Creative Houston

Houston Video Artist Gaining National Recognition

You may have seen Lauren Kelley's video Big Gurl at Lawndale Art Center in 2006. Houston Chronicle: Local artist Lauren Kelley won Altoids Awards, 2008-Apr-29, by Lisa Gray: The funny, poignant little video became Kelley's calling card, and she used it to apply for a prestigious two-year fellowship at the Museum of Fine Arts' Core program. She was surprised to win it: The MFAH had rejected her before, and she knew that usually, Core Fellows are stars fresh out of grad school, imported from cities more glamorous than our own. In March, Big Gurl boosted Kelley again. New York's New Museum announced that, based on the movie, she'd won one of the first four Altoids Awards for emerging artists: $25,000 and a slot in the Altoids Award group show this June.The prize is a big deal. It's a lot of money for an art award -- but even more prestige.

Rice Students Further New Literary Trend

Houston Chronicle: Rice sex magazine makes its virgin launch with Open, 2008-Apr-29, by Maggie Galehouse: In recent years, sex magazines at elite colleges and universities have tried to tap the omnivorous sexual appetite of the student body. Published by and for students, these provocative start-ups offer a rich but random sexual buffet: from full-on pornography featuring that hot guy or girl you've seen around campus to titillating personal essays that suggest much more than they reveal. Rice University is the latest to dabble in the fringe trend. Open Magazine is the school's first student publication devoted to textual and sexual pursuits -- 68 pages of news articles, essays, photos, poems, even graphics on sex and sexuality." Ideally, it should be for anybody," says Rachel Solnick, sophomore and editor in chief, who gave copies to some of her professors and put the magazine online at www.rice.edu/openmagazine. "I think it has a pretty mature tone."

Design Influence in Houston Spotlighted by Mayor, Alchemy Awards

Houston Chronicle: Dollars and design in Houston, 2008-Apr-25, by Lisa Gray: The press release declaring Friday "World Day of Design in Houston" quoted Mayor Bill White: "Design professionals and their work are driving forces in Houston's economy today."Design in its various guises accounts for 5,000 jobs in Houston, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Though that number is impressive, and higher than I'd have guessed, the industry obviously doesn't threaten to displace energy or health care as one of the city's major employers. But design does shape the way that people see the city. To quote White again: Design "generates the energy that makes Houston a place people want to be." By elevating Houston's quality of life, he said, good design makes the city more attractive to the people we want to attract. Ann Taylor, who works for Origin Design, points out that a city's design especially matters to recent college graduates, highly sought-after employees who most often choose where they want to live before they interview for jobs.

First Alchemy Award Winners Announced

Houston Chronicle: Dollars and design in Houston, 2008-Apr-25, by Lisa Gray: Of the five Alchemy Awards handed out Friday, two went to "health" and "energy," powerhouse industries that (ahem) aren't known for their attention to beauty. But then, aesthetic considerations were only one of the awards' five criteria. Judges gave "creative excellence" the same weight as "innovation," "community impact," "environmental responsibility" and the particularly Houston criterion "financial viability."

• The winners were:" In the "Food" category, Monica Pope, the chef behind t'afia and Beaver's.
• For "Shelter," Hines Interests, the developer that gave the Houston skyline many of its best buildings.
• For "Health," the University of Texas School of Nursing at Houston.
  
• For "Energy," Horizon Wind Energy (formerly Zilkha Renewable Energy).
• For "Catalyst," Anne Olson of the Buffalo Bayou Partnership.

Updating Houston Building Code to be More Green

The Houston City Council is working to update our building codes to include the most sensible and appropriate tactics which will make our buildings more energy efficient. Houston Chronicle: Code would force more 'green' building designs in Houston, 2008-Apr-28, by Carolyn Feibel: Houston builders will have to incorporate "green" design techniques such as heat-trapping vestibules and "cool roofs" that deflect sunlight under a proposed new energy code for commercial buildings.The City Council could pass the new code for commercial buildings on Wednesday. A new residential code also is being developed and could come before the council next month.

Nurse Practitioner Opens Clinic for Underserved

Melanie Ryan Morris has opened Cure Health and Wellness clinic at 6009 Richmond Ave. Houston Business Journal: Richmond clinic offers healthy alternative, 2008-Apr-25, by Monica Perin: "Our goal is to keep people out of the emergency room, improve their overall health and prevent future costly and life-threatening conditions," Morris says. ...."I started seeing a lot of women who were working and made just a little too much money to be eligible for low-income health assistance -- a lot of small-business workers and college students don't qualify for that," says Morris,... The location on Richmond was chosen precisely because there are "so many restaurant workers and dancers around here," Morris says.

Rice U., Lockheed Martin team up for Nanotechnology Research

Houston Chronicle: Rice, Lockheed Martin team up on nano project, 2008-Apr-21, by Brad Hem: Rice University and aerospace giant Lockheed Martin announced Monday a new nanotechnology research partnership that will be based at the Houston campus. The Lockheed Martin Advanced Nanotechnology Center of Excellence at Rice University, or LANCER, will start by working on about six projects a year. It will apply areas of nanotechnology -- which refers to the application of tiny materials, at a scale of billionths of a yard -- to a variety of sciences.

2008 Fortune 500 List shows Texas Tops in Headquarters

Houston Chronicle: Texas now tops nation in Fortune 500 headquarters, 2008-Apr-21, by Brad Hem: At No. 5, ConocoPhillips was the highest-ranked Houston company. Houston was a big contributor to boosting the state's rank. The area has 26 Fortune 500 companies this year, up from 23 a year ago. While the energy industry helped drive Houston into the top slot, the state's economic diversity was also apparent. San Antonio-based AT&T made a big jump from No. 27 to No. 10. Computer maker Dell and food distributor Sysco also were in the top 100.

Houston Vocalist Steps Out and Up

Houston Business Journal: Vocal singer strikes up 'The Real Sammie' band, 2008-Apr-18, by Allison Wollam: Popular singer Sammie Relford has left Sammy's to start "The Real Sammie."Relford says the new place, spelled the way "momma named me," is slated to open on April 25 at 711 Franklin.Relford, who once had a three-year stint as a back-up singer for Isaac Hayes, will perform at The Real Sammie Wednesday through Saturday. Meanwhile, local filmmaker Jarred King recently previewed a documentary about Relford entitled "Sing Baby Sing" at the River Oaks Theater. The movie about his life includes footage from many live shows. King has submitted the documentary to several festivals and is awaiting word on whether it has been accepted.

Venturetech Thrives while Hiring Those Recovering from Addiction or First Criminal Offense

Houston Business Journal: Turning point, 2008-Apr-18, by Debra Beachy: The discipline and camaraderie of working for a small company makes a big difference to those who are starting their lives over, Keast says. "This has worked so well for our business," he says. "When you give them a second chance, they are grateful. What would happen if other small businesses did this too?" Keast already is helping to answer that question. In January 2005 he launched a nonprofit organization, America In Recovery Inc. (www.americainrecovery.org), a Web site that tries to help people participating in recovery programs find a job with an employer willing to give them a chance. The nonprofit is housed in the offices of Venturetech and Keast is giving it a lot of his time these days. The service provides free accounts for job seekers and companies.

Texas Conference for Women Grows to Houston

Houston Business Journal: Texas Conference for Women moves to Houston from Austin, 2008-Apr-17: The ninth annual Texas Conference for Women has selected Houston as the host city for this year's conference. The one-day conference has taken place in Austin since its inception eight years ago, but a change in venue was necessary after the event outgrew the convention center, according to the conference's producers. Last year, the fall conference attracted about 7,500 people.

Houston Artist Inspired by Shopping Carts

This unofficial art exhibit may already be gone from Calhoun Street just across from the University of Houston optometry building. But thank goodness Mindy took pictures--well worth a visit to MomHouston: C(art) field, 2008-Apr-16, by Mindy Sterba: Reggie (age seventeen) and I often walk past an unusual field. He has come to call it the 'Magical Mystery Field of Art' because it seems like every time we walk across it, there is some sort of strange and extraordinary work of art there. Lately the theme of this field has been 'shopping carts'.

Energy Innovators Drawn to Houston

Houston Chronicle: Houston draws high-tech firms over Austin, Silicon Valley, 2008-Apr-18, by Brad Hem: A common complaint among people in Houston technology circles is that startup companies in the area often leave town for Austin, Silicon Valley or other places with more extensive tech histories. Just the opposite is true when it comes to innovative startups in the energy sector, which is responsible for luring dozens of entrepreneurs here. More have been coming because high oil prices have sparked interest in finding more efficient ways to extract and refine it, or find alternate energy forms, said Walter Ulrich, president of the Houston Technology Center, a business accelerator for startups. Most of the center's client companies are in the energy field, he said."It is truly advantageous that so many of the big oil companies are located here," Ulrich said. "There's been a distinct increase in innovation in energy."

Rice, UT-Houston get $2 million grant from Defense Dept.

Houston Chronicle: Grant aids Rice-UT effort to regrow injured troops' bones, 2008-Apr-17, by Todd Ackerman: The ... research is being conducted at Rice University and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Rice bioengineer Antonios Mikos and UT-Houston surgeon Dr. Mark Wong, the project leaders, have worked for years to coax adult stem cells culled from bone marrow into bone cells.The new grant will give them $2 million over the next five years to speed up the work, moving it from laboratory and animal experiments to clinical trials. Mikos and Wong said they're optimistic they'll be able to bring the bone reconstruction advances to soldiers within five years.

National Attention for Local Artist Benitez

The recent Chuy Benitez exhibit at Lawndale Art Center, Houston Cultura, gets a good review at MSNBC.com, and Benitez shares what inspires him about Houston: Chicano photographer offers up-close view of Mexican-Americans, 2008-Apr-7, by Monica Rohr. After he graduated from college, Benitez began to look for other examples of hybridity. He found the perfect muse in Houston, a city where Mexican and American cultures are fused on an almost molecular level. "There's no border, so it's all just mashing up and doing whatever it wants to do. No holds barred. It's just free," he says about Houston.

Another Hospital Innovator in Houston

Dr. David Pate of St. Luke's Hospital wants all the systems and physical resources of the hospital to be perfectly efficient so the hospital staff are freed up to be more human with the patients. Houston Chronicle: St. Luke's adopts business approach to efficiency, 2008-Apr-15, by Lynn Cook: No hospital in America is really efficient. That's why I brought in a consulting firm that doesn't specialize in health care, but they've all had experience with Toyota's lean system. Their expertise is really in aerospace, energy and technology. I got criticism for that from some of our staff. It's extremely complicated — medicine. But if we stand back and say health care's too complicated, we'll never get any improvements. They have come in with fresh eyes.

John Alexander Didn't Leave Early Enough, But Still Finds his Place in Art World

Houston Chronicle: Alexander, once a bad boy of Houston's art world, returns, 2008-Apr-11, by Lisa Gray: Almost always, reviews and introductions describe Alexander as a "Texas" artist — never mind that it's been almost 30 years since he left Houston for New York. Besides keeping a studio in Soho, he owns a place in the Hamptons. ...  Alexander points to the storefront where Janie C. Lee's gallery used to be. It was a great gallery, he says, one of the first to show national-caliber art in Houston. He felt lucky to have his works there. What non-Texans did she show? I ask. He reels off names: Helen Frankenthaler, Ellsworth Kelly, Robert Rauschenberg ... Rauschenberg? I say. He's from Texas. Yes, says Alexander. But he left early. He doesn't count. ... [His MFAH retrospective] show was coming together, and his cell phone was full of messages from old friends and collectors anxious to buy new work. Alexander seemed surer of himself than he had before, less worried about ... his place in art history.

Head of Merrill Lynch Houston on Wealth and Philanthropy among New Millionaires

Houston Business Journal: Face to Face with Janet Caylor of Houston Merrill Lynch, 2008-Apr-11, by Casey Wooten: Houston is a wealthy area, and it is continuing to grow millionaire households at a rate 20 percent higher than the national average. According to Claritas, a market research firm, Houston has consistently ranked among the fastest-growing cities for millionaire households in America. ... Also, compared to our clients nationwide, Houston's wealthy are much younger. This new generation of wealth has been exciting to work with because they require sophisticated financial solutions. We have also found that, for the most part, they are extremely philanthropically minded.

One of Rice Alliance Business Plan Contest Winners Attracted to Houston

Houston Business Journal: Funding winners consider required move to Houston, 2008-Apr-11, by Mary Ann Azevedo: Carnegie Mellon University-affiliated NeuroBank -- is considering making the move from Pittsburgh. NeuroBank is an early-stage life science company focused on the storage of adult neural stem cells for individuals with or without neurological disease. Dr. Raymond Sekula, CEO of NeuroBank, says he and his partner tentatively agreed this week to move to Houston. While NeuroBank has already been offered some funds from a local incubator in Pittsburgh, Sekula says "what's different here is more that the local investors in Houston are much more forward-thinking."" It seems like a very good environment for us," Sekula says. "Houston might be the ideal place to launch this company." NeuroBank's grant was announced at an April 5 gala that capped off a competition in which 36 of the top MBA/graduate schools from around the world presented business plans in front of a judging panel of more than 170 venture capitalists, investors and business executives. The University of Texas' Qcue of Austin won the top prize....The two-employee NeuroBank took home the third-place prize overall, but as the recipient of the Partnership-sponsored life science award, the company is being offered the incentive to relocate.

Battery-Operated Taxis Launched in Houston

Houston Business Journal: Downtown cab-hop to get spark of green, 2008-Apr-11, by Monica Perin: Entrepreneurs Erik Ibarra and Justin Jones will unveil Houston's first REV car at the inauguration of Houston's new Discovery Green Park on April 13 as part of what he hopes will grow into a fleet of green "futuristic-looking" short-hop vehicles. REV Houston -- which will begin operating with just one battery-operated vehicle -- will take passengers on short trips in the downtown and Midtown areas, initially for tips only. Revenue will come from advertising on a high-tech signboard attached to the back of the vehicle....One of the most innovative aspects of the service, Ibarra says, is that passengers will be able to "hail a cab," so to speak, by text-messaging a five-digit code that will be posted at the company's pick-up locations. For that aspect of the service, as well as for the advertising on the vehicles, Ibarra has partnered with QTags, a Houston-based company that provides custom text-messaging programs.

Texas Tops in Wind Energy

AWEA April 2 Release: American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) released its annual rankings of wind power leadership in the United States,... with Texas tops among states in both total and new wind power...

Houston Retains some originally Tanox Research

Houston Business Journal: AIDS drug survives Tanox, 2008-Apr-11, by Mary Ann Azevedo: TaiMed Biologics Inc. will conduct clinical trials of TNX-355 -- also known as Ibalizumab -- from a location on the West Loop near the former Tanox headquarters in suburban Bellaire....Dr. Stanley Lewis, vice president and chief medical officer of TaiMed Biologics, says the company will put the drug through a new phase of trials sometime in the first half of this year. Lewis is one of five former Tanox employees now on the TaiMed Biologics payroll.... Jeffrey Organ of BioHouston says retaining such talent and intellectual property is "extremely positive" for the city.

New Co-Working Environments for Creatives

Houston Chronicle: Self-employed technorati find places to network, 2008-Apr-7, by Corilyn Shropshire: Jelly, a monthly co-workathon that starts at 10 a.m. and concludes 24 hours later, is one of a growing number of options for so-called "independents'' who don't report to a traditional office but want, occasionally at least, to work somewhere beyond their own four walls or, say, the Uptown Starbucks or the Midtown freelance hub Coffee Groundz.Some pool their resources for shared offices and studios that emphasize collaboration, while others gravitate toward select bars and restaurants where they chat up like minds or work silently alongside them. And, yes, many also meet up online in virtual workplaces, digital whiteboards that make swapping ideas as easy as brushing the keypad of their iPhones.

Fewer Billboards in Houston

Houston Chronicle: Ad firm to tear down 831 billboards in Houston, 2008-Apr-7, by Carolyn Feibel: The city has struck a deal with one of the largest outdoor advertising companies in Houston that calls for it to dismantle 831 billboards before the end of this year. The agreement with Clear Channel Outdoor would take effect after the City Council approves it. The proposal is on Wednesday's agenda. Under the settlement, Clear Channel would remove 831 small and medium-sized billboards from across the city, 51 of them from designated "scenic districts." That represents a two-thirds reduction of all the company's billboards that are less than 288 square feet in size.

Houston Designer Hosts New PBS Series

Houston Chronicle: Designer shares Moment of Luxury on new series, 2008-Apr-6, by Maggie Galehouse: The first episode of Moment of Luxury With William Stubbs airs at 8 tonight on KUHT (Channel 8). "Luxury, to me, boils down to family, friends and laughter and to creating spaces where things can happen," Stubbs says. "The show is not Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. It's about relationships and people enhancing their lifestyles." He recalls working in Russia, where some of his hosts lived in extremely modest homes.  Although the tea may have been served on repaired dishes and the biscuits on a tin tray, it was a moment of luxury.

New Technology for "See and Treat" Medicine

Houston Chronicle: Auto technology is an unexpected twist on medical care, 2008-Apr-5, by Lynn Cook: Local hospitals are trying to cross-pollinate health care with technologies that have roots in the automotive and aerospace industries. The hope is that, with a medical twist, high-tech navigation systems, pattern recognition software and top-of-the-line robots can revolutionize the treatment of everything from irregular heartbeats to lung cancer.

UH Poet Professor Hoagland Unacclaimed No More

Houston Chronicle: UH professor Hoagland awarded $50,000 poetry prize, 2008-Apr-4: A poetry professor at the University of Houston has been chosen as the second winner of the Jackson Poetry Prize, an award for writers of great talent, but less fame.Tony Hoagland's win was announced Thursday by Poets & Writers Inc., a New York City-based nonprofit group for creative writers. According to Poets & Writers, the Jackson Poetry Prize, established in 2006, honors an American poet of exceptional talent who has published at least one book of recognized literary merit but has not yet received major national acclaim. The $50,000 prize is designed to provide what all poets need—time and the encouragement to write. Read more about Hoagland at UH Creative Writing Progam.

Oral History Project Looking for Stories

Houston Chronicle: Did you help build Houston? Tell us about it, 2008-Apr-3, by Carolyn Feibel: Houston's Oral History Project is looking for local residents to share their personal tales about Houston. Fifteen-minute screening interviews will be held at select libraries the next four Saturdays. From those, project leaders will choose subjects for longer interviews at a later date. The videos will be archived and displayed on a searchable city Web site. Read the Chron.com article to find out some of the stories they trying to find. Interview screenings are scheduled for:
• Saturday: 11a.m.-4p.m., Johnson Branch Library
• April 12: 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Flores Branch Library
• April 19: 11-4 p.m., Henington-Alief Regional Branch Library
• April 26: 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Hillendahl Branch Library
• To participate, an appointment is encouraged. Call Judith Hiott at 832-393-1476 or write her at judith.hiott@cityofhouston.net.

Houston's Tourism Gap

Houston Strategies: America's next great world city (+ tourism proposal), 2008-Mar-17, by Tory Gattis: ...our key missing ingredient is tourism. Huge numbers of people visit NYC, LA, SF, and Chicago (not to mention Paris and London) - and those tourists' experiences create their global reputations. Certainly most of the country - and the world - have heard of Houston (usually regarding NASA, oil, or the med center), but very few have actually visited our city, and until that happens, our world city reputation will be frustratingly limited.

Catastrophic Theatre at University of Houston

Houston Chronicle: Catastrophic Theatre is off to a bold start, 2008-Apr-1, interview by Everett Evans of Jason Nodler: "We have different concerns in our mid-30s than we had when we started IBP in our early 20s. We've learned a lot, we hope, in the course of making theater and living over the past 15 years. What remains the same is a real commitment to honest, deeply personal work and the increasingly absent element of fun. I think if we're having fun and we're really engaged in honest storytelling, then the audience recognizes and becomes part of that."

Big Death provides another example of the increasing collaboration between the UH school and the city's arts companies under Steven Wallace, who became the school's new director in September."It's important for our students to work with different theater companies so that they understand what it's like in the professional world," Wallace says, noting the varied methods and approaches employed by different directors and companies. Wallace is convinced that such collaboration is helpful to the arts scene at large and "an invaluable experience for students who are serious about pursuing stage careers."

Houston Listed Fourth Among Up-and-Coming Tech Cities

Forbes: Top 10 Up-And-Coming Tech Cities, 2008-Mar-10, by William Pentland: Houston hasn't exactly earned a reputation as a city teeming with techies. But that's changing. "Fifteen years ago, we had all the assets, but we weren't really developing them," says Walter Ulrich, chief executive of the Houston Technology Center, the state's largest technology incubator. "So all the leaders of Houston got together and recognized that the city needed to diversify its economy. There's been this tremendous transition." Houston's strategy: Smash different discoveries together. To wit: Houston's itRobotics, founded in 2002, has developed new cost-cutting robots that inspect a variety of boilers and energy pipelines for structural flaws. Other Houston start-ups are commercializing technologies originally developed at local research institutions. Nanospectra Biosciences, a local drug delivery company, is working on a nano-scale particle (pioneered at Rice University) that destroys cancerous tumors.

New Space Planned for Houston Creatives

Caroline Collective: A unique combination of private workspace, public art space, and open collaborative desk space where citizens can work in collaboration or privately, with a conference room and individual desks. Furniture, ample power outlets, secure broadband internet access and the general amenities of an office environment will be provided according to need. Additionally, the space will host movie nights, book club meetings, non-profit events, seminars, salons, art openings, and product launches. Caroline Collective is scheduled to open in the summer of 2008. For more information on Caroline Collective or on becoming a tenant, please contact Matthew Wettergreen at [mwettergreen at gmail dot com]. For media inquiries, contact Monica Danna at [monica at vinylcreative dot com.]