For anyone looking for a good time on the cheap, and especially those of you who've drained your bank accounts on back-to-school supplies, we've got you covered. From an opera open house to a bluesy grape stomp, a superheroine-themed art show to a solar eclipse-themed party in the park, none of these events will leave you with empty pockets. Keep reading for ten of our favorite events that won't cost you more than $10 — and seven of them are free! Check out the Houston Press calendar for even more things to do.
Look beyond a common Texas myth with Andrew Torget at The Heritage Society.
Author photo courtesy of Andrew Torget
The Heritage Society
Noon Thursday, $5
Andrew J. Torget, an assistant history professor at the University of North Texas, pulls back the surface of the widely shared pioneers-looking-for-freedom myth that dominates stories of Texas’s early settlers along the Brazos in Seeds of Empire: Cotton, Slavery, and the Transformation of the Texas Borderlands, 1800-1850, to explore the money crop they came to cultivate: cotton – often picked by slaves. Texas Monthly’s Michael Ennis called Torget’s book, which its author will lecture on Thursday at The Heritage Society, “the most nuanced and authoritative rewriting of Texas’s origin myth to date” and Doug J. Swanson said it is both academic and accessible – an all too rare combination.
Film and Psychoanalysis: Lion
The Jung Center
7 p.m. Thursday, free
Saroo Brierley’s story is an amazing one. At the age of five, he got lost, separated from his mother in India, was found almost a thousand miles away, taken to a government center for abandoned children and eventually adopted by an Australian couple who took him to Tasmania. Brierley found his way home over 20 years later with a little help from Google Earth, and it’s this story that’s dramatized in 2016’s Lion. Screening as part of The Jung Center’s Film and Psychoanalysis series, Zürich-trained Jungian analyst Jennifer Embry will be on hand to discuss the film’s portrayal of loss, profound searching and what it means to be found.
Mysterious, by Leila McConnell, is on display as part of “Celebrating Houston’s Founding Modernists: Featuring David Adickes, Henri Gadbois & Leila McConnell” at William Reaves | Sarah Foltz Fine Art.
Photo courtesy of the artist and William Reaves | Sarah Foltz Fine Art
William Reaves | Sarah Foltz Fine Art
10 a.m. Friday, free
Stop by William Reaves | Sarah Foltz Fine Art on Friday for their 12th season opener: three solo exhibitions from Houston artists David Adickes, Henri Gadbois and Leila McConnell, plus an assortment of works from their contemporaries. “In the Beginning” shines a spotlight on Adickes’s early work; Gadbois’s “Texas Woodlands” features his works on Texas’s woodland landscapes; and McConnell’s “The Search” is comprised of her “sky paintings” and collages. And note: After checking out the exhibits, you’ll probably want to make plans to come back Saturday for the opening reception and artist panel, moderated by Bill Reaves and featuring all three artists.
Take Two: Captain America: Civil War
Houston Museum of Natural Science
7:15 p.m. Friday, $5
DC may have grabbed the box office and a lot of headlines this summer, but Marvel is still winning the superhero arms race and films like Captain America: Civil War show why. The hero versus hero team-up movie sees Cap and Iron Man falling on two very opposing sides, with directors Anthony and Joe Russo successfully incorporating some heavy themes, balancing a lot of storylines and even introducing new characters. With Avengers: Infinity War less than a year away and Marvel set to release about three movies a year for the foreseeable future, rest assured the superhero bubble has not yet burst.
Every 20 minutes a live performance will take place at the Opera in the Heights Open House.
Photo by Deji Osinulu
Lambert Hall
9 a.m. Saturday, free
In the spirit of their 22nd season theme, “Emerge and Discover,” take a peek behind the curtain at Opera in the Heights’ first open house, an opportunity for anyone with an interest in opera to come out to Lambert Hall to learn more about it while partaking in some delicious breakfast bites or popcorn, face-painting, photo ops and giveaways (like tacos from Taco Deli). Of course, there will also be opera – live performances taking place every 20 minutes and chances to meet the Opera in the Heights singers. And, since you’re interested in budget-friendly activities, be sure to inquire about subscription and ticket discounts while you’re there.
