“A Jewel Encrusted Pathology” is just as much about the space as the art. Megan Whitenton and co-exhibitor Alicia Seale turned ArtStorm’s gallery into a mock apartment with couches, chairs, end tables and housewares. “[We’re] trying to encourage people to hang out among all the artwork,” says Whitenton. The purpose, she adds, is to show ArtStorm’s predominantly young audience how art can be incorporated into their homes.

For her off-the-canvas collages, Whitenton tapes together cut-outs from magazines and embellishes them with duct tape and/or colored markers. “They’re meant to be picked up and played with,” she says. In Seale’s wall-hung portraits, meticulously dizzying patterns of lines and shapes back realistic portraits of creepy characters. “They look like the person you’d see on the bus that you’d kind of wonder about — that kind of looks like a scary child molester,” says Whitenton. The women are also making artwork easier to live with by pricing each piece to sell — and everything is negotiable. Opening reception 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, February 13, with a performance by Lenny Zieben. Noon to 7 p.m. Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. Through March 14. 4828 Caroline. For information, visit www.artstormhouston.com. Free.


Saturdays, Sundays, 12-7 p.m.; Saturdays, Sundays, 12-5 p.m. Starts: Feb. 14. Continues through March 15, 2009

This article appears in Feb 12-18, 2009.