Gish Picks: curated culture for kids & adults (the weekend of April 14-16, 2017)

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Welcome to GISH PICKS: CURATED CULTURE FOR KIDS AND ADULTS! I’m Sarah Gish, an info-preneur and culture sleuth who finds the unusual and cool in Houston each and every week. Join me as I shine a light on Houston gems and unique Houston fun. I love Houston and want to show you the people and the places and the events that make it great (see more about my wishes for that here). And I want to make it easy for you so I sort through the cornucopia of events offered in our wonderful city each weekend and I PICK only three each for families and adults to recommend to you. That way you’ll be all set when Friday hits! Speaking of Friday, please join me for my weekly PICKS-ON-WHEELS in my Phoenix Rising Art Car. Each Friday at noon, I’ll be at a different cool place – meeting people, introducing what they do and their mission, and wandering around. It’s my way of bringing GISH PICKS to life! Tune in on Fridays at noon here. It is TOTALLY fun and I’d love for you to see them and join in by liking and commenting!

We are the most diverse city in the country, not only because of the over 100 languages spoken here every day, but also because of the diversity of events offered and places to hang our (cowboy) hats. Please be sure to tell your friends about GISH PICKS – the more people who know about these unique cultural events, the more unique cultural events the organizations will offer us. Please also tell the orgs that I sent you. My business grows by word of mouth so I thank you for your continued support. Here’s to many more years of GISH PICKS!

A note about the social media for GISH PICKS: please LIKE our Facebook page for family PICKS and our Facebook page for adult PICKS . Be sure to click “See first” in the dropdown menu on the LIKE button so you won’t miss a post! And please follow me on Instagram and Twitter. You’ll get all my CULTURE PICKS and more that way. And there’s one last way to stay in touch with me! I organize many events, such as labyrinth walks and workshops, so if you’d like to be informed of those before everyone else, please subscribe to my Gish Creative list here.

READY FOR A GREAT WEEKEND?!

Yippee! It’s spring! This is my favorite time of the year in Houston – not only is it Art Car Parade season and a chance for me to show off Phoenix Rising Art Car, but it’s also a great time to head outdoors. Miller Outdoor Theatre kicks off their season every spring and places like Discovery Green, the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center, and Mercer Arboretum all ramp up their year-round programming to celebrate this time of year. If you’re looking for an easy guide to outside Houston, check out Get Out Here Houston. You can search for places to visit anytime and also for events by specific dates. It’s sponsored by many outdoors orgs and is a great place to return to again and again as you get out there!

Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate that and Happy Passover to those of you who celebrate that. I couldn’t find a comprehensive calendar of Houston’s Easter events, so if you’re looking for services or events, you’ll just have to search online. I included a couple of Easter PICKS today – one for adults and one for kids – so be sure to scroll down to see them. As for Passover events, you can search here for a comprehensive list of Houston events.

Today’s VIDEO PICK is a super fun animated “Welcome to Houston.” Show it to your friends and your kids (if you have any) and enjoy!

Have a great weekend, love one another, please share this, and go IGNITE YOUR LIFE!

Picks for Kids the Weekend of April 14-16, 2017

Picks for Adults the Weekend of April 14-16, 2017

OPEN DANCE PROJECT

The Open Dance Project is presenting their first family production – “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe” – at MATCH Houston this weekend: Friday, April 14 at 7pm and Saturday, April 15 at 2pm and 7pm. The show takes the audience on a magical journey through the wardrobe to the land of Narnia, where Lucy and her brothers and sister work together to bring an end to the eternal winter of the White Witch. It will feature daring athleticism, aerial performance, poetic narration, and the premiere of their pre-professional youth ensemble ODP2.

MITCHELL CENTER FOR THE ARTS

I love the free CounterCurrent Festival, presented annually by the Mitchell Center for the Arts, because you never know what you’ll see! The festival includes audio and visual installations, live performances, talks, and participatory events by artists from around the world – curated to reflect the range of ways we view each other and the city around us. This year’s installment takes place from April 18-23 and you can get free tickets and see the full schedule here.

ASIA SOCIETY TEXAS CENTER

The Asia Society is presenting “Shank’s Mare,” the story of two wandering travelers whose paths intersect in time and space told using traditional kuruma ningyo puppetry, video projection, and live music. There will be a special puppetry workshop (recommended for kids 8 and up) on Friday, April 14, 2-3:30pm. The “Shank’s Mare” performances are on Thursday, April 13 and Friday, April 14 at 8pm.

AVONDALE HOUSE

This Friday, April 14 at 6pm, Avondale House is presenting the documentary film “Swim Team,” an award-winning documentary about the struggles and triumphs of three young competitive swimmers with autism and their swim team. The presentation will take place at the Children’s Museum of Houston and everyone is welcome.

THE ORANGE SHOW CENTER
FOR VISIONARY ART

It’s time for the annual PEEPS/orange/chocolate/egg fest at the Orange Show! The “Easter Orange Hunt and Fifth Annual PEEPS Art Contest” will be this Saturday, April 15, 11am-1pm. Bring the kids out for this annual Easter event, done Orange Show-style. At 11am SHARP, kids will hunt in the colorful maze of the Orange Show Monument for candy-filled eggs, oranges, and other fun prizes. Be sure to bring your very own marshmallowy masterpiece out of the beloved sugary candy PEEPS so you can participate in their Fifth Annual Houston PEEPS Art Contest!

BRIGID’S PLACE

Each year on the Saturday before Easter, Brigid’s Place presents “Easter in Memory of Her,” an innovative service of music and mediation that celebrates the voices of the women who loved Jesus – Mary the Mother, the woman at the well, the woman who anointed Jesus, Mary of Bethany, and Mary Magdalene. The event takes place this Saturday, April 15 from 4-5pm at Christ Church Cathedral.

MINDFULNESS CLASSES AT THE HEALTH MUSEUM IN APRIL AND MAY

Join Dr. Ann Friedman this spring for one of her six-week courses on mindfulness at The Health Museum. Classes for adults begin next week and are April 18 – May 23 (Tuesday evenings, 6:15-7:30pm) and April 20 - May 25 (Thursday mornings, 8:30-9:45am). There is also a special series focusing on cultivation practices from April 18 - May 23 (Tuesdays, 8:30am-9:30am). Friedman is a licensed psychologist with a certification in mindfulness facilitation through the Mindfulness Awareness Research Center of the Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. You will learn how to focus your attention and let go of stressful thoughts and emotions. During these classes, you will learn a specific way of paying attention to your breath, body, thoughts, feelings, and to the world around you. This way of paying attention is powerful because when you can observe your thoughts and feelings, then you can choose how you act. You can also learn how to bring relaxation to your body when you are feeling stress and anxiety. Please register here.

There are also mindfulness classes for kids offered on a regular basis; please check The Health Museum’s website for dates.

GISH PICKS: CURATED CULTURE FOR KIDS AND ADULTS is a free weekly email in which I cull through the HUNDREDS of events offered in our city each week and PICK just three for adults and three for kids to recommend. It’s #GishPicks #CuratedCulture to help you plan your weekend! I know many of you go to events based on GISH PICKS recommendations; PLEASE remember to tell the organization that you are there because of us. Word-of-mouth like yours helps our business to grow. In the same spirit, please also feel free to share GISH PICKS with friends and families.

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The purpose of GISH PICKS is to help Houstonians become aware of all the interesting and unique things they can do in Houston and the surrounding area. Exploring your city is a great way to #IgniteYourOwnLife and we are so happy to help you do that. Please do give me feedback and ideas, as you are out there in the trenches also looking for interesting things and I want to hear what you find.

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For more about my personal, family, and business enrichment company, Gish Creative, and the services we offer, please click here. You are on this list because I thought this e-newsletter would be helpful to you or because you signed up for it. Please feel free to tell your friends to subscribe by clicking here. My goal is to serve as an information resource for Houston kids and adults through my various endeavors, including:

GISH PICKS: CURATED CULTURE FOR KIDS AND ADULTS, which is online and emailed out to thousands of Houstonians who love to explore our city;

THE SUMMER BOOK® ONLINE, a searchable database of over 200 Houston day camps and classes for kids and teens;

IGNITE YOUR LIFE!, my art project and community campaign whose goal is to inspire people around the world to light a fire to their own passions and to create connections among people;

INTUITIVE GUIDANCE SESSIONS, which are one-on-one consultations with me at Body Mind & Soul on Mondays. Sessions are one hour or thirty minutes and I can help you with personal and/or work questions;

Quarterly “WHAT’S YOUR PURPOSE?” workshops at Body Mind & Soul, check the store’s online calendar for dates and more information; and

OTHER SERVICES including SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS, INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS, MARKETING, PRIVATE CONSULTATIONS, GUIDANCE SESSIONS FOR FINDING YOUR PURPOSE, and ART PROGRAMS. Talks and workshops cover topics such as summertime fun, passion-finding (for adults, children and families), marketing, historic preservation, art classes, activism, and more. All of these services can be tailored for any audience and budget.

Sarah Gish
(Photo: Two Birds Photography)


Sarah Gish GISH CREATIVE 1940-A Fountainview, PMB 116 Houston, Texas 77057 phone: 713.492.1173 artist.mama.connector.igniter. © 2017 Sarah Gish Designed by West of the World