Shannon Hall, Marcus Sloan, Leigh Smith and Tony Bradfield
Bill Viola’s ‘Ascension,’ on display as part of ‘Living with the Gods’ at MFAH
Gauguin famously — and somewhat controversially, as he’s often accused of cultural appropriation — enjoyed the latter part of his life in Tahiti, where he deemed himself free from European and Western influences and norms. The art created there is among his most iconic, “returning to the questions that haunted him as an artist — the challenges that he set himself and solved in his quest for his own identity,” says Loyrette.
The MFAH’s winter season also includes 150 Years of Design, a joint project with the Houston chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The organizations’ collaboration is the only one of its kind in the country; they’ve curated hundreds of architect-designed objects made beginning in 1880 — furniture, metalwork, ceramics, glass, lighting and industrial design. It runs through next summer.
Living with the Gods: Art, Beliefs, and Peoples, on view until Jan. 20, 2025, is another expansive exhibit, this one featuring ancient and contemporary works depicting humanity’s relationship with spirituality over the course of 4,000 years. Objects are displayed across 11 different galleries, transversing themes of the cosmos, light, water and fire; the mysteries of life and death; the divine word; and pilgrimage. Meanwhile, Grounded in Clay: The Spirit of Pueblo Pottery explores a specific medium as a vessel, both literally and figuratively, for indigenous narratives.
Finally, a collection of contemporary images depicts the role of photography in social and political movements in Cuba from the 1960s to the 2010s. Navigating the Waves: Contemporary Cuban Photography, on view through Aug. 3, 2025, explores “individual identity, the body and spirit, Afro-Cuban heritage, and the margins of society, all while navigating the changing prescriptions and proscriptions of official cultural policy,” says the museum.
Meanwhile, at the museum’s Glassell School of Art, Dec. 6-8, visitors can shop artworks — jewelry, prints, ceramics, paintings and more — by talented students.
‘The Offering of a Sentient Cry,’ by Tuan Andrew Nguyen, from ‘Living with the Gods’
Adjustable table lamp c. 1951, part of ‘150 Years of Design’
Alberto Korda’s ‘Guerillero Heroico,’ from ‘Navigating the Waves'
Cirque du Soleil's 'Echo'
1. On, Dancer
Houston Ballet’s Connor Walsh and Sara Webb in ‘In the Night’
In the midst of its always-celebrated production of The Nutcracker, the Houston Ballet’s annual Jubilee of Dance (Dec. 6-8) includes the premiere of a new work by choreographer Brett Ishida and a toast to principal dancers Connor Walsh and Jessica Collado’s 20th season with the company. Spring brings a trio of expressive ballets fusing contemporary and classic: In the Night (Feb. 27-March 9) will include Irish-folk number Celts, Stanton Welch’s Maninyas, and, naturally, Jerome Robbins’ In the Night.
2. Night Lights
Dubbed a “multisensory holiday escape,” Artechouse is an interactive digital-art space near M-K-T in the Heights. Its exhibits Spectacular Factory — an exploration of a holiday toy factory — and Tingle Bells promise to capture the nostalgia and festvitiy of the season. Raise a glass at the city’s only “extended reality” bar, inside Artechouse.
3. By a Thread
Bumin Kim’s thread-and-acrylic piece ‘Spring Shadows’
Houston’s galleries are full of gems year-round, especially during the holiday season. At Anya Tish Gallery, Hedwige Jacobs’ whimsical drawings and animations — inspired by her time living in Indonesia, particularly the overwhelming presence of cardboard shipping boxes — populate the walls through Dec. 28. In January, Korea-born and Texas-based artist Bumin Kim hangs colorful new thread-and-acrylic pieces. The Montrose gallery also curated a group show called Hurry Up, You’re Dreaming in the lobby of 700 Louisiana; works by József Bullás, HJ Bott and others explore the allure of the Op Art movement of the 1960s.
4. Home Girl
Hidden-gem music venue Heights Theater hosts a handful of homegrown stars this winter, including Hayes Carll (Dec. 7-8), Jack Ingram (Dec. 19), and jazz songstress Kat Edmonson (pictured, Feb. 16).
5. 'Nature' Calls
The dragon tunnel at Houston Botanic Garden
Houston Botanic Garden’s illuminated holiday exhibit has been popular for a few years running. This season, HBG brings back Radiant Nature (through Feb. 23), a dynamic, artist-created light show celebrating the Lunar New Year. Immersive and photo-friendly installations — plus plenty of pit stops for hot chocolate and more — will have guests of all ages lighting up!
6. Big Top!
‘Echo’ arrives in February.
Cirque du Soleil returns to Houston with Echo, an all-new production (its 20th!) that will set up at Sam Houston Race Park in February. Filled with dynamic lights and projections, quirky characters and awe-inspiring acrobatics, the fantastical show explores the sacred bond between humans, animals and nature. Echo runs Feb. 6 to March 9.
7. A Festive 'Flourish'
‘Untitled (Overcast)’ by Rubinstein
The landscape-inspired abstractions by New York’s Heather Bause Rubinstein cover the walls of Barbara Davis Gallery until Jan. 10. The show, Flourish + Fade, is comprised of huge oil-on-canvas paintings that were largely created during Rubinstein’s stint in Houston — she called it a “self-created residency” — in early 2024.
8. Cool Cat
A pioneer in the immersive-art world, Meow Wolf has expanded to Houston with Radio Tave, created by 100 artists, many of whom are local. The experience begins with guests walking into what looks like a radio station — but office drawers, doors (even the fridge!), and windows offer portals into new worlds, each surreal and otherworldly in its own way.