Blast 3.4


Andy Warhol’s Evolution as an Artist Spotlighted in New Downtown Exhibit

INSTANTANEOUS BEAUTY, CURRENTLY on view through April 6 at UH Downtown’s O’Kane Gallery, is an intriguing exhibit of pop artist Andy Warhol’s photographs and related artworks, with a focus on his prescient and very business-minded fascination with high society and celebrity culture.

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Bows in Montrose with Wild New Chef-Driven Flavor — You’ll Go Bananas!

NOW THAT THE sun is finally shining, we can start screaming about ice cream. Van Leeuwan Ice Cream is continuing its expansion by scooping up hot spots around Houston. The latest opening, and the first food establishment in the new Montrose Collective, includes a collaboration on a new flavor, Bananas for Cheese, with Masterchef winner Christine Ha. Chef Ha, who is legally blind, was recently picked as a Best Chef (Texas) semifinalist with partner Tony J. Nguyen of Xin Chao for the upcoming 2022 James Beard Awards.

Post-Harvey and Covid, HGO Reveals a Delightfully ‘Normal’ 2022-2023 Season

Chris Becker

ON FEB. 28, INSIDE the Houston Grand Opera’s new costume shop, which houses a dedicated team of designers who saw several decades-worth of wigs and other hand-sewn regalia washed away by Hurricane Harvey, HGO General Director and CEO Khori Dastoor and Artistic and Music Director Patrick Summers introduced the company’s 2022-2023 season to a small group of journalists.
promoted

Leadership in Action: Entrepreneur Saba Syed of Moroccan Bath Determined to Build ‘Lasting Legacy’

Saba Syed, Founder of Oasis Moroccan Bath

How did you get to where you are today? My journey began with a need to be financially independent and an even a deeper drive to create a lasting legacy. The centuries-old Hammam tradition has always fascinated me—not just for its relaxation benefits, but for its holistic approach to cleansing the body, mind, and soul. So, combining my passion with a vision to bring an authentic yet luxurious Hammam spa experience to Houston, I took the leap less than two years ago to open my own spa.

Keep Reading Show less
music

With New Concept Album, Jacob Hilton Processes Mental-Health Struggles

Dakota Garrett

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.”)

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment