The Pearl Fincher Museum which officially opened its doors on March 29th, 2008 is located in a 10,000 square foot facility that previously housed the Harris County Cypress Creek Library. The Museum’s current exhibit on loan from the Houston Museum of Fine Arts is African Gold from the Glassell Collection.

The exhibit which runs through November 2nd consists of objects made by Akan artists living in Ghana and neighboring Cote d’Ivorie. Ghana was once known as the Gold Coast and gold was used as a basis for trade. The works of art in the exhibit date back to the 19th and 20th centuries.

One of my favorite pieces was the bracelets that the Akan artists produced in the shape of watches for decorative rather than functional purposes. They were worn by men and women and displayed wealth and symbolized the power to control time.

The idea that someone thought they could actually control time amazed me because I gave up on the notion that I could control time a long time ago.

My next favorite collection of the exhibit were these weights. They are brass castings used as counter – balances for weighing gold. I have always been intrigued with items used in the exchange of goods and the currency of other nations.

The exhibit contains numerous collections and excellent descriptions on the pieces and their importance to the people in Ghana.

The Museum’s entrance fee for the exhibit is only $3. Where else can you get this level of entertainment for this price?  After all it costs more than $3 to rent a movie these days.

Thank you, Tim Novack for hosting our “Night at the Museum”.  The Pearl is a “top notch” Fine Arts Museum  which we are lucky to have rght in our own Spring Texas backyard. 

Will I be back for another visit? ….. Absolutely!!!   When?  ….  Sometime between November 22, 2008 and March 29, 2008. During those dates is when the Museum’s next exhibit of 17th and 18th Century Paintings from the Sarah Campbell Balffer Foundation will be on display. And I truly enjoy viewing European paintings.

But don’t you wait for a formal invite to visit the Museum. Go now and discover for yourself the Pearl Museum. It is ……. a real “Jewel”.

The museum is located at 6815 Cypresswood Drive Spring Texas. To learn about the museum’s hours of operations and its upcoming exhibits visit the Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts website.

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• The Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts opens in Spring Texas
• Pearl Fincher Museum hosts student art competion
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The wait is now over …. Spring Texas has its first Fine Arts Museum. The efforts of Clara Lewis and Rev. Glenn Wilkerson which started thirteen years ago have finally become a reality with the opening of the Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts. The only Fine Arts Museum in the Houston TX area that is outside the Houston Museum district.

The museum came about its name in 2006 when The Fincher Family Trust made a major donation to the Museum of Fine Arts, Cypress Creek in honor of their mother, Pearl. The museum is a smaller scale version of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. The Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts is an independent facility from MFAH but they have a strategic cooperative relationship which is certain to benefit the residents of Spring Texas.

Its first exhibition will feature the collection titled, Frederic Remington and The American West: Selections from the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. The exhibition is part of MFAH’s community outreach program.The museum is a wonderful complement to the Barbara Bush Library, the Cypress Creek Community Center, and The Centrum perfomance hall. All located in the Cypress Creek Cultural District.

The Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts is located at 6815 Cypresswood Spring TX 77379. Its hours of operation are Sundays – noon to 5 pm, Mondays – closed, Tuesdays and Wednesdays – 10 am to 5 pm, Thursdays – 10 am to 8 pm, Fridays – 10 am to 6 pm, and Saturdays – 10 am to 5 pm.

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• Discover The Centrum

Comprised of L.A.’s finest musicians this 18-piece ensemble has quickly become one of the most hard swinging jazz ensembles around. The Big Phat Band’s debut album “Swinging for the Fences” received two Grammy nominations and Goodwin won a 2006 Grammy for Instrumental Arrangement of Incredits from the film, The Incredibles.

If you are lover of jazz, swing, or big band, you won’t want to miss The Big Phat Band’s first appearance in Spring Texas. Get your tickets now. Tickets range in price from $30 to $60.

The Centrum is located at 6823 Cypresswood Dr Spring TX 77379.

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The theme of the contest is “Flora and Fauna in the Greater Cypress Creek Area”. The purpose of the competition is to educate and provide an appreciation for the arts in the community.

Art Competitions are a wonderful way to challenge the creativity of students. I enjoyed entering art competitions when I was in school. My pieces of art were not good enough to win any ribbons. But I still enjoyed them. Housed in my memory box is some of my early artwork that I had created for competitions.

Registration and entry forms are available on the museum’s website. To ensure a good representation from all school districts, contestants are limited by school district and grade levels.

The Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts is located at 6815 Cypresswood Drive Spring TX 77379.

Create a new holiday tradition by taking your children to a performance of A Christmas Story. I am sure they will enjoy it as much as I did and still do. A Christmas Story is one of my favorite holiday movies and I have seen it more times than I can count. It is a true holiday classic from the triple dog dare to the secret decoder ring to the bar of soap to the exploding furnace to the easter bunny pajamas to the neighbors dog eating the turkey. But wait, let’s not forget Ralphie’s Old Man winning a “Major Award”. I have so many favorite scenes that it is impossible to pick just one favorite.

A Christmas Story opens December 5th and runs through December 30th. Tickets are $20 – $40. Half price children’s tickets are available when accompanied by an adult. Call today to get your tickets to an evening of fun that you will not want to miss.

Tickets can be purchased by calling the box office at 281.583.7573. The Texas Repertory Theatre is located at 14243 Stuebner Airline Rd. Get out there and enjoy all that Spring Texas and Northwest Houston have to offer.

Can’t get enough of A Christmas Story? Check out the original A Christmas Story House where the movie was filmed. It is open year around for tours. They also have some wonderful gift ideas for that A Christmas Story fan on your list

Every young girl has dreamed about being a ballerina. Isn’t it time you took your children to experience the excitement of the ballet. The Houston Dance Theatre has been a part of the Northwest Houston community for many years with this year being its 25th year of presenting The Nutcracker Ballet.

Only three performances are scheduled over the Thanksgiving Weekend: Saturday, November 24th at 2:30 pm & 7:00 pm and Sunday, November 25th at 2:30 pm. All performances will be at Westfield’s Gieger Performing Arts Center located at 16713 Ella Houston TX. Tickets are $18.00 and may be purchased online.

Enjoy watching the ballet and reliving your own dreams of once being a famous ballerina.

The Centrum, a 900 seat performing arts center, is located in the Cypresswood Cultural District just east of Steubner Airline on Cypresswood. The Centrum Concert Hall is a 23,000 square foot facility with excellent acoustics.

The concerts hosted at The Centrum are made possible through the direction of the Cypress Creek Foundation for the Arts and Community Enrichment (FACE), a non-profit organization. During the 2007-2008 season, FACE will be showcasing three different types of concert series: Star-Lit, Promenade, and Family.

The Star-Lit concert series features national and international performing artists including concerts by Marvin Hamlisch, Diahann Carroll, and Gordon Goodwin’s Big Band. The Promenade series features regional performing artists. This concert series is targeted to the senior citizens living in Spring TX and Northwest Houston. It is partially underwritten by sponsors providing a low cost cultural program for those living on fixed incomes. The Family concert series is appropriate for children of all ages.

In addition FACE presents FREE Children’s and FREE Community concerts at The Centrum. The Houston Symphony and the U.S. Navy Band are scheduled to perform at the FREE Community concerts.

The Centrum hosts a wide variety of concerts that your ears are sure to enjoy.

Included in the exhibit are geckos, lizards, water monitors, chuckwallas, iguanas, cobras, and emerald tree boas. The exhibit is bound to entertain the youngsters that love all the creepy crawly things that go bump in the night.

Last March, the Houston Museum of Natural Science had a Frog exhibit that my eight year old nephew visited. He just loved it! He talked about it for weeks. So if you get a chance go to the exhibit. Houston has a fabulous museum district and it is a short drive from Spring TX and other surrounding communities.

You can find more information about the Lizards & Snakes: Alive exhibit and its hours of operation at the Houston Museum of Natural Science’s web site.

The Pearl will have 4,500 square feet of exhibit space to present collections of masterwork art from the vast collections of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, plus touring exhibitions. The Pearl will be a true jewel and a magnificent addition to our community. The capital campaign to raise $2 million dollars is underway and more information on how to contribute to this very worthy effort can be located at the Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts website.

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• Discover the Centrum in Spring Texas
• Thursdays Free at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

So if you have never been or you just have not gone in a while here is a great opportunity to enjoy these wonderful museums for FREE. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston is located south of downtown Houston in the area that is known as the Museum district, just a short 45 minute drive from Spring TX. Its physical address is 1001 Bissonnet. You will find sufficient free parking around the museum.

Additional information on the museum’s rotating exhibits and hours of operation may be found at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s website.

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• Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts scheduled to open in 2008