SPECIAL EVENTS

The Houston Arts Alliance Folklife and Traditional Arts Sacred Songs, Sacred Sites Program presents OnSite/InSight, Saturday and Sunday, February 26 and 27.

Houston is a remarkably diverse city -- and in no domain of city life is that diversity more apparent than in its faith communities. Both the long-lived communities of Houston, as well as more recent immigrants to the city, have sought membership in churches, mosques, temples and the like, that represent their religious traditions but also aspects of their cultural, national or ethnic identity. It is common for places of worship in Houston to couple religious education with cultural and language education. In this light, it is not surprising that all of these communities have fostered rich traditions of music, song and dance, storytelling and celebration, architecture and adornment, object and altar making, and foodways.

Sacred Songs, Sacred Sites, a project of the Houston Arts Alliance’s Folklife and Traditional Arts Program, has undertaken to work with a wide range of these faith communities to identify distinctive traditions and find effective ways to share them with the public.

OnSite/InSight is a series of visits to four Houston area faith communities. These visits present a special opportunity to experience and enjoy the visual, song, story, food and architectural traditions of these communities at their place of worship. Each will present an informal program exploring their unique cultural and artistic traditions. The participating institutions represent many aspects of this city's remarkably rich cultural heritage.

This program is free and open to the public, but you must register in advance. You may attend as many presentations as you like.

OnSite/InSight Schedule

+ Saturday, February 26, 10:30am - 12:30pm
Chinmaya Prabha Mission, 10353 Synott Rd, Sugar Land

+ Saturday, February 26, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Vietnam Buddhist Center, 10002 Synott Rd, Sugar Land

+ Sunday, February 27, 10:30am - 12:30pm
Ismaili Jamatkhana and Center, 1700 First Colony Blvd, Sugar Land

+ Sunday, February 27, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Congregation Brith Shalom, 4610 Bellaire Blvd, Bellaire

Please visit www.bit.ly/houstonfolklife  to register.

For more information on past and upcoming Sacred Songs, Sacred Sites programs, please visit Houston Arts Alliance at www.HoustonArtsAlliance.com/folklife . And, visit our blog at www.houstonfolklife.com.

Participating Institutions

Chinmaya Prabha Mission - Saturday, February 26, 10:30am - 12:30pm (map)
The Chinmaya Mission in Southwest Houston is part of a worldwide network established by Swami Chinmayananda to teach Hindu scriptures and worship practices. Chinmaya Prabha was founded in 1987 for studies of Hindu scriptures. In 2007 a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva was added. The spacious campus is divided by a courtyard with a garden and manicured grass lawn. The courtyard is anchored on each end by the temple and the community building. Each of these structures is decorated at their entryways with brightly-colored, hand-painted rangoli – traditional geometric designs that express devotion and herald special occasions.

The Shiva temple is an outstanding, elevated octagonal structure, entirely enclosed in glass, and topped with a sleek black dome known as a lingam. It is here where pujas, or worship ceremonies, are conducted.

Across the courtyard, the Mission’s community facility hosts Sunday activities including classes and sermons, music and cultural programs, religious and language curricula. Kids gather in classrooms, while adults sit and listen to discourses that explain different facets of Hindu scriptures. Bhajans are sung in praise of the Lord to the steady and meditative beat of the tabla and the chime of the manjiras. By the afternoon, all come together to visit and share an aromatic, vegetarian Indian lunch.

Vietnam Buddhist Center - Saturday, February 26, 2:00pm - 4:00pm (map)
A gigantic 72-foot statue of Quan Am overlooks Synott Road letting devotees know they have arrived at the Vietnam Buddhist Center. The Center came about when a group of Vietnamese students, inspired by the teachings of the Venerable Thich Nguyen Hanh, invited him to visit Houston in 1989. In response to their request, he and his followers established the Center as a place for Buddhist teaching and to foster understanding of Vietnamese culture.

The Center grounds are full of structures and statues that include a community hall, monks’ quarters and educational buildings. The centerpiece is the Dharma Hall, a site for weekly talks and regular chanting by resident monks. The altar, dedicated to the Buddha, is adorned with generous offerings of fresh fruit and flowers. At the back of the hall, is a space dedicated to commemorating the recently deceased.

The Center is especially well known for hosting an annual festival dedicated to the Bodhisattva Quan Am, who is venerated for her compassion and loving kindness. The festival attracts as many as 10,000 people every year over the course of a weekend in March.

Ismaili Jamatkhana and Center - Sunday, February 27, 10:30am - 12:30pm (map)
The Ismaili Jamatkhana and Center in Sugar Land, Texas was opened in 2002, in the presence of His Highness the Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. Within a contemporary context, and in harmony with its immediate environment, the architectural vision for the Center makes a statement about Islamic architecture and expresses Islamic values, ethics and attitudes in a built form.

The word Jamatkhana, meaning house or place of gathering, has its roots in both Arabic and Persian languages. Around the world, Ismaili Centers are symbolic markers of the permanent presence of the Ismaili community and represent the confluence between the spiritual and the secular in Islam. Architecturally unique, each building incorporates spaces for social and cultural gatherings, intellectual engagement and reflection, and for contemplation of and the search for spiritual enlightenment.

In addition to a prayer hall where members of the Ismaili community gather for daily prayers, the Center also hosts events such as educational lectures, information seminars, special tours and interfaith dialogue.

Congregation Brith Shalom - Sunday, February 27, 2:00pm - 4:00pm (map)
Set back from the street, and housed in a mid-century modern structure, Congregation Brith Shalom blends readily into its Bellaire neighborhood. Its quiet and groomed exterior contrasts with the immense commitment and warmth that emanates from its membership.

Since 1959, this egalitarian Conservative synagogue has fostered an intimate spiritual community with strong ethical underpinnings and a commitment to personal growth and Jewish education. Children are encouraged to participate in all facets of synagogue life. Adult congregants actively participate in many ways – most notably, by building many aspects of the sanctuary, creating the ark and bimah covers, crafting beautiful stained glass windows and constructing a traditional chuppah.

Torah chanting and music inform all activities at Congregation Brith Shalom. Cantorial singing and congregational participation pervade the Shabbat ceremonies and create an intense sense of community among worshippers. Shabbat services on Saturday morning carry over into opportunities to socialize, break bread, sing and celebrate.

Sacred Songs, Sacred Sites is organized and presented by the Folklife & Traditional Arts Program of the Houston Arts Alliance, and is funded in part by Houston Endowment Inc., National Endowment for the Arts, Interfaith Ministries, His Highness The Aga Khan Council for the USA, and Sara and Bill Morgan.

Pictured above:

Top image, Left to right: Sculpture by Amin Gulgee in the gardens of the Ismaili Jamatkhana and Center (Debra Ham); Lingam on top of the temple dedicated to Shiva at Chinmaya Mission (Debra Ham); Star of David from a Torah crown in the light of the stained glass windows of Brith Shalom Congregation (Debra Ham); The 72-foot statue of Quan Am on the grounds of the Vietnam Buddhist Center (Tracey Rubio).

Bottom image, Clockwise from top left: Dancer at the Houston Ratha Yatra Festival (Ananta Patel), Detail of painting by Dr. Ezzat Abouleish (Regina Vigil), Food being served during a celebration at Teen How Taoist Temple (Debra Ham), Iconographer Diamantis Cassis working on a commission (Debra Ham), Rangoli being created for Diwali at Meenakshi Temple (Tracey Rubio), Lulav and Etrog used in Sukkot blessing (Tracey Rubio), Prayer beads held by a monk at Vietnam Buddhist Center (Debra Ham).

All photos 2010.