Gorgeous Weather, Celeb Sightings and More: Inside MFAH’s Million-Dollar Weekend

Gorgeous Weather, Celeb Sightings and More: Inside MFAH’s Million-Dollar Weekend

Whitney Crane and Kate Upton (Photo by Wilson Parish)

SPOTTED: KATE UPTON at a chic, breezy luncheon at the lush Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens. A lively crowd dancing under chandeliers al fresco on a picture-perfect spring night. A pop-up LegoLand designed for creative minds of all ages. These were just a few of the diverse scenes that took place throughout the Bayou Bend Weekend benefiting the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.


The marathon weekend started off with a luncheon and fashion show chaired by Janet Gurwitch and Meredith Flores Barker. On one of the most beautiful days of the year, the sun was shining and the humidity was low as models donning 45 looks from Neiman Marcus took to the runway. Guests dined onchilled asparagus soup and lump-crab salad that was capped off with a flight of fruit sorbet.

On Saturday, more than 320 guests took part in the family-friendly Bayou Land celebration. Here, supporters and their kiddos explored different activities in themed areas like Barbie Land, Lego Land and Sports Land. The crowning jewel was the Bubble Palace!

The gorgeous spring weather continued through Sunday, when the Moonlight Sonata-themed Garden Party took place. Guests gathered in the estate’s gardens at twilight for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres before enjoying a seated dinner of pan-seared red snapper by City Kitchen. The weekend was capped off with dancing on the black-and-white checkered dance floor to the music of Anthony Caceres.

Rachel Bagwell; Julia Morales (Photo by Wilson Parish)

Rich and Nancy Kinder (Photo by Wilson Parish)

Ashley Seals, Heather Almond (photo by Wilson Parish)

Meredith Flores Barker; Gary Tinterow; Janet Gurwitch

Consuelo MacPherson; Laura Arnold; Maria Munoz; Vanessa Sanchez; Jennie Segal; Evelyn Pappas (Photo by Jenny Antill Clifton)

Courtney Freels; Kirby Lodholz (Photo by Wilson Parish)

Lisa Eads; Julia Eads Grazer (Photo by Wilson Parish)

Sloan Childers-Cummins; Maddison McConn; Phoebe Massey Cholnoky; Lily Schnitzer (Photo by Jenny Antill Clifton)

Stuart Winston; Josh Gaynor; Moti Ferder (Photo by Jenny Antill Clifton)

Stephanie Marchand; Rosangela Capabianco; Janie Luna; Elia Gabbanelli (Photo by Wilson Parish)

Ashley and Wes Dillard Family (Photo by Wilson Parish)

Colleen Kotts; Cynthia Petrello (Photo by Wilson Parish)

Debbie Dacus; Denise Wynne (Photo by Wilson Parish)

Jacob Stein; Lynden and Alexander Unger (Photo by Jenny Antill Clifton)

Karol and Paul Barnhart; Polly and Murry Bowden (Photo by Jenny Antill Clifton)

Emily and Olivia Kelting (Photo by Wilson Parish)

Lisa Hough and Erik Littlejohn (Photo by Wilson Parish)

Kenner and Wright Francis (Photo by Wilson Parish)

Parties

Seong-Jin Cho (photo by Harald Hoffman) and Catherine Russell both perform with the Symphony next season.

THIS WEEK, THE Houston Symphony and music director Juraj Valčuha shared the details for the symphony’s 2023-24 season. Now in his second season as music director, Valčuha has endeared himself to the musicians and audiences, be they long-standing subscribers or totally new to the rule of not clapping in-between movements, perhaps drawn to programming that has included a healthy dose of contemporary music. Then again, Houston audiences are pretty much up for whatever when it comes to the concert hall, and Valčuha has more than enough variety planned for 2023-24 to surprise and engage anyone with an open set of ears.

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Kathryn Dunlevie's 'Crossing' and a mixed-media paper collage by Tiffany Heng-Hui Lee

THREE SHOWS FEATURING new works by four female artists open this Saturday, April 1: Femmes Futuristes at Hooks-Epstein Galleries, a solo exhibition of photo collages on wood by Kathryn Dunlevie; Enchanted Garden & Friends at Koelsch Gallery, a two-person exhibition of charming paintings inspired by animals and nature by Gail Siptak and Sarah Thompson; and Immersed at Heidi Vaughn Fine Art, a solo exhibition of abstract, paper collages by Taiwanese-born, Houston artist Tiffany Heng-Hui Lee. All four artists a heartfelt concern for personal transformation and our collective relationship with the health of the natural world and our planet.

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Art + Entertainment