What's New in Houston - July EditionJuly 30, 2007
Contact Information: Lucy Comes to Houston The Houston Museum of Natural Science has partnered with the Ethiopian government to develop and tour an exclusive North American exhibition of Ethiopia’s rich history and culture. Lucy’s Legacy: The Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia will feature Lucy, the remains of a 3.2 million-year-old hominid, who is thought to be one of mankind’s earliest ancestors, along with approximately 190 other artifacts. Lucy has never left Ethiopia before. The world premiere is scheduled for Aug. 31, 2007 through April 20, 2008 at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. The exhibition will then travel to other museums, which have not yet been named, throughout the country. Select Houston hotels have partnered with the museum to package special hotel rates with the only VIP, untimed tickets available to the public. Visitors who purchase these packages will not have to wait in line to see the exhibition and will receive a 50 percent discount per ticket off the regular adult ticket price. To purchase a package, log on to www.visithoustontexas.com, and click on Special Offers. Select the Lucy’s Legacy package from the Special Offers page, and you will be prompted to enter your dates to find available hotels at that time. The participating hotels are the Alden Houston Hotel, Courtyard by Marriot-Houston Downtown, Crowne Plaza Houston Downtown, Granduca Luxury Residential Hotel, Hilton Americas Hotel, Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites-Medical Center, Hotel ZaZa Houston, Humble's Best Kept Secret Hideaway, JW Marriott, Lancaster Hotel, Marriott Medical Center, Marriott West Loop by the Galleria, Renaissance Houston Hotel, Residence Inn by Marriott-Houston Downtown, Sheraton Suites near the Galleria and The Magnolia Hotel. Did you know? • At 3.12 million years old and with 40 percent of her skeleton preserved, Lucy is the oldest, most complete and best preserved skeleton of any erect-walking human ancestor that has ever been found. • The discovery of Lucy marked an entirely new species of human ancestor, the Australopithecus afarensis, or “southern ape of Afar,” after the region of Ethiopia where the bones were found. • Lucy was named after the Beatles’ song Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, which was played during a celebration of the discovery. • Donald Johanson discovered Lucy in 1974 in a maze of ravines in the Afar region of Ethiopia, near Hadar. • Lucy is quite small, at about three feet tall and may have weighed about 60 lbs. Houston Bush Intercontinental Designated “Model Airport” In April 2007, the federal government designated Houston Bush Intercontinental as its first “model port of entry” for international travelers. U.S. Customs and Border Protection will add airports after it improves their international arrival areas to ease the Customs process. The program has been planned by the agency for a year and responds to criticism from the travel industry and others that post-9/11 security measures have discouraged foreigners from visiting the United States. To help visitors clear Customs, the programs calls for providing them with more and better information about what’s expected. New and bigger signs are in Spanish and English. Videos are in four languages: English, Spanish, French and German. Houston’s international arrivals building, which opened in 2005, has separate lanes for travelers with electronic passports designed to thwart forgery. As the first designated Model Port, IAH serves as a prototype for international airport operations around the nation. Houston has the largest Federal Inspection Services facility in the nation and can process 4,500 arriving passengers per hour when fully staffed. In addition, IAH is a vital international hub with service to more than 73 global destinations and more flights to Mexico than any other airport in the U.S. Statistics indicate that international travel has already surpassed pre-2001 levels. The Houston Airport System recorded more than seven percent passenger growth in 2006, and CBP officials predict record number of travelers to the U.S. this year. Houston to be Part of Worldwide Energy Efficiency Effort Former President Bill Clinton has unveiled a $5 billion effort to fight global warming by retrofitting existing buildings with more energy efficient products, thereby reducing the emission of greenhouse gases. Fifteen of the world's largest cities, including Houston, will be part of the program coordinated by major banks and energy service companies. The energy efficiency building retrofit program was announced May 16 at the C40 Large Cities Climate Summit in New York, where mayors from around the world discussed global climate change. Besides Houston—where many firms have already begun to adopt the so-called "green building" concept—other cities involved include New York, Chicago, Toronto, Mexico City, London, Berlin, Tokyo and Rome. The planned projects include replacing heating, cooling and lighting systems with energy-efficient networks; making roofs white or reflective to deflect more of the sun's heat; sealing windows and installing new models that let more light in and keep the elements out; and setting up sensors to control more efficient use of lights and air conditioning. Other cities taking part include Mumbai, India; Karachi, Pakistan; Seoul, South Korea; Bangkok, Thailand; Melbourne, Australia; Sao Paulo, Brazil; and Johannesburg, South Africa. West Houston Hotel Renamed, Marked for Renovation The Holiday Inn Select Houston West has been rebranded as the Crowne Plaza Houston West, and will undergo a $4.4 million renovation. The 344-room hotel is located near the corner of Highway 6 and Interstate 10. Changes at the 20-story, full-service property are designed to attract business travelers visiting Houston's Energy Corridor. Room service hours have been extended and a full-time concierge added to help accommodate business guests. The renovation will include an upgrade of the 32 Club Floor guestrooms, giving each a flat plasma screen television, cordless phone and other upgraded amenities. The Club Floor levels will gain a private lounge with workspaces, sitting areas, a deluxe continental breakfast, afternoon beverages and hors d'oeuvres. Another perk for the business traveler -- children and leisure guests will be booked in other areas of the hotel. The Crowne Plaza Houston West will also add a presidential suite, two deluxe suites, a dry sauna and an updated bar area. Houston Zoo Expanding Elephant Habitat The Houston Zoo is expanding the McNair Asian Elephant Habitat from a one-half acre facility to a three-acre naturalistic complex that will make the Houston Zoo one of the premier elephant conservation centers in the country. The elephant area will expand six-fold, with three large yards, the addition of a second pool, and a modern new barn that offers guests a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the lives of our elephants. This design creates a naturalistic habitat, enhancing the living space for elephants, streamlining the animal care process, and providing a world-class experience for guests. The spacious yards will be able to accommodate additional elephants, creating a true breeding herd. Two of the three yards will accommodate bull elephants. The overall design offers flexibility in moving our elephants between yards and off-exhibit, as needed. A second pool will be built in the larger of the new yards, supplementing the existing pool. Seven stalls will make up the new elephant barn—constructed in a way that allows for future expansion, if necessary. The exhibit will feature public viewing into the barn, providing guests with unique glimpses into the daily lives of our elephants and the work of their keepers, including care, enrichment and training. Exhibit elements will be designed to encourage natural behaviors, such as foraging, browsing, rolling, bathing, dust bathing and the hierarchal interactions within the family groups. Landscaping of trees, natural grasses and varied terrain will add to the naturalistic look. The open design of the yards and viewing areas will promote optimal guest experiences. The elephant expansion will be built in two phases. Phase One, a $5 million project, includes an improved viewing area, a new 9,000 square foot elephant barn and additional outdoor holding areas. Completion of the first phase is expected in spring of 2008. The $3 million Phase Two consists of renovating the existing barns to allow for two bulls and adding much larger exhibit space – nearly an acre and a half – for future family groups in a bull yard and a female/family group yard. Completion of this second phase of the expansion is expected in 2009-2010. Children’s Museum to Break Ground on Expansion in August The Children’s Museum of Houston (CMH) has surpassed its fundraising goal to break ground and is now scheduled to begin the construction phase of its expansion to double the size of the Museum beginning August 26, 2007, with a groundbreaking ceremony. CMH raised $26 million from foundations, corporations and individuals, securing the Wortham Foundation’s $2 million Challenge Grant six months prior to the Foundation’s December 2007 deadline. The Museum still must raise $9 million in order to complete the Campaign by 2009 and provide funding for the additional outreach programming that will result from the expansion. With groundbreaking scheduled earlier than originally expected, Lahourcade says those overseeing the development of the Museum’s new exhibits as well as the teams charged with the building’s expansion efforts, Bellows Construction Company and Jackson & Ryan Architects, can proceed with confidence. Omni Hotel Planned for Downtown Houston Omni Hotels has entered into a partnership to own a new hotel in downtown Houston on Polk Street. The building (formerly a Sheraton) is being completely redeveloped by Songy Partners of Atlanta and Omni Hotels. In the heart of downtown Houston, the property is close to numerous businesses and a few short blocks from the convention center. It is also just steps away from the new Houston Pavilions project—an upscale retail, restaurant and entertainment development. With a new 400-plus room all-suite hotel containing approximately 30,000 square feet of meeting space, a full service spa and multiple culinary outlets, the new Omni Hotel will be well positioned to serve group, business travel and weekend business. Redevelopment is expected to begin later this year, and the property will reopen in 2009. British Airways Announces Houston-Heathrow Service Beginning March 30, 2008, British Airways will fly nonstop from Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) to London's Heathrow Airport. British Airways' current two daily nonstop flights to London Gatwick Airport will be changed to serve Heathrow instead. The new nonstop routing is a long sought after goal of the Houston Airport System's. Heathrow is Europe's largest gateway and offers a number of advantages for Houston's travelers. As a result of the new open skies agreement that was signed between the United States and the European Union, people traveling from Houston to London will have more access. In many instances, people would have to travel by bus from Gatwick to Heathrow, now people connecting from Houston to London will be able to transfer at Heathrow in a much more seamless way and will be able to make quicker connections, to Europe, Africa, the Middle East, India or anywhere else they are going in the British Airways network. George R. Brown Convention Center Creates New Visitors Division The George R. Brown Convention Center has established a new division to focus on the needs of facility visitors. The newly created event and guest services division will oversee traditional services such as event coordination and booth cleaning and new areas including concierge service, client amenities, retail outlets, the Explore Houston visitors center and ticket operations. Bobby Balsam, formerly director of sales, has assumed the new role of director of event and guest services. New Meetings Package at Hotel Derek Hotel Derek has introduced the Derek 10 Amenity Package, available complimentary to groups of 10 or more that reserve meeting space. The Derek 10 includes: • Complimentary “Stress Break” – a 15 minute stretch and breathing session led by a wellness consultant. • Two VIP in-room amenities • 20% discount on non-function meals at bistro moderne • 5% discount on banquet food and beverage • Complimentary room per 40 rooms occupied per night • Complimentary in-room high-speed internet access • Complimentary newspaper daily • Complimentary overnight shoe shine • 24-hour complimentary fitness center • Complimentary transportation within a 3-mile radius. Rates start at $149 Single or Double through September 8, 2007 and $179 Single or Double from September 9 to December 20, 2007. Meeting planners can upgrade their function to the Executive Meeting Package that includes the following: • The newly renovated Great Room including state of the art soundproofing, Quietrock insulation, Sound Stage Doors, Lutrons Graphic Eye System and new wall coverings and carpeting. • Ergonomic chairs for up to 50 people • Upgraded linens • Catering by the award-winning bistro moderne or Hotel Derek • Private Meeting Concierge • Portable business center – The Derek Desk-To-Go Rates start at $179 Single or Double through September 8, 2007 and $229 Single or Double from September 9 to December 20, 2007. Hotel ZaZa Opens in Houston Museum District The Warwick Hotel, which has been praised by everyone from Bob Hope to Conrad Hilton, reopened as Hotel ZaZa (www.hotelzaza.com) in June 2007 following a multi-million dollar renovation. Hotel ZaZa sits at the intersection of Main Street and Montrose, a spectacular urban locale awash in green space and within steps of the 445-acre Hermann Park, 17 museums and the Houston Zoo. The 315-room, 12-story property features a dynamic mix of accommodations including eight Magnificent Seven category suites up to 3,000 square feet in size, as well as 14 concept suites on the dedicated Imagination Floor that double as both one-of-a-kind guestrooms and meeting spaces. From a That’s Entertainment cinema suite with an extensive DVD library to An Affair to Remember suite, feeling like a king or The King, for that matter, is never a stretch. Hotel ZaZa’s second floor Urban Oasis is part Old Hollywood and part Xanadu. This year-round, private retreat for hotel and spa guests is reminiscent of a Venetian Piazza and is nothing short of stunning thanks to an original pool that would be almost impossible to replicate today. Six, fully-furnished poolside cabanas can be rented for the day by hotel guests and feature butler service and plasma screens. A seventh cabana is dedicated to outdoor massage. Also located on the second floor, ZaSpa features approximately 10,000 square feet of full-service spa and beauty facilities dedicated to custom treatments and time-honored rituals inspired by Eastern holistics. In addition to 11 individual treatment rooms, the Big Chill provides a larger space for groups looking to share a portion of their spa experience. Monarch is Hotel ZaZa’s 245-seat signature restaurant and lounge. Chef Bradley Manchester has created a sublime menu – available for breakfast, lunch, dinner and weekend brunch - that melds a premium selection of steaks with lighter Mediterranean fare. Monarch incorporates three distinct spaces, including a Baroque-inspired main dining room with soaring ceilings and plush appointments; a stunning, tree-shaded terrace designed for fun before and after dark; and a more casual bar area with menu service until 2 am, private nooks with bottle service, a rotating schedule of top DJs and a rollicking Saturday brunch. With the opulence of a bygone era intact and injected with a modern twist, the 6,800 square-foot Phantom Ballroom is already becoming the city’s premier venue for events up to 600 guests. Hotel ZaZa offers a total of 17,000 square feet of meeting space serviced by a private salon designed for meeting and event planners. Additional property amenities include a full-service business center, complimentary “Magic Carpet Car Service” to neighborhood destinations, property-wide WiFi Internet access, a butler’s pantry on each floor with complimentary morning coffee and tea service and guestrooms with plasma televisions, Bvlgari bath products, gourmet mini bars, luxurious Italian linens and down comforters, candlelight turndown service and rainforest showers. Omni Houston Hotel Introduces Kids’ Sensory Suites These vibrant guestrooms are designed to provide the comforts of home and stimulate the senses of young travelers, featuring twin beds with colorful bedding, beanbag chairs, an art table, board games, books cozy bath robes, aquatic-themed bath accessories and a complimentary Kids’ Sensation Bar filled with toys, trinkets and snacks. For special counsel on this out-of-the-ordinary project, Omni Hotels assembled an informal advisory board of 10-year-old children. Together, the children shopped to find the right room accessories and Kids’ Sensation Bar items to ensure the guestrooms’ appeal to kids. From the fish-shaped bath mats to board games, each item in the suite was selected with one ultimate goal in mind – pure fun! The Texas Collection Kids’ Sensory Suites are available on an ongoing basis. Prices range from $249 to $339 per night. The rates do not include taxes and are subject to availability. Magnolia Hotel’s Rooftop Pool Offers Poolside Bar, Limited Menu Guests of the Houston Magnolia Hotel can sip their favorite cocktail as they lounge by the rooftop pool. The new poolside bar will be open through the month of September. In addition to blended cocktails, the bar will feature specialty Starbucks® frozen coffee drinks, wine, beer, champagne and non-alcoholic beverages including soda. Additionally, a limited menu will be offered, including an antipasti platter, fresh fruit and cheese tray, and mini pizza. The pool is an exclusive amenity for guests of the Magnolia Hotel, as it requires key card access and is accessible only via the hotel fitness center. $100 Million Upgrade Planned for Lake Conroe Resort French Quarter VIII, L.L.L.P. (FQ), a private hospitality business investment company, finalized its purchase of the Texas resort and conference center currently known as Del Lago on Lake Conroe in late June. FQ will invest more than $100 million in acquiring, renovating and revitalizing the resort, which will result in more than 400 new jobs and an estimated 200,000 annual visitors to the resort and surrounding area. The to-be-renamed resort will open summer 2008 boasting 445 all-suite rooms, a gourmet restaurant and 75,000 square feet of meeting space and event facilities. Other amenities will include a 30,000-square-foot spa/health complex, extensive water sports, a 3.5-acre swimming pool complex, including a lazy river, a redesigned golf course, marina, mini-golf and ice skating rink. Former BANK Jean-Georges Chef Opens REEF Chef Bryan Caswell, formerly of BANK Jean Georges, and Bill Floyd opened REEF on June 7, an 8,000 square foot seafood restaurant and bar offering inventive seafood. Chef Caswell’s love of fishing and a passion for creative cuisine led him to create this true market restaurant. REEF’s fresh menu offerings change seasonally and feature the freshest seafood and produce available paired with locally grown ingredients from Houston’s farmers’ markets. REEF offers a mix of dishes, including Slow-baked Salmon with Lemon Risotto and Chili Oil; Snapper Carpaccio with Grapefruit Agra Dolce and Garlic Bruschetta; Steamed Mussels with Shiner Bock and Ancho Chili; Roasted Grouper with Pecan Shallot Cracklins, Braised Collards and Potlicker Jus; Crispy Skin Snapper with Sweet and Sour Chard and Tomato Brown Butter; and a Seafood Hot Pot with Fingerling Potatoes – as well as anything you’d like simply grilled -- from snapper to surf and turf. Designed by Lisa Pope Westerman and Brooks Howell, REEF and its cocktail bar, 3RD BAR, are designed with cool, contemporary details awash in calm blues and tranquil sea greens throughout. The dining room’s primary attraction is the 15-foot steel wine wall boasting more than 1,500 bottles. This wall is suspended in a temperature-controlled room enclosed by glass walls and a pneumatic door, allowing guests to see the structure from any vantage point in the room. Just beyond the wine room is a private room that can be reserved for intimate dinners for up to 32 guests or a cocktail event for up to 75. A flat-screen monitor and state-of-the-art AV equipment allow guests to use the room for presentations if needed. There a separate menu is served at 3RD BAR, with items including oysters on the half shell, spring roll shrimp with sweet and hot, beef ‘sliders’ with sriracha remoulade, as well as its signature 3rd BAR Plateau—a seafood grouping of all things salty and raw. Weekday happy hour at 3RD BAR offers the perfect spot for sipping and socializing after work and features the beef sliders served on house baked yeast rolls for $1 each. 3RD BAR is also a terrific destination for hungry Houstonians to grab a late night bite, as it serves until 2 a.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The views of downtown though REEF’s oversized windows are absolutely breathtaking, but when weather permits, grab a table outside on the welcoming wrap-around patio and take in the cool vibe of booming Midtown. TTR Gourmet Opens in Uptown Park The owners of TTR Wine Café, TTR Wine Lounge and Max’s Wine Dive, Jerry and Laura Lasco and Jonathan Horowitz, opened a new specialty food store, TTR Gourmet, in early May. Located at Uptown Park and adjoining TTR Wine Cafe, TTR Gourmet is an upscale, specialty grocery with in-store dining and take-home gourmet. To stock the new market’s shelves, the owners, along with Farrar, have combed the state and traveled to the Fancy Food Show in New York and San Francisco, searching for the best handcrafted, artisan foods to provide an initial inventory of exciting specialty products. Their discoveries resulted in a widely varied category mix focusing on flavorful products that are produced in small quantities, including domestic and imported artisinal cheese and charcuterie, exquisite chocolates, nuts, exotic salts, rubs, oils and more. Beyond specialty groceries, the store offers gourmet picnic baskets (perfect for the Miller Outdoor Theatre crowd), pizzas and paninis, homemade soup daily, takeaway salads and entrees, an artisan bakery, organic produce, home-grown herbs and fresh-squeezed juices, along with limited production wines and handcrafted beers to match any cuisine. To foster a community gathering space, the store includes a dining nook inside, with picnic tables on the outdoor patio. Seating for on-site dining will also be available at TTR Wine Café next door. Armandos Returns to Houston Armandos Mexican Bistro reopened in the former River Oaks Grill location in March 2007 after a seven year hiatus. This Houston favorite has created the same buzz and flair today as the original restaurant did in its heyday in the 1980s and ‘90s. The original menu that was so loved at his original location (Shepherd Drive and San Felipe) is present and accounted for. preferred dishes include the Panchita, a chicken tostada-like dish, Chicken or Spinach enchiladas paired with the original bacony refried beans and moist Mexican rice served with his unique brand of warm salsa. Also returning to the menu is “the time-honored” Armandos Cut, the 8-ounce filet that can be sliced to make tacos al carbon. Armando transformed the renowned restaurant space (formerly the River Oaks Grill) with the help of the celebrated Houston designer Richard Holley. Their collaboration resulted in a design reminiscent of Mexico City in the early 1920’s. He fashioned an intimate room seating 80 with yellow-ochre and wood paneled walls adorned with an array of grand mirrors and ornate wall sconces and chandeliers. The wood paneled party room with windows opening to the main dining room accommodates up to 30 guests. An elevated bar area is a theater offering a panoramic view of the dining room. Ibiza Lounge Next Door Opens Restaurateurs Charles Clark and Grant Cooper have opened Ibiza Lounge Next Door adjacent the popular Ibiza Food and Wine Bar. This intimate and refined lounge is designed specifically for Houstonians eager to escape the harried bar scene and relax in stylish, elevated interiors paired with welcoming service. Ibiza Next Door offers an extensive selection of wine and champagne, including unusual selections by the glass, half bottle and bottle, each priced provocatively. Ibiza Next Door also boasts a full bar and maintains more than 15 varieties of chilled champagne. All wines, including red, are served at cellar temperature. Ibiza Next Door is Houston’s first non-smoking lounge, although smoking is allowed on the outside patio. Meticulously designed by architectural firm Collaborative Projects, Ibiza Next Door features a 15-foot European-inspired zinc bar and custom-built furniture and fixtures. The atmosphere is intimate yet unobtrusive, featuring exotic woods from around the world. The Lounge’s lush interior seats 75 among its serpentine banquets and chairs, while the outdoor patio allows an additional 25 to settle in the sleek Janus et Cie chairs and loveseats. Retro Hot-Spot Opens in Midtown John Caravello and Matthew Nelson, co-founders of the bar NEXT, have opened a new retro hot spot, Swivel Cafe & Lounge. Swivel Cafe & Lounge, located at 2621 Milam in Houston's Midtown, between popular night spots Roof and Bond, offers snacks ranging from Mediterranean humus to fried oyster nachos on yucca chips. Swivel also offers a smoke-free environment, free wireless Internet and a front patio. Swivel, whose name was inspired by the futuristic bar featured in the Jetsons cartoon, is designed to cater to company or social happy hours, networking events, fundraisers and parties. Bob’s Steak and Chop House Opens in Houston Bob's Steak & Chop House opened its first Houston-area location on April 12. The Dallas-based steakhouse has taken over the site where Tony's restaurant fed Houston's elite for nearly four decades. The restaurant will be located at 1801 Post Oak Blvd. between Westheimer and San Felipe. Tony's relocated to the Greenway Plaza area last year. Bob's serves only USDA Prime Midwestern corn-fed beef and features an extensive wine list. The restaurant, which was recently praised by Bon Appétit magazine as "the kind of fare you'll want to go back for again and again," will be open for dinner only. Bob's operates other locations in Dallas, Plano and San Francisco. New Stores at The Galleria The Galleria, long known as Houston's best shopping destination for its fine stores and convenient location, will unveil sixteen new retailers throughout the mall this summer. Joining the ranks of its elite retailers, Bottega Veneta, the luxury purveyor of leather goods and clothing, will take residence in the Neiman Marcus wing in late summer. Juicy Couture and True Religion will all offer their trademark contemporary styles beginning in mid-summer with stores near Saks Fifth Avenue and Louis Vuitton, and Tory Burch and Lilly Pulitzer will open to much fanfare in 2008. DeBeers, the esteemed diamond brand, and Tous will add sparkle to The Galleria’s jewelry offerings in fall and mid-summer, respectively. Ruehl, the new cosmopolitan concept from Abercrombie & Fitch, will open in 2008. Hanna Andersson, the Swiss-inspired family clothier, will sell items from its collection usually featured in its catalog beginning in late summer near Nordstrom. Samsonite, Gifts of Texas and Hallmark Crown stores will round out The Galleria’s new offerings early this fall. Four eateries will also be opening throughout The Galleria. Del Frisco’s, the iconic Dallas steak house, will open doors in the Borders’ wing in time for the holidays. Martini Park, a restaurant and nightlife concept from the creators of Marquee in New York and Light in Las Vegas, will also be coming soon. In addition, Auntie Anne’s will open in The Galleria in the summer and Return of the Phoenix will follow in the fall. New Korean Art and Culture Initiative at MFAH The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and the National Museum of Korea have entered into a long-term agreement and loan of Korean cultural treasures that will serve as the foundation of the Korean Art and Culture Initiative at MFAH. At the heart of this initiative is the establishment of larger, permanent gallery space for the display of Korean art of the highest aesthetic and cultural significance and the introduction of a comprehensive interpretive program for visitors. The Korean Art Gallery will be the museum’s first permanent gallery for Korean art. It will be prominently located on the first floor of the Law Building at the MFAH and, at 2,260 square feet, will be comparable to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s gallery (2,000 square feet). It will be the only museum gallery in the Southwest dedicated to Korean art. When it opens, in December 2007, the Korean Art Gallery will feature an outstanding collection spanning 5,000 years of cultural history. The collection will comprise a selection of extraordinary objects on loan from the National Museum of Korea and artworks from the MFAH collection. Two of the objects from the NMK, Gold Crown and Gold Waist Belt, both crafted during the Silla kingdom (57 B.C.- 668), are designated National Treasures of Korea. It will be the first time for these works to be exhibited outside of Korea. The opening of the Korean Gallery at the MFAH is the initial step toward attaining the museum’s goal of full representation of Asian art, so that by 2008, approximately 10,000 square feet, triple the current space, will be devoted to the display and interpretation of Asian art. Other Asian cultures represented in the MFAH collection are China, Japan, India, Indonesia, and Southeast Asia. Each of these cultures will have new gallery space, scheduled to open over the next several years. The Korean Gallery will encompass work of each of the five primary periods of cultural production in Korean history, from early periods to the present. It will be divided into thematic sections covering ceramics, the arts of the Early Periods, Buddhist art, literati art, women’s personal ornaments, and contemporary art. The MFAH will draw on its own notable collection to incorporate photography into the gallery, and Korean film and video artists will have a presence through a Korean film series established by the MFAH film department. MFAH Acquires Ceramic Art Collection A significant collection of ceramic art and its accompanying library and archive, amassed over three decades by the New-York based collectors Garth Clark and Mark Del Vecchio, is to enter the collection of modern and contemporary decorative arts and design at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Comprising more than 375 artworks by major international figures such as Kenjiro Kawai, Jean-Pierre Laroque, Adrian Saxe, Peter Voulkos, Beatrice Wood, and Betty Woodman, many of whom are represented in depth, and including examples by leading artists Sir Anthony Caro, Lucio Fontana, Claes Oldenburg, and Grayson Perry, among others, this collection’s acquisition places the MFAH in the forefront of museum ceramic collections worldwide and positions the MFAH as a major center for the research of contemporary ceramics. It adds luster to the museum’s already distinguished collection of modern and contemporary decorative arts and design, and a new dimension to the museum’s exceptional post-1940 collection of Modern and contemporary painting and sculpture. Further, the collection brings a new component to the museum’s holdings in ceramic art, which include pieces from the pre-Columbian Americas, one of the nation’s finest collections of Worcester porcelain, superb examples from colonial America as well as 19th-century Texas and the United States, and also notable examples from ancient and modern Asia. An exhibition offering a first look of selected highlights from the collection is planned for May 2008 in the museum’s Cameron Foundation Gallery. Pearland to Get Presidential Park Houston area residents and visitors won't have to go too far to see all of the United States' presidents. Presidential Park at WaterLights, a new development within what will be the WaterLights District in the Houston suburb of Pearland, will feature 18-foot statues of all 42 U.S. presidents designed by internationally acclaimed artist David Adickes. The Houston-based artist is best known for his 67-foot statue of Texan legend Sam Houston on Interstate 45 near Huntsville and his newest sculpture of The Beatles, which will be moved to Interstate 10 this fall. Two other sets of presidential statues by Adickes have been installed in Williamsburg, Va. and in South Dakota. Several locations were considered before Pearland was selected as the ideal spot for the third set, which will be the only location in Texas to have an Adickes installation of presidents. After the next election, Adickes will create a bust of the 44th president for the Pearland development. (Grover Cleveland served non-consecutive terms and is counted as the 22nd and 24th president.) The park is part of the district, which will be a 50-acre, mixed-use project in Pearland off of Highway 288 at the future South Spectrum Boulevard, just south of Beltway 8. The project is expected to open in summer 2008. Planned by Browne and Donald Bauer of Irvine, Calif., it will have hotels, retail stores and office spaces. Residential condos and brownstones will also be developed. Steve Trent Named Managing Director of Hyatt Regency Houston Mr. Trent will oversee the day-to-day operations of the 977-guestroom hotel and its 400 employees. A seasoned hotel-industry executive, Mr. Trent came to Hyatt Regency Houston from Grand Hyatt San Francisco where he served as Managing Director. During his 36 years with Hyatt, Mr. Trent has served as General Manager for Hyatt Winston-Salem, Hyatt Regency Milwaukee, Hyatt Regency Crown Center in Kansas City, Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport, Hyatt Regency San Francisco in Embarcadero Center and Hyatt Regency DFW at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. In 1987, Hyatt Hotels named Mr. Trent “General Manager of the Year.” ### |
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