All through the month of August, Pakistan’s River Indus experienced heavy flooding causing more than 1,500 deaths and the displacement of nearly 20 million people along the riverbanks. Even once the water recedes, people in Pakistan will continue to struggle to deal with heavy losses of lives, agriculture, buildings, and growing illnesses.

To provide some relief to the community, VBB will collaborate with organizations around Houston to raise funds to help with flood relief efforts in Pakistan. The fundraiser evening, aimed at raising awareness about the situation in Pakistan, will feature musical and informative videos directly from Pakistan, and Skype appearances by Pakistani journalists, community organizers and artists (including LAAL band who just released a new song in honor of those affected by the floods).

As always, VBB will serve food, drinks and there will be an opportunity to mix, mingle and gain more information about the situation in Pakistan. All funds from the evening will go toward two Pakistani non-profits, Karachi Relief Trust and Omar Asghar Khan Development Foundation. Please join us! This event is co-sponsored by Geo TV, Houston Institute for Culture, Multicultural Education and Counseling through the Arts (MECA), and Pacifica Radio KPFT 90.1 FM. Special thanks to Project Row Houses for the use of the Eldorado Ballroom.

For more information go to: http://vbbarts.org/index.shtml.

The Idea Fund announces its third round of grants.
Bring on the ideas!

The Idea Fund provides cash awards of $4,000 to 10 Texas-based, artist-generated or artist-centered projects that exemplify the unconventional, interventionist, conceptual, entrepreneurial, participatory, or guerrilla artistic practices that occur outside the traditional framework of support.

Please visit www.theideafund.org for more information and application guidelines.

DEADLINE:
Application and supplement materials are due OCT. 15, 2010.

If you have any questions, please contact Tracey Morton at tracey@diverseworks.org

Date: August 21 & 22, 2010
Time: 5pm - 9pm
Location: In the courtyard behind 2521 Holman Street

The GreenHouse Collective at Project Row Houses invites you to participate in building our new community beds.

The GreenHouse Collective is a project that focuses in fostering gardening as a means of health, sustainability, entrepreneurship, and community building. We are in the process of recreating the beds at Project Row Houses.The beds have been designed by the gardening students during the Summer Program. These beds will b…e open to the use of all residents, artists, and community members that have an interest in participating in GreenHouse Collective by caring for the garden, implementing workshops, writing grants, etc. We have most of the material and supplies, may be you can bring some gloves and a shovel… if you have them!For more information contact Aisen Chacin at aisencc@gmail or  713.444.5139

We need volunteers to make these plans come to fruition on Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd of August at 5:00pm both days.

We would like to show our appreciation, so the members of GreenHouse Collective will provide a light pot luck dinner. You are also encouraged to share your dishes with us.

Learn more about Round 33.

Learn more about Round 33.

Project Row Houses is excited to announce the opening of the 2010 Summer Studios Exhibition. This event, which is free and open for art lovers of all ages, will feature new projects created by eight emerging artists, in addition to an exhibition of work created by students using the Fotofest Literacy Through Photography program led by photographer Ben DeSoto in PRH’s Summer Education Program.

Summer Artist Studio Residency Installations: 2505-2517 Holman
Eight area university art students, nominated by their professors and selected by a panel of professional artists, have been developing new projects in the Artist Project Spaces during a six-week-long residency. Engaging within the PRH/Third Ward Community and interacting with established Houston-based artists, the residents have created original installations ranging in materials and subject matter. These projects will be on view August 14, 2010 through September 5, 2010.

Participating Artists:
Haley Elkins: Houston Community College- Central
Kenya Evans: Texas Southern University
Nico Gardner: Rice University
Matthew Manalo: University of Houston-Central
Alberto Ortiz & Jesus Alonso: University of Houston-Central
Monica Seibert: University of St. Thomas
Sapphire Williams: University of Houston-Central

My Community Through My Eyes

Project Row Houses’ Summer Arts Education Program is pleased to partner with FotoFest’s Literacy Through Photography (LTP) program in presenting My Community Through My Eyes, an exhibition of student artwork, photography and writing created by children from the Third Ward Community. The children, ages 6 – 11, have been working with Houston photographer and FotoFest cohort teacher Ben DeSoto creating projects that explore the theme My Community Through My Eyes.

The LTP program utilizes photography and creative writing to help students in grades 3 – 12 learn to understand themselves, to honor their family and community, and to explore and share their dreams.

The My Community Through My Eyes student exhibition will be on view in conjunction with the Summer Studio installations August 14, 2010 through September 5, 2010.

Join PRH’s Summer Studios Artists for a night of artists talks and slide presentations. Each artist will be presenting and discussing his or her works, both past and present. This is also a chance for them to answer any questions about their projects and visions. Light snacks will be provided.

If you have not seen the artists’ installations, feel free to come before the time of the event to walk through each of the houses and …look at the artwork.

About Summer Studios:

Eight area university art students, nominated by their professors and selected by a panel of professional artists, have been developing new projects in the Artist Project Spaces during a six-week-long residency. Engaging within the PRH/Third Ward Community and interacting with established Houston-based artists, the residents have created original installations ranging in materials and subject matter. These projects will be on view August 14, 2010 through September 5, 2010.

Participating Artists:
Haley Elkins: Houston Community College- Central
Kenya Evans: Texas Southern University
Nico Gardner: Rice University
Matthew Manalo: University of Houston-Central
Alberto Ortiz & Jesus Alonso: University of Houston-Central
Monica Seibert: University of St. Thomas
Sapphire Williams: University of Houston-Central

Learn more about Summer Studios

As a result of the exhibit, interest was sparked among PRH residents, artists, and community members to start an organic garden at PRH. In spring of 2010, PRH gave the Greenhouse Collective one of the original shotgun houses for their project. An existing raised bed garden within the PRH campus was identified for revitalization and expansion. PRH’s Summer Education Program worked with the GreenHouse Collective to design the new garden.

GreenHouse Collective artists will work in partnership with residents of PRH and community members to develop this sustainable gardening project. Project goals include:

1) Design and create a community garden which encompasses two alternative gardening practices. The space will include raised bed gardens, water catchment, irrigation systems, fruit trees, edible landscaping, a greenhouse, and an aquaponics system.
2) Provide educational workshops and training on organic gardening methods to PRH residents and community members.
3) Provide hands-on classes to children enrolled in PRH’s Summer Education and After School Programs. Children will be involved in traditional gardening as well as green art projects while learning about the natural ecosystem.
4) Produce a variety of fruits, vegetables, herbs, flowers, fresh eggs, and wheatgrass juice for sale and sharing with community members, the local farmers markets, and the future PRH community store.

For more information, contact Cheryl Flores, 713.526.7662 or cflores@projectrowhouses.org.