London is set to welcome even more public art as Sculpture In The City returns for its 12th edition of free outdoor art.
Sculpture In The City Returns This Summer For Their 12th Year Of Public Art Trails
Color Park gets a fresh start in the South Side, igniting a street art debate
The South Side’s street art Color Park — located along the Three Rivers Heritage Trail near The Highline — received what some would call a needed facelift last week. Others on social media offered a decidedly different opinion.
Volunteers from Friends of the Riverfront — the nonprofit tasked with protecting and maintaining riverfront trails and access — primed the concrete blocks in the space with a fresh coat of white paint last Tuesday morning, May 23, creating a blank canvas for what organizers call a park “refresh.”
Volunteers and local artists spent Thursday evening before the holiday weekend adding new colors and fresh works of art to the space.
“I think it’s an amazing concept,” says Kelsey Ripper, executive director of Friends of the Riverfront. “Artists need a space to experiment and hone their craft and do it safely. I’m excited to keep the tradition going.”
Started in 2017 with local artist and former Steelers running back Baron Batch, the park was originally designed to be an ever-changing street art gallery with annual updates. But the lack of events, in part due to Covid, left the park susceptible to less savory and sometimes vulgar graffiti that led to some backlash from area residents.
“I think it’s a good idea in theory, but it needs to be curated,” says Allentown resident Nancy Lomasney. “It’s good to activate the space for sure, but I think it’s been neglected. I think it is a naive hope that it’s going to be self-regulated.”
Thursday’s refresh is a step in the right direction, says Ripper, acknowledging that some of the graffiti had gotten out of hand and exceeded the park’s intended boundaries. Going forward, Friends of a Riverfront plans to organize annual refreshes.
“Next year we’ll do an even bigger push to let people know this is happening,” Ripper says.
In the meantime, street artists are encouraged to add their work or cover older pieces whenever they want.
Batch was on hand Thursday assisting amateur artists, adding some of his own flair on the murals and just taking in the scene, laughing and chatting with others who came by to paint.
“It’s about moving to the next phase of what this project actually is,” Batch says. “It’s a place of expression.”
He hopes the idea can be expanded or used regularly for events.
Beltzhoover native and artist Dejouir Brown says the park has been an important space for him since it began. A father, and line cook by trade, Brown works on his art in his spare time.
“It’s a place where people can come and experiment. A lot of people don’t have studios or places in their house where they can express their color and just try stuff,” Brown says.
For him, it’s also a place of stress relief.
Talking with Batch and another artist, Brown adds, “Especially as Black men, we’re always looked at to be angry or upset. This art is how we can channel our emotions and express how we feel or let out our emotions. I found myself escaping to the park. It’s a heavy escape for me. When I am in my feelings or when I am feeling stressed out about things I don’t have control over, I jump into art.”
As to the explicit, sloppy or expletive-laden graffiti, he says it has no place in Color Park and is generally frowned upon by the street art community.
“I don’t like it. I want people to do their research. Don’t do dumb stuff,” he says. “Don’t come down here doing profanity. That’s a waste of your time.”
For full-time artist Korey Edmonson of Baldwin, Thursday was an opportunity to try a new medium and work with spray paint.
“It’s my first time doing something this big,” Edmonson says of a colorful image he painted on one of the blocks. Speaking of the refresh he adds, “Hopefully it encourages some positive art.”
Both Edmonson and Brown express interest in seeing an expansion of Pittsburgh’s street art scene. Brown points to places like the Wynwood neighborhood in Miami — an old industrial area that has embraced mural parks and transformed into a revitalized arts district — as a good example of larger scale street art projects.
The property in and around Color Park is owned by the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh (URA) and includes a large unused paved space. Batch and Ripper both see the potential for expanded use of the space for festivals, concerts and other projects.
While much of the response to Thursday’s refresh was positive, there was some backlash on social media, especially concerning some of the artwork that was created by artists who are now deceased, that was covered up. Because of the scarcity of information, others mistakenly assumed that Color Park was abandoned and the space had just been painted white.
Happy with the refresh as a whole, Brown agrees with some of the criticism.
“I wish that the people that orchestrated this situation could have reached out to somebody to get more information on the culture,” he says. “Other than that, I love it.”
While all of the blocks at the center of the park were primed white, some of the existing art on the ground was preserved and painted around.
Defending the decision to paint over much of the park, Ripper says that was always the original intent of the space. “That’s the nature of graffiti. It’s always going to be changing.”
In an email, she writes that members of Friends of the Riverfront discussed saving some of the pieces, but ultimately decided, “We didn’t want to be the arbiters of what is good art and what is not. We looked at every piece of art before the refresh and didn’t see any indication that there were memorial pieces in the park. The original intent of Color Park, and what keeps it interesting, is that it is ever-changing.”
The park is open to artists to come and add their works to the space at any time. Covering up or simply adding around older works is a generally accepted practice in the street art community.
5 Emerging Pacific Islander Artists To Know: P-Lo, Kala’e Parish & More
Yahritza Martinez grew up hearing her father and uncle play música de tierra caliente, regional Mexican music played on violins, guitar and percussion from the states of Michoacán and Guerrero. Even as a child, she astounded her family with the potency of her crystalline, soaring voice as she sang along.
Now 16, Yahritza is one of a growing number of young Mexican and Mexican American women who are adding their own swagger and sentiment to regional Mexican. Together, they are having a profound impact on a genre that is experiencing phenomenal growth.
The regional Mexican music movement is clearly having its “Despacito” moment — as of April, 14 regional Mexican tracks appear in the Billboard’s Hot 100, after only landing on the charts three times since 1958. 2022 stats from Spotify place regional Mexican’s streams up 450 percent over the last five years — female voices are largely absent.
Regional Mexican is a general label that groups different styles of music incorporating the rural folklore of Mexico’s extensive geographies, often from an Anglocentric perspective. This can include styles such as banda Sinaloense, corridos, Sierreño, conjunto Norteño, corridos tumbados, and even mariachi, cumbia and son jarocho.
The difficulty female artists have breaking into the genre are multifold. In an industry discussion on the challenges of breaking female acts in regional Mexican, it was noted that 80 percent of the genre’s consumers are male. However, the audience would likely be more gender-diverse if there were more regional Mexican songs written by women or for them — and that is definitely changing.
In April 2022, 15-year-old Yahritza became the youngest Latin artist ever on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart — a record held for over 60 years by Ritchie Valens — for her heartfelt breakup ballad, “Soy El Único.” Expressed from a male perspective, it was the first song Yahritza ever wrote, inspired by the heartbreak comments of other TikTokusers. The same year, Yahritza y su Esencia, a band formed with her brothers Mando and Jairo, received a Latin GRAMMY nomination for Best New Artist.
It’s an equally astounding achievement that Yahritza y su Esencia broke into the infamously hyper-male regional Mexican movement. To date she is the only female voice (albeit in a family band) on the popular 50-song Spotify playlist Sad Sierreño, her particular realm of the genre.
A History Of Regional Mexican Music
The variants of Norteño (regional Mexican that originated in northern Mexico and the southwestern United States) play particularly important roles in the collective Mexican American soundtrack. And many of these are based on the corrido, narrative songs born in the 1800s. Throughout the War for Independence and then the Revolution, corridos narrated the triumphs of heroes, their battles, epic adventures and even their horses. These musical stories also came to extol the virtues and lives of admired community members, hard-working people and immigrant struggles — a notable exception being the Narcocorrido subgenre that glorifies the exploits of drug lords.
Yet, these songs — even when sung by women— always centered the male point of view and were frequently imbued with a toxic masculinity. As Maria Herrera Sobek, Professor Emerita in Chicana and Chicano Studies at the University of California Santa Barbara notes, even corridos that sung the praises of iconic women figures such as the soldaderas — the female soldiers and heroes of the revolution — did so from a masculine perspective.
“The Mexican ballad is really one of the very few, if not the only one, which is still a living tradition,” Herrera-Sobek continues. Consequently, Mexican ballad forms will continue to evolve and reflect current circumstances.
In the mid-aughts, two subgenres began iterating on traditional ballads: Urban or trap corridos tumbados blended hip-hop, trap and Norteño. Elsewhere, nostalgic Sierreño folk music from Mexico’s northern mountain ranges, acquired a bedroom pop sheen and spread through social media, driving the popularity of so-called sad Sierreño, songs of amor and desamor.
Yahritza (center) y Su Esencia | José Alavez
This new regional Mexican toggles between the urban and the emo, and has found Gen Z fans on both sides of the border. And while women were largely absent from those early urban corridos and sad Sierreños, they are now creating music that is unapologetically Mexican and female.
There are now four recording artists or bands that are creating a new narrative and centering female voices. By simply singing in styles which have long been defined by and created for men, artists like Yahritza y Su Esencia, Lluvia Arámbula, Ivonne Galaz and Conexión Divina are bucking centuries-old norms and codes.
Meet Regional Mexican Music’s Mujeres
Zooming in from Argentina, where Yahritza y Su Esencia are performing at a conference, Yahritza declares that being a role model to other young women makes her feel grateful. “There’s girls on my live that are like, ‘I started playing the guitar because of you. I started singing because of you’,” she tells GRAMMY.com. “‘My confidence is now up because of you..’ There was one girl that was like, ‘you saved my life.'”
It wasn’t an easy start, she notes. She was shy, a bit scared to sing, and worried about what people would say. But her potent voice, and the magic power of loading it with emotions, “helps me connect with so many hearts.” With a soft smile she adds, “A lot of people say that I have an old soul.”
Born in Oklahoma, 19-year-old Lluvia Arámbula is an accomplished requinto guitarist. She made a somewhat casual foray into regional Mexican music. “I just liked how everybody was doing the movement. And then I saw that there was no girls too, so I was like, well, let’s do it.”
Lluvia Arámbula | Photo by Barf
Her first musical loves were Sierreño and corridos, but she didn’t want to make the corridos tumbados. She preferred a more upbeat sound, writing and singing what she calls “corridos alterados” that boast fast, word-packed flows. Strong, direct emotions play into her music’s power, offering inspiration “about, going forward, never stopping.”
Arámbula has also become a model for young women. “Girls ask me for stuff about my life so that they can do essays about me in school!” she adds.
And for Arámbula, going forward in the Regional Mexican genre also means ignoring the critiques. As she entones in her song ” “La Reina,” (The Queen), “Criticism is raining down, but that won’t make me stop following my dreams.”
Ivonne Galaz, also 19, hails from Ciudad Obregon, the second-largest city in the state of Sonora and the second most violent city in the world. The state also has one of the highest rates of femicide in the land, so it is no surprise that Galaz is a vocal defender of women’s rights. In 2022, Galaz released a tribute corrido, “Vanessa Guillen” in honor of the Latina U.S. Army soldier slain by a male soldier (The song was also included in the Netflix documentary on Guillén’s life).
Galaz grew up back and forth between Mexico and the U.S., but notes she is “100 percent Mexican.” Galaz is the first female signee to Rancho Humilde, the record label responsible for the ascent of many of regional Mexican’s stars, including corridos star Natanael Cano. The first song she ever wrote, 2019’s “Golpes De La Vida,” was recorded with Cano and now has more than 5.5 million views on YouTube. In 2021, Galaz released her first studio album, Voy En Camino.
Ivonne Galaz | Courtesy of Rancho Humilde
Galaz’s commitment to inclusivity appears throughout her music performances, where she switches pronouns in songs to make all feel welcome. “If you tell me, ‘I don’t feel comfortable with you identifying me as a woman’, I respect who you are and will never disallow your rules, how you dress, how you feel,” she says.
Galaz also shrugs off criticism that she dresses like a man. “I’m not all about the little dresses,” she says. “Girls told me on tours, that thanks to me, they took courage to dress the same way.”
The trio Conexion Divina’s hashtags on social media tell their story succinctly and elegantly, indicating: their three instruments #bajoloche #requinto #guitarra, musical philosophy #mujeresqueinspiran #grupodemujeres (women that inspire, womens’ band), and the importance of representing Mexico #musicamexican #vivamexico #regionalmexicano.
Liz Trujillo, Sandra Calixto, and Ashlee Valenzuela are 18, 20 and 23 years old and grew up in California, Texas, and Arizona, respectively. Conexión Divina released their debut album, Tres Mundos, in April. The trio is the first ever all-women Gen Z Sierreño group, and the first Sierreño group to perform at the 2023 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
They met online and moved to L.A. where Trujillo was based, to make music together. As they explain on Zoom from L.A, they took their name in part from “Mujeres Divinas” (Divine Women), sung by the legendary Vicente Fernandez. But they didn’t want to be “like the cringey mujeres divinas,” and they also wanted to make note of the online origins of their musical bonds, hence, the divine connection.
Self-taught musicians, they quickly realized that the regional Mexican music they loved was “all guys, no girls,” says Valenzuela. They were often not taken seriously, but never let this hold them back.
The motifs on their guitars express their boundary-breaking perspective, with each instrument wrapped for each artist in their favorite color and something that represents them. Valenzuela chose the image of Poison Ivy for her guitar because “she empowers women in a different way. Because for me, she’s a bisexual character, and I really related to her.” Trujillo chose Ellie from the video game “The Last of Us,” because as a gay character, “[Ellie] is just like everything that I aspire to be.” The pink motifs on Calixto’s guitar represent her femininity. “[I’m] the more girly one,” she says.
The young women interviewed for this piece note the pushback for their choice of genre — especially, but not exclusively, from Mexico’s more traditional audiences. But they are not without role models.
Conexión Divina | Camila Noriega
Rather, they further the musical path first forged by two female regional Mexican singers, who were born within a year of each other on either side of the border in the early 20th century: Texas’ Lydia Mendoza, whose “Mal Hombre” sang of a man who abandoned her (but hardly from a position of weakness), and ranchera diva Chavela Vargas, who came out at age 81. Both of these fierce artists left their mark on their genres and broke molds limiting women artists.
Mendoza shaped Tejano music and was first the genre’s female icon. In 1982, she became the first Texan to be awarded the National Endowment for the Arts’ National Heritage Fellowship Lifetime Achievement. Vargas, a globally beloved, pivotal figure in Mexican music and icon in the Spanish-speaking LGBTQ community, changed Mexico’s ranchera music with her unique interpretation and performance style.
This new generation of female regional Mexican musicians also noted the pioneering influence of Jenni Rivera, the fierce Paquita del Barrio, Gloria Trevi, Latin music’s first female rock star, Mexican no-holds barred singer Ana Gabriel, and beloved borderlands songstress, Selena. Collectively, they upended expectations for women in Latin music, while appealing to ever-broadening audiences — a trend the Gen Z regional Mexican artists are continuing today.
Using their music as an instrument to build the future, they express and foreground a binational, bicultural identity that has no need for the approval of the male gaze. In the lyrics of her anti-femicide song, “Ni Una Más” (Not One More), Galaz rejects a saying common to several Spanish-speaking lands, “Calladita te ves más bonita,” or “You look cuter with your mouth shut.” As she entones in another of her songs, “Empoderada,” “That woman cannot be stopped. She knows what she is worth, always empowered.”
New exhibition at Dallas Center for Photography is all about the ladies
This roundup of Dallas dining news has an unprecedented number of restaurants offering special seasonal menus for summer, most starting on June 1. We’re so seasonal right now.
Here’s what’s happening in Dallas restaurant news:
Saaya Lounge, a Mediterranean oasis at 2511 Swiss Ave. from Milkshake Concepts (Vidorra, The Finch, Harper’s) will open on Friday, June 2. The menu will be in mezze form – small Mediterranean-style shared plates – such as Spicy Feta Dip, marinated Shawarma and Kebabs, and Lebanese-style pizzas, also known as Manakeesh. Plus Greek and Lebanese Caesar. Cocktails include the Ombra of Anubis with Sombra Mezcal, Ancho Reyes, and Ramazatti; and Not Your Habibi, with Ketel One vodka, St. Germain, and Dill Yogurt.
Leela’s Pizza & Wine has introduced weekend brunch at its new Uptown location at McKinney & Olive, Saturday-Sunday from 11 am-3 pm. The menu features frittatas, breakfast pizzas, $2 mimosas, and cold pressed juices. Entrees include bacon & cheddar frittata with egg, bacon, white cheddar, tomato, arugula, & avocado crema; vegetable frittata with egg whites, manchego, spinach, red pepper, mushrooms, romesco; bacon & sausage breakfast pizza with an over easy egg; vegetable breakfast pizza with spinach, mushrooms, red onions, tomato, over easy egg; and an acai smoothie bowl with acai, strawberry, banana, blackberry, oats, and honey. Drinks include $2 mimosas and $5 cold-pressed juice mimosa.
Sister on Greenville Avenue has an unusual new item: Called the One Night Stand, it features a bottle of prosecco and a room key to one of the three boutique apartments above its sibling Cafe Duro next door. Guests have special access to the neighboring Duro concepts including private dining experiences and priority access to reservations at Sister and their other sibling, The Charles. The sparkling and overnight stay are $299.
Chef’s Palette, the restaurant at the Canvas Hotel, has a summer new menu from Executive Chef Emerio Viramontes, featuring pepita-crusted salmon on poblano cream rice with a green bean and pepper medley and blood orange-mezcal glaze; NY strip with goat cheese polenta, broccolini, and blackberry demi; red snapper with black rice and charred baby bok choy; and pork chop with roasted parsnips, carrots, and whipped potatoes. Viramontes is a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Austin who joined the Canvas last year. The new menu debuts on June 1.
Mendocino Farms has a new summer menu featuring: Strawberry Fields Salad with chicken, strawberries, watermelon radish, fennel, mint, red onions, goat gouda, and pistachios; Hot Honey Peach & Prosciutto Sandwich with mozzarella, honey-roasted almonds, Calabrian chili aioli, hot peach honey, and arugula on a toasted sesame roll; Turkey Avo Salsa Verde Sandwich; Italian Roast Beef Sandwich; and new sides: Watermelon Street Cart Salad, Southern Macaroni Salad, and Oaxacan Potato Salad.
Grimaldi’s Pizzeria has a new Summer Selections menu with Smoked Brisket Pizza and Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce; Spinach Salad with feta cheese, red onion, almonds, and strawberries; Cheesecake topped with blueberries or strawberries; a charcuterie board with prosciutto, salami, mozzarella, Spanish olives, and antipasto peppers; and the Bourbon & Blues cocktail with Tincup American whiskey, lemon juice, muddled blueberries, and thyme. It runs June 6 through September 11.
Salad and Go has a new summer menu with four new dishes: Antipasto Salad with romaine, salami, feta cheese, cucumbers, banana peppers, kalamata olives, red onions, and croutons in red wine vinaigrette (can also be ordered as a wrap); Mediterranean breakfast burrito with spinach, eggs, feta cheese, and avocado with green tomatillo salsa (can also be ordered as a bowl); Minestrone Soup, a vegetarian soup with kale, cannellini beans, and pasta in a tomato-based broth, which will become a permanent menu item; and the return of Blueberry Basil Lemonade. The dishes will debut on June 1.
Modern Market has brought back its cult classic Street Corn Pizza, with corn, jalapeño, chile powder, cilantro, lime, smoked crema, cotija, mozzarella, and cheddar cream sauce. Their pizzas are really a deal. A whole Street Corn Pizza is $12.45, but they also thoughtfully offer their pizzas in a half-size for $7.45. They have locations at Preston Hollow/Dallas, Plano, Southlake, Las Colinas, and Richardson, and their website is one of the easiest and most sophisticated in the restaurant industry.
Smoothie King smoothie chain has brought back its X-Treme Watermelon smoothie and a new Watermelon Lemonade smoothie for the summer.
Chili’s has new Chicken Crisper Combos with Cheddar Mac & Cheese, Fries, and two dipping sauces: new Buffalo Ranch and Sweet Chili Zing. Their OldTimer burger can now be ordered with double patties because more meat is appealing to some people? New premium margaritas feature high-end tequila like Casamigos and Teremana Tequila.
Yardbird, the Miami Beach concept with locations in Los Angeles, Dallas, Washington D.C., Las Vegas, Singapore, Chicago, and Denver (opening summer 2023), is doing two pride items during June: Key Lime Pie with toasted meringue, raspberry sauce, and fruit and a Berry Prideful cocktail with Silver Tequila, Cointreau, Lime, Strawberry, and Agave.
Naturli’ is a Danish brand launching its award-winning plant based butters in the U.S. The products will initially launch in H-E-B stores across Texas. Naturli’s vegan butters are among the best on the European market thanks to their exceptional taste and healthy ingredients. Made with cocoa butter, almond butter, coconut oil and canola oil, they are dairy-free and palm-oil free. The Butter Spread is for spreading on bread; Plant Butter Block is for baking. Both are made to taste and perform like traditional butter; Plant Butter Block is approved by professional bakers.
Orange Leaf, the Dallas-based self-serve, choose-your-own-toppings frozen yogurt chain with a location at 6076 Azle Ave. in Lake Worth, has brought back fan-favorite froyo flavor Watermelon.
Gong Cha the drink chain with 7 stores in the Greater Dallas area has a special Pride drink running June 1-30. It’s a sweet and tart Lemon Ai Love Yu bubble tea with white pearls and edible glitter.
H-E-B is opening a new eCommerce Fulfillment Center in Plano later this summer to service its new stores in North Texas.
Texas Dairy Queen Operators’ Council is launching a contest to find The Biggest Fan in Texas. You have to write an essay, plus tell what your favorite DQ item is, your favorite location, and a photo with a DQ memory. The winner gets free Treats & Eats for a year, plus swag from Josh Abbott Band, DQ, and Dr Pepper. The contest is open only to legal residents of Texas, 13 or older. Entries must be received by August 6 at 8 am. The rules can be found on the dqtexas.com/biggestdqfan website. The winner will be announced on August 14.
José Andrés Group has partnered with Loliware, the world’s first seaweed-resin company, to launch Loliware straws at all restaurants. Loliware’s innovative seaweed-resin straws and utensils look and act like plastic but can compost completely within 50 days. They’ve already debuted at Chicago restaraunts Bar Mar, Bazaar Meat by José Andrés, and Jaleo, and will expand to José Andrés Group restaurants across the country.
Nueva Pescanova, a Spanish seafood company, is trying to open an industrial-scale octopus farm, and scientists and activists are calling for it to be quashed. Octopuses are intelligent and curious sentient beings, able to solve complex puzzles. They’re also territorial and solitary animals who may resort to cannibalism if kept in tanks together, as Nueva Pescanova intends. The company also plans to subject breeding females to 24-hour periods of light, which would cause extreme discomfort, and their proposed method of slaughter — death by ice slurry —causes significant pain as animals can take hours to die. If you don’t care about the cruelty aspect, consider the health threat: Octopuses are known to carry over 20 different pathologies, including vibrio cholerae which causes cholera in humans; octopus farming would increase the risk of spreading more zoonotic diseases like COVID among humans. IDA USA has a form you can fill out to log your protest.
DMTV Milkshake: Amanda Gunawan on Doing Everything – And Doing It Beautifully
Amanda Gunawan brings new meaning to the word “multi-hyphenate”: The creator-architect-builder-entrepreneur-designer-runner has an unbelievable ability to channel a consistent vision across her many projects. Founding Principal of the LA architectural practice OWIU (Only Way Is Up), Gunawan recently launched an aesthetically aligned ceramics and housewares collection, OWIU Goods. It is, no surprise, a gorgeous collection – representative of Gunawan’s nature-centric take on modernism.
[embedded content]It’s a product of her unique upbringing: Born in Indonesia, she was raised in Singapore and now makes California home, taking inspiration from these diverse yet harmonious influences. In this week’s Milkshake, we asked her specifically how the aesthetic culture of Japan, another reference, manifests itself in her practice and in her work: “This is a very loaded question for me – obviously I’m very inspired by Japanese culture and Japan as a whole,” she says. “I would say it’s their passion and their dedication to craftsmanship that really impresses me. Someone told me a story about [this] once – let’s say someone Japanese is working at a coffee shop. They are not trying to become the manager of the coffee shop. They’re just trying to make the best damn cup of coffee they can ever make. And I think that’s so special.” This aspect also resonates in the design of her ceramics work: “I’m very inspired by the culture of gift giving [within Japanese culture],” she says. There is a certain depth to it, where the gift kind of represents the context in which the person receives the gift. And I like that because it means that there is a sentiment that is attached to this particular object. That’s exactly what we are trying to achieve with OWIU Goods. We’re trying to say that an object should have more than just an aesthetic appeal to someone – it should have a sentimental attachment, too.”
Also in this week’s Milkshake: Amanda shares some exceptionally relevant advice for people striving to get everything done – when we asked her for her secret, she told us that the reality is a little more complicated than it might seem. How does she get it all done? With help. “I have an incredible team to help with this – so I’m not doing this alone,” she says. “Also, I don’t aim for 100 percent. I never do – I [usually] aim for 80%. My work, or my life, is a marathon. And because of that, I kind of have to pace everything out.”
For more from Amanda, tune in! To see more of Amanda and OWIU’s work, click here!
Diana Ostrom, who has written for Wallpaper, Interior Design, ID, The Wall Street Journal, and other outlets, is also the author of Faraway Places, a newsletter about travel.
Milkshake, DMTV (Design Milk TV)’s first regular series, shakes up the traditional interview format by asking designers, creatives, educators and industry professionals to select interview questions at random from their favorite bowl or vessel. During their candid discussions, you’ll not only gain a peek into their personal homeware collections, but also valuable insights into their work, life and passions.
Mellon Foundation
Mellon Foundation make grants to actively unlock the power in the arts and humanities that helps connect us all.
‘It enriched my life’: Flatbed Center for Contemporary Printmaking’s group show ‘Recalling La Romita’
‘Recalling La Romita,’ a new group show at Flatbed Center for Contemporary Printmaking, was inspired by Flatbed owner Katherine Brimberry’s biennial workshop at an Italian art school.
Go ‘Window’ Shopping for Popular Photographer’s Lesser-Known Work at This Heights Gallery
Deciding who and what is cool is not only a moving target but also entirely subjective. And you might say attempting to “rank” the coolest people in Houston is a fool’s errand, one that will leave us immediately open to criticism. “You think she is cooler than him? You included this person?! You left off that one!?”
To that, we say: You’re right, it’s crazy. Also: Lighten up. These aren’t the Nobel Prizes. This is a lark, a fun way to fill some magazine pages. But, then again, it’s not not important. The Cool 100 — graciously sponsored by Four Seasons Hotel Houston, the Post Oak Collection and Insólito Tequila — is our way of commenting on Houstonians drawing our attention right now.
We’re interested in highbrow, and low. We like fun and sexy, and cerebral and poised. We like people who have made it to the top, and those striving to get there. We like the rich and famous, and those doing their thing quietly their own way, outside the limelight.
We have a bias, we admit, for young, beautiful and artistic. We’re not necessarily honoring the legends of Houston or the most generous philanthropists, and we’re not ranking the saints. (That’s another list.) However, we are impressed by maturity — and accomplishment in all fields. And kindness is always cool.
Also, to be on the CityBook list, you must live and work primarily in Houston. Sorry, Beyoncé.
Those named to the inaugural Cool 100 stood apart for their aesthetic and impact, their attitude and intrigue. We love what they’ve been doing lately, and we’re genuinely curious about what they’ll do next.
To borrow from The New York Times, which presented a similar list recently: We welcome dissent. But we are, without a doubt, correct.
1. Jordan Santana
Photo by Jhane Hoang
Skateboarding sensation Santana was the talk of the whole country when the sport was set to make its Olympic debut. While she narrowly missed a spot on the Tokyo team, the 20-year-old, who trains at North Houston Skate Park, has her sights set on Paris 2024: At press time, she’s in Argentina for the Olympic qualifiers.
2. Jeremy Peña
Photo by by Mary De Cicco
At 25, the Dominican-American was the youngest position player to ever be named World Series MVP in ’22. But the main reason the cute shortstop, who has eight homers this season, is so cool? Heart hands for Mom!
3. Don Toliver
Photo by Gunner Stahl
Née Caleb Zackery Toliver, he’s the next international face of Houston-born hip-hop. The 28-year-old rapper blends sounds of R&B, trap and classical music, and has churned out four studio albums in five years, including 2023’s Love Sick, which he’s touring this summer.
4. Simone Biles
The most decorated American gymnast in history, Biles celebrated a different milestone just weeks ago, marrying former Texans player Jonathan Owens in Cabo in May. They’re building a home not far from their current one near Spring — but a move to Green Bay might be in order, per Owens’ recent trade.
5. Megan Thee Stallion
Three-time Grammy winner Megan Pete, a.k.a. Megan Thee Stallion, may split time between L.A. and her native H-Town these days, but with enthusiastic appearances like ’Stros games and March Madness, there’s no mistaking where she calls home.
6. Lynn Wyatt
Photo by Steven Visneau
Think people can’t be described as “cool” past a certain age? Well Wyatt, at 87, embodies the word. Once a Warhol muse, she is the mother of all fashionistas and undisputed queen of Houston society. Wonder if BFF Elton John will turn up at the upcoming grand opening of the Downtown park named for her.
7. Lisa Falkenberg
The first in her family to attend college, Falkenberg graduated UT with a journalism degree in 2000. In May, the mom of three and Houston Chronicle VP/editor of opinion claimed her third Pulitzer Prize.
8. Mohammed Amer
Photo courtesy of Netflix
An observational comedian known around town — and now to Netflix fans everywhere — as Mo, Palestinian-American Amer has been name-checked in countdowns by Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair. His series Mo was picked up for a second and final season.
9 & 10. Jooyoung Choi & Trenton Doyle Hancock
Artists delight in bringing viewers into their world — and the one created by Choi, newly repped by Inman Gallery, is especially colorful, with video, sculpture and puppets. Her latest, Love and Wondervision, is on view at the Moody Center through August. Meanwhile, hubby Hancock’s equally bright and character-filled work covers surfaces all over Houston, most recently in a basketball court at the CAMH.
11. Bryan Washington
Photo by Jhane Hoang
A bestselling, award-winning author (Lot, Memorial) whose muse is the city of Houston, Washington drops his second novel, Family Meal, in October. He wrote and edited it over the course of nearly three years, during travels to places like Tokyo. He turns 30 this year.
12. Tobe Nwigwe
Photo by Steven Visneau
Since gracing the cover of CityBook’s Music Issue in 2018, first-gen Nigerian-American rapper Nwigwe has released five studio albums, become a dad (times four!), received a 2023 Grammy nom for Best New Artist — and performed at Coachella in a viral Moncler ’fit.
13.Christy Lynn Lee
In her growing collection of womenswear created in a Montrose atelier, RISD grad Lee weaves together her Korean-American heritage, East Coast flair and Texas roots.
14. Lauren Rottet
In the coming months, architect-designer Rottet will reveal her facelifts of glam hotels far and wide — the St. Regis and Little Nell in Aspen and the Ritz-Carlton Dallas, to name a few. But her hometown refresh of La Colombe d’Or takes the cake.
15. Bun B
Decades after Bun B, née Bernard James Freeman, first rapped with UGK, the artist-entrepreneur is still enjoying a smoking-hot career: This year he played a sold-out show at the Rodeo, and will soon open a permanent location of his cult-followed pop-up Trill Burgers.
16. Juliana Garaizar
Garaizar runs Greentown Labs, a nonprofit incubator that fosters green-energy companies looking to usher in a low-carbon future. Bonus points: She uses her post as chief development officer to amplify voices of female and minority investors.
17. Benchawan Jabthong Painter
After it was announced that Street to Kitchen chef-owner Painter was up for a 2023 James Beard, her inconspicuous, year-old Thai resto in the East End suddenly had lines out the door.
18. John Berger
The handsome young founder of residential solar company Sunnova, Berger has high hopes for the city’s transition away from fossil fuels.
19. Justin Yu
Since opening the then-groundbreaking Oxheart to widespread acclaim (and a “Best Chef” James Beard Award) it seems everything Yu touches turns to gold: Better Luck Tomorrow, Squable and Theodore Rex remain at the top of foodies’ lists, and the latter got a 2023 James Beard nod.
20. Tina Cascone
It’s cool enough that she’s a beautiful, always stylishly put-together Italian doctor. Even cooler? Cascone is leading nationwide immunotherapy trials showing startlingly good results for lung cancer patients. “Transformative,” says an MD Anderson colleague.
21. Gin Braverman
Photo by Andrea Mendoza
Does every restaurant that Braverman decorates become cool, or do all cool restaurants just know to hire Braverman? The answer is yes. The interior designer’s magic touch can be seen at Jun, The Lymbar, Mala Sichuan at M-K-T — and even new concept suites at the Toyota Center.
22 & 23. Reagan Bregman and Alex Bregman
Photo by Steven Visneau
A new baby, a World Series victory, a red-hot side biz … Last year was winning, but what more could be on deck for the Bregmans in 2023? Digital content-creator Reagan is pursuing a more traditional medium — television — while Alex bolsters his rep as one of baseball’s best clutch hitters.
24. Pete Bell
Photo courtesy of Cotton Holdings
His day job is running a global conglomerate with subsidiaries in construction, staffing, housing and more. But Cotton Holdings honcho Bell has earned a rep for throwing killer parties. An invite to Cotton’s Rodeo Cookoff tent is a hot ticket; an invite to the VIP tent-within-a-tent is pure gold.
25. Shawanna Renee Rivon
The actor and playwright who’s developed works for the Alley, Stages and Rec Room is working on completing her series of plays that tell the stories of Black women throughout seven decades.
26. Patrick Fertitta
The heir apparent to dad Tilman’s entertainment empire, Patrick, 28, is a “fixture in decision-making” when it comes to the Rockets, per the Chronicle, liaising between his dad and the team.
27. Henry Lu
It’s 2020. The restaurant world is in economic upheaval. The son of Chinese-immigrant restaurant owners, Lu moves from Brooklyn to Houston to partner with his longtime chef pal Evelyn Garcia. Their pop-up and catering outfit eventually gives way to Jun, the hottest rez in the Heights.
28. Lauren Anderson
The life of the beautiful, age-defying ballerina Anderson — who works closely with the Houston Ballet’s education program — was the subject of a talked-about world-premiere play at Stages last year.
29. Hunter Bell
When Bell moved here from New York a few years ago, she figured her eponymous fashion line would be no longer. But her feminine brand — find it at Hemline, Frock Shop — was a perfect fit for Houstonians. She’s projected to hit $12M in sales this year.
30. Berkley Luck
Any new mom will agree molecular biologist Luck’s pursuit is the coolest: Her company Milkify, which made its Shark Tank debut in April, is the first in the U.S. to freeze-dry breast milk for consumers.
31. Dan Zimmerman
Photo by Phoebe Rourke
This next-gen developer is doing dad Steve proud. Dan was a driving force in the recent redo of storied La Colombe d’Or hotel, which The New York Times just praised as “glamorously moody.” Now he’s sustainably renovating his fourth historic building Downtown.
32. Chris Williams
Ten years after opening his first restaurant, Lucille’s in the Museum District, James Beard-nominated chef-activist Williams has much more on his plate: He just opened a three-in-one concept in the renovated Eldorado Ballroom and inked his first cookbook deal.
33. Fady Armanious
Photo from @fadyarmanious on Instagram
The Egypt-born creative director of Tootsies dresses many of Houston’s trendsetting socialites. But none turn more heads than bold sartorial superstar Armanious himself. He and his real-estate-titan partner Bill Baldwin just chaired the Holocaust Museum gala.
34. Demeco Ryans
Is this the year that the Texans will be cool? If the new head coach, the amiable 38-year-old Ryans, has anything to do with it, the answer is absolutely. All of H-Town is awaiting what the ’Bama alum and former Texans linebacker will make of the team.
35. Casey Barbles
The Houston native is the pretty face behind the city’s best farmers markets, including two new ones Downtown. This summer, her Feel Good Group brings more art, live music and food to White Linen Night in the Heights.
36. Ben Berg
Photo by Andrew Gittings
If opening hot restaurants was a sport, Berg would be an Olympic champ. On the menu for 2023: Buttermilk Baby diner, Dune Road seafood, Annabelle Brasserie, Turner’s Cut steakhouse and, opening soon, Benny Chows and Canopy Social on Wash Ave.
37. Jordan Fite
This year, the Power Rangers franchise turns 30, and the Netflix reboot is reaching a new generation of fans — many of whom are keen to know Fite, the Neal Hamil-repped actor-model who plays the gold ranger, Aiyon.
38. Khori Dastoor
Photo by Lynn Lane
The first woman and person of color to lead HGO, she in two years at the helm has innovated in digital outreach, and commissioning new works — and presided over the receipt of the company’s largest-ever donation of $22 mil.
39. Christopher Paul
Photo by Ellen Sabin
A sculptor of wearable art, Paul, 27, uses his work to encourage viewers to “untether” from racism. The Art Is Bond gallery assistant will graduate UH in 2024, and plans to eventually launch an art residency program for Black youth.
40. Stanton Welch
Beloved artistic director Welch this year celebrates his 20th season with the Houston Ballet — and he’s just as ambitious as he was in 2003, slating six world premieres and the revival of his fiery Cinderella.
41. Israel Rodriguez
He’s been known to be controversial. Ask artist Rodriguez sometime about his murals remarking on Ted Cruz’s Cancun trip, or the killing of Breonna Taylor. But it’s his bright, abstracted, close-up portraits — that’s his Jeremy Peña on the cover — that have hip arty types abuzz.
Brian Ching
Photo by Daniel Ortiz
The Dynamo’s all-time leading goalscorer, Ching pivoted to become the Houston Dash managing director, then a nightlife impresario (Pitch 25, East End Backyard). Look for Ching to enter the medical-marijuana arena later this year.
43. Travis Shirley
Last fall he oversaw production and show design for Bad Bunny’s “World’s Hottest Tour,” the highest-grossing tour by a Latin American artist ever. Among other huge acts, he’s currently working on UniverSOUL Circus, which Newsweek calls “the coolest show one Earth.”
44. Judy Nyquist
Petite and posh Nyquist, a former curator who holds a MA in art history, has quietly but tirelessly supported local artists for many decades — and is rumored to have never dyed her hair, and doesn’t own a single ballgown. HCCC honored her a few weeks ago.
45. Chris Shepherd
Photo by Daniel Ortiz
He spent years helping carve out the city’s now-famous foodie reputation, but last year left his restaurant empire to focus on his Southern Smoke nonprofit, whose reach and influence has exploded. It provides no-cost mental health services and crisis funds to industry workers and their families.
46. Daniel Garcia
Photo by Kelli Durham
Garcia first opened the Mend Center in 2016, and recently moved it into a beautifully decorated Heights bungalow, where he compassionately treats adult patients with chronic and severe mental illness.
47. Lyndsey Zorich
The longtime blogger’s Westheimer boutique, The Avenue, touts curated home goods and chic, feminine designer looks — including ones from her own line, Mason’s Daughter. The just-dropped collection has soft floral sundresses, shorts and more.
48. Katie Maltais
The managing director at Stages, Maltais introduced pay transparency, and an initiative to keep young Houston talent in Houston. She’s also the one to thank for Stages’ rave-worthy 2022-2023 season that included auspiciously timed shows like Roe.
49. Niki Lassiter
Photo @creationsbynikilassiter on Instagram
After being diagnosed with a troubling mix of debilitating auto-immune disorders a few years ago, Lassiter, an ex-Miss Texas USA, found purpose in her new, less physically active lifestyle. She’s become a celebrated handbag maker, sharing proceeds with charities.
50. Adam Ross
Ross, the Suit Boss, has built a booming bespoke menswear biz by combining refined style and craftmanship with bro-savvy service. He’s got a whiskey bar! Celebs and pro jocks are fans. He just made Mr. Simone Biles’ Cabo-cool wedding suit, which you might’ve seen in People mag.
51. David Guerrero
It takes a certain resiliency to be a restaurateur. But resilient is Guerrero’s middle name. The multiple-brain-cancer-surviving chef operates the superb Andes Café in Downtown’s Post food hall, along with the hip Latin-Asian fusion spot Mykuna at Railway Heights.
52. Jay Fields
Besides evolving his family biz from a steel distribution company to a global manufacturing powerhouse, music aficionado Fields, 46, this year hosted a star-studded benefit concert at White Oak Music Hall and launched the burgeoning label Foxgate Records.
53. Cherif Mbodji
Photo by Julie Soefer
Senegal-raised Mbodji moved here to help Aaron Bludorn open his first Houston restaurant, and just two years later, he’s a partner at Bludorn, Navy Blue and a new project in Memorial.
54. Washington Ho
Photograph by Callaghan O’Hare/HBO Max
HBO Max’s House of Ho follows the Crazy Rich Asians-esque lifestyle of first-gen Vietnamese-American Ho and his fam. The businessman just launched a THC-infused seltzer called HoBuzz.
55. William Farley
A trip to South America with his father inspired Farley to swap his energy career for wine. And now the outdoorsman and entrepreneur has opened Padre’s wine shop and bar in the Heights, in his dad’s honor.
56 & 57. Rama Walker & Philipp Sitter
Photo by Jhane Hoang
Seeking to solve the staffing problems in the healthcare field, Nurseify — run by Walker, a nurse and motivational speaker — is a new app connecting facilities in need with per-diem nurses. For his part, Sitter launched the smartphone platform RepeatMD to help clinics and doctor’s offices incentivize client loyalty and referrals.
58. Donkeeboy
He’s splashed his murals on walls and sidewalks all over town, and now Alex Roman, Jr., a.k.a. Donkeeboy, has released a beer with 8th Wonder — The Ocho, a Mexican-style lager.
59. Itai Ben Eli
The man behind Sof Hospitality (Hamsa, Doris Metropolitan, Badolina) knows beef. He pioneered the dry-aging process and operated a butcher shop in Israel before opening a restaurant in Costa Rica and moving to Houston. Meaty tidbit: He’s eyeing Austin next.
60. Jennifer Pinkerton
She’s a gorgeous redheaded sexologist. Sounds like a movie, but Pinkerton, also an author and podcaster, is an actual, cutting-edge psychotherapist. She specializes in LGBTQ and couples issues — and does compassionate work on nonsexual matters with families and kids.
61. Mimi Swartz
Photo by Jhane Hoang
The executive editor of Texas Monthly, New York Times contributor and author is a longtime Heights resident. One of her most recent pieces was TM’s March cover story about the government’s push to privatize Texas’ public schools.
62. Josh Pazda
A newly named (literally) partner in the top-tier Rice Military art gallery Josh Pazda Hiram Butler, the artist-musician also recently released a book looking back over artist Tony Feher’s decades-long career. Pazda’s influence in the culture-vulture set is on the rise.
63. Emily Alvarado
The Houston Dash made several exciting acquisitions during the off-season, but goalkeeper Alvarado might top the list: The Dash Youth alum, former Horned Frog, and Mexican Women’s National team member brings “competition and depth” to the team, per GM Alex Singer.
64. Justin Vann
The wine guy at one of Houston’s worst-kept secrets, Nancy’s Hustle, Vann has quietly been building his reputation among Houston wine snobs for years. His motto — “curious, not judgmental” — earned Nancy’s a James Beard nod in the Outstanding Wine Program category.
65. Matthew Massey
Photo by Phoebe Rourke
He fell in love with Champagne while frequenting France for oil and gas biz roles. Today, his Madame Zéro Champagne produced in France is the first touted for low sugar and transparent nutritional labeling. Massey will uncork a subscription service as well as his first grand vintage Champagne this fall.
66. Kellie Alcorn-Karavias
Culinary educator Alcorn-Karavias combats poor nutrition among food-insecure HISD students by teaching them fundamentals like growing and cooking their own grub — and even how to raise chickens!
67. Christine Ha
The first blind contestant on MasterChef, Vietnamese-American Ha lost her mom at age 14 and her sight at age 24. But the cookbook author and entrepreneur never lost her vision for recreating her mother’s Vietnamese cooking for Houston diners. Wash Ave-area Xin Chao and Blind Goat, now open in Spring Branch, have earned her back-to-back James Beard nods.
68. Lucinda Loya
Her pied-a-terre in Manhattan used to be a church, and her funky home here boasts The Houstonian in its backyard. All to say, interior designer and gal-about-town Loya — whose bedroom in the 2022 Kips Bay showhouse generated serious buzz — has great taste.
69. AJ McQueen
Combining live music, meditation and a Q&A sesh in catchy events called things like Healing Is Gangster, rapper McQueen — who was shot at age 14, and moved from St. Louis to Houston to escape gang violence — is remixing what Houston hip-hop is all about.
70. Bianca Bucaram
She’s a globally engaged fundraiser for charitable causes and a brand manager who’s helped raised the profile of clients from a dizzying range of fields, from physicians and thinkers to artists and Olympians. No wonder she’s been lauded by PR News and HBJ.
71. Andrew Pappas
A jet-setting, sportscar-driving 30-something isn’t a unique sight in Houston — but Pappas might surprise you with his range. The president of Partners Capital and cofounder of RYDE, which opens its fancy Heights spin studio early this summer, Pappas can talk opera, architecture and technology alike.
72. Sevy Marie Eicher
To be an internationally collected artist as a teenager is certainly cool. But what’s more, Eicher, who was born in Bulgaria and adopted by her Houston parents, has Down syndrome. She inspired her family to start Sandal Gap Studio, an inclusive arts space where the differently abled can express themselves.
73. Marzi Petris
A longtime stylist to and personal shopper for chic Houstonians who like to push the envelope, Petris has gone a little more mainstream lately, coordinating runway shows for events like Bayou Bend’s Garden Party. Pro tip: She can track down any designer item you want. We mean anything.
74. David Cordua
He’s been a hot chef almost since childhood, working with his chef dad at the fam’s restos. Now his own Lymbar is an anchor at the Ion biz and tech innovation center. Texas Monthly just called his fried potato “rose” starter with garlic aioli a “tour de force.”
75. R’Bonney Gabriel
Prior to winning Miss Universe in January, Gabriel, the first Filipina-American to wear the Miss USA crown, had only been competing in pageants for two years — and was about to age out. Luckily, she just scraped by, allowing the spotlight to shine on her sustainable-fashion efforts with Houston’s nonprofit studio Magpies and Peacocks.
76. John Michael Race
A founding senior instructor at Barry’s fitness studio, Race, who has a nursing degree, packs the Red Room with his fire playlists. TikTokkers — and Ellen fans — may also know him from his viral video of his first time drinking boba tea.
77. Charlene Flash
Photo by Fulton Davenport
She became executive director of sprawling, multi-clinic health center Avenue 360, which offers care for all income levels, days before the Covid pandemic hit. Having navigated that storm, with pioneering efforts in telemedicine and drive-through testing, physician Flash continues to steer the burgeoning, innovative nonprofit to new heights.
78. Demola
Viral TikTokker Ademola Daniel Babafemi, a.k.a. Demola, has earned raves as much for his hip-hop violin tunes as for his vibrant streetwear and custom suits (with or without a shirt). His summer tour includes a hometown show Aug. 19.
79. Jastin Martin
Photo by Jhane Hoang
A self-taught musician who’s been writing songs since age 9, Martin was just signed to Def Jam Records, and is gearing up for a summer album release. But she’s already won over fans with her minimalist, vibey, trap-soul songs like “Right My Wrongs.”
80. Colby Smith
Photo by Jhane Hoang
Smith is VP of operations and the boots-on-the-ground at Katy’s new Home Run Dugout venue (think Topgolf, but baseball). It’s fitting, since Smith was the baseball team captain at West Point. He earned a Bronze Star and Purple Heart during deployments to Afghanistan before getting his MBA at MIT.
81. Ricardo Nuila
Ben Taub physician Nuila, 44, sheds light on all the things that the public hospital system is doing right in his new book, The People’s Hospital. The dad of two thought he’d have to choose between a career as a doctor or one as a writer — but knew that he’d find the best stories in medicine.
82. Micah Edwards
Photo by Steven Visneau
With a smooth, retro sound he calls “Texas soul,” Micah Edwards is a hard-working singer on the rise. He recently opened for his sister, country star Madeline Edwards, and his own debut album, Jean Leon, drew more than a million followers on Spotify.
83. Nicky Sohn
Korean-American Sohn is the composer-in-residence of Houston’s 16-member, conductor-less Kinetic Ensemble string orchestra. Earlier this year, she premiered her violin concerto “Home,” inspired by the stories of previously unhoused graduates of The Women’s Home.
84. Tom Cunanan
He picked up and moved from D.C. to Houston mid-pandemic, somewhat on a whim, after fellow Filipino chef Paul Qui announced the Post dining hall. Since opening Soy Pinoy there, Cunanan landed the cover of Food & Wine’s 2022 Innovators Issue. A fine-dining Filipino restaurant named after his mom is in the works.
85. Prince Varughese Thomas
Indian-American artist and professor Thomas showcases the work of others in his own backyard. Literally. He and his life and art partner Britt Thomas erect a movie screen in their yard and invite viewers to park at T.C Jester Park and tune in via radio for short films by local artists.
86. Matthew Healey
With his El Segundo Swim Club in the East End, Healey reinvented the meaning of the phrase “pool bar.” It just reopened for the season, and this year boasts DJ sets by the likes of Fat Tony during its Sunday Soundwaves series.
87. Grace Gibson
Concert promoter booking badass female artists by day, drag king by night? That’s Gibson. She makes all her own costumes and accessories, from hand-stitched upcycled suits to a homemade drum kit.
88. Natalie Steen
Attorney-mom-content-creator Steen — she sends out a weekly shoppable newsletter called The Nat Note — can add designer to her multihyphenate title, having recently released a colorful resort-ready dress in collaboration with Antonio Melani.
89. Julie Friedman
Photo by Jhane Hoang
Three times in as many years, Friedman’s business Young, Wild & Friedman — which sells nontoxic play-dough and themed accessories in prettily packaged kits — has had to break a lease in order to move into a bigger warehouse.
89. Harper Watters
Photo self-portrait by Harper Watters
With his own YouTube channel and more than half a mil TikTok followers, Houston Ballet first soloist Watters, 31, is almost single-handedly redefining the classical art form. All while wearing sky-high heels.
91. Adam Krueger
Not everyone tunes in to CW39 for their weather report. But they should. Chief meteorologist Krueger, who’s gone viral on TikTok a few times, incorporates into his live reporting suggestions from viewers — from Seinfeld quotes to Lizzo lyrics.
92. Maryam Naderi
Pioneering the clean-beauty trend in H-Town, beautiful Naderi — a full-time consultant for Alvarez & Marsal — has just opened an outpost of her Paloma nontoxic nail salon in Dallas.
93. Marlana Doyle
Former Met Dance exec Doyle launched Houston Contemporary Dance Company just before the pandemic, and besides commissioning dances from choreographers locally and worldwide, she recently rolled out a student company.
94 & 95. Katie McClure & Erin Breen
Photo by Jhane Hoang
Mirth Caftans long ago outgrew its name. The sisters’ line of comfy-cool caftans became one of comfy-cool dresses, blouses and more — but they’re all still made from ethically sourced artisan textiles that McClure and Breen travel to select themselves.
96. Andrew Solis
Artist-entrepreneur Solis enjoys everything about drinking … except, sometimes, the alcohol. Last year, he created zero-proof whiskey, tequila, gin and mezcal under the brand name Cut Above Spirits — all with less than one gram of sugar and all natural flavors.
97. Carrie Brandsberg-Dahl
Call her the Woman in Black. The fashionista is part-German, part-Japanese and all avant-garde, a softer-edged Tilda Swinton with no use for pastels. Having just co-chaired a fundraiser for HCCC, she, along with hubby Sverre, are rising-star arts patrons, and always a dashing pair.
98. Whitney Brantly
Known online as The Dopest Historian, the 2023 Prairie View grad has always been passionate about history — and, since 2020, about enlightening others, especially young Black people, about how awe-inspiring Black history really is, through YouTube videos and city tours.
99. Mistress Isabelle Brooks
Fan favorite Brooks was the first contestant from Houston to compete on RuPaul’s Drag Race, where she served looks and attitude. She regularly performs at JR’s and South Beach and this summer is on a North American tour.
100 (& 101). Angelique Gioldasis
Photo by Jhane Hoang
Former professional model Gioldasis, who’s been photographed by the likes of Bruce Weber and Juergen Teller, has dabbled in catering, wardrobe styling and event planning. She opened The Park HTX, a Downtown photo studio, in January — the same month she gave birth to her daughter, Gisele Elizabeth.
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Superman towers over the Kremlin: Reiner Riedler’s best photograph
This photo is part of my Fake Holidays series. At the beginning of the project, more than 15 years ago, I went to Lara Beach in Antalya, Turkey, where there is one luxury five-star hotel after another, all along the coastline. On the other side of the road were the tents of the workers who had built the hotels. Luxury hotels are like little ghettoes. You take your plane and your taxi, then you are in the middle of an isolated luxury area.
The Kremlin Palace hotel, where this photo was taken, has an exact copy of Saint Basil’s Cathedral in Red Square, Moscow. I have been to Moscow and seen the original church, which is a focal point – all tourists take a picture there. But here in Turkey, there is a swimming pool in front of the cathedral. I was fascinated. There were many Russian tourists.
I saw a weird guy, an astronaut, walking around the pool. “What’s happening here?” I asked. It turned out the hotel had a huge room with costumes for the entertainers who perform for the tourists. Superman was one of them. I found him by the pool and immediately asked to take his picture. I took about three shots. I chose the photo point, in front of the church with the pool between us, then asked Superman to jump. It was a very childish approach, perhaps, but he did it. The way he jumped was perfect. I felt in the moment: “That’s the picture.”
It quite often happens that when I take a picture, I know it’s strong, but when I go home and look more closely, I understand its more complex meaning. This was one of those times. When I saw the image on my computer screen, I understood what it was about. There is the No 1 tourist site in Moscow, which stands for the entire history of the Russian empire, and then you have Superman on that famous square, jumping over Saint Basil’s Cathedral. It is Superman, representing American power, rising above what represents the Russian empire.
It would have been impossible to take a photo like this in the real Red Square and, now, I think you would end up in prison. In 2006, it was more simply a funny image: the collision of two worlds in one picture. The Crimean crisis happened much later, in 2014, and we were a long way away from the Ukraine conflict. If I look at the picture now it has a different meaning: I relate it to the political situation nowadays and it is getting more and more interesting. I loved the image before, but some images take their time to develop their whole impact.
My Fake Holidays project was inspired by seeing how many European cities were creating artificial beaches. I first came across one in Hamburg, Germany; they had put sand on the street and set up palm trees, and there was an inflatable swimming pool. I took off my shoes and put my feet into the sand. I felt immediately transported – just touching the sand reminded me of beach holidays when I was a child. I was fascinated by the idea that we can be so easily manipulated by our surroundings. There’s a whole industry doing it, like Disney – the mother of all leisure parks. I took photographs all over Europe, China, the United States, Japan … I was fascinated by the facades of happiness.
In my heart, I still feel like a documentary photographer. I am reflecting what I see with my photographs. The representation of reality with photography is a beautiful idea, but photography is changing a lot these days. We have artificial intelligence. Last month, an AI image was selected for the first time for a photo contest. But the most beautiful thing with photography is that reality is so strong. If you go out for a walk with a camera, you can’t imagine what you will find until you find it.
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Reiner Riedler’s CV
Born: Gmunden, Austria, 1968.
Trained: Photography at Höhere Graphische Bundes-Lehr und Berufsanstalt, Vienna.
Influences: “Taryn Simon, Paul Graham, Wolfgang Tillmans.”
High point: “In the pandemic, I had a lot of time to think about my work. When I received a substantial grant for a film project, it was a very special moment because it marked the beginning of a new creative era for me: a step from photography to the moving image. I love these moments that give a new direction out of nowhere.”
Low point: “Being completely broke and hungry at the beginning of my studies.”
Top tip: “I believe in the importance of documenting. Photography doesn’t have to submit to trends.”
