Culture
Beasts of the Border
Loon Star: Thanks for the Little People
And their sales taxes.
Ben Sargent To see more political cartoons from Ben Sargent, visit our Loon Star State section, or find Observer political reporting here....Read More
Fort Worth Artist Jeremy Joel Tackles Addiction, Trauma and Redemption
His new exhibit “Pass the Peas” shows how the city’s small, fast-growing art ecosystem offers nontraditional artists support and community.
Jeremy Joel looks younger than his 36 years, with intense blue eyes that flicker to green in just the right setting. The Fort Worth artist’s blue jeans are sp...Read More
A Bold, Playful San Antonio Art Exhibit Celebrates Chicana Leaders
Through a series of colorful screenprints, “Estampas Chicanas” attempts to center the role of women in the movement for Mexican American civil rights.
Walk into the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio, and you’ll have to do a little searching to find the “Estampas Chicanas” exhibit. Pass the flashy main attr...Read More
Uncaged Art
Finding life and light in art from detention.
Uncaged Art Finding life and light in art from detention. – by David Dorado Romo April 22, 2019 When I first saw the art of the children of the Tornillo d...Read More
Invasive Species Have Reshaped Texas. Now What?
From parakeets to fire ants, nilgai to tamarisk trees, invasives have integrated into the state's ecosystems — and managing them means asking hard questions.
In March, I drove down to the Sabal Palm Sanctuary on the southernmost border of Texas, where Brazilian bougainvillea shimmers over the seasonal marshes. I was ...Read More
‘Hurdle’ Is a Gritty Tale of Hope and Survival
The new documentary intimately captures the pressure, pain and aspirations of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation.
On May 2, 2017, crowds of Israelis flow through East Jerusalem’s Muslim Quarter, clad in blue and white to celebrate the country’s 69th independence day. Th...Read More
Ghosts of the Baker Hotel
What does it take to revive a struggling small town?
by Jason Heid April 15, 2019 “Those of you that don’t believe, I’m glad you’re on this tour,” Angela Morgan tells a crowd of about 150 ghost-seekers o...Read More
At Home in the World
Houston artist Prince Varughese Thomas blurs boundaries of politics, medium and identity.
At Home in the World Houston artist Prince Varughese Thomas blurs boundaries of politics, medium and identity. – by Michael Agresta April 8, 2019 As a you...Read More
A New Crime Novel Asks Tough Questions About Revenge and Redemption
Texas Innocence Network founder David Dow’s first foray into fiction explores the trauma of a wrongful conviction.
Prison may be society’s most blatant example of a backfire mission — achieving the opposite of its rehabilitative intent. Very few who are incarcerated come...Read More