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Menil

Public Program

Neighborhood Community Day

Enjoy an afternoon of art, music, poetry, and family activities in celebration of the museum’s vibrant neighborhood. Participating organizations include: DACAMERA, Houston Center for Photography, Inprint, The Menil Collection, Pride Chorus Houston, Rothko Chapel, Watercolor Art Society, and Writers in the Schools (WITS).

Food and beverage vendors will be on site: 93’Til (non-alcoholic cocktails), Dibi Rapide (West African cuisine), Houston Sauce Co. (vegan comfort food), and Popston (popsicles).

A full schedule of events is provided below. As always, Menil programs are free and open to all.

Attending the program:

This program takes place outdoors at the Menil Collection, located at 1533 Sul Ross Street. Please bring your own picnic blankets or lawn chairs, seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Menil green space policies apply.

Further information regarding accessibility and parking can be found here.

Please note that in the event of inclement weather alternate plans will be posted here.

Schedule of events:

All activities take place at the Menil Collection unless otherwise noted

11:20–11:50 a.m. Solo Violin Performance Clara Satikoulov, DACAMERA Young Artist
Rothko Chapel

12:00–12:10 p.m. Remarks
Rebecca Rabinow, Director, Menil Collection

12:10–12:30 p.m. Houston Pride Chorus Performance
Houston’s LGBTQ+ affirming chorus performs selections from their latest concert, “Spring Into Action.”

12:30–1:30 p.m. Earth Church Book Reading and Signing. Environmental lawyer Jim Blackburn reads from his recent book about earth-based spirituality. Rothko Chapel Welcome House

12:45–1:30 p.m. Neighborhood History Talk
Led by Menil Collection staff, this tour chronicles the changing inhabitants and uses of the land owned by the Menil, from the earliest known populations to the gray-painted bungalows familiar to our neighbors today.

1:00–2:00 p.m. Meta-Four Houston Poetry Slam
Writers in the Schools’ 2022 youth poetry slam team make their debut performance with Houston’s Poet Laureate, Outspoken Bean, and Youth Poet Laureate, Avalon Hogans.

1:45–3:00 p.m. Neighborhood Photo Capture Walk
Houston Center for Photography leads this photography activity throughout the neighborhood. All levels of proficiency and camera types are welcome (including iPhones).

2:00–2:30 p.m. Solo Violin Performance Clara Satikoulov, DACAMERA Young Artist Rothko Chapel

2:15–3:00 p.m. Neighborhood History Talk
Led by Menil Collection staff, this tour chronicles the changing inhabitants and uses of the land owned by the Menil, from the earliest known populations to the gray-painted bungalows familiar to our neighbors today.

3:00–4:00 p.m. Jalen Baker Jazz Trio Performance
Featuring DACAMERA Young Artists Jalen Baker, vibraphone, with Nils Aardahl on bass, and Gavin Moolchan on drums.

3:15–4:30 p.m. Neighborhood Photo Capture Walk
Houston Center for Photography leads this photography activity throughout the neighborhood. All levels of proficiency and camera types are welcome (including iPhones).

4:00–5:00 p.m. Inprint Prize Winners Reading
Featuring short readings by this year’s recipients of 10 annual Inprint Prizes, awarded to graduate students in the University of Houston Creative Writing Program and one undergraduate at Rice University.

All-day activities:

12:30–3:30 p.m.

Share your written remembrances of the neighborhood with the Menil Collection.

Explore the Flash Drive, Houston Center for Photography’s mobile photography education unit featuring a working camera obscura.

Have a poem written for you on a typewriter by the Inprint Poetry Buskers.

Learn more about Pride Chorus Houston, one of the nation’s oldest LGBTQ+ choruses.

Participate in a watercolor activity led by Watercolor Art Society teaching artists, while supplies last.

Enjoy spoken word performances by WITS Writers throughout the day.

Schedule of events subject to change.