CAMH’s Art at Noon: Natalie Dupêcher

Use your Friday lunch break to learn about the two-person exhibit Wild Life: Elizabeth Murray & Jessi Reaves, which resides in the Brown Foundation Gallery at the Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston. Natalie Dupêcher, Surrealist art aficionado and assistant curator of modern art for the Menil Collection, uses her expertise to engage in a discussion on how Murray’s paintings and Reaves’s garishly constructed ottomans transform Surrealist ideas about play, art, and the body. If you miss the virtual discussion, that’s OK, you still have a little more time to the exhibit itself, which is on view until May 17. 

Noon May 7. Free. Online. More information here.

Houston Ballet’s Reignited at Miller Outdoor Theatre

If you’re too excited to wait for the Houston Ballet’s new in-person season beginning this fall, then head to Miller Outdoor Theatre’s hill to get a preview of what’s to come with the Ballet’s multi-night performance. It’s been a while since anyone has seen the dancers of the Houston Ballet take the stage for an in-person show, so this weekend’s Reignited is sure to be exciting and a performance to remember. 

8 p.m. May 7 & 8. Free. Miller Outdoor Theatre. More information here.

Mother’s Day Weekend at Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens

If you’re up for some elegance this Mother’s Day weekend, this one’s for you. On Saturday and Sunday the Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens is giving you and Mom the opportunity to walk the lush gardens and listen to some harp music on the mansion’s terrace—Bridgerton much? There’re even some garden-inspired arts and crafts opportunities while supplies last. After, head into the house for a self-guided tour of the collection where each tour stop highlights the role of motherhood in early America.

10 a.m. to 5 p.m, May 8; 1–5 p.m., May 9. From $5; mothers get in free. Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, 6003 Memorial Dr. More information here.

The Slave Narratives: Mothers

Join the award-winning Vincent Victoria Presents theatre company for a powerful performance recreating the narratives of African American mothers who were slaves during the Civil War. The performance recreates moments from the lives of women who were former slaves, as described in recorded 1930s-era interviews, so there’s no doubt this performance will be enlightening and pull at the heartstrings.

7 p.m., May 8; 1 & 6 p.m., May 9. $20. Midtown Art Center, 3414 La Branch St. More information here.

Quartet for the End of Time at Buffalo Bayou’s 'The Water Works'

End the weekend with a show from DACAMERA Young Artists at Buffalo Bayou Park’s “The Water Works” venue. These young performers’ will play Olivier Messiaen’s dramatic “Quartet for the End of Time.” This work, if you remember, soundtracks the current installation at the Buffalo Bayou Cistern, Time No Longer. We suggest you stop by the installation at some point, but be sure to catch DACAMERA’s artistic director, Sarah Rothenburg, discussing Messiaen’s “Quartet” right before the performance. This event is free, however it’s recommended you register before heading out to the park.

5:45 p.m. May 9. Free. The Water Works at Buffalo Bayou Park. More information here.