Houston Artists, 16-Year-Old Voice Star and Civic Leaders Come Together for Powerful Night
It's Good to be a Creator
BY Shelby Hodge // 10.23.19Exotic fashions from House of Enid (Photo by Roswitha Vogler)
What: Houston Arts Alliance “Immerse” fundraiser
Where: Prohibition Theatre
PC Moment: In a new take on its traditional fundraising gala, HAA tapped nearly a dozen local artists to entertain the Art Deco-costumed crowd of 250 on the evening that saluted talented Houstonians and three civic leaders. Headlining the night of nonstop diversions was musical phenom Sarah Grace and The Soul, she the 16-year-old HSPVA student who was a semifinalist on Season 15 of The Voice.
Performances included graffiti artist Gonzo247, creating a live painting which was auctioned off at the end of the evening; poet, singer and actress Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton; Houston Poet Laureate Leslie Contreras Schwartz; and poet and performer Outspoken Bean presenting the spoken word; dynamic musical acts by Lawrence Turner Trio and The Hybrid 7 2nd Line; a fantastical fashion show by House of Enid; and a custom video installation by JooYoung Choi.
Taking bows as honorees were Judy Nyquist for Civic Art, Michelle Barnes for Community Work, and H-E-B, represented by Winell Herron, for Disaster Response.
Applause, applause for chair Lauren Anderson, former principal of Houston Ballet, who oversaw the evening that raised $205,000 for HAA’s work enabling area artists and nonprofits to thrive. That effort includes disaster resilience work and kids’ access to arts education through a citywide effort called Arts Connect.
Elizabeth Anthony
Aiding in the effort of organizing such an eclectic evening were committee members Ashley Langley, Craig Massey, David Wuthrich, John Abodeely, Leigh Smith, Lester Marks, Roselle Baldwin and Sylvia Cásares.
PC Seen: Mayor Sylvester Turner, Duyen and Marc Nguyen, Reggie Smith, Tatiana Massey, Susanne Burkeholder, Leslie and Brad Bucher, Mady and Ken Kades, Ashley and Curt Langley, Dina Alsowayel and Tony Chase, Karen and Roland Garcia, Penelope and Lester Marks, Heidi Gerger, Kelley and Stephen Lubanko, Paula Sutton, Minnette Boesel, Michelle Barnes and HAA CEO John Abodeely.
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