The Menil Collection The Menil Collection

Enjoy an afternoon of outdoor music on the Menil Collection’s east lawn. The annual Sounds To Live By listening event is organized by curator Peter Lucas and will feature music selections from Lucas, visual artist and Jazz champion Tierney Malone, musician and multidisciplinary artist Jamire Williams, and DJ and music historian Flash Gordon Parks—each spinning vinyl records from their personal collections, selected for communal, outdoor experience.

The Menil welcomes all ages to this free event on the museum’s east lawn and park across Mulberry Street.

The event takes place on the east lawn of the main museum building, located at 1533 Sul Ross Street. Please bring your own picnic blankets or lawn chairs; seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Further information regarding accessibility and parking can be found here.

As always, Menil programs are free and open to all.

In the case of inclement weather, the event will take place the following Sunday, October 20, 3-6 p.m.

Peter Lucas
Peter Lucas is a film and media curator, arts organizer, and multidisciplinary artist. He’s curator of the annual Jazz On Film program at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and has organized film screenings and series, exhibitions, and public programs in association with Aurora Picture Show, The Menil Collection, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Northwest Film Forum, Museum of Pop Culture, and the Seattle International Film Festival. His own visual art, video, and sound work has been featured at Lawndale Art Center, DiverseWorks, Art League Houston, Rice Media Center, CineMarfa, and elsewhere.

Tierney Malone
Tierney Malone is a visual artist and storyteller who uses elements of African American histories and pop culture to create mixed media works challenging cultural and political assumptions. Malone has exhibited his visual art widely and has works in major collections, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. His recent solo exhibition BLACK STEREO at the Hogan Brown Gallery celebrated the musical legacy of Houston’s Third Ward. Malone was curator of The Sankofa Project series at Lawndale Art Center; Performance Center 2020-23. He is also creator of the Jazz Church of Houston and host of “Houston Jazz Spotlight” on KPFT.

Jamire Williams
Jamire Williams is a multidisciplinary artist who functions in the medium of music performance, performance art, composition, and sculpture. His practice focuses on faith, spirituality, roots, and the evidence of things unseen. Williams has collaborated with a range of artists including Solange Knowles, Herbie Hancock, Virgil Abloh, Kara Walker, Jason Moran, Dev Hynes, Robert Glasper, Moses Sumney, Kahlil Joseph, Jamal Cyrus, and others. He recently released the limited edition audio cassette Up North, High Above The Stars commissioned by Ballroom Marfa, and is a selected artist in Project Row House’s Southern Survey Biennial II.

Flash Gordon Parks
Jason Woods, aka Flash Gordon Parks, is one of Houston’s leading DJs and an ethnomusicologist focusing on regional music histories. He has several DJ residencies and provides the soundtrack for countless cultural events in the city. He has produced music-related oral histories and documentaries, and has been a speaker at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Blaffer Art Museum, Rice University, and Art League Houston. Woods was a participating artist and speaker in the recent exhibition THIS WAY: A Houston Group Show at Contemporary Arts Museum Houston.