Nothing General About These General Session Performances

How was your first day at AAM? From the looks of #AAM2011 … you’re having a great time! Some braved the heat and humidity for the oldest and largest Art Car Parade in the world. Tonight’s festivities with Skyrocket at House of Blues will surely get you boogie-woogieing.  Save the shut-eye for your return home though because we have lots in store for you!

I got a sneak peak of the general session performances today as they rehearsed and I have to say – THEY ARE AWESOME! We’ve told you about it before but take it from me, don’t dilly dally getting into the General Assembly Theater tomorrow morning. Dominic Walsh takes the stage at 10:10am, followed immediately by HIStory and special guest Inertia Dance Company. Get in early and get a front row seat. I don’t want to give too much away … but you’ll oogle and giggle at Dominic Walsh’s Italian vignette with just enough flirtation and comedy … especially, Italian company member Domenico Luciano, named Best Male Dancer by Italy’s Leonide Massine award.  Dominic Walsh Dance Theatre has been my personal obsession for the past 3 years … creating new ballets, touring all over the world and leaving me speechless every performance.

But don’t get too comfy, HIStory & Inertia are going to ROCK YOUR WORLD! Their moves [and beats] even drew some AAM-ers  from the halls to get a sneak peak at their rehearsal  [sorry, if the music was too loud]. We were rockin’ out! Feel free to “Woot” and holler – you won’t be able to keep quiet during their performance.  And if you get front row seats … well, you’ll experience “in your face” like you never have.  That’s just how we roll in Htown.

You’ll have to wait til Wednesday to experience Hope Stone Dance’s The Cooking Show.  These ladies have a unique take on the old adage “You are what you eat.” It’s nothing short of REALLY, REALLY awesome.

Really.

I’m pretty sure they’re gonna blow your mind. But, then again, I’ve never been to AAM before. I’m just a Houston Arts addict. What are some of your past favorite AAM performances?

Thanks y’all! Talk to you on twitter … if you have any questions, tag is #AAM2011. We have most of the city following your tweets. We love having you here and hope you’re having a fabulous time.

What’s all the Stink About?

Social media is no longer a new frontier for Museums – most have a presence on Facebook, Twitter or some other social site. But I suspect the uncertainties associated with digital interaction still keep a lot of museum professionals up at night.

These uncertainties are also preventing organizations from realizing the true potential of authentic online interaction with their patrons.

In July 2010, something extraordinary happened at the Houston Museum of Natural Science: A corpse flower named Lois bloomed.

Well – started to, anyway. The full story of this stinky plant – and the community that exploded around her online, the “mystery” twitter account she inspired, and the thousands of people who streamed into the museum 24 hours a day to see her – is one that will take a bit longer to tell.

Lois the Corpse Flower, in bloom – finally!

To tell it, we’ve brought staff – from online marketing to horticulture to customer service – together with the man behind @CorpzFlowrLois, one of Houston’s most beloved Twitter personalities.

The Plant Heard Around the World:
Using Social Media To Create A Community Phenomenon
Wednesday, May 25 | 2 – 3:15 pm
Room 361ABC

We’ll cover:

What the heck is a corpse flower – and why do so many people care?
Some random person gave your plant a voice – and it’s rated R. Why you shouldn’t panic.
People are tweeting up a storm – and blocking the hall. Blerg!
Congratulations, your web traffic has increased 5000% in a day! Now what?
How to get 400 people to show up for a tweetup – at midnight.
What you can do to be prepared – for anything.
Your questions!

 Who should come?

Pretty much anyone interested in communicating online. Digital natives will leave with tactics to implement and a healthy understanding of the risks involved in addition to convincing evidence of the power of online communications. Skeptics will have a chance to see how a social media program can go very right – and learn how to avoid going wrong.

Want to get a head start?

We’ve put together a bit.ly bundle with links to photos, videos, blog posts and press that we’ll reference in the presentation, including the full-length documentary produced by the Museum, with interviews with staff and patrons.

Hope to see you there!

—Erin Flis , Director of Online Media, Houston Museum of Natural Science

Houston, We Have Liftoff!

The American Association of Museums 2011 Annual Conference and MuseumExpo™ kicked off in high style Saturday evening with two great events that turned out the leaders of Houston’s great museums to greet our friends from AAM and our conference sponsors.

The evening began at 6:30 with the Leadership Reception at The Menil Collection sponsored by HUB International. Guests were greeted by Menil Director Josef Helfenstein and treated to an open bar and passed hors d’oeurves from Houston favorite Jackson and Company. Midway through the evening, AAM President Ford Bell headed to the podium to welcome everyone, and share AAM’s gratitude for the efforts of the Local Host Committee in preparing for the big event.

Local Host Committee and Subcommittee leaders were acknowledged for their hard work, and sponsors were thanked for their support for the conference. Sponsors present to receive this acknowledgement include Chevron, Sotheby’s, Saudi Aramco, the City of Houston, the John P. McGovern Foundation, Yellow Cab, Motif Modern Living furniture and others. We are very grateful for the broad and considerable support our sponsors have demonstrated for the conference and Houston’s museums.

Guests strolled through the astounding variety and beauty of the exhibits and the perfect setting the beautiful Menil building provides. It was a wonderful way to open, and it set a marvelous and exciting tone for the conference.

Those lucky enough to score an invitation to the celebratory dinner afterward at the beautiful River Oaks home of Local Host Committee Chair Courtney Sarofim and her husband Christopher were in for a treat. The Sarofims opened their amazing home to AAM leaders, who enjoyed an absolute abundance of great food and great company. Guests mingled in the giant entrance hall over drinks (the margaritas were excellent and packed a typical Texas kick), then moved through the home to the enormous back yard and patio for an eclectic and very satisfying variety of Tex-Mex foods, including my new favorites, oyster tacos and pan de queso (oh my), topped off by a bread pudding that had no right to be so good.

Brief remarks of welcome were made by Ford and Courtney, who also thanked Sotheby’s for their support of the dinner event. Courtney and Christopher Sarofim personify the great qualities of gracious hosts and generous supporters, and we were all justifiably proud of our city by the end of the evening. What a great start – See you all soon!

–Jon Iszard, President & CEO, The Health Museum; Co-Chair,
AAM 2011 Public Relations & Marketing Subcommittee;
member AAM 2011 Local Host Committee

Murals Painted as Part of the first ever AAM Community Service Project

Yesterday AAMers and Houstonians joined forces for the first ever AAM Community Service Project, picking up paint brushes and cans of spray paint at one of Houston’s newest museums (slated to open later this year), the Houston Museum of African American Culture (HMAAC), to help a diverse group of Houston artists create public artworks for community centers across the city. Working closely with the artists was a special treat, but it was also wonderful to meet other volunteers, some of whom had just flown in from all over the world to attend the conference. Visitors to Houston got to know our community in a very special way by participating directly in the rich diversity and cultural life of our city. About 60 people in total came to HMAAC for the project, and by the end of the day, six beautiful artworks were ready to be installed.

Daniel Anguilu designed panels with Chinese characters and a fire breathing dragon for the Chinese Community Center. Anguilu outlined the work in his signature angular style and volunteers used spray paint to fill in the sections. Toni Brioni and Chu painted family portraits surrounded by candle flames for the Ripley House Neighborhood Center. Jade Cooper worked with volunteers to line up dominoes in a classroom as part of an installation that she will photograph for the Jewish Community Center. Shannon Duckworth made a beautiful paint-by-number type canvas with doves flying around a heart for the Julia C. Hester House in the Fifth Ward. Julian Kyle painted a portrait of a civil rights leader to be installed in HMAAC.  Matt Manalo‘s painting showed a the face of a child beneath the words “speak,” “read,” “think” and “influence” for the families at the Blue Triangle Community Center in the Third Ward.

Volunteers also enjoyed spending time with two exhibitions installed at HMAAC– The Roux, an exhibition of prints, and the University of Houston School of Art Graphic Communications Senior Show. They also got a sneak peek at renderings of the new museum scheduled to be completed this fall.   A great experience was had by all!

Many thanks to all AAM attendees and Houstonians who came out to help during the very first ever AAM community service project!  AAM has left its mark in Houston and set the precedent for future community service projects at annual meetings in the years to come. Thanks!

–Rachel Hooper, Associate Curator and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Fellow, Blaffer Art Museum at the University of Houston; chair of AAM 2011 Community Service Project Task Force; member, AAM 2011 Public Arts & Programming Subcommittee.