in their work. The exhibit includes paintings of dogs, dog sculptures, dog photos, dog drawings… dogs, dogs, dogs, and more dogs!!! A portion of the proceeds from artwork sales will benefit Barrio Dogs. The Gallery is open noon-5pm Wednesdays through Sundays. Want to know all about Houston dog parks? Click here and grab a bone.

LEARN AND LAUGH TOGETHER AT COMEDYSPORTz-HOUSTON.

Starting September 25th, there’s a whole new way to laugh (and learn!) as a family at ComedySportz-Houston, home of Houston’s longest-running improv show. ComedySportz’s new Parent/Child Improv Comedy classes are specially designed for kids ages 8 to 12 and their parents. The four-week class will meet on Tuesday nights from 6:30-8pm, and will perform in a showcase for family and friends on Wednesday, October 17th. Participants will focus on confidence, listening skills, working with others, and creativity. They’ll even learn some of the games played in professional ComedySportz matches, all in a fun, friendly, and positive environment. Registration is $120 per parent/child pair, and additional parents and siblings can join in the fun for just $60 each.

Just in need of a laugh? Always family-friendly, fast-paced, and funny, ComedySportz is a night out everyone can enjoy. Regular shows are held at the ComedySportz Arena every Friday at 8pm and Saturdays at 8pm and 10:30pm, plus a Kidz Matinee for ages 10 and under at 4pm on the first Saturday of the month.

For more information or to register or buy tickets, call 713.868.1444 or visit www.comedysportzhouston.com.

PARLEZ FRANÇAIS AT THE ALLIANCE.

The Alliance Française is starting up a new series of French classes for children this Saturday, September 8. 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.

For more information, call 713.526.1121 or log onto www.afdehou.org.

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Sarah Gish GISH CREATIVE 1940-A Fountainview, PMB 116 Houston, Texas 77057 phone/fax: 713.482.7065 artist.mama.connector.changemaker. © 2012 Sarah Gish Designed by West of the World