Scope and Contents No. 3146: SOME REFLECTIONS ON HUMAN COMPREHENSIONby Andy BoydClick here for audio of Episode 3146Today, we reflect. The University of Houston presents this series about the machines that make our civilization run, and the people whose ingenuity created them.Those who casually visit the Rothko Chapel are usually perplexed. Mark Rothko is one of the twentieth century's most recognized painters, and the chapel and its contents one of his most...

Scope and Contents Rothko Chapel joins forces to present Farthenhold lectureStaff report Published 1:07 pm CDT, Tuesday, October 17, 2017 Award-winning activist and organizer Ai-jen Poo will present a lecture entitled “Immigration and the Future of American Families" at the “Frances Tarlton ‘Sissy’ Farenthold Endowed Lecture in Peace, Social Justice, and Human Rights.” The event is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 19 at Eidman Courtroom, Texas Law, 727 E....

Scope and Contents Mark Rothko: Answering the Dark​By Deanna SirlinThe 33 Orchard St Gallery in New York City currently features an exhibition of anonymous Tantra paintings (through November 5, 2017). These paintings on found paper were made in Rajasthan, India not as works of art but as objects of meditation. The paintings in the exhibition were made from 1970 to 2008 by families that follow tantric Hinduism. Roberta Smith described these tantric works in a 2012 review for...

Scope and Contents Song Premiere: TEST Debut “Bleached Hands” Ahead of Hi Hat Performance TESTPhoto credit: Joel HodsonTEST prides itself on being a band, and not a ‘project.’ The trio makes unapologetic rock music, so it makes sense that they’d also keep a strict definition of exactly who they are. It all began in a warehouse in Vernon, living off of cheap noodles and the promise of creative catharsis. After a couple of years of simultaneous incubation and growth, their new record...

Scope and Contents LOS ANGELES — It’s fun to try to guess the outcome of the World Series, even if serious attempts at predicting a seven-game set between two excellent baseball teams based on mountains of data will never be significantly more reliable than just flipping a coin seven times.Here is an unserious attempt at predicting the seven-game set between two excellent baseball teams based on how their home cities stack up in the eyes of someone who has recently been spending time in both. 1....

Scope and Contents SWR Vokalensemble, Marcus Creed: Morton Feldman, “Rothko Chapel” Posted on October 25, 2017 by John MarksMorton Feldman’s Rothko Chapel is scored for solo viola, solo alto voice, solo soprano voice, mixed chorus, and celesta; with percussion consisting of bass drum, chimes, gong, temple block, tenor drum, timpani, vibraphone, and wood block. Feldman (1926-1987) composed Rothko Chapel in 1971, specifically for the building of that name, in Houston, Texas, which was a gift to the...

Scope and Contents Each of us is a creator, an artist. Of ourselves. This I believe: Life is art.Every decision I make, step I take, or word I whisper or shout is paint, ink, clay, or found object.Creatives have always known this—their worth as a masterpiece. But everyone, everywhere should know this about themselves. Figures painted on prehistoric cave walls tell us this: Life is worthy of being captured in image, be it realism or abstraction, because life as medium is the...

Scope and Contents Unconditional givingMarina Salandy-Brown writes a weekly column for the Newsday. Philanthropy can be defined as a generous act or gift to promote and serve human welfare and needs. The word is known but infrequently put into action in Caribbean countries including Trinidad and Tobago, although we are a middle-income country with our full share of financially wealthy families.We in TT are very charitable. Consider how easily people take on other people’s...

Scope and Contents Walkable Houston: Menil Campus By Brooke Viggiano - Nov 8, 2017 walkable-houston-menil-campus Photo courtesy of The Menil CollectionWhile Houstonians definitely love their cars, there are nooks and crannies of the city that are best explored by foot. In our Walkable Houston series, we traverse those districts to find the prettiest parks, hottest restaurants and bars, coolest local art and shops, and most visit-worthy hidden gems.Shaded by live oak trees and lined with...

Scope and Contents The unexpected joy of visiting a very tiny museum By Thu-Huong HaNovember 11, 2017A visit to the world’s largest art museum, the Louvre in Paris, can be daunting as hell. Istanbul’s archaeology museums? Plan on several days, at least, to take them all in. As for New York City’s Metropolitan Museum—where to even start?Large museums and art institutions, with their vast rooms and sketch-crammed corridors, can overwhelm, even intimidate. As you walk through one of these...