Tendenci – The Open Source AMS Blog
Community Blog for Open Source AMS Makers
Houston we have a street painting art festival at Downtown City Hall ! Be a part of this wondering event at 5 PM CST.
I was so happy to be able to attend my first TEDxHouston event this weekend. TEDx is the collective of local independant events organized in the spirit of the TED Conference and its motto – Ideas worth spreading.
2013 marked TEDXHouston’s fourth annual event, and Schipul was among the sponsors. Speakers ranged from astronauts to artists, and included a diverse group of local scientists, sustainable farmers, engineers, magicians, poets, and cancer survivors.
The theme was “The Other Things” – as in, Kennedy’s famous Moon Speech at Rice University where he declares:
“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” – John F. Kennedy
What are “the other things” that we still wish to accomplish? The TEDxHouston speakers gave their insight.
It was a day full of fresh perspectives and lots of brain candy. My favorite quotes from the event are listed below. (Disclaimer: These primarily came from my notes, with a few from the tweets of other #TEDxHouston attendees – so I apologize if I get any words off in my note taking!)
Enjoy!
| 1. |
“Comedy is a contagious emotion.”
– David J. Neff (@daveiam), on why everyone should do stand up comedy once in their life
| 2. |
“There’s nothing like your first career panic attack.”
– Dave Rangel (@thedaviderangel), professional magician
| 3. |
“When you know your history, you see that we’re all part of the same story.”
– Rick Brennan (@histrionix), Social Studies teacher and creator of the educational game Historia
Historia “Gaming the History of Civilization”
| 4. |
“Opting out does not change a bad system. Opting in to a better way does.”
– Christian & Lise Seger ( @BlueHeronFarmTX), sustainable farmers
| 5. |
“Well informed citizens are the building blocks of a functioning democratic society.”
– Tara Ruttley, on the importance of science education
| 6. |
“Cancer is our new normal – and that’s not acceptable.”
– Gabe Canales (@gabecanales), Cancer Survivor and founder of Blue Cure Foundation, on cancer prevention
| 7. |
“Fear is profitable. A fearful population can be made to do things. Knowledge counteracts fear.”
– Dr. Ricky (@dricky), scientist and author of sciencebasedcuisine.com, on educating yourself on what you eat
| 8. |
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned from the police force, it’s that you’ve got to look what’s coming at you straight in the eye.”
– Sarah Cortez, on facing the inevitable
| 9. |
“Cisgender people are not normal people, they are just common people”
– Scott Turner Schofield (@turnerschofield), on gender identity
| 10. |
“As artists, we are the conscience of society. Without us, there is no truth.”
– Sehba Sarwar, writer
| 11. |
“Criticizing is not participating.”
– Taylor Gahm (@taylorgahm), comedian
| 12. |
“My grandmother always told me: ‘You’ll never see a U-haul following a hearse.'”
– Outspoken Bean (@outspokenbean), poet
The full 9 hour livestream of TEDxHouston 2013 is available now! Check it out (talks start at about 40 minutes): http://new.livestream.com/tedx/tedxhouston2013
A huge THANKS to the leadership and all of the volunteers that made TEDxHouston happen! It was a great inspiration-filled day!
What were your favorite moments of TEDxHouston 2013 that we left out? Let us know in the comments!
Each year, a team of Schipulites converges upon the capital of Texas for South by Southwest. This year, Schipul is also a sponsor of Who’s HOU – a new creative project with the mission to share and promote Houston’s best music, film, and interactive talent at SXSW.
I wanted to share all the incredible interactive and technology professionals and events that are heading to SXSW from Houston and I encourage you to add these panels and events to your calendar.
Want to Learn More? Who’s HOU also has the full schedule for all the Houston tech, music, and film at SXSW on the website plus will feature daily videos, photos and more content throughout SXSW. If you’ll be at the conference, make sure you stop by Who’s HOU booth at the trade show and meet everyone!
Friday March 9th, 3:30pm to 4:30pm
Hashtag: #Jewish
Description: This panel’s discussion will focus on three key issues around communications within the Jewish culture: ( 1) Targeted Update Messages; (2) Bridging technological gaps between community leaders/communicators and social media experts; and (3) Community Engagement.
Friday, March 9 3:30PM – 4:30PM
Hashtag: #waste
Description: This panel will discuss three ways technology is making waste a resource and how knowledge sharing and collaboration across the enterprise and even competitors can create new and innovative solutions to environmental problems.
Friday, March 9 3:30PM – 4:30PM
Hashtag: #BrainLives
Description: If the conscious mind–the part you consider you–is just the tip of the iceberg in the brain, what is all the rest doing? Neuroscientist David Eagleman, author of the New York Times bestseller Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain, shows that most of what you do, think and believe is generated by parts of your brain to which you have no access. Here’s the exposé about the non-conscious brain and all the machinery under the hood that keeps the show going.
Saturday, March 10 11:00AM -12:00PM
Hashtag: #ZenNomad
Description: If you’re curious about the digital nomad lifestyle and wonder if you could live for a year or more “homefree”, this is a presentation you don’t want to miss.
Saturday, March 10 11:00AM -12:00PM
Hashtag: #sm4orgs
Description: This presentation will help small organizations think through developing, implementing, and measuring an effective campaign by sharing details of success stories from professional organizations and health advocacy groups when you don’t have the big staff and resources of bigger companies.
Saturday, March 10 3:30PM – 4:30PM
Hashtag: #accelerate
Description: This panel will explore the global startup accelerator explosion and share the latest quality rankings you can use to determine the right startup Accelerator for you.
Sunday, March 11 9:30AM -10:30AM
Hashtag: #pubmodels
Description: Learn how the publishing industry is changing dramatically and the new business models that locate talent and package content in new ways. Is the book dead? No—it’s being re-imagined and redefined by these very people.
Sunday, March 11 11:00AM -12:00PM
Description: In the annals of citizen empowerment and institutional vulnerability, democracy and anarchy share an interesting paired history in the digital environment, this panel intends to address how the global system may handle this latest disequilibrium.
Sunday, March 11 12:30PM – 1:30PM
Hashtag: #spacetweep
Description: While established membership organizations struggle to survive, Internet-enabled groups are flourishing with new members from far outside traditional demographic lines that are creating large-scale activities. Learn why people came together to become a ‘Space Tweep’ and got so passionately involved in space, how they became good friends over the Internet, and what they’ve created to make measurable change toward a more awesome tomorrow.
Monday, March 12 12:30PM – 1:30PM
Hashtag: #spacepts (This is also my panel and you can follow @sarahmworthy on twitter throughout the week for all the SXSW action!)
Learn how a group of “space geeks” consisting of web developers, aerospace scientists and engineers, and people who have a dream of living in space started meeting up and designed the rules, developed the application, and are sharing SpacePoints to increase public awareness about space policy, increasing funding to aerospace-related research (commercial and government), and having fun playing to win!
Monday, March 12 3:30PM – 3:45PM
Hashtag: #ONE
Description: This panel discusses the creation of One, a mobile application that notifies you when there is someone right next to you with similar interests and how One helps you form meaningful connections with people who would otherwise be strangers using technology.
Monday, March 12 3:30PM – 4:30PM
Hashtag: #SMROI
Description: This penel of the best and brightest authors, brand-builders and marketers aims to provide some real answers, honest talk, and genuine experiences on social media ROI.
Monday, March 12 5:00PM – 6:00PM
Hashtag: #techdiv
Description: This panel seeks to change the conversation from ‘What can technology conferences do about diversity?†to ‘What can attendees do about diversity at technology conferences?†Panelists will share how individuals can contribute to making technology conferences more inclusive.
Tuesday, March 13 9:30AM -10:30AM
Hashtag: #sm4seniors
Descripton: This panel addresses what vendors need to begin to design for all ages to enable a connected living and social aging experience for older consumers, and discuss how entrepreneurs and the venture community need a more dynamic relationship with this huge and underserved growth market.
Tuesday, March 13 3:30PM – 4:30
PM Hashtag: #AMERCOPY
Description: This panel will address the different concerns around government legislation versus the rights of consumers around copyright related policies including the PROTECT IP Act and the Stop Online Piracy Act.
SXSW is well known for having great speakers and even better known for the non-stop action that goes on outside the Austin Convention Center. Here are my top picks for SXSW events that I’ll be sure to attend this year. If you want to meet up with me and the rest of our team heading to Austin for SXSW, you’ll most likely us here:
March 11, 2012 From 9:30 AM’ 1:30 PM
SXSW Interactive Startup Village
HATCH is debuting at the new SXSW Startup Village this year. HATCH will be featuring 15 revolutionary startups certain to change your world. Come hear them pitch to investors. And when it is done, tell your friends you heard about the next big thing at HATCH.
March 12, 2012 From 6:00 PM – 9:30 PM
C2xSW 2012 will showcase Houston Film/Music/Tech through “The Official Unofficial All of Where the Wild Things Are Interaction Packed Adventure Extravaganza!†orbiting the SxSW conference in Austin.
March 9th through March 14th From 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM Daily
The Beaconfire Lounge returns for the 4th year in a row with the theme: “With a Conscience” and is known as THE spot for cause-focused people to hang out with the best and brightest non-profit Geekerati. The WiFi will be speedy, the noms and drinks plentiful, the couches comfy and the do-gooding vibe pure awesome.
We love working with all of our clients (seriously, they are amazing), but few clients can throw a costume and glitter festival like The Orange Show. Check out some of our photos (taken by Ed Schipul and Derek Key) from their 30th Anniversary Orange Show Gala and tag yourself on the Orange Show Facebook page if you see yourself!
Learn more about The Orange Show (one of Houston’s art and creative treasures) on their website and be sure to connect on Facebook to attend their next awesome event!
“In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” – Andy Warhol, 1968
I attended a screening of Warhol on TV presented by Aurora Picture Show at the Menil Collection last Friday night. The film was a collection of excerpts of works created by and featuring Andy Warhol. The film was curated by the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, PA.
Andy Warhol’s obsession with celebrity and the lives of the rich in famous is well documented, and very evident in the film. What hit me was his fervent dedication to documenting his life and the world around him in photographs and video. Take this photo I took of a video of Andy being done up in drag.
In today’s pop culture, our obsession with the lives of the rich and famous is at an all time high. The entire Charlie Sheen saga has been a grim reminder of how much we thirst for a good celebrity train wreck. But a democratization of the velvet rope has occurred with the proliferation of camera phones. Whether it is the video of Cyndi Lauper singing Girl’s Just Wanna Have Fun in an airport terminal . . .
Or a little girl singing the new Lady GaGa single . . .
There are moments of Warholian fascination being born (this way) every day. It’s had me thinking about what Andy Warhol’s art would have looked like if he was armed with an iPhone. The glut of photography apps on the iPhone, particularly those dedicated to creating a vintage look to your photos, make your iPhone reminiscent of Warhol’s ubiquitous cameras. Here are a couple of my favorites
Instagram – FREE
Instagram is incredibly simple. Take a picture, apply a cool filter, share with other user and over your social networks. They recently added hashtag support allowing users to tag their photos, making them searchable. Instagram is great to get quick snaps of random things going on around you. The in-app feed is great for those moments when you want to just look at something interesting in the middle of the day. You can also like and comment on your friends photos. There is also a Popular button that takes you to a collection of the most liked photos taken by Instagram users.
Hipstamatic – $2.99 plus multiple $.99, Hipstapaks (app currently on sale for $1.99)
I’ll warn you now, this app can lead to a serious obession. I LOVE Hipstamatic. While the app comes with a nice set of equipment up front, the real fun is adding the Hipstapaks, expanding your lens, film and camera options. I doubt I’ll ever learn how to use this app to its fullest potential, but I know it’s going to be fun trying. Another great feature of this app is the Hipstamart. You can upload photos from your phone into the Hipstamart, and order high quality prints! They come in a nifty little envelope that folds into a stand-up frame.
Hipstamatic just takes great photos. You can also share them in Instagram, doubling the AWESOME! One more thing, if you’re going to be using Hipstamatic, you might as well invest in SwankoLab as well. It’s like having an entire dark room in your pocket!
8mm Vintage Camera – $1.99
I haven’t been able to use 8mm as much as I would like. As you can probably imagine, it turns your iPhone into an 8mm camera. Like Hipstamatic, it comes with a small collection of lenses and films to experiment with. Turn your videos into home movies from yesteryear!
Fortunately, the bad fashion from the 70’s is not included.
With an iPhone and these apps, anyone can lead the life of Andy Warhol. And getting your 15 minutes of fame just got a bit easier. Happy content creating!
When you hear the name Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, the last person you’d associate with him is Dominique de Menil, founder of The Menil Collection in Houston, Texas. However, you will be surprised to find they are much closer than you think.
There is an article in this month’s Texas Monthly titled Paint by Numbers that takes an in depth look at one of the most ambitious contemporary arts collections recently brought together in the State of Texas. What makes this collection unique is this “gallery” just hosted the Super Bowl XLV. I am, of course, talking about the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium.
I found the entire article incredibly fascinating. While some will sniff at the idea of the art in the stadium being compared to the frescoes that adorned the vomitoria (click on the link, it’s not what you think) of the Roman Colosseum, Mr. Jones has recreated the same thing in Arlington, and he’s done so with contemporary art.
For the record, I am not a big fan of Jerry Jones, but I greatly respect what he has done here. It’s a surprisingly forward thinking move from an organization drowning in sponsorship money from beer and soft drink companies. An NFL franchise as an arts benefactor makes so much sense, it’s hard for me to believe it hasn’t been a higher priority, if not a legislative requirement of publicly funded sports stadiums.
The amount of money pumping through the professional sports leagues is mind boggling, and incredibly hard to swallow at times. The Dallas Cowboys stadium alone carried a price tag of $1.15 BILLION. To see some of this money directed into the arts makes me happy, and hopeful we can see more money pumped into the arts communities of all cities that are home to a professional sports franchise.
At a time when government funding of the arts is in danger of being cut on all levels, it is high time owners of all professional sports franchises try harder to keep up with the Joneses.
Last night I had the pleasure of popping into the Culture Map Pop-Up Party at FotoFest. What was all the celebration about? Yesterday was the opening of a great new exhibit at FotoFest: A Matter of Wit. Featuring collective works of Gilbert Garcin, Miro Å volÃk and Colin Blakely, each visitor was surrounded by remarkable visions of whimsy, humor and ability as they navigated through the displays, friendly faces and tasty treats.
Aside gawking at some amazing photography, The Culture Map Pop-up Party at FotoFest also gave me my first taste of sugary goodness from MMM…Cupcake and an amazing twice-baked potato pocket pie from Oh My! Pocket Pies (which was adorable and delicious). The folks at MMM…Cupcakes and Oh My! Pocket Pies couldn’t be nicer (and kudos to the pie guys for sticking it out in freezing temperatures).
Another awesome turn up at the Map Pop-up Party at FotoFest was Smile Booth! I got to chat with Josh from Smile Booth and I have to say, it’s probably one of the neatest things I’ve seen out and about in Houston. A superior twist on old school instant film, a high quality instant camera with takes a few photos of you and your friends and print right out; these pictures turn out great and you can view them online the next day (just like the ones from FotoFest)!
Everyone had a blast, but if you missed the Pop-Up Party at FotoFest, don’t worry the exhibit: A Matter of Wit continues through Feb 25th. Thanks to CultureMap, the awesome food vendors, Silver Eagle, FotoFest and everyone who contributed for a great night!
February 10, 2011 – February 25, 2011
Mon-Wed and Fri, 10am – 5pm, Sat, noon – 5pm,
Late Night Thursdays 10am – 7pm
I started working in Houston’s Theater District at Society for the Performing Arts before Facebook was well, Facebook and the introduction of the iPhone. Android was still just a dream of the Open Handset Alliance. Being the early adopter that I am, I began testing the waters of Facebook and Twitter, trying to figure out how all this crazy stuff worked. All the while, my mind kept spinning around the question, ‘How could these emerging methods of connection and communication be integrated into the Theater District experience?’
As with many organizations during this time, the answers have not been easy to come by. The main conflict is the ages of the respective audiences. The group actively using social media on the internet and their phones is considerably younger than the audiences taking in performances at Jones Hall and the Wortham. The great fear for some patrons is the degradation of the theater experience like we have seen in our movie theaters. Others find the behavior of these tech happy people abhorrent, and too unsophisticated for the filigreed temples of the arts. Honestly? They’re right. Going to a performance is an experience between you and the artists. It is an intimate relationship that sometimes requires the full attention of the patron.
Imagine yourself locked in a passionate embrace of your significant other. They are holding you in their arms tightly, stroking your hair, nibbling at your ear. When, all of a sudden, he or she pulls out their phone to send a tweet. That moment is, as they say, spent. Now, with that same scenario, imagine if a stranger interrupted this moment to post your picture on Facebook? We’ll call this phenomenon Theaterus Interruptus.
This is not behavior anyone here at Schipul would be likely to encourage, however, we also see the strong need for a conversation about the use of social media and mobile phones within the construct of a night at the theater. In the coming weeks, I want to open up a dialog with arts patrons and enthusiasts about the use of social media in our performance spaces. I will introduce you to different sites and apps that I feel have great potential, and hopefully develop a set of rules we all can follow to help expand our enjoyment of the theater-going experience.
In my last Arts post, I laid out some simple rules of how to attend an art gallery opening. This time around, I want to give you some suggestions about galleries you might want to visit.
Bering & James
As I mentioned in my last post, this is probably my favorite gallery in Houston. You will recall Rule #7: An opening does not an evening make. Any gallery that you decide to frequent should have immediate access to post opening possibilities. Bering & James boasts Houston favorite, Gravitas, and the delightful BYOB gem Lucio’s within walking distance. Whether you want to go casual or chic, your post opening festivities are set at Bering & James. Parking can be a bit tricky, but B&J will normally have complimentary valet. That or you can always valet at Gravitas for a pre-opening cocktail, and walk over from there. Be careful with the latter option, you don’t want to run afoul of Rule #5: The wine is free, but this isn’t Cheers, Norm.
Gremillion & Co. Fine Art, Inc.
First off, let’s get your pronunciation right. It’s Greh-MEE-on not Greh-million. You’ll score serious points right off the bat if you can say her name right. I met the owner of this gallery during my time at Society for the Performing Arts. This is also a gallery for high-level art collectors.
Let me explain. You’ll know a lot about the level of collector you’re hobnobbing with pretty easily by looking at the prices of the art. Bigger price, bigger level of collector. However, don’t let that deter you from going to certain galleries. Attending gallery openings isn’t just about buying art, it’s also about discovering your personal tastes.
While it can be very subjective, an artist will typically charge what people are willing to pay for their art. More sought after artists charge more for their pieces. However, you should NEVER use the prices to dictate whether you like the art. In fact, I can guarantee that you will eventually find yourself looking at something that you think is ridiculously overpriced at $10,000, and absolutely fall in love with the piece that is priced at $100 somewhere else.
Which brings me to another point. You’re going to walk into some galleries, and you’re going to see some pretty crazy stuff. Embrace that fact right now. If all art was for all people, it would cease to be art. Art, by nature, is supposed to challenge people in different ways. Sure, you may like it, but you need to take time to ask yourself why? And the same thing goes double for anything you absolutely cannot stand. I tell you this because I promise you that you will, one evening, find yourself starting at a big effing mess on the wall, and will not want to live without it. If you allow yourself the proper amount of personal introspection, you’ll not be confused when this inevitably happens to you. It’s really okay, it’s actually a pretty fantastic feeling.
The Colquitt “Gallery Row”
This is my moniker, I don’t know if these galleries ever refer to themselves as a group. Nevertheless, the 2600 block of Colquitt is a fantastic collection of galleries covering a wide range of disciplines that makes for an entertaining gallery crawl. Better yet, the galleries tend to have openings en masse giving you delightful opportunity to see a great selection of art.
The galleries of Gallery Row include, among others, Dean Day Gallery, Goldesberry Gallery, Hooks-Epstein Gallery, Moody Gallery and John Cleary Gallery. The group openings at Colquitt always draw a diverse crowd, and make for a perfect Saturday night out with friends.
Your adventures in Houston’s art galleries are just beginning. Have fun, be willing to open your mind, and you’ll be sure to find yourself in interesting places both personally and socially. There’s a wonderful world out there for you to find, you just have to get out there and experience it. I hope I have been of some help.
See you at the galleries!
Coffee table. Bed. Plates. Forks. Chairs. A lamp. Individually, they’re just items on a list of things found in a house. Collectively these items represent what makes a house a home, and when simply having a roof is your main priority, what to put under it takes the backseat. Shade of Hope is putting the spotlight on these details.
Shade of Hope is a community arts affair created to help raise money and awareness for The Furniture Bank of Houston. The name sounds stately and polished, but the Furniture Bank is modest warehouse tucked away in Houston’s Third Ward, manned by a small group of loving volunteers.
Sunday, July 18, the public will have an opportunity to see the space for themselves during the kick-off event for Shade of Hope. Artists will be on-site creating the artwork to be featured in the upcoming Furniture, Arts and Decor Expo – Show Your heART Houston, which also benefits The Furniture Bank.
True to it’s name, artists for the event will use shades donated by Blinds.com as canvas for their artwork. We attended the artist breakfast meeting at Blinds.com and even had an opportunity to sign the first shade commemorating the event.
The Furniture Bank welcomes donations of furniture and home appliances. Anyone interested in participating or donating to Shade of Hope or the Furniture Bank can contact Esther Steinfeld of Blinds.com.
