House & Home October 2011 Calendar & Home Tours

ANTIQUESThe Urban Market Houston hosts itsthird major tent sale of the year inMidtown Oct. 22-23. Shop interestingobjects, antiques, artwork, designer &decorators collections, and merchan-dise from a multitude of quality ven-dors. Saturday evening from 4 p.m. to6 p.m. is the Early Buying Event,offering first chance at the goods,plus wine/drinks and hors d'oeuvres,and re-entry on Sunday included inthe $25 entry fee. Sunday-only ticketsare $5. Located at 3101 Smith at Elgin.Info.: www.theurbanmarkethouston.com

ARTThe Bayou City Art FestivalDowntown celebrates its 40th year as ittransforms the blocks surrounding CityHall, Oct. 8-9. Explore the vast outdoorart gallery showcasing 300 artists work-ing in 19 media. In addition to perusingthe artwork, festival goers can enjoywine cafés, an interactive creative zone

for children, restaurants, and a perform-ing arts stage with on-going multiculturalmusical and dance entertainment. Newthis festival, String Theory will transformDowntown Houston’s architecture into alarger-than-life instrument during dailyperformances. Information: www.bayoucityartfestival.com

Houston Center for Contemporary Craftexplores the strong connection betweencraft and the home with Beyond Useful& Beautiful: Rethinking DomesticCraft. The exhibition presents a varietyof media—including furniture, wall paper,ceramics, quilts, needlepoint, glass andmetal—in a series of domestic vignettesset up throughout the large gallery. Oneof the founding fathers of the Arts &Crafts Movement, William Morris,famously said, “Have nothing in yourhouse that you do not know to be usefulor believe to be beautiful.” Taking thisquote as a jumping-off point, HCCCCurator, Anna Walker, selected works by

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october calendar13 contemporary artists that critique con-cepts of beauty and usefulness in theirpractice. The show features artists fromall over the U.S., including four fromTexas. The exhibition runs Oct. 1through Jan. 8. Information: www.crafthouston.org or 713.529.4848.

ARCHITECTUREThe Architecture Center Houston andHouston Public Library present the nextauthor in their Authors in Architectureseries on Oct. 20. Eric M. Wolf discuss-es his book American Art MuseumArchitecture: Documents and Design.The book explores the problems andchallenges faced by architects andclients in creating buildings that interactwith works of art. Reception and booksigning will follow the discussion. Thefree event takes place at ArchitectureCenter Houston in downtown Houston.Information: www.aiahouston.org or713.520.0155.

CLASSESHouston-area gardeners can expectwide variety of gardening classes andunique events at The Arbor Gate inTomball. Jeremy Kollaus teaches FallVegetable Container Gardening Oct.11. Class participants can learn aboutvegetable varieties that thrive inHouston’s fall weather and see howthese edible container gardens canadd a beautiful bounty to your patio or yard.

On Oct. 20, Rob Greening of NiteLitesLighting Company teaches a class onLandscape Lighting. Learn the secretsto successful landscape lighting, includ-ing instruction on layout, wiring and fix-tures. Information: 281.351.8851orwww.arborgate.com.

Nestled within Memorial Park, HoustonArboretum & Nature Center serves asboth a serene retreat and educationcenter. The Arboretum’s Joe Blantonteaches Tree I.D. for the Novice on twoSundays this month, Oct. 2 and Oct. 9.Choose a Sunday and discover how touse leaves and field guides to identify 30tree species found in our area. Cost is$30 for members, $45 for non-members.Information: www.houstonarboretum.orgor 713.681.8433.

PLANT MARTThe Garden Club of Houston presentsits 69th Annual Bulb & Plant Mart Oct.14-15. The large-scale plant sale fea-tures top-quality bulbs from domesticand international suppliers and anexpanded collection of hard-to-find andunusual plants, perennials, trees, shrubsand vines. Many of the plants and bulbsare unique offerings from the gardens ofClub members, grown specifically for theMart. This year’s event takes place at anew location, the Holly Hall RetirementCommunity, 2000 Holly Hall Street atFannin, across from Reliant Stadium.Information: www.gchouston.org

Blake Jamison Williams, Nourish. Porcelain, wire, chair. Part of Houston Center forContemporary Craft’s Beyond Useful & Beautiful: Rethinking Domestic Craft exhibit.Photo by Tim Thayer.

LEFT: A scene from the Bayou City ArtFestival Downtown, Oct. 8-9.

ABOVE: Top quality bulb plants available atthe Garden Club of Houston’s Bulb & PlantMart, happening Oct. 14-15.

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The Greater Houston PreservationAlliance hosts this guided walk throughdowntown’s architectural history,www.ghpa.org/tours.

Tour six beautifully restored homes in this historic neighborhood just east of downtown.www.eastwoodcivicassociation.org

GHPA Walking Tour:DOWNTOWN’SEVOLVING SKYLINEOCT. 9 AT 2 P.M.

Eastwood Historic Home Tour OCT. 15-16, NOON TO 5 P.M.

Experience solar power in action by touring yourchoice of 17 featured homes and business in theHouston-area. www.houstonsolartour.com

Houston Solar Tour OCT. 15, 9 A.M. TO 1 P.M.

home tours

1893 Kiam Building, an early example of a multi-

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1929 Gulf (now Chase) Building

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