What the heck am I doing? I don’t know!

Saturday is the 20th Anniversary of White Linen Night in the Heights… and I (as First Saturday Arts Market) am not participating. No big dramatic story. I’ll just say this: I love attending as a patron.

For the 19th Street event, visit our neighbors’ website at wlnon19th.com. There’s a $20 entrance fee for the 200 and 300 blocks of W. 19th St.

Last Call: Stacy Gresell and Lisa Morales are bringing back the popular totem workshop on Saturday. There may still be room — details below.

Checkout the 1stSatArtMarket Merch shop! > luvmymarket.bigcartel.com

Here’s this weekend’s Roundup:

Dot Alford, who showed at First Saturday Arts Market late last year, is the Featured Artist for the August Member Show at the Galveston Art League.

The reception is Saturday, August 1, from 6:00–7:30 pm for her exhibition Sunrise, Sunset, and Feathered Friends.

Known for her vibrant imagery and dramatic use of natural light, Dot creates photographs that invite viewers to pause, reflect, and reconnect with the natural world. From fiery coastal sunrises to intimate portraits of feathered friends, her work captures the wonder, serenity, and ever-changing beauty of nature.

Galveston Art League
2117 A Postoffice Street
Galveston, TX 77550

Follow Dot: @dot_alford25

Jessica Carlos (a First Saturday Arts Market alum) and her husband Luis (a longtime favorite market volunteer) are hosting their own White Linen Night celebration this Saturday at The Whimsy Artisan.

They’re keeping the focus where it belongs — on art. Expect local artists, live creativity, music, complimentary drinks, and plenty of curious, handcrafted finds around every corner.

Free to attend.
Saturday, August 1
5–10 pm
123 W 18th St., Suite E, Houston, TX 77008

More info: thewhimsyartisan.com

Barrio Antiguo Designs & Collective Space is back!

The shop has taken a corner location at 803 W. 24th Street and will reopen as both a retail space and a creative gathering place for artists, makers, workshops, and community events.

Adriana and the team will feature their signature collection of artisan-made treasures, antiques, handcrafted décor, jewelry, Sacred Hearts, and unique finds from Mexico.

“The Heights has always held a special place in our hearts,” Adriana says. “Returning to this vibrant neighborhood feels like coming home.”

A sneak preview is planned for Saturday, August 1, during White Linen Night. Visitors can stop by throughout the day to see the new space and shop early finds. Topo Chico and Coca-Cola are sponsoring beverages for the event.

The storefront began as a bare warehouse and has taken months of work to prepare. Shipments are now arriving, and the team is steadily filling the shelves.

803 W. 24th Street (corner of Durham), Houston, TX 77008

Barrio Antiguo Web

Archway Gallery presents Road Trips, new paintings by Lisette McClung, on view August 1 through September 3.

The opening reception is Saturday, August 1, from 5–8 pm, with the artist’s talk beginning at 6:30 pm. Complimentary valet parking and light refreshments will be available.

The exhibition brings together plein air and studio works—large and small—inspired by McClung’s road trips over the past decade. As a dedicated plein air painter, she has worked on ranches, in fields, cities, and villages across the United States and Europe.

“Although not every outdoor session results in a finished painting,” McClung says, “each one provides valuable color notes and atmospheric observations that enrich my studio work.”

McClung first fell in love with painting outdoors during a Parsons School of Design course in France and Italy while studying at Tulane. She returned to the practice in 2009 after a Fund for Teachers grant took her to Umbria, Italy.

Originally from Virginia, she has lived in Houston since 1990. She holds a BFA from Tulane and an MA from the University of Houston–Clear Lake. After 22 years as a high school art teacher, she retired in 2020 and has since competed in plein air events across Texas and Louisiana while also serving as a juror.

Archway Gallery
2305 Dunlavy, Houston, TX 77006

Archway Gallery

Annette Palmer opens her latest exhibition,

Divided Light, this Saturday at Ardest Gallery in The Woodlands.

The show runs 4–6 pm on White Linen Night. Guests are encouraged to wear crisp white.

Divided Light is a series of diptychs that meditate on what remains after loss. Each paired painting explores the space between absence and presence, where physical separation gives way to something enduring: the quiet persistence of love, memory, and spirit. Palmer describes the work as being about “connection that outlasts distance, and about the light that finds its way through even the deepest divides.”

The paintings measure 14” × 14” × 2 and are priced at $550 each, or $1,000 for both.

Ardest Gallery
25200 Grogans Park Drive, The Woodlands

More information: ardestgallery.com/exhibitions

Ardest Gallery

Opening Reception | Ron Gordon
Thursday, July 30 • 6–8 PM
Art Museum TX
16165 City Walk, Sugar Land

Ron’s debut show in his hometown. Colorful new abstractions.

Free, Register Here

Mixed Media Lovers!

$120.00

Stacy Gresell and Lisa Morales are bringing back the popular totem workshop this August. If you missed it last year, don’t make the same mistake.

New elements this time around include punched metal, molding paste, and mark-making.

Details & Signup

Lisa is bringing her extensive paper stash to wrap your totem. Stacy will cut, sand, glue, and nail the structure using a design she created just for this class. Color, pattern, and texture are all yours to customize. A guided mark-making session will take your doodling skills to the next level as you create the paper for the bee that finishes the piece.

Bring a friend and enjoy a little art therapy. You’ll leave with a finished totem you’ll be proud to say you made yourself. Perfect for all skill levels — don’t be shy. We hear it all the time from students: “This is just what I needed.”

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Artist Natalie Shipula must have found producing art markets to her liking, because after a successful first market last summer, she’s back!

A little background: Natalie favors watercolors and has been a regular at First Saturday Arts Market for the past couple of years. She’s also behind recent market graphics, market photography and her husband Darien (recently wed — congrats!) took some amazing video at the market with his drone camera.

SO, the artists will be INDOORS, in the production room. Current artists attending are Denise Beason, SBE Ceramics, D.Creativeco, Jen Paschke.Art, McGinnis Pottery, Annette Paints TX, The Hanging Pendant, Irina Zamotorina.Art, Studio Brianna Lee, The Yankee Woodturner and maybe, possibly, Natalie herself!

Interview with Natalie from last year’s event in Art Valet (In The Leader) here.

Open Map

Ongoing: Check out the Fresh Arts list of 16 Artsy Activities to Experience This Summer (perfect between soccer matches).

New this week: A film premiere at the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center of Houston. Full details on both below.

First, a throwback to my very first Roundup last summer! Here’s the story I featured in The Leader about a new mural commissioned by IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees). Link to first Roundup + IATSE story

The Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center of Houston will host a screening of Once Upon My Mother, the 2026 Audience Choice Feature Film Winner at the Houston Jewish Film Festival, as part of its Summer Film Series on Thursday, June 18 at 7:30 p.m.

Inspired by Roland Perez’s bestselling memoir, this French-language film tells the moving story of a devoted mother who refuses to accept the limitations placed on her son after he is born with a disability. Spanning several decades, it explores themes of resilience, family, and unconditional love through a heartfelt and often humorous journey.

Tickets and full details:
👉 https://www.erjcchouston.org/event/summer-film-once-upon-my-mother/

These Evelyn Rubenstein JCC Summer Film Series screenings are consistently excellent.

Buy Tickets

Art Club, the 28,500-square-foot experiential art museum and underground DJ venue inside POST Houston, relaunches today, Wednesday, June 10, with 12 brand-new world-class art installations for the summer.

This season focuses on the blur between human memory and artificial intelligence, tradition and technology. Standout installations include:

• Tributaries — A hyper-local piece using live real-time data from Houston’s bayous and shipping channels to drive a large LED network and custom soundscape of local field recordings.

• INTER-SPECT by Spencer Sterling (known for stadium tour visuals for Beyoncé and Muse) — Real-time lasers capture visitors’ faces and etch them over previous guests, building a living, evolving archive of the city.

• Saving Aesthetics by Orkhan Mammadov — The entry installation that uses custom-trained neural networks to reimagine centuries of traditional Islamic carpet heritage.

Housed in the historic former post office, the venue blends industrial architecture with kinetic lights, lasers, generative art, and sound. It also offers notably cold A/C for Houston summers.

The space transitions to club mode with world-class DJ performances after museum hours.

Full details on the installations, artists, and tickets are available on the official website.
Explore here: Art Club Houston

Art Club Houston

Big thanks to the fine folks at Fresh Arts — I just featured them here — for putting together their amazing Art on Tap weekly newsletter and their great roundup of art-related events.

For the World Cup, this one is extra. Check it out here: 16 Artsy Activities to Experience This Summer Between Soccer Matches

A quick refresh on recent Art Valet posts!

Archway Gallery launched their 18th Annual Juried Exhibition open call for 2D and 3D work. Juried by Donna Tennant, benefiting Friends for Life, with the gallery celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Artist deadline is June 11 — don’t sleep on this one.

Miller Outdoor Theatre is kicking off its 2026 season with free summer programming starting June 13. New plaza, Juneteenth celebrations, Symphony nights, Shakespeare, Jazz Festival, and more — Hermann Park’s gift to the city.

Art on Tap newsletter by Fresh Arts remains the gold standard — Houston’s longest-running weekly arts & culture newsletter since 2013, full of sharp curation and real opportunities.

Make Music Day Houston returns June 21 with free live music all over the city, organized by Fresh Arts. Great vibes for Father’s Day / World Cup weekend.

Mused Houston (by my friend Melissa Richardson Banks) is another fantastic newsletter — a beautifully curated, personal take on Houston’s art scene with community spotlights and cultural insights. Highly recommend checking it out.

And Rothko Chapel is the ultimate peaceful summer sanctuary in Montrose — always free and deeply restorative.

Full details below. Cheers!
Mitch

P.S. Reminder, First Saturday Arts Market is closed this summer, returning Sept. 5. Follow on Instagram! @1stSatArtMarket

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I’ve been on the Art on Tap mailing list since day one, and it’s still the single best resource I recommend to artists and art lovers in Houston.

Every week, Art on Tap delivers a clean, well-curated list of the freshest arts & culture events happening across the city — especially the artist-led, independent, and under-the-radar stuff that often flies under the radar. Since 2013, it’s been instrumental in keeping Houston’s local art scene alive and thriving by shining a light on events that actually matter.

If you’re an artist looking to find opportunities, attend great shows, or promote your own events, this is the list to be on. Their “Opportunities for Artists” section is especially valuable.

Highly recommended.

Subscribe to Art on Tap here

Houston, get ready — one of our city’s most treasured traditions is back for 2026!

Miller Outdoor Theatre, the largest “always free” outdoor performing arts program in the country, has announced its 2026 season presented by H-E-B. For over 100 years, Miller has been the heart of free, high-quality entertainment in Hermann Park, and this year promises to be extra special.

Exciting New Additions

The season kicks off on June 13 with the grand opening of the new Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Foundation Plaza — a beautiful new gateway designed to make the venue more welcoming and accessible. That same day also launches Miller World, an immersive cultural activation featuring interactive sculptures celebrating Houston’s incredible diversity.

Season Highlights

• June 19: Wells Fargo Presents Juneteenth Culture Fest

• July 4: Star-Spangled Salute with Houston Symphony + fireworks

• Summer Symphony Nights (July 10–18)

• Houston Shakespeare Festival performances

• Returning favorites: Miller Summer Mixtape, El Grito with Mariachi Herencia de México, Houston Jazz Festival, and many more

The lineup spans genres from classical and jazz to Latin, Asian, African, children’s theatre, circus, and global dance — something for every Houstonian.

Whether you’re picnicking on the Hill under the stars or streaming select shows from home, Miller continues its mission of making world-class art accessible to all.

Full 2026 Season details and schedule are available at milleroutdoortheatre.com

Quick update: The full 2026 season is packed with even more — from children’s theatre and circus acts to global music celebrations like Puffy AmiYumi and Festival Chicano. Check the complete schedule at milleroutdoortheatre.com and make some memories on the Hill this summer!

As Houston summers heat up, finding a cool, calm place to breathe feels more important than ever. One of the best spots in the city for exactly that is the Rothko Chapel.

Tucked quietly in the Montrose area, the Rothko Chapel is known worldwide for its stunning interior featuring 14 monumental Mark Rothko paintings. But beyond the art, it’s the tranquil, contemplative atmosphere that keeps people coming back. Whether you’re an artist seeking inspiration, someone craving a moment of mindfulness, or just looking for a thoughtful escape from the Texas heat, this place delivers like nowhere else in Houston.

Open to visitors of all backgrounds and beliefs, Rothko Chapel welcomes anyone who wants a space for reflection, meditation, or simply sitting with great art in silence.

Visit Info

• Hours: Tuesday through Sunday

• Admission: Always free

• Location: 3900 Yupon Street, Houston, TX 77006

  

Throughout the summer, Rothko Chapel is also hosting public programming, including meditation-centered experiences and thoughtful community conversations. It’s a beautiful reminder that Houston has world-class cultural spaces that also serve as true sanctuaries.

If you haven’t visited in a while (or ever), this summer is a perfect time to experience it. Take a friend, go solo, or bring a journal — Rothko Chapel has a way of meeting you wherever you are.

👉 Learn more and check their summer programming at rothkochapel.org

Running from July 5 through July 30, 2026, this popular annual show gives non-member 2D and 3D artists a chance to exhibit in one of Houston’s most respected artist-owned galleries, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

Key Events

• Opening Reception Saturday, July 11, 2026 | 5–8 p.m. At 6:30 p.m.: Introduction of community partner + Juror remarks and awards

• Artists’ Forum & Music Evening Saturday, July 25, 2026 | 6–8 p.m. Featuring live music by Heights Fools on Stools and an opportunity for participating artists to speak about their work

Location: Archway Gallery, 2305 Dunlavy, Houston, TX 77006
Complimentary valet parking and light refreshments will be served.

Call for Artists

This is an open call for local artists. You may enter one or two works.
Entry deadline: June 11, 2026
Entry fee: $30

This year’s juror is the highly regarded Houston art historian and writer Donna Tennant. Fifty percent of all sales from the exhibition will be donated to Friends for Life, the gallery’s chosen nonprofit partner for 2026.

You can find the full prospectus and apply online here: Archway Gallery 18th Annual Juried Exhibition

About the Juror

Donna Tennant is a longtime Houston-based art historian, critic, and editor with an impressive resume that includes art criticism for the Houston Chronicle, editing roles at Southwest Art and Museum & Arts Houston, and contributions to ARTnews, Glasstire, and more.

About the Beneficiary

Friends for Life is a respected Houston animal shelter founded in 2002. Their mission goes beyond rescue — they focus on creating lasting bonds between people and pets through excellent medical care, behavior support, and community resources. For more information, please visit friends4life.org.

Both open at 6pm.

• Arthur Deatly’s show runs until 9pm

• Plantasia (with Karla Cisneros and studio mates) runs until 11pm

Plan your evening accordingly and support some great local artists!

Enjoy the night,

Mitch