Festive, Philanthropic Dinner Gets to the 'Art' of the Matter

Daniel Ortiz
Festive, Philanthropic Dinner Gets to the 'Art' of the Matter

Trisha Weisman, Julia Gorga, Neera Patidar, Amanda Abiassi

CREATING AND VIEWING art has proven beneficial in medical and clinical settings — not only to patients, who experience greater healing, but also to the physicians and nurses, who report higher workplace satisfaction. As a global capital of medicine, Houston fittingly boasts an organization dedicated to just that: The Arts of Healing Foundation. Its annual holiday fundraiser raised more than $260,000 for physician and patient art programs.

The evening took place at the Post Oak Hotel, where more than 350 supporters turned out for a dinner and art show celebrating this year's honorees — Houston doctors — and beneficiary, The Sunshine Kids. A cocktail reception took place in the lobby amid an exclusive art show featuring works by some 20 local physicians. Holiday-glam guests perused the works before being ushered into the ballroom, where they first picked up a flute of bubbly from a stunning Champagne tower created by Blooming Gallery.


Valobra Master Jewelers donated a pair of drop earrings adorned with a total of 30 carats of amethysts surrounded by pink sapphires for the raffle, which was a hit! Another art exhibit in the ballroom displayed works by dozens of children who participated in the foundation's Summer Art Series Program, led by local docs in collaboration with The Sunshine Kids, which is a nonprofit group that provides resources to pediatric cancer patients.

After dinner, partygoers hit the dance floor to boogie down to hits by Password.

“This has been by far one of our most successful programs to date,” said Arts of Healing's executive director, Kristen Collins, in a statement. “We knew this was going to be a successful program, but we were overwhelmed with emotions with the result. The art was absolutely amazing and each piece incredibly personal of each child. Our response from our doctors was equally as powerful and truly met our mission word for word. We cannot wait to share this with the world.”

DeeAnn Thigpen, Jentry Kelley, Nadia Hafeez

Amita and Karan Bhalla

Dean Moore

Sarah Devon, Jacy and Grant Cooper

Loriana Zaid, Amal Khalaf, Dr. Khaled Khalaf, Chuck Ganim, Hanin Alqoreishy

Henry Mentz, Paula Mentz, Dr. James Mentz. Julie Shaffer, Nadia Hafeez, Travis Weaver

Troy Clendenin, Mia Gradney

Isaac and Lori Raijman

Art by The Sunshine Kids

Parties

Jacob Hilton, a.k.a. Travid Halton, at home in his kitchen, where he enjoys cooking as a form of therapy.

PINK FLOYD'S THE Wall. Sinatra’s In the Wee Small Hours. Beyonce’s Lemonade. Three divergent examples of the album as a cathartic, psychological, conceptual work, meant to be experienced in a single sitting. Houston singer-songwriter Jacob Hilton, 37, who records as Travid Halton, a portmanteau of his mother and father’s names, might balk at being mentioned in such company. (This is a thoroughly unpretentious man, who describes himself as an “archaeologist turned singer-songwriter.”)

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Art + Entertainment

How did you get to where you are today? The present moment is a combined history of my family, my time as an athlete, my passion for learning, and my desire to see the world be better. I grew up as a successful springboard and platform diver, however, an injury caused me to seek alternative treatments to heal my body. In that process, I discovered the power of yoga, exercise, meditation, mindset, and nutrition. This holistic approach eventually led me to open a Pilates and cycling studio called DEFINE body & mind. I opened studios around the nation, and after selling most of my business between 2017-2019, I was ready to explore how I could make an even greater impact on the wellbeing of our community. In 2023, I started actively working on a brand new multi-family/apartment concept called, Define Living. The idea focused on offering health and wellness services within a beautiful apartment setting to increase the wellbeing of our residents. Having a strong sense of community is the number one factor in living a happy life, so why not build a community where daily fitness, cooking classes, and social connection are the norm? We opened Define Living in March of 2024, and we couldn’t be happier with how things are being received. We are already looking at building more concepts like this in the Houston area and beyond.

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