The Texas Children’s Hospital Mural Project

“I want people to be happy when they see my art.” -Ellie

Imagine children being welcomed by the fantastic creatures, places, and vibrant colors of their imaginations as they are dropped off for doctor appointments or treatment; a once daunting space transformed into a wonderland of dreams.

On Wednesday, October 14th, we began this exciting and rewarding new adventure at Texas Children’s Hospital, alongside our friends and partners from Eyeful Art Murals & Designs and Little Wonders Learning Center. Inspired by the story of Alice in Wonderland, and by our “Once Upon a Door” collaboration with Little Wonders, we invited the children to describe and to create their own wonderlands. We gave each child a folded piece of watercolor paper with a tiny cut-out door, which they could open to reveal a small part of their world, or unfold to reveal the bigger picture.

“From a Space to a Place” at Agape – Discovering Possibilities

One of the sessions in our “From a Space to a Place” program focuses on the interviewing process. We teach our students how to formulate interesting and effective questions in order to gain insight into the needs of their community. Students learn the importance of eye contact in conversation, as well as how to actively listen and take notes to fully understand the views and opinions of the people they are interviewing.

For this session at Agape Development, we brought in two college students studying social work to act out “good” and “bad” interview scenarios. These visual performances helped to reinforce the proper interviewing techniques, while providing some humor to an otherwise dry subject. The students then had time to write down a few thoughtful questions to ask a partner, so that they could practice interviewing each other, and their mentors, before interviewing actual community members the next week.

The next session began with anticipation, but quickly turned into a moment of positive growth. Students who had once been nervous about interviewing community members came to realize that they could hold meaningful conversations with adults. They eagerly investigated the concerns and needs of their community, writing down the key facts of each interview. Having a voice is empowering, especially for the youth who may feel unheard or disconnected from their community. These two sessions helped to instill a confidence in the teens that will undoubtedly help them as they venture through life. By connecting the youth to the elders of their community, relationships were built that will positively reinforce a brighter tomorrow.

“From a Space to a Place” at Agape – Exploring Possibilities

During the third session of our “From a Space to a Place” program at Agape Development, we brought in the very successful, Houston-based photojournalist, Johnny Hanson. With a passion for kids and photography, Johnny enthusiastically jumped in to teach our students about perspective, framing, the rule of thirds, and even abstract photography. The students learned that there are endless possibilities when it comes to taking pictures, and that, as in photography, people’s perspectives and interpretations of the world can be very different.

After an interactive presentation, the students were ready to go outside and take their own creative photographs, focusing on their passions and putting their newly acquired skills to use. Each student then selected one photo taken by him/her to be made into a ceramic photo tile.

A couple of sessions later, Johnny Hanson returned to Agape to teach the students about photo editing. He tied his presentation into personal transformation, asking the teens if they had ever wanted to alter something that they did in the past. With this in mind, the students were invited to use computer software to edit the photos that they took during the last photography session. The students began to modify their images, impressing themselves with the results. These new images will also be turned into ceramic tiles, providing a nice “before” and “after” effect. Through this creative process, we encourage the students to make positive changes in themselves, in their community, and beyond.

Opening the Door for Veterans – San Antonio in support of veterans adjusting to their “new normal”  First Workshop: August 29, 2015

The Texan-French Alliance for the Arts is excited to launch its new Open the Door  Veteran’s program in San Antonio, with the support and contribution of many partners (including the City of San Antonio, Southwest School of Art, the Third Power, McNay Art Museum, AMEDD Museum/JBSA Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio Foundation, Gemini Ink, and Café Commerce).

This program, inspired by the successful citywide Open the Door program implemented in Houston in 2012-2013, will be focused on veterans and the communities that interact with them. To learn more about the past Open the Door project, please visit http://openthedoor-houston.com/portfolio/what-is-it/  and http://openthedoor-houston.com/press/. More soon…

A Continuation of “From a Space to a Place”

LES MAÎTRES CUISINIERS DE FRANCE AND L’ACADÉMIE CULINAIRE DE FRANCE ANNOUNCE THE FIRST-EVER HOUSTON JOINT CONFERENCE TO TAKE PLACE FROM JUNE 6 THROUGH 9, 2015

A gathering to welcome top French chefs from North America for a series of events, workshops and the induction of Etoile’s Philippe Verpiand and Aura’s Frédéric Perrier.

Master Chef of France Philippe Schmit, one of the organizers of the event, is proud to announce that Houston is going to host the 33rd Annual Maîtres Cuisiniers de France and l’Académie Culinaire de France joint conference June 6th-9th.  This is the first time that this city has been selected as the meeting site for this esteemed and influential group of North-America based French chefs, who are dedicated to promoting the culinary and pastry arts. These maestros, all trained at Michelin star-caliber institutions, are reshaping modern French cuisine in America.

Main sponsors include GDF SUEZ Energy North America, H-E-B, Bernardaud and Infiniti South West.

Events will include a back of the house tour at Space Center Houston to lunch at Killen’s Barbecue and cocktails at Triniti’s Sanctuari Bar, and an invitation-only gala at Le Mistral on June 8 benefiting Recipe for Success Foundation and formally introducing the newest Master Chef inductees, Philippe Verpiand of Etoile and Frédéric Perrier of Aura.

For more information visit: www.mcf-acfcongress.com

facebook.com/events/588365794636728/

For sponsorship inquiries, please call the MCF Houston Congress office at 281-501-2815

Virtuosi of Houston/Conservatoire de Paris Exchange

How can a dream open doors and build bridges between countries and cultures?

The musical exchange program between Houston and Paris is the story of a dream, a dream that invited to open doors and to build bridges. The dream is the one of Zarine Boyce, president of the Virtuosi of Houston and its conductors Andrzej Grabiec and Franz Krager. Passionate about classical music and inspired by their talented students, they all dreamed this exchange between the young Virtuosi of Houston musicians and the young French musicians.
This dream has inspired many others who gathered and worked hard to allow this dream come true …
In chronological order:
– Karine Parker Lemoyne, Executive Director and Mickey Henry, President of the Texan-French Alliance for the Arts (TFAA), the staff of TFAA (Hadia Mawlawi), its Board of Directors and its volunteers, Lina Corinth and Karine Massartic who invited the young Virtuosi to discover the language of Molière.
– The Consul General of France in Houston, Sujiro Seam and his wife, Jane Seam who supported generously since their arrival in Houston, the Virtuosi of Houston and their project,
– The French Cultural Services in Houston, Sylvie Christophe, Lauriane Blandel and Marie Einbinder, as well as Veronique Lhemann, the French Consulate press attaché,
– Gretchen Amussen, Head of External Affairs and International Relations at the National Conservatory of Paris who generously opened the doors of the Conservatoire a Rayonnement Regional de Paris by introducing us to its outstanding and visionary director, Xavier Delette.

– Xavier Delette who in turn welcomed us with open arms at the Conservatoire a Rayonnement Regional de Paris with his great team (Marion Maugey, Rose-Helene Pousset, Laura Perrin, Manon Pontais)
– The Board of Virtuosi and its chairman, Dr. Meherwan P. Boyce,
– The staff of Virtuosi: Karen Needham, Steve Casas, Candice, who adopted the project with all the energy it takes to make it grow,
– The dynamic Virtuosi pro-bono musical exchange coordinator, Véronique Eberhard,
– The generous parents of the young Virtuosi of Houston and Paris Conservatory musicians
– The talented young Virtuosi of Houston and Paris Conservatory musicians
– The cultural services of the City of Paris,
– The French Institute
– Philip Frayne, Minister Counsellor for Public and Cultural Affairs,
Embassy of the United States, Paris, France
– And the audience and internet users who had and will have the chance to attend/listen to the Paris concert and who support this educational adventure in their own special way,
With a special mention for the sponsors and private donors including TOTAL, Monzer Hourani … who sponsored the musical exchange and all the TFAA sponsors (including Air France, Axens, GDF SUEZ Energy North America, Schlumberger, Technip,, Total) who believe in the programs and partnerships we keep developing and without whom the project would not have been possible.
A big Merci and bravo to you All!
What I have just described is a growing web and support networks that allowed the realization of a dream and the possibility of positive developments and change for these 110 young musicians, a positive change that will go beyond this week in Paris and the concert itself. Next year, the young French musicians will travel to Houston to partner with their Texan friends. Wonderful bridges have been built, it is up to us to continue to build more!