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Gelato and Giving Back: Una Notte Italiana for Vita Living

Gelato and Giving Back: Una Notte Italiana for Vita Living

Brian Crawmer, Sarah Crawmer, Marilyn, and David Guion

VITA LIVING WELCOMED over 300 guests to its annual Pearls of Wisdom Fiesta at the River Oaks Country Club. This year’s dinner — themed Una Notte Italiana — raised more than $207,000 in support of lifelong care for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

In true Italian style, the evening began with a lively cocktail hour featuring Aperol Spritzes and a silent auction. Top items included a six-night Colorado retreat, a private casita stay in the Yucatán, and Golden Koi, a striking photograph by Joe C. Aker. Guests.

Dinner in the ballroom followed, where guests — dressed in bright Italian summer colors — enjoyed an Italian meal and an inspiring program. Emcee Kip Altstaetter opened the evening, followed by remarks from CEO Joseph Cooper and event co-chairs Kristen Perrin, Pamela Perilloux and Bryan P. Smith. A moving video presentation highlighted testimonials from those touched by Vita Living’s work.

The live auction brought plenty of energy, led by auctioneer Johnny Bravo. The night ended on a sweet note with an After Event Toast and gelato bar, where guests finished the night in dolce vita fashion.

Kara Willis, Chacole Santiago

Allison Padon and Luke Fechtman

Christina O'Donnell and Larry O'Donnell

Isabel Wynn, Livi Ingram, and Larkin Steen

John Hoffman, Beth Hoffman

Johnny Bravo

Niki Galbert, Lorrie Chretien

Myrla Menn, Roberto Vanegas, and Myrla Vanegas

Peter Cawthorne, Krystyna Cawthrone, John Hoffman, Beth Hoffman

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Through Lenses of 12 Black Artists, CAMH Presents Visual History of Houston’s Freedmen’s Town

Installation view of 'THIS WAY: A Houston Group Show' at Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, 2023. (Photo by Sean Fleming)

IN THE SUMMER of 1865, less than two months after the end of the Civil War, thousands of former slaves, or “freedpeople,” from the Texas countryside and every state in the former Confederacy made the pilgrimage via the San Felipe Trail to Houston’s Fourth Ward and established Freedman’s Town — a neighborhood for families determined to build and establish a thriving community as the country entered the Reconstruction era. Nearby cypress trees provided wood to construct family homes and handcrafted bricks were used to create the neighborhood’s streets. In June 2021, the Houston City Council voted to make Freedmen’s Town the city’s first official Heritage District, which allows nonprofits to help fund the restoration and care of the community’s historic structures, including those brick streets.

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Two Artists Cultivate Friendship from Halfway Across the Globe — and Show Their Work at a Houston Gallery

Moseholm's 'Infinite Mapping of Changing Worlds' and Mosman's 'Inheritance'

THE FRUITS OF a cross-cultural, multigenerational friendship are on display in Things Fall Apart, an exhibit across two galleries at Redbud Arts Center. The show features recent paintings by New Orleans-born, Houston-based artist Randall Mosman and Copenhagen’s Anders Moseholm; it opens Saturday, Jan. 6, and runs through Jan. 27.

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