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Just in: We've Got a PHOTO JENNY ANTILL, COLLAGE TATIANA MASSEY BEAD ON JARMON Selven O'Keef Jarmon, from Texas Artists Today Come 2014, artist/activist/fashion designer Selven O'Keef Jarmon brings his ongoing collaboration with the communities of rural South Africa to town for what is destined to be another traffic-stopping installation at Art League Houston. A dozen artisans from the Eastern Cape travel to Texas to hand-bead the metal-clad exterior of ALH in 360 Degrees Vanishing, with an accompanying exhibition in the nonprofit's Project Space. "How does one take what already exists within the culture and repackage it for a modern consumer for the purpose of increasing sustainable livelihoods" is the question Jarmon asks, so watch for a commercial component, which benefits his social practice projects. Jarmon heads to South Africa this month to begin the process that metaphorically interweaves artists in two diverse places and is also blessed by the City of Houston as well as government entities in South Africa. Catherine D. Anspon Jeffrey Dell's Payment Deferred, 2013, at Art Palace PRINTMATIC We're mad for PrintHouston year three, overseen by Cathie Kayser alongside a stalwart band of dedicated and proficient fellow Houston printmakers, who beginning this spring crafted a top-gun salute for all things ink on paper as well as some unorthodox media, with a two-ton steamroller thrown in. PrintHouston continues the tradition of Houston-incubated organizations (FotoFest is first and foremost in this category) and reaches its annual crescendo in the steamy month of June, where prints bust out from Isabella Court to Colquitt, 4411 Montrose to (natch) the Museum of Printing History, which mounts the juried exhibition "PrintTx 2013," selected by Texas Tech Museum's Peter Briggs (June 13 –September 14) … Three other best bests are Joan Winter's decade-long print survey at Wade Wilson Art (through July 6); "Steamrolled III" at Peveto, serving up massive woodcuts imprinted by the aforementioned mighty steamroller (June 15 – July 6); and t he sublime and vaporous abstracted cakes by Jeffrey Dell at Art Palace. Savor a slice (through June 22). More shows, printmattershouston.org. Catherine D. Anspon Art Notes H ere Come the Eccentrics: First up, we toast those who defy a label or easy speculation. How to categorize the hermetic, visionary but decidedly non-naive talent Forrest Bess (1911 – 1977)? His "Seeing Things Invisible" at The Menil Collection, organized by Clare Elliott with an archival intervention by like-minded artist Robert Gober, is as good as it gets. See why the Bay City abstract painter who eked out a living as a fisherman was Jeffrey Wheeler's Class of 1978, 2012, at G Gallery able to break into the ranks of powerhouse NYC gallerist Betty Parson, where his tiny abstractions held their own in her stable with Pollock and Rothko (through August 18) … We've always been impressed by eccentrics of our own time, beginning with Lubbock-based painter of the plains Jeffrey Wheeler, who was recently awarded a Dozier Travel Grant from the Dallas Museum of Art. Wheeler, one half of The Wheeler Brothers, returns to G Gallery in a solo organized by the G's director Diane Barber. Barber tells us that the pop prognosticator has so many works that the final weekend of the show is actually part two of his exhibition (June 1 – 30) … Then there's Patrick Turk, a Round Seven Lawndale Art Center's artist-in-residence. We think of him as a New Victorian, so obsessive is his fixation with collage making, the phylum of the flora and fauna realm, old natural history volumes and the concept of The Superorganism, all glammed up with enhancement of hundreds of crystal rhinestones (through June 15) … Blaffer Art Museum mounts the wild installations of Andy Coolquitt, which often resemble a bull in a secondhand shop, as was the case in his site-specific creation for the inaugural Texas Contemporary Art Fair in 2011; the Blaffer's Claudia Schmuckli organizes the Austin-based sculptor's first-ever museum show (complete with a hefty catalog, through August 17) … Catch the final weeks of photogs Lester Marks, Allen Bianchi (best known as architect) and Mary Ann Strandel at Deborah Colton Gallery. Marks and Bianchi serve up fresh takes on futuristic abstractions, while Strandell explores circa-1960s department stores via lenticular prints (all through July 6). Also, don't miss Hiram Butler Gallery's view for Terrell James, whose epic pair of scroll-like abstractions depict a maritime forest in North Carolina while recalling the grand tradition of Chinese landscape painting (through June 29) … Speaking of landscape, the master is William Anzalone, whose decades long love affair with the country 'round Round Top continues in his current one-person at Red & White Gallery in Fayetteville (through June 15) … Also unexpected, but closer to home, is Uptown Park's contest for emerging photographers at BB1 Classic (June 20 – July 3: reception Thursday, June 20, 6 to 8 pm) with the winner celebrated at the European-styled shopping center's marquee (through June). New and Notable: On Colquitt, collector and biz woman Nicole Longnecker takes over the former Goldesberry space with her eponymous new gallery; her season opener showcases Houston man of metal Devon Moore (June 1 – July 6) … On West Alabama, we have the arrival of photo space D.Pict, showing Dixie Messner's views of Paris (through July 12), as well as the recently minted BlueOrange at 1208 West Gray, owned by siblings Jacob Spacek and Megan Spacek, who roll out Ben Mata's adroit minimalist paintings, executed on aluminum panels employing oil and power tools (through June 15) … Stay tuned for game-changing news of Kerry Inman's Patrick Turk's The Superorganism (detail), 2013, at Lawndale Art Center next big adventure: adding a new building to her roster while continuing in her expansive Isabella Court digs, where she is the anchor and founding dealer for the entire Isabella lineup. Just in: Brasil's Dan Fergus downsizes Domy Books and moves it to the spot once occupied by Raye to make room for a new gallery. The enticing venture, with cohorts Cody Ledvina of The Joanna and filmmaker Patrick Bresnan, returns Domy's original locale to its glory days as an art space. The Last Word: ArtHouston is undergoing a revamp led by Harris Gallery's Mariah Rockefeller and Sarah Beth Wilson, recently of William Reaves Fine Art. They'll continue the summertime tradition of a citywide open house hosted by our premier gallerists, but tweak it by adding food trucks, a DJ and some soon-to-be-revealed happenings. PaperCity again serves as media sponsor for the dual nights and one day of openings, Friday and Saturday, July 12 and 13. Peruse these pages next month for our top ArtHouston picks and follow papercitymag.com. Catherine D. Anspon Restaurant Buzz another island relic once housed in the Tremont Houston and the Old Galveston Club that is known affectionately as Galveston's last speakeasy, has made the Galvez its home since the early 1990s. All these renovations coincide with the hotel's guest-room revamps, which were completed in 2011 to celebrate the landmark's 100th anniversary … Kudos to Houston caterer Elizabeth Stone, founder of The Stone Kitchen, who recently published a lavish entertaining cookbook titled An Invitation to Entertain (Bright Sky Press, $34.95). For more than two decades, Stone has wined and dined many of us, and here she shows readers how to pull off afternoon tea at home, create a farm family dinner and gather everyone for every major food-centered holiday with aplomb. Find it at amazon.com … Craving fried chicken? This month and next, Damian's Cucina Italiana ushers in Fried Chicken Fridays at lunch ($16) to celebrate its 30th anniversary. Roll in for comfort fare that includes this family recipe, meatballs and green beans … Triniti, the restaurant recently nominated for a James Beard Award for its interiors, hosts a summer guest chef series, with local visiting chefs taking the helm to prepare an eight-course dinner. Details at trinitirestaurant. com … Finally, even as the fresh grill and wine bar Seasons 52 opens on Westheimer near Mid Lane, word is they'll be opening their City Centre locale this fall. Watch for more details in our July issue. Laurann Claridge ALLEY Up Houston's busy Tony-winning performing arts company The Alley Theatre, under the leadership of artistic director Gregory Boyd and managing director Dean Gladden, stages an incredible 393 productions every season. So, it's long been time for a redux. Perfectly timed is the recent announcement of an ambitious $73 million capital campaign, of which $31 million has already been secured, to the credit of fundraising co-chairmen Meredith Long and Roger Plank. First, $10 million for artistic enhancement (which began in 2008) increases the budget annually by $1 million into 2017 for bigger productions and beefing up the resident company's creative team. Secondly, the lion's share of $46.5 million is earmarked for renovation, which includes cleaning the iconic turreted cement exterior of the medieval-modernist classic that launched Harvard School of Design-trained architect Ulrich Franzen's career and upgrading the interior, especially the Hubbard Stage, where new seats and, most importantly, a reconfiguration, provides a more intimate encounter for both actors and theatergoers. State-of-the-art technical improvements include an added fly loft with computercontrolled, motorized rigging; fully trapped stage floor; lighting, sound and electrical enhancements; and expanded dressing rooms. Finally, phase three raises $16.5 million — a $15 million endowment and $1.5 million cash reserve towards future artistic productions. The only performing arts company in the Theater District that owns and operates its own building, the Alley enviably launches its campaign with a positive balance sheet. Tapped for the project is Studio Red Architects' Pete Ed Garrett, the go-to who restored the Alley's Neuhaus Stage post Tropical Storm Allison. To offer suggestions, tap alleytheatre.org/ideas; to donate, alleytheatre.org/give; for naming rights, contact Nancy Giles, 713.315.3398, nancyg@alleytheatre.org. Catherine D. Anspon COURTESY THE ALLEY THEATRE R estaurateur Tony Vallone is reviving his steakhouse concept Vallone's, but this time the famous man behind Tony's is taking a more behind-the-scenes role as an investor. Two young protégés from his flagship Tony's restaurant and the more casual Ciao Bello, partners Scott Sulma and chef Grant Gordon, will oversee the technique-driven steakhouse in Memorial on Gessner, just next door to the Westin Hotel. Architect Shafik Rifaat, who customarily works on the designing the company's concepts, will again reprise the eatery with help from interior designers Lucinda Loya and Roberto Cervantes. Look for the lunch and dinner spot to debut in October … The historic Hotel Galvez & Spa in Galveston has unveiled its new spiffedup lobby, bar and restaurant, all care of Lori Mitchell, hotel owner George Mitchell's designing granddaughter who re-conceptualized the trio of spaces. Check out the expanded Galvez Bar & Grill with a bar space double its former capacity (on two levels, no less), booths, seats and a community table with live music on the weekends and regional Texas fare served at lunch and dinner. Meanwhile, their 1876 Bar, Kim Cadmus Owens' 712 Fort Worth Avenue, 2011, at Museum of Printing History The Alley Theatre under construction, 1968