Avenue Gets to the Art of the Matter

Local nonprofit Avenue is kicking off the holiday shopping season in artful style with its 22^nd annual Art on the Avenue event, this weekend at Winter Street Studios.

It’s Houston’s largest silent art auction, with more than 250 artists showcasing hundreds of works from paintings and sculptures to artisan jewelry and accessories, with all proceeds benefiting Avenue’s mission to ensure affordable housing and stimulate economic development in Houston’s underserved neighborhoods.

Plus, at the Thursday-night preview party and the main auction on Saturday, the event’s culinary curator Shepard Ross shows off his signature cocktail — the Tito’s-vodka-fueled mouthful called Kadinsky’s Biomorphic Abstract Mule — alongside art-inspired bites from hot spots like International Smoke and Poitín.

The auction annually raises well over half a million dollars, and this year’s event is expected to far surpass that total, as the city’s post-Harvey generosity is still alive and well — much to the delight of Avenue.