Everything to Know About This Weekend’s Bayou City Art Festival! (Hint: It’s Bigger and Boozier Than Ever)

Robin Barr Sussman

HARD TO BELIEVE it’s been 50 years. What once was a small art show in a wooded park has grown to feature 300 artists from around the country representing 19 different disciplines, live entertainment and food and beverage options. The Bayou City Art Festival, produced by the Art Colony Association, Inc., returns to Memorial Park for its 50th anniversary. The weekend-long event (March 25-27, 10am-6pm) benefits six local nonprofit partners, and this year’s fest ushers in new and interactive happenings for the whole fam.

Symphony Bids Adieu to Orozco-Estrada, Celebration Concludes with a ‘Startling’ New Concerto by Jazz Legend

Chris Becker

“ANDRÉS FEST,” A two-week celebration honoring the eight-year tenure of Houston Symphony Music Director Andrés Orozco-Estrada, concludes this weekend (March 26-27) with two concerts featuring the Texas premiere of Wynton Marsalis’ Concerto for Tubist and Orchestra.

In MFAH’s ‘Extraordinary Realities,’ Pakistani Painter and Glassell Alum Invites Viewers to Confront Biases

GIVEN PAKISTANI-BORN artist Shahzia Sikander’s deep connection to the city, it makes sense that the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston is the final stop for her retrospective, Shahzia Sikander: Extraordinary Realities. The critically acclaimed exhibit, which opened Sunday and is on view through June 5, is a visually sumptuous summation of 15 years of work by Sikander, whose art questions and subverts the viewer’s assumptions regarding ethnicity, gender and history. Interestingly, in several works, Sikander casts that critical eye upon herself, “the artist."

Ancient French Wellness Cures Reimagined at Houston’s Escape Spa: The Power of Vichy

Serial entrepreneur and spa visionary LeBrina Jackson

NESTLED IN THE heart of France, the town of Vichy holds a rich history in the world of wellness and hydrotherapy. Acquiring fame for their alkaline springs in the 17th century, the Romans were among the first to recognize the therapeutic benefits of the springs. They established a French spa known as “Vichy,” which still exists today and continues to attract spa-goers from around the world to experience the transformative effects of hydrotherapy.

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Betty Hrncir, Sidney Faust, Julie Baker Finck

ACTUAL WINTER WEATHER was in the forecast the night of the Winter Ball, benefiting the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation and honoring the Women of Distinction, a festive and fitting detail that sparked a flurry of conversation at the Omni Hotel.

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Parties

Concert of Arias finalists on the Wortham stage, including first place and audience choice winner Geonho Lee of South Korea, third from left. (Photo by Michael Bishop)

LONG ONE OF the HGO’s most exciting evenings on the calendar — Artistic and Music Director Patrick Summers called it the best night of the year — the 37th Annual Concert of Arias and gala dinner afterward dazzled and inspired opera fans.

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Art + Entertainment