MFAH Art School Kicks Off Series of Exhibits Celebrating Talent of its Staff

MFAH Art School Kicks Off Series of Exhibits Celebrating Talent of its Staff

THROUGHOUT ALL THREE floors of the stunning Glassell building on the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston campus, beginning Aug. 10, visitors will find colorful, thought-provoking works by one of the school's own: The first in a series of exhibits showcasing art by Glassell faculty members, Chaotic Nodes is a collection of paintings by instructor Arielle Masson.


"Since 1993, I have used as a point of departure the single geometric matrix called the Vesica Piscis or The Vessel of the Fish," says Mexico-born Masson on her website, "which could be described as the overlapping of two circles, creating an almond shape in between." That almond shape, also known in art as a Mandorla, is used to create "a circle-based lattice, which has allowed me to create the most varied patterns seen in my paintings."

Masson moved to Houston by way of Brussels and Paris in 1986, and was awarded her MFA in fine arts and painting from UH in 1990, followed by the coveted Core Program Fellowship from the Glassell School. She's created works for the City of Houston and the MetroRail, and frequently incorporates unexpected industrial materials in her paintings, including laminated glass, Lithocrete, and Lithomosaic.

The Chaotic Nodes show at Glassell offers, per the artist, an insight into "existential paroxysm," or internal crises occurring with a "tear in the fabric of reality." It runs through mid-October, with an opening reception scheduled for Sept. 7 at 6pm, and an artist talk on Sept. 21.


"Mugwort Zone," 2009, egg tempera and oil on canvas on panel

For Realty Pro Sarah Callaway Sulma, ‘Real Estate Is a Relationship Business’

HOW DID YOU get to where you are today? I was raised by a family that had a strong work ethic coupled with high moral standards. I was pretty much given the groundwork - I just had to put it in play!

Keep Reading Show less
People + Places

Paella Valenciana at Mi Luna

THOUGH IT'S BEEN in Houston less than a decade, Sof Hospitality has made major inroads with foodies and critics alike. Its concepts include Doris Metropolitan, Hamsa and Badolina Bakery, all of which deliver the rich flavors of Israeli cuisine in complex, photogenic and delicious dishes. Its newest, Októ, opened earlier this year, one of several energetic restaurants to bow in the Montrose Collective, just in time for the holidays.

Keep Reading Show less
Food

Bill Viola’s ‘Ascension,’ on display as part of ‘Living with the Gods’ at MFAH

THE ARTIST WHO ushered in the expressionist movement in the early 20th century was not, in fact, Picasso or Matisse. It was Paul Gauguin, whose career spanned the decades just preceding the turn of the century. The French painter is the subject of the Museum of Fine Arts’ latest exhibit, Gauguin in the World, which was organized by Henri Loyrette (formerly of the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay, Paris). The show, just one of the museum’s diverse winter season shows, debuted in Australia in June and will be on display through Feb. 16, 2025, at the MFAH, the only U.S. venue for the survey.

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment