UH Hosts College of the Arts Open House

This Friday, September 7th, the University of Houston will host an open house and semester kickoff party for its Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts (KGMCA), which was established in 2016 as an umbrella for the university’s school of art, music school, and school of theatre and dance. The event will feature a sampling of the college’s talent, including performances by music students, artwork sales and demonstrations, and the opening of two new exhibitions at the university’s Blaffer Art Museum. Andrew Davis, the dean of the KGMCA, said of the festivities:

“This is the ideal opportunity to showcase how the College and the city of Houston are top arts destinations. Our goal is to be the most socially-engaged arts college in the country—one that teaches critical thinking and collaborative skills to practicing, culturally competent artists while leveraging our community partners to achieve this goal.”

This event is no doubt part of the university’s recent move to make the arts a core pillar of its public image. Over the past few years, UH has acquired multiple artists’ and organizations’ archives, and also recently hired a new director and chief curator for its public art program.

The KGMCA’s Party in the Grove is scheduled for Friday, September 7th, from 6-9PM in the university’s Wilhelmina’s Grove. It is free and open to the public. More details are below.

Party in the Grove highlights and festivities include:

—Representatives from the School of Art, School of Theatre & Dance, Moores School of Music, Blaffer Art Museum, Center for Art & Social Engagement (CASE) and the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts
—Performances by the Spirit of Houston Marching Band, opening receptions of two exhibitions at Blaffer Art Museum, print and photography sales, as well as a printmaking demonstration
—Guided tours of the School of Art studios, Moores Opera House, Quintero Theatre and Lyndall Finley Wortham theatre
—Food available from area vendors, including Pink’s Pizza, Steel City Pops, HeyDay Cold Brew and Miss Patty’s Wagon food truck

For parking information, go here.