FAMILY OUTING
THE SUFFERS
Murals and a sing-off for the holidays.
Local artists are facing off in a live mural challenge this weekend at Rice Village, and the public can watch as they work.
At the new, outdoor event dubbed The Art of Holiday, 10 artists will transform 8-foot panels into holiday-inspired scenes. After the competition, the murals will be moved throughout the center to act as décor for holiday shopping.
The crowd can watch the 90-minute competition while a DJ spins pop music and other local creatives cover the sidewalk with seasonal chalk paintings.
Rice Village chief marketing officer Jennifer Rivera said her team took inspiration for the event from the nearby Museum District and hand-picked artists who would be “mesmerizing” to watch at the family-friendly event.
She enlisted the help of UP Art Studio, the local arts organization responsible for Mini Murals, the vibrant paintings that cover traffic signal control boxes throughout Houston.
Of the featured mural artists, Rivera says, “More than likely, they grew up coming to Rice Village, and now we’re giving them an opportunity to showcase their talent.”
The only guidelines the artists were given, she says, was to create a mural with a Houston theme or that is tied to the local community in some way.
The mural competition is judged by local artists Reverend Butter, who is best known for ice carving, and Jermaine Rogers.
Snow globe scene
At twice the scale of the murals that are part of the timed competition, local artist Anat Ronen’s contribution to the event is already completed. Her mural will be the event’s interactive photo op.
Using acrylic paint, Ronen covered two panels — one that stands vertically and another lying flat, so that her artwork spills from the wall to the ground.
Ronen’s murals often create a three-dimensional effect. For The Art of Holiday, she painted a snow globe. Depending on where a viewer stands, Ronen says, the snow globe begins to take shape, allowing the public “to pose as if they’re part of the picture.”
“The idea of anamorphic is basically to distort or to make a two-dimensional or a flat surface look threedimensional,” she says.
“Snow globes are fascinating to me,” she says of the seasonal subject she chose, and “a fun way to play with textures and reflections …. People can see the illusions of it.”
Hands-on holiday fun
“It’s always so intriguing” to watch the process of art being created, Rivera says of the chalk and mural artists, and she hopes young artists in attendance will be inspired to make a creation of their own.
Guests of all ages will have a chance to take part in a giant community paint-by-number mural that Rivera describes as a “group effort.”
“Everybody gets to come and add their own little pieces,” she says.
Also on-hand are mini canvases and coloring sheets kids can use to make art to take home. Nearby, the local nonprofit Young Audiences of Houston will be manning a kids’ craft area.
The Art of Holiday doubles as a gift market, with local artists selling jewelry, pottery, paintings and other wares.
The night before The Art of Holiday, Rice Village hosts is third annual holiday sing-off.
Fans of the “Pitch Perfect” movie franchise will enjoy the a capella competition of local choirs and performers, including the band The Suffers and two Rice University a cappella choirs, Rice U Philharmonics and Rice Apollos.
Lighting the tree
After the audience watches the rounds of performances leading to the top prize being awarded, the district will light its central holiday tree. The event culminates with fake snow being dumped from the top of the district’s shops.
“It definitely lends itself to a great Instagramable moment,“Rivera says of the flurries.
“Especially for children, it’s so mesmerizing because we don’t get snow here as often.”
The sing-off has grown in popularity each year, Rivera says.
“The culture today is that everybody is extremely busy and they want to have an activity as a family that everyone is able to enjoy,” she says.
“Music always brings everyone together.”