Photo by Allison McPhail

That's Houston Texans JJ Watt (rear left) and Connor Barwin (rear right) acting as grand marshals in the Art Car known as Electrolux.

Updated: we just got the list of this year's winning cars from the Orange Show. Check their announcement at the bottom of this post.

Check out more photos from the 25th Annual Art Car Parade in our slideshow.

Ahh, the Art Car Parade. It's hard to believe Houston's been letting its freak flag fly like this for 25 years now. Few of the cars change each year in this homage to folk art and creativity organized by the Orange Show, but one thing's for sure -- the parade is always a damn good time.

More >>

Photo courtesy Burning Bones Press

Dennis McNett constructs huge 3-D mobile art

Dennis McNett, one of the nation's renowned printmakers, practices the tedious, time-consuming art of carving. Most of his works are huge and have a graphic basis in '80s skateboard and punk rock culture; they are frequently described as "surly."

He also specializes in large, mobile pieces such as the Wolfbats he is currently exhibiting across the country as well as a Viking ship replica he displayed in Philadelphia last year.

Living in New York City since 2001, McNett has come to Houston to construct his first mechanically powered piece, an art car for the 25th anniversary of Houston's famed Art Car Parade. He will be working with Burning Bones Press in the Heights, who is assisting McNett with the construction.

McNett will also give a lecture at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Art Car Museum as part of this year's Art Car Parade activities.

More >>

Debra Ham

Weaving has been a cultural tradition of a small refugee community known as the Karenni since they left their home in the mountainous region bordering Thailand. Originally from Burma, the Karenni families escaped a civil war that's been going on there for about four decades. Over time, many of the families had left their villages and gone into the jungle to live for several years before eventually moving into Thailand, where many of them lived in refugee camps.

Now just fewer than 100 Karenni families have moved into Houston, home to a number of refugee communities. As Pat Jasper, director of Folklife & Traditional Arts for the Houston Arts Alliance, explains: "Houston really has the capacity to accommodate refugees in a way that a lot of cities around the country can't."

The city offers a certain amount of funding for things like short-term education and housing for refugee groups that move here, but that has been increasingly limited in recent years. Many of the Karenni women have used weaving not only as a cultural tradition, but also as a way to supplement their income since coming here.

And now their work is being showcased at a special exhibition, Weaving Home, produced by the Houston Arts Alliance Folklife & Traditional Arts Program.

More >>

Garza Furniture

For more photos from this year's Design Fair, check out our slideshow.

Judging from the pieces presented at Design Fair 2012, the look right now is modern, yet practical -- with a touch of recycled chic.

Every year Design Fair is hosted at Lawndale Art Center, a perfect venue for such an occasion: the spacious, three-story building is large enough to collectively house big furniture pieces like couches and coffee tables, yet acoustic enough to allow for lively, extended discussions with the designers, identifiable, department store-style, by their friendly nametags.

The weekend-long event began with a see-and-be-seen preview party on Friday night, followed by a subdued Saturday and Sunday of guests milling about the indoor bazaar for furniture, fashion, books and other random bits and pieces. We thought of the fair as a three-story layer cake; each floor was stuffed full of practical furniture pieces, with random knickknacks, like Jonathan Clark's awesomely weird pencil cluster bundles, spread throughout for taste.

Jonathan Clark's pencil bundles

Barry Jelinski's Austin-based Howl Interiors, inspired by Allen Ginsberg's angry and controversial beat poem of the same name, was a perfect example of this.

"I'm trying to spread the gospel of handmade craftsmanship," said the quirky designer, whose furniture consists of "found object pieces," such as a coffee table created out of grapevine, and a phonograph with a revolving Plexiglas head. He railed against the so-called rules of interior design, advising instead that "You should surround yourself with what makes you happy."

More >>

Are you sitting down? George Clooney will be here in less than a week.

Holy heart attack, Batman! In less than a week's time, the one and only Mr. George Clooney will grace our metro with his magnificent aura. Clooney will join Houston celebutante Lynn Wyatt as the featured speaker in the "Brilliant Lecture Series." The series focuses on bringing "international leaders, philanthropists and entrepreneurs to Houston to help inspire and support new ideas." The lecture takes place Thursday, May 3, at the Wortham Center and tickets range between $25 and $150 a pop. $150 to see the loveliness of George Clooney up close and personal might just be worth it. Maybe he will even have something interesting to say!

Clooney is not your typical Hollywood star. In the past few years he has proven to be much more than just a pretty face. He has influenced public debate on humanitarian issues in Sudan and highlighted concerns over Prop 8. He has met with politicians and representatives from the United Nations, and he pulled off one of the greatest heists in Las Vegas history... oh wait, that was a movie. Let's face it: The guy is a hero.

More >>

It's Holy week for Christians. Which means another rush of international shoppers is coming Houston's way, especially to Katy Mills Mall, which bills itself as the largest outlet and value retail shopping destination in South Texas and specifically courts Mexican nationals and their money at this time of year.

But why travel all the way from Mexico to Katy Mills just for a few shopping deals right before Easter?

According to Cynthia Stansberry, director of marketing at Katy Mills, it's a combination of special deals coinciding with Spring Break for Mexican families. "It's a big vacation time for them. Children are out of school and they are off of work."

In Mexico, students and some workers get a two-week spring break, an inclusion of Semana Santa (the week before Easter) and Easter week. Many families head for Texas.

According to the Texas Border City News, even the U.S. Customs and Border Protection have had to come up with new time-tested measures and technologies to help them handle the amount of northbound traffic anticipated over Holy Week.

More >>

Franco Valobra's 88-pearl showpiece.

There was quite a bit of old and new money mingling at Valobra, a fine jewelry store and scene of Mercury's (formerly Mercury Baroque; they just changed the name) 11th Season "Party Like It's 1699" Gala Kick Off Tuesday night.

As precursor to its yearly gala scheduled for this weekend, the $100-a-ticket raffle
Tuesday night gave the Houston-based chamber orchestra a start on its fundraising for its upcoming October through May concert season. The prize is a one-of-a-kind, 88-pearl necklace with an 18-carat gold chocker designed by store namesake, Franco Valobra.

"Last year we raised $200,000," said Deborah Lugo, Mercury's executive director. "We have the same goal this year."

More >>

Photo by Ruby Yeh

Houston Roller Derby kicks off its 2012 season at Bayou Place Live.

This weekend kicked off the 2012 season of the Houston Roller Derby at the Bayou Place Live (formerly known as Verizon Wireless Theater), or, as one could call it, real life "Whip It," just minus the adorable and lovable Ellen Page. These women are far from cute. Instead, they are driven individuals with badass derby names, complete with tattoos and a fearless attitude. This year's season opener on St. Patrick's Day had more than 2,000 people in the audience. Established in 2005, the HDR has grown into a league with more than 80 committed skaters. The derby season runs from March through September, and bouts are held on the third Saturday of each month.

Houston itself has four home teams: The Bayou City Bosses, The Brawlers, The Valkyries, and The Psych Ward Sirens. The crème de la crème, however, is the Houston All-Stars, which is Houston's dream team comprised of the league's most talented and devoted skaters. These dedicated women train three times a week and have traveled all over the United States since 2006.

More >>

Photo courtesy HLSR

This year's Grand Champion Work of Art by Barry Carter of Magnolia ISD.

Proving once again that the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has room for all kinds of champions, HSLR picked its top two winners among student artists for this year's competition.

The title of Grand Champion Work of Art went to Barry Carter, a senior from Magnolia ISD, this weekend for his painting "Smokey and the Bandit." Carter, who plans to attend Texas Christian University and major in art and business -- so that he can paint and own and operate his own art gallery some day -- saw the cows in a field and captured their sense of peace.

The Reserve Grand Champion Work of art went to Taylor Power, a junior from Katy ISD, for her colored drawing "Sergeant in Charge."

More >>

It's good to be employed.

Today marks the annual Hallmark holiday, Employee Appreciation Day. It's a day to celebrate your overworked, underpaid employees with Hoops and Yoyo cards and Mylar balloons. The Web site Recognition Professionals International, which exists, by the way, is encouraging all employers to open their office doors and celebrate their hard-worked minions.

They suggest that when employers do give some appreciation today, they think outside the cubical and give their well-deserving employees something personal and memorable. They are even charitable enough to give a few suggestions:

Consider a gift certificate entitling an employee to lunch with you or another mentor of his/her choosing for the purpose of being coached on one or more topics.

Send a handwritten note of thanks for the completion of a job well done.

Ask an employee to write down six ways they would like to be rewarded. Anything goes. The only rule is that half the ideas need to be low cost or no cost.

Purchase a company "toy" your employees would most enjoy; a cappuccino machine, dart board, volleyball court, exercise room.

While these are all very nice, theoretical, sentiments, forcing an employee to have lunch with you or another "mentor" to be coached on the topic of their choosing seems more punishment than reward. And a handwritten note ain't gonna pay the bills. What's next, a round of high fives?

More >>