On this edition of Houston Matters, we continue our look back at the big stories in Greater Houston during 2016.
The past year was another busy one for the arts and culture scene here. The Menil Collection named Houston native Rebecca Rabinow as its new director in May. The White Oak Music Hall opened its outdoor space in April, and then held a grand opening for its new interior space in August. But, there’s been some controversy surrounding this Near Northside venue. (Just this week, neighbors sued over the noise from the venue). And the University of Houston launched the new College for the Arts in September.
To discuss these stories we talk with Amy Bishop, News 88.7’s arts and culture reporter.
(Above: Artist Yayoi Kusama’s 2009 piece “Aftermath of Obliteration of Eternity,” was on display at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, from June 12 to Sept. 18, 2016. Image © Yayoi Kusama via MFAH)
Also this hour…
Professor and First-Generation College Grad Advocates for Minorities in STEM
Rice University’s Richard Tapia has spent the better part of 40 years advocating for better STEM education for underrepresented minorities and mentoring students in the math and science fields. The son of Mexican immigrants, he was the first in his family to attend college and says his work is not about armchair quarterbacking. He lived a life where he struggled to move up in his career because of his heritage.
So, ever since, he’s been on a mission. And he tells us about his work and what it will take to get more Hispanics and minorities into STEM fields.
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of This Week’s News
A lot can happen in a week. Some of it good. Some of it bad. Some of it downright ugly. When faced with intriguing developments in the week’s news, we turn to our rotating panel of “non-experts” to parse The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of it all. This week, our panel weighs in on oil giant BP moving its U.S. onshore oil and gas headquarters — and 200 staff — from Houston to Denver, neighbors of White Oak Music Hall filing a class-action lawsuit seeking to close the venue’s outdoor stage, and Texas possibly being well-represented in President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet.
Our panel of non-experts this week includes: attorney and community education advocate Monica Richart, Tamara Tabo, who writes about the law and politics at AboveTheLaw.com, and MochaDad.com blogger Fred Goodall.
Handel’s Messiah at the Houston Symphony
The Houston Symphony performs Handel’s Messiah this weekend (Dec. 16-18), conducted by Grammy-winner Stephen Stubbs. Houston Public Media’s Catherine Lu talks with Stubbs about the performance.
Holiday Events Rundown
Every year, Houston Matters receives countless notifications of holiday events happening around Greater Houston. Because it’s impossible to give time to them all, the last few years we’ve provided you with a quick rundown of just a few of them. Michael Hagerty provides this year’s edition.
Houston Matters offers a free daily, downloadable podcast here, on iTunes, Stitcher and various other podcasting apps.