Walking into Coastal Americana Sign Co. is guaranteed to have a calming effect on everyone who enters their doors. A lot of it has to do with the décor, but the true heart and soul of this space are the people who created it – Jimmy and Lyza Garza-Gerow. The beginning of livin’ coastal “It all started with a gift for a friend,” says Jimmy. “Usually we’re the people who…
Indiana Jones and the Wild West both come to the area Feb. 28 as the Valley Symphony Orchestra presents music from “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “The Big Country,” a classic Western film. The concert will feature Soloist and VSO Principal Trumpet Jared Broussard with Maestro Peter Dabrowski as conductor. Broussard will perform Alexander Arutunian’s trumpet concerto. The piece showcases the sound and character of the trumpet. The concerto…
The International Museum of Art and Science will soon host its first-ever Empty Barrels: A Food and Fund Drive to benefit the Food Bank RGV Inc. Empty Barrels is a collaborative project that aims to bring artists and communities together to raise awareness and funds to fight hunger in the RGV. A donation of six wine and whiskey barrels from 5×5 Brewing Co. in Mission and Hilmy Cellars in Fredericksburg…
Look at the list of upcoming 2020 winter and spring showings of the Camille Playhouse. Now in its 56th season, you will see the Brownsville arts organization is not only enduring but thriving as well. There’s Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” as part of Camille’s young actor’s company in early May. Before that production is Neil Simon’s “Lost In Yonkers,” running this month. It’s all part of a legacy of creativity and art…
The old house at East Madison and 15th street in Brownsville might look like a building in stages of decay. Some of the letters on the east side of the building are fading away. It reads “Carlotta K. Petrina.” Petrina was an artist from New York who moved to this part of South Texas many years ago. But inside the brick structure that served as her home until she died in 1997…
The list of entertainers who have graced the stage of the Harlingen Municipal Auditorium is impressive. They include Guy Lombardo, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Paul Robeson, the Von Trapp Family Singers and famous pianist, composer and conductor Sergei Rachmaninoff. But, all of those names go back to the 1940s, just a few years after the facility was built. Today, the music and entertainment continue at the 1,500-seat auditorium, but most…
Local high school seniors recently began an environmental conversation by using their artistic creativity and passion for fashion design and photography to advocate for ecological sustainability within the world. International Baccalaureate Programme at Lamar Academy students Gisselle Costa and Denisse Damken are the designers of a fashion line completely made out of recycled materials. The project raises awareness of environmental conservation. “The name of our project, Modern Chaos, illustrates what…
South Padre Island is no stranger to sandcastle building, but the Holiday Sandcastle Village steps up the festivity. The village brims with holiday sand sculptures from talented artists from all over the world. It started last year as a joint effort between city leaders and local sand artist Lucinda Wierenga, also known as Sandy Feet. South Padre Island is the self-proclaimed Sandcastle Capital of the Universe. The city thus felt…
The halls of the International Museum of Art & Science are heavy with anticipation for the annual exhibition of community-decorated Christmas trees. The IMAS Christmas Tree Forest is a five-decade tradition originating shortly after the opening of the 53-year-old museum. This annual holiday event is the brainchild of the IMAS Guild. It began the tradition of organizing community entries featuring a unique tree resplendent with hand-made ornaments and decorations showcasing…
On Nov. 2, the Dia de los Muertos Festival took place at the International Museum of Science. The day featured events and exhibits, including a Catrina contest and the lecture “Mexico, Bones, and Life” by Servando Hinojosa. Other activities included story times and Calavera rock art. Also available for a small fee was the sugar skull workshop and decorate your own sugar skull with icing. Vendors and food trucks were…