Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/820206
713.553.4255 M A R Y H A L E M C L E A N . C O M M A R Y H A L E M C L E A N . C O M M A R Y H A L E M C L E A N . C O M M A R Y H A L E M C L E A N . C O M M A R Y H A L E M C L E A N . C O M M A R Y H A L E M C L E A N . C O M M A R Y H A L E M C L E A N . C O M M A R Y H A L E M C L E A N . C O M M A R Y H A L E M C L E A N . C O M 2016 Top Producer OBSESSIONS. DECORATION. SALIENT FACTS. Meredith Pardue's Atoll at Dusk, 2017, at Laura Rathe Fine Art T he New Conceptualism: At Moody Gallery, the mercurial and conceptual Debra Barrera, last seen in a seminal solo at the CAMH in 2014, creates a new body of work that includes photography (through May 13). Barrera is one of the smartest talents in the state. Her drawings, sculpture, and installations pair elements of memory with a sense of longing — in "Menina," she revisits the dining and living rooms of her childhood home with their faux-formal interiors. The exhibit title is taken from one of the most famed canvases from Spain's Golden Age. Nature Rocks: James Surls, founder and patriarch of the contemporary art scene as we know it, solos at his 11th Street HQ in the Heights, Clarke and Associates (through May 31). The exhibition focuses on his drawings, intuitive and timeless references to men and women, and Mother Nature … At Laura Rathe Fine Art (Colquitt), headliner Meredith Pardue continues her nature-based series of lyrical blow- ups of rocks observed mid-stream, as well as a newer subject, coral atolls (through May 13) … Giant fireflies are on our radar. Houston sculptor Dylan Conner's whimsical street lamps bearing oversized fireflies whose eyes beam light rays are planned for the revitalized Woodland Park (212 Parkview Street). Raise funds for the $142,000 Firefly Field via friendsofwoodlandpark.org, then stay tuned for upcoming park parties as benefits for those big bugs … It's the power of the pineapple and some very beautiful painting as international Mie Olise Kjaergaard returns to Barbara Davis Gallery with a series of abstract + metaphoric canvases that are nuanced and important (through May 27). Catherine D. Anspon ART NOTES COURTESY THE ARTIST AND LAURA RATHE FINE ART R iver Oaks District adds two new retailers to its luxury arsenal. Baccarat debuts its 1,500-square-foot boutique between Tom Ford and de Boulle in September. Theory brings its minimalist aesthetic to the center this month, neighboring Giuseppe Zanotti and Moncler, stocking womenswear, menswear, and accessories … Home-goods, fashion, and accessories boutique Saint Cloud takes over Brooke Feather in River Oaks Shopping Center at 2020 West Gray Street for its second store location. Feather stays on as a creative and buying consultant, lending her West Coast style to Saint Cloud's worldly inventory … Next door to the new Le Labo fragrance shop Retail RAP on Westheimer at Dunlavy, Australian skincare brand Aesop opens its fi rst local store this spring. The plant-based skin, hair, and body products include parsley- seed cleansers, and sage and cedar scalp treatment … Later this year, East Coast men's boutique Social Status opens its fi rst Houston store in CityCentre. Look for premium apparel and accessories from Adidas, Comme Des Garçons, Just Don, Off-White, Hender Scheme, and Jordan … Cookware titan Le Creuset has opened an outlet store in the Centre at Post Oak at 5000 Westheimer Road … Four Seasons Hotel Houston is now home to Buttonhook — the fi rst men's shop at the newly renovated downtown hotel, carrying New Zealand brand Rodd & Gunn, Anne Sisteron, and more. Jailyn Marcel M ention the word gladiator, and Russell Crowe (Gladiator, 2000) and Kirk Douglas (Spartacus, 1960) come to mind. Were their portrayals accurate? One blockbuster arriving at the Houston Museum of Natural Science attempts to answer the question by time-traveling back two millennia to the height of the Roman Empire. "Gladiators: Heroes of the Colosseum" brings together actual artifacts from the Flavian Amphitheater. Erected circa 70 to 72 A.D. by Emperor Vespasian as a gift to the people and inaugurated with a series of 100 days of games — capped by hand-to-hand gladiator contests or gladiators dueling wild animals — the 50,000-seat stadium and its spectacles make the modern Olympics look wimpy. HMNS curator Dr. Dirk Van Tuerenhout — a veteran of many digs — sleuths out the original gladiatorial arms and armor and other telling treasures that have never before left Italy, to decipher the lives of these ancient combatants. Tuesday, May 23, 6:30 pm, hear historian, author John Keahey dish on the soldiers of the Roman Empire while in character. Exhibition through September 4, hmns.org and hmns.org/lectures. Catherine D. Anspon COLOSSAL Combatants at HMNS 14