This is the year of clear vision and we’re evolving beyond all past versions of ourselves. We’re staying hydrated, we’re supporting local art, we’re reading more books, we’re going to the museum instead of the club. With a new decade comes new adventures — all of which can be easily found in the Houston metropolitan area. Houston is filled to the brim with arts and culture just as widely diverse as the city itself, and it calls on us to explore with open arms. Consider this your cultural enrichment checklist of the month.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Discovery Green® (@discoverygreen) on

Made by French creative studio Pitaya, “Paloma” is a series of 200 colorful aluminum origami birds suspended from the canopy along Discovery Green’s Brown Promenade. The birds are illuminated by dynamic LED lights after dusk to create the illusion of flight. This site-specific public art installation sponsored by PNC Bank is complemented by “Here and Now,” a sound installation by Houston-based artist and anthropologist Lina Dib, whose work explores ecological change and global migration. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by The Ensemble Theatre (@tet_houston) on

Celebrated performing arts center since 1976 highlighting African-American theatre, The Ensemble Theatre is holding its 15th annual "Consequences of Love" Art Exhibit & Show on January 18th. Featuring artist Linda Simien Kelly, revelers can also catch performances by poets, musicians, dancers, and actors bringing awareness of sickle cell disease and traits.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Alley Theatre (@alleytheatre) on

From January 16th-19th Alley Theatre holds its annual “All New Festival” comprised of a variety of public and in-house programs designed to support playwrights creating fresh new content. This yearly initiative premieres and commissions new plays as Houston’s largest theatre pops and bubbles with new ideas and new faces. Featuring new plays from some of the most exciting voices in contemporary theatre, reservations for this event are free for single tickets.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Houston Museum of Nat. Science (@hmns) on

Houston Museum of Natural Science is displaying Nathan Sawaya’s “The Art of the Brick” exhibition running through March 29th. Known for creating awe-inspiring works of art out of some of the most unlikely things, Sawaya’s unique exhibition is the first of its kind to focus exclusively on LEGO as an art medium. “The Art of the Brick’s” large-scale LEGO structures were built from standard bricks beginning as early as 2002 and are both playful and beautiful. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Sicardi Ayers Bacino (@sicardiayersbacino) on

Through January 16th, Montrose Art Gallery Sicardi | Ayers | Bacino is presenting the work of Venezuelan master artist Alejandro Otero in an anthology documenting his legacy as one of the most original artists in modern Latin American art. A renaissance man to his core, Otero’s work expands across mediums from large sculptural installations to painted still life and murals and even digital graphic design made on computers in the 80s.