Michael Hardy is the arts editor of Houstonia.

Master of His Dome-ain

Meet the Man Who Brought Stunts and Spectacle to the Astrodome

In the early days of the Dome, Judge Roy Hofheinz needed events to fill seats when the Astros weren’t playing. Enter Allen Becker.

04/01/2015 Photography by Michael Hardy

Visual Art

At the CounterCurrent Festival, an Explosion of Art and Violins

First created by Muslims in Central Asia, the violin—now banned in Saudi Arabia—serves as a symbol of tolerance in Ibrahim Quraishi’s new work “Islamic Violins.”

03/30/2015 By Michael Hardy

Archaeology

The Mystery of China’s Lost Civilization: Unusual Artifacts Come to the HMNS

Houston is the only city outside of Sanxingdui to host rare antiquities discovered in a remote area of China.

03/30/2015 By Michael Hardy

Real Estate 2015

Do You Really Want to Live in a Historic District?

The pros and unlikely cons of preservation

03/30/2015 By Michael Hardy

Feature

Where to Live Now: 2015’s Top 25 Neighborhoods

Our annual guide to the best of the best places to live in the Bayou City

03/30/2015 By Michael Hardy, Jeff Balke, and Sarah Rufca Nielsen

H-Town Diary

Learning to Love the Astros Again

A childhood Astros fan ponders returning to the faith.

03/30/2015 By Michael Hardy

Dept. of Self-Improvement

Going Deep(ak) With Chopra

An imagined conversation with the spiritual guru

03/30/2015 Photography by Michael Hardy

Opera

Last Time, On The Ring Cycle…

Dying to see HGO’s Die Walküre but missed Rheingold? No worries.

03/30/2015 Photography by Michael Hardy

television

Ken Burns's New Cancer Documentary Features Five MD Anderson Docs

The three-part film, which begins airing tonight on Channel 8, tells the history of cancer from its first description in 1550 BCE to the latest treatments.

03/30/2015 By Michael Hardy

book signing

New Book on Texas Abstraction Draws Artists From Across State to MFAH

Texas Abstract surveys the rise of non-representational art from the 1930s to the present.

03/27/2015 By Michael Hardy

lecture

How Green Is Your Theater?

Scholar and production designer Ian Garrett will speak at Rice tonight about the environmental impact of arts institutions.

03/26/2015 By Michael Hardy

picks

Top Things To Do This Weekend: March 27–29

Featuring the NCAA South Regional, the Houston Children's Festival and a Judy Garland tribute concert

03/25/2015 By Michael Hardy

visual art

Exhibition of John Lennon's Art Opens This Week

Starting Thursday, you can pick up a limited edition print of one of the musician's playful sketches at the Off the Wall Gallery.

03/24/2015 By Michael Hardy

news

Ted Cruz's Big Announcement Puts Houston at Center of 2016 Republican Primaries

Senator Cruz's presidential campaign will be based in Houston, setting up a potential civil war between him and the Bush dynasty.

03/23/2015 By Michael Hardy

visual art

Requiem for the Avant-Garde

Major new MFAH exhibition examines experimental Japanese art and photography from the 1960s and '70s.

03/20/2015 By Michael Hardy

Picks

Top Things To Do This Weekend: March 20–22

Featuring Hozier, Kazuo Ishiguro, and the final weekend of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

03/18/2015 By Michael Hardy

Opera

Acclaimed Chamber Opera Makes Its Houston Debut

Missy Mazzoli's Song from the Uproar was inspired by the life of fin-de-siècle Swiss explorer Isabelle Eberhardt.

03/17/2015 By Michael Hardy

Obituary

Remembering Michael Graves, the Architect Houston Loved to Hate

The iconic postmodernist designed the Houston Federal Reserve branch and several buildings on the Rice campus.

03/16/2015 By Michael Hardy

news

Want to Be Houston's Next Poet Laureate? The Application Deadline is Today

Gwendolyn Zepeda's two-year term ends in April. Who will succeed her?

03/13/2015 By Michael Hardy

picks

Top Things To Do This Weekend: March 13–15

Featuring Tango Buenos Aires, the musical Once, and the Children's Museum of Houston's Amazingly Immature Spring Break.

03/11/2015 By Michael Hardy