(photo source: www.gibsooon.com)

Looking for something fun to do this beautiful weekend? With sunny skies and temperatures in the 80s, get outside with family and friends!

All Weekend

• Cheer for the Houston Astros as they play against the Cleveland Indians at Minute Maid Park – Tickets start at $15
• Sip fine wines, eat at an elegant dinner, and run a champagne 5k at the 10th annual Galveston Island Wine Festival at Saengerfest Park – Tickets start at $72, varying by package and event
• Take advantage of discounted admission at the Houston Museum of Natural Science when you purchase a special voucher – Tickets are $25 for ages 12 and up; $16 for ages 3 to 11; $16 for ages $62 and up
• Enjoy an evening of breathtaking entertainment accompanied by incredible music during a performance by Cirque de la Symphonie at Jones Hall. You’ll spot world-class acrobats, aerial flyers, contortionists, strongmen, jugglers, and tumblers throughout the show – Tickets start at $56
• Cheer on young athletes are they run, swim, and bike their way across the finish line at the Houston Texans annual Kids Triathlon at NRG Stadium – Registration is $65 and the race starts at 7:15am both Saturday and Sunday

Thursday, April 25

• Stroll through fascinating animal exhibits while sipping beers from more than 20 local breweries at the Houston Zoo’s second edition of Brew at the Zoo. Enjoy live music, tasty bites, and more in an effort to save local species – Tickets start at $45
• Sugar Land Skeeters vs. Southern Maryland Blue Crabs at Constellation Field – Watch the Sugar Land Skeeters step up to the plate and take on the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in a baseball game at Constellation Field – Tickets start at $8 for lawn seating. 7:05pm.
• Snoop Dogg in Concert at Smart Financial Centre – Drop it likes it’s hot at a live show by Snoop Dogg as he celebrates “25 Years of Doggystyle” with support from Warren G, G Funk, and Tha Dogg Pound at Smart Financial Centre – Tickets start at $39.50

Friday, April 26

• Chvrches in Concert at White Oak Music Hall – Jam out to the ethereal pop music of Chvrches with a live show by the Scottish band at White Oak Music Hall. Tickets are $34
• Family Movie Night: Wonder Woman at Levy Park | FREE – Bring the family to a free screening of the action-packed blockbuster from 2017, Wonder Woman, at Levy Park. 7:30pm to 9:30pm.
• Leon Bridges in Concert at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion – Expect to hear hits from his debut album, Coming Home, as well as his latest release, Good Thing. Jess Glynne opens the show. Tickets start at $29.50

Saturday, April 27

• Autism Speaks 8K and 1K Kid’s Fun Run at Sugar Land Town Square – Lace up your sneakers and get ready to run (or walk) an 8K course through Sugar Land Town Square in support of Autism Speaks, which aims to raise awareness of the fastest-growing developmental disability in the country. Bring the kids to participate in the 1K Fun Run. Registration costs $30 for the 8K; $10 for the 1K Kids Fun Run. 7am to 11am.
• Grand Opening Celebration at True Anomaly Brewing in EaDo | No Cover – Although Houston’s newest brewery opened its doors a few weeks ago, this official opening party coincides with the brewers’ first release. There will be music, a Secret Group Comedy Showcase, and more. Noon to 11pm.
• Energy Corridor International Festival at Plazas at the Parkway | FREE – Head to Energy Corridor for a variety of live music, entertainment, and dance during the International Festival at Plazas at the Parkway. While you’re there, you can shop cultural foods, fare, and other goods, and enter to win giveaways and prizes. 2pm to 6pm.
• Hillsong United in Concert at Toyota Center – Join the members of Hillsong United for an evening of worship and musical celebration at Toyota Center. Since its formation in 1998, the Christian band has cranked out 17 albums that have received praise from critics and audiences alike. Tickets start at $175
• Houston Dynamo vs. Columbus Crew SC at BBVA Compass Stadium – Cheer on the Dynamo as they play Columbus in a home game at BBVA Compass Stadium. Tickets start at $24
• Erykah Badu in Concert at Arena Theater – Catch a live show from the Queen of neo-soul, Erykah Badu, when the Grammy winner takes the stage at Arena Theater. Tickets start at $99

Sunday, April 28

• 7th Annual West Houston Food Truck Festival – Some of the city’s most popular food trucks come together for the seventh annual West Houston Food Truck Festival, held at on the Temple Sinai campus. Participating eateries include The Waffle Bus, Coreano’s, The Burger Joint, Wokker Texas Ranger and more. While you eat, you can enjoy music by Mixdoctors Mobile DJs, bounce houses, and a variety of children’s activities. Tickets are $8 at the gate, not including food and beverage purchases. Noon to 4pm.
• Texas Bridal & Wedding Expo at George R. Brown Convention Center – Dream up your perfect wedding at the Texas Bridal & Wedding Expo, which will showcase top bridal fashion, flowers, cakes, catering, DJs, venues, bands, honeymoon destinations and more, at George R. Brown Convention Center. $10. Noon to 5pm
• Cajun & Crawfish with Contemporary Art Museum Fort Bend at Harvest Green | FREE – Stuff your face with juicy crawdads while you embrace the beauty of Louisianan art, music, and culture when Harvest Green hosts the Cajun & Crawfish event at the Contemporary Art Museum Fort Bend. Food and drink available for purchase. 2pm to 6pm.

Last semester, University of Houston-Downtown fine arts students were assigned the task of creating graphic novels that expressed a social message. They began the process of composing illustrated tales addressing immigration, the environment, racism, health care and other issues.

Audiences in Houston can sample these and other student works that are on view at Saint Arnold Restaurant (2000 Lyons Ave.) through May. Graphic novel pages and artwork were created under the guidance of Fine Arts lecturer Beth Secor in the class “Creating a Graphic Novel.”

Among the students in the class was Eliseo Villanueva, who started the graphic novel, “La Lucha,” as his class project.

“La Lucha” (translated from Spanish – “The Fight” or “The Struggle”) tells the story of Miguel Gutierrez, a son of immigrants and a Mixed Martial Arts fighter. Through flashbacks, the reader learns about his family’s struggle to come to the United States and his challenges as a child.

Villanueva began writing and illustrating the “La Lucha” in class last semester. He continues to fine tune it under the tutelage of another UHD Fine Arts lecturer El Franco Lee. At Saint Arnold, Houstonians can view the cover of “La Lucha” depicting the title character’s torso wearing a Rosary with fists clenched.

Another work on view is “Die with a Lie” by student Cruz Villafuerte Cardoso. The cover of this graphic novel (reflecting identity schisms within the story’s main character in a Zen garden design) and a one-page scene are on display at Saint Arnold. According to the artist, the cover took more than 16 hours to complete and he is enthusiastic about sharing it with Houstonians.

“As an artist, I want my work to fall into the hands of people, who are willing to support it,” Cardoso said. “Support of an artist’s work isn’t limited by royalties. By sharing artwork in social media, an artist can increase the likelihood of their images being seen.”

His classmate Chelsea Markcray contributed the image “Breathe” to the exhibition at Saint Arnold. Although she created a graphic novel last semester, her contribution to this collection of student works is a drawing inspired by rapper Freckles the Writer. After discovering a photo of the artist on Instagram, Markcray saw an opportunity to experiment with the technique of pointillism (applying small, distinct dots of color in a pattern to form an image).

“Since creating this image, I’ve been motivated to use pointillism in most of my works to set myself apart from other artists,” she said. “Creating this piece was tedious but eye opening because I found my niche by exploring this technique.”

And like Cardoso, Markcray is deeply appreciative of the opportunity to present her work publicly.

“Having my work shown publicly has always been gratifying to me,” she said. “Seeing people react to my piece brings me joy and astonishment because it’s so unpredictable in how they interpret my art.”

Such opportunities would not be possible without the mentorship of UHD’s fine arts faculty, Villanueva said. Their guidance has been invaluable to him and other students as they hone their talents and discover new ways of creating and communicating through art.

“Although I grew up reading comics like ‘Spider-Man’ and ‘Superman,’ creating graphic novels was new to me,” Villanueva said. “UHD helped me explore how to do that. I learned how comics are made, so I see them in a different light now. I understand how the images and words flow through a story, and how to frame a scene. I don’t know if I would have learned to do this at another art school, so I am blessed for this experience at UHD.”

In addition to Villanueva, Cardoso and Markcray, the following students have art on display at Saint Arnold Restaurant: Amanda Howard (graduated fall 2018), Matthew Simmons and William Boren.