Remember when June meant long days at the pool, long road trips with the family and a long 3-month stretch without homework? Even if you’ve outgrown summer camp and Slip ’n Slides, there’s still a way to escape both the heat and the day’s demands: a variety of festivals and special art events await you!

Spacetaker presents Kerry Adams’ Waiting: Steps, No MovementJune 3–June 25, 2011

Opening Reception: June 3 @ 6 pm Spacetaker presents Waiting: Steps, No Movement, a new multimedia installation by conceptual artist Kerry Adams. Suspending dozens of windows throughout the gallery, Adams explores the concept of time and those moments in our day-to-day lives which pass without our awareness. The work invites viewers into an environment of suspended time, creating a space for recollecting and redefining the nature of those lost, indistinguishable moments. Spacetaker ARC (2101 Winter Street)– Free! www.spacetaker.org

Big Range Dance FestivalJune 6–18 (Performance times vary)

Now in its 9th year, the Big Range Dance Festival (a project by Suchu Dance) promises another collection of fresh, innovative and raw choreography from the most well-known and beloved choreographers and companies in Houston to some of the newest blood to emerge on the Houston dance scene. An artist-driven and artist-produced festival, the Big Range Dance Festival presents new works that explore diverse ideas, movement invention and dances that break boundaries. Barnevelder Theater (2201 Preston St.)– Tickets $14-20; $68 for festival pass. www.bigrange.org

Texas Music Festival at UH’s Moores School June 6–July 2

“Made in America” is the theme of the 22nd season of the Immanuel and Helen Olshan Texas Music Festival with nearly 50 public performances, master classes and seminars by the Festival Orchestra, faculty artists, institute participants (jazz, piano, voice) and the Classical Minds Guitar Festival and Competition. Ranging from jazz to music by 20th and 21st-century American classical composers, concerts include works by Houston’s own David Ashley White and Chris Theofanidis, as well as Copland, Dvorak and Mahler, to name a few. UH Moores Opera House (I-45 at Cullen Blvd., Entrance #16). For tickets and full concert schedule, call 713.743.3313 or visit www.tmf.uh.edu.

Ars Lyrica presents Forbidden Pleasures June 10 @ 7:30 pm

Ars Lyrica’s season concludes with the flamboyant music of the castrati, including works by Alessandro Scarlatti written during the prohibition of opera in Rome. Forbidden Pleasures features internationally acclaimed British countertenor Ryland Angel, in his début with Ars Lyrica, and beloved Houston soprano Melissa Givens. Zilkha Hall(Hobby Center for the Performing Arts)– Tickets starting at $31. www.arslyricahouston.org

Luck of the Draw 10: Revolution! @ DiverseWorksJune 22 @ 6:30 pm

Viva la revolution! Great art by locally and nationally renowned artists is made available to the masses at affordable prices through DiverseWorks’ highly anticipated summer auction, Luck of the Draw 10: Revolution!  Buy your Art Chance ticket and when your number is called, choose from more than 200 outstanding selections. We promise it will be radical! DiverseWorks Art Space (1117 E. Freeway)– Tickets starting at $25; Art Chance tickets $125. www.diverseworks.org

This May, you may be wondering what you do with your time. You may be wanting to branch out and sample some of Houston’s indie art and performance. Here are a few good places where you can start!

Virtuosi Encore 15: Honoring Houston’s Music Philanthropists | May 7 @ 6pm

Virtuosi of Houston is glamming it up for its annual gala dinner and concert – A Magical Evening of Memories and Music, celebrates Virtuosi’s 15th season of chamber music performances, designed to increase education and performance opportunities for Houston’s exceptionally gifted middle and high school age musicians, as well as honoring seven philanthropic couples who have contributed to the continued growth of classical music. Legends Ballroom of the Hotel InterContinental – Individual tickets $250 to $2,500. For tickets and more info, call 713.807.0888 or visit www.virtuosiofhouston.org.

Psophonia Dance Company presents Rip in the Atmosphere with Guest Company 6’ May 12-14 @ 8pm; May 15 @ 7pm

Join Psophonia Dance at Earth’s highest altitudes… where weightlessness ensues, everyday reality ends and abandonment is natural. But what if the ability to control your body stopped working at ground level? In Rip in the Atmosphere, Psophonia’s sensory deprivation is your sensory overload. Soaked in strong visuals and an original sound score, this mixed repertoire of the senses is sure to upset your equilibrium. Let it rip! Barnevelder Movement Arts Complex, 2201 Preston – Tickets $14 in advance / $18 at door. www.psophonia.com

Cast in Plastic: Art from the Designer Toy Revolution | May 14 @ 7pm

34 hand-selected artists from around the globe come together to showcase their diverse concepts, backgrounds and skills utilizing a variety of vinyl toy platforms at Domy Books. Cast in Plastic introduces H-town to the custom toy scene (no, not that kind of toy!), whether it be buying, selling, collecting or creating. Domy Books, Houston (1709 Westheimer) – Free! www.castinplastic.blogspot.com

Writers in the Schools (WITS) presents The Watchful Eye May 19 @ 7pm

Writers-in-the-Schools (WITS) has developed a unique program (initiated with the support of the Menil Collection in 1989) in which 2nd-12th grade students visiting the museum write poetry and prose inspired by the work on view. At this event students will read their works inspired by the photographs in the Civil Rights exhibit, The Whole World Was Watching. The Menil Collection (1515 Sul Ross Street) – Free! www.witshouston.org

Spacetaker presents Artist Kerry Adams June 3 – June 25, 2011 | Opening Reception: June 3 @ 6pm

Spacetaker presents a new exhibition by conceptual artist Kerry Adams comprised of multimedia sculptures and installations addressing the passage of time in our everyday lives – particularly moments between sleeping, eating, working and tending to responsibilities which occur without notice. Using intricate handwork for temporal reference, Adams explores time as a unifying theme across cultural differences. www.spacetaker.org

It’s been said that “if you can’t find anything to do in Houston, you’re doing it wrong.” No kidding! As the annual April Fool’s hoaxes grow stale, you can tickle your fancy at one of the many events on tap this month. Don’t take advantage of our vibrant art scene and the joke’s on you!

Menil Community Arts Festival

April 2, 11-5pm

For the third year, the Menil campus nonprofit art organizations join forces to present a day of art for the community that is free for the whole family to enjoy. From chamber music performances to literary readings and open galleries, the day will highlight the diversity of the Menil neighborhood arts community from West Alabama to Richmond Avenue. Menil Campus, 1515 Sul Ross – Free.

www.menilcommunityartsfestival.org

photo Credit by Christina Koci Hernandez

Inprint presents Kay Ryan

April 11, 7:30pm

The 2010/2011 Inprint Margarett Root Brown Reading Series celebrates National Poetry Month with former U.S. Poet Laureate Kay Ryan, whose major poetry collections include The Niagara River, Say Uncle, Elephant Rocks and Flamingo Watching (a finalist for both the Lamont Poetry Selection and the Lenore Marshall Prize). Publishers Weekly says, “Her tiny, skinny poems pack a punch unlike anything else in contemporary poetry.” Alley Theatre – $5. www.inprinthouston.org

AURA Dance Concert: Between the Lines

April 15, 7:30pm

The University of Houston Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts presents an evening of world premiere choreography and contemporary chamber music with the UH Dance Ensemble, UH Saxophone Studio and AURA Contemporary Ensemble. Directed by Rob Smith and presented in collaboration with the Moores School of Music. Moores Opera House at the University of Houston – $15.

www.mitchellcenterforarts.org

Klytemnestra

April 15 & 16 at 8pm

Divergence Vocal Theater presents a world premier multi-discipline spectacle, Klytemnestra – a powerful, cunning, murderous Greek heroine and the original subversive female. Inspired by the University of Houston Honors College Center for Creative Work Dionysia, the evening features music by Dominick DiOrio, sung text by Misha Penton, spoken text by John Harvey and choreography by Meg Brooker. Saturday night after-party features live music by Chris Becker and interactive media by Culture Pilot. Divergence Music & Arts (Spring Street Studios) – Pay What You Wish ($20 suggested donation). www.divergencevocaltheater.org

A Light in the Forest celebrating Earth Day

April 20, 7pm

Writers in the Schools (WITS) and The Houston Arboretum and Nature Center partner to present nature writing by Houston students in celebration of Earth Day, showcasing the best work that was created during the year through the WITS Environmental Writing Project. The event will kick off the annual Houston Young Writers Reading Series, honoring the finest student writing in the city. Houston Arboretum and Nature Center (4501 Woodway) – Free. www.witshouston.org/events

This is Displacement

April 28-June 11, Opening April 28, 6pm

DiverseWorks presents one of the largest multi-disciplinary surveys of contemporary Native American Artists that Houston has ever seen. Curated through an open call, This is Displacement features over 40 artists whose work from various disciplines relates to experiences of displacement – its effects, ills, joys, discomforts and never-ending complexities. DiverseWorks ArtSpace (1117 East Freeway) – Free. www.diverseworks.org

“March” may conjure up images of Caesar or green beer… or it might mean the end of the winter season. (Though the term ‘winter’ is typically used loosely ’round these parts.) Whatever March may bring to mind, may it also mean a trip to the  theatre, gallery or concert hall!

Jazz Salon: Chicago with Delfeayo Marsalis

March 11 @ 7:30pm

Divas World presents “Jazz Salon: Chicago,” produced by jazz trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis and featuring a variety of jazz styles, from early swing to blues to popular standards, along with music from Benny Goodman, Albert & Gene Ammons, Dinah Washington and Frankie Laine. In the tradition of the Divas Salon series, the performance will incorporate discussion and commentary to provide a concert experience that stimulates all the senses. Zilkha Hall (Hobby Center) – $25.

www.thehobbycenter.org/713.315.2525.

Contemporary Salon: Johan Grimonprez

March 23 @ 6:30pm

Join the University of Houston Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts and Blaffer Art Museum for a discussion of Johan Grimonprez’s exhibition It’s a Poor Sort of Memory That Only Works Backwards. Grimonprez has achieved international acclaim with his film essay, Dial H-I-S-T-O-R-Y, followed by Looking for Alfred. In his films, he mixes reality and fiction in an innovative fashion to present contemporary history from multiple perspectives. Blaffer Art Museum, University of Houston – Free. www.mitchellcenterforarts.org

DiverseWorks presents The North Wind and The Sun Group Show

Opening reception: March 11 @ 6-9pm

DiverseWorks partners with Artadia and Chicago’s Hyde Park Art Center to showcase some of the best artists in the South and the Midwest through an exhibit exchange of the 2008 Artadia awardees. Chicago represents in Houston in this cross-country cultural showdown, which features Melika Bass, Juan Angel Chavez, Jim Duignan, Theaster Gates, Kim Kaczynski, Dutes Miller & Stan Shellabarger, and Kim Piotrowski. DiverseWorks (1117 East Freeway) – Free. www.diverseworks.org

Kristina Wong’s Cat Lady @ DiverseWorks

March 24-26 @ 7:30pm

CAT LADY is an interdisciplinary performance blending the parallel worlds of two pathetically lonely personas living at the margins of gender and society – musty cat ladies and fast-talking male pick-up artists. This multimedia theater piece incorporates the psychology behind hoarding (both of animals and humans) and Kristina Wong’s attempts to simultaneously end racism and get her cat to stop spraying. DiverseWorks ArtSpace (1117 East Freeway) – $20-$10.

www.diverseworks.org / 713.335.3445

Ars Lyrica presents St. John Passion

March 27 @ 5pm

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) never wrote an opera, but his setting of the passion narrative from the New Testament Gospel of John is sacred drama of the highest order.  This beloved work, presented in collaboration with the Moores School of Music Concert Chorale, features tenor Tony Boutté as the Evangelist and a stellar lineup of soloists and players. Zilkha Hall – $21+.

www.arslyricahouston.org

It’s easy to fall in love with Houston’s cultural clique when it’s as attractive and arousing as it is this month. You can flirt shamelessly with a variety of music, dance and art – there’s a little sumpin’ sumpin’ for everyone who likes to get around! Doesn’t your heart just skip a beat?

It’s easy to fall in love with Houston’s cultural clique when it’s as attractive and arousing as it is this month. You can flirt shamelessly with a variety of music, dance and art – there’s a little sumpin’ sumpin’ for everyone who likes to get around! Doesn’t your heart just skip a beat?

The Candy Shop by the Montrose Art Society February 5 @ 6pm

The Montrose Art Society’s group exhibition, The Candy Shop: A Sweet and Spicy Experience, explores the dynamic cultural effects of the growing infusion of Latin and South Americans in the U.S. today, with a focus on something sweet: candy. Spacetaker ARC (2101 Winter Street) – Free. www.montroseartsociety.com

Dominic Walsh Dance Theater’s Second Course – Winter Mixed Rep

February 10-12 @ 7:30pm

DWDT is the first American company to obtain the rights to perform Pas de Dans by Swedish choreographer Mats Ek – hailed as one of Europe’s most creative and influential dance-makers. Following is the world premiere of Walsh’s Victor Frankenstein based on Mary Shelley’s classic novel and co-conceived by local writer Addie Tsai. Hobby Center (800 Bagby) – tickets start at $25. www.dwdt.org

Inprint presents poets Jackson and Ostriker on Valentine’s Day

February 14 @ 7:30pm

The Inprint Margarett Root Brown Reading Series presents a romantic evening of poetry featuring Major Jackson and Alicia Ostriker. Jackson, poetry editor at Harvard Review, is author of the poetry collections Leaving Saturn, Hoops and Holding Company. Ostriker, world-renowned poet, literary critic and nonfiction writer, is the author of 12 poetry collections, including The Book of Seventy. Alley Theatre (615 Texas Ave.) – $5. www.inprinthouston.org

Loft Concert: Answers to Questions

February 17 @ 6:30pm

The UH Mitchell Center and contemporary music group Musiqa, in collaboration with the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, present a world premiere performance featuring composer/conductor Bill Ryan and violinist Todd Reynolds. This informal, intimate “loft” concert responds to the CAMH exhibition, Answers to Questions. CAMH (5216 Montrose Blvd.) – Free.

Dance Source & DiverseWorks present 12 Minutes Max! February 24 & 25 @ 7:30pm

12 Minutes Max! showcases new works by some of Houston’s brightest emerging choreographic artists. Dance Source Houston curates an unforgettable and exciting night of talent, featuring works by Daniel Adame, Lydia Polhemus Hance, Maggie Lasher, Karen Stokes and Toni Leago Valle. www.diverseworks.org

The Pootail Collection at Spacetaker ARC

February 26 @ 5pm

Spacetaker presents The Pootail Collection, a new multimedia exhibition by neurologist-cum-artist Jude Theriot featuring small and large-scale art objects anchored in the spirit and unbridled exhilaration of childhood creativity, curiosity and wonder. Spacetaker ARC (2101 Winter Street) – Free. www.spacetaker.org

Robert Bates in concert with Ars Lyrica

February 27 @ 6pm

Renowned organist Robert Bates and Ars Lyrica Houston, a Grammy-nominated early music ensemble under the direction of Matthew Dirst, team up for a program of concertos, including Handel’s The Cucu and the Nightingale featuring the new Baroque-style organ at St. Philip Presbyterian Church (4807 San Felipe) – $15. www.musicatsaintphilip.net/concerts

Whether you’re an ‘auld acquaintance’ or the new kid on the block, there are several art affairs off the beaten path to strike your fancy after the auspicious stroke of midnight this month. But in between renewing your gym membership, buying a nicotine patch and organizing your closet, please consider a new year’s resolution to explore your local art community. It’s one of the few resolutions that’s easy to keep!

The Specter of Nature at Spacetaker Artist Resource Center
Opening Reception, January 8 @ 5pm; through January 29

In her exhibition The Specter of Nature, fine art photographer Stephanie Anne Clark creates hybrid images in an effort to explore relationships between materiality and ideals within representation – cutting and staging photographs and decorative materials to reframe them through a lens of fantasy and make believe. In a childlike setting where light plays with shadows, figures emerge from cutout foliage like paper dolls trapped in a space that straddles the real and unreal. Spacetaker ARC (Winter Street Studios at 2101 Winter) – Free. For details, visit www.spacetaker.org.

Voix et Harpe with Divergence Vocal Theater
January 15 @ 2:30pm

Luxuriate in an afternoon of French voice and harp music paired with poetry of longing, love and other sultry Frenchiness, as well as dance inspired by Belle Époque barefoot icon, Isadora Duncan. Misha Penton, soprano. Joanna Elliott Whitsett, harp. Meg Brooker, dancer. Miranda Herbert, actor. Gallery Conversations presented by the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Free with general museum admission. www.divergencevocaltheater.org

Inprint presents Peter Carey
January 24 @ 7:30pm

The 2010/2011 Inprint Margarett Root Brown Reading Series presents Australian-born author Peter Carey, two-time winner of the Man Booker Prize and author of 11 critically acclaimed novels, including Oscar and Lucinda, Illywhacker, True History of the Kelly Gang and Jack Maggs. The Denver Post describes his most recent novel, Parrot and Olivier in America, from which he will read, as “nothing short of captivating . . . one timely work of historical fiction.” The reading will be followed by an on-stage interview, book sale and signing. General admission tickets $5 – Alley Theatre, 615 Texas Ave.  www.inprinthouston.org

Main Street Theater presents The Year of Magical Thinking
January 2 –February 13 (Previews January 22, 23, 26)

Claire Hart-Palumbo will perform Joan Didion’s adaptation of her stunning memoir about the sudden death of her husband, John Gregory Dunne, and the prolonged illness of her only daughter. “Capturing the compassion, humor and bewilderment of a fiercely intelligent woman whose world lurches suddenly from the ordinary to the unimaginable, The Year of Magical Thinking is a love letter to a child and a tribute to an extraordinary, unconventional marriage told with raw candor and a storyteller’s gift for the absurd.” (Playbill) Tickets $26-40; previews $10; $5 on Friday, January 28. www.MainStreetTheater.com

And something for the foodies…

GASTRONANZA 2011, supporting HIVE
January 13 @ 6pm

Experience the flavors of Farrago, t’afia, Sorrento and Indika while testing your taste buds with wines from Spec’s or scotch from Dewar’s – all to benefit the execution of HIVE, an affordable, environmentally responsible, inhabitable work of art. The concept of HIVE (recently featured in CAMH’s No Zoning exhibition) is an emerging live-work space created from nearly 500 recycled steel shipping containers. AvantGarden (411 Westheimer) – $20 suggested donation. For more information, visit www.hivehouston.org.

By Jenni Rebecca Stephenson