Champagne & Ribs Party Supports Black Artists, Keeps a Houston Museum of African American Culture Tradition Going

What: Houston Museum of African American Culture (HMAAC) Champagne & Ribs party

Where: HMAAC in the Museum District

PC Moment: After a COVID hiatus and before Omicron became so rampant in H-Town, the Champagne & Ribs party returned to the museum with Houston Ballet’s Lauren Anderson hosting. Founded in 2001 by John Guess Jr. as a fundraiser for the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston to celebrate that museum’s long history of commitment to diversity and art and artists of color, the popular event transferred in recent years to HMAAC where Guess is CEO.

The fun featured a surprise salute to renowned artist Lorraine O’Grady presented by HMAAC’s Whitney Brantley, known as The Dopest Black Historian, who revived the 1980s O’Grady persona Mlle. Bourgeoise Noir (Ms. Black Middle Class). O’Grady was known for crashing parties like Champagne & Ribs to critique racial apartheid in the art world.

A number of artists made the scene including Ronald Llewellyn Jones, who is completing a HMAAC public art project that has spanned the Fifth Ward and Sunnyside; Shawn Artis, who has just completed a HMAAC Message Mural in the Fifth Ward on the historic White Grocery Building on Lyons Avenue; and Cedric Ingram, who just completed the Robbie Tolan portrait that was recently dedicated for permanent display in the HMAAC lobby.

The ribs and other bites were provided by Got You Covered Caterers while Bowies and Hunnies provided the spirits.

PC Seen: ABC Channel 13 news anchors Melanie Lawson and Chauncey Glover, the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs director Necole Irvin, Houston Endowment’s Bao-Long Chu, HMAAC board president Cindy Miles,  HMAAC COO Davinia Reed, Barbara Lewis, Madison Reed, Tereasa Arcenaux, April Frazier, Chadwyck Peters, Justin Mabrie and Kimberly Mayberry.