Chron.com culture writer here with some cool s**t to do this week

y'all liked my comment last week on stuff i think is fun and cool and worth doing/seeing in houston, so i'm back with another one.

to recap, i'm brittanie shey, culture reporter with Chron.com. you can see my previous comment here, one of those events, zimsculpt, is still ongoing

– yes, it's art car weekend. tonight is the art car ball. tomorrow is the parade. you can see a full list of events on the orange show website

– even if you aren't into art car, i encourage you to stop by the orange show sometime between now and november. artist david best has built a large wooden temple on the grounds to honor the lives of other artists and loved ones who have died. people are welcome to bring mementoes, write the names of loved ones on or in the temple, enjoy a moment of silence and contemplation, or whatever else is needed to bring peace and understanding. on nov. 9, the temple will be burned in a public ceremony.

– through the end of the months, 18 independent houston bookstores are hosting a book crawl, complete with sales, merch, special events, a "passport" for visits and the chance to enter a raffle for every bookstore you visit, some of the shops are off the beaten bath, including a few in the woodlands, humble, spring, west houston. several of the stores are also owned by vets, women, and POC. one twitter user ever created a bikeable map of the bookstores in the loop

– if you haven't been to the mfah in a while there are two really incredible exhibitions there right now. the first is kehinde wiley, the obama portraitist. this show focuses on works he made during the pandemic, revolving around themes of both rest and death. it is one of the best art shows i have seen in a long-ass time, and it runs through may 27. the other is a collection of Black artists working in the medium of collage (including some artists from houston or with close ties to the city). forget whatever you think you know about collage, this show will open your eyes to the myriad different forms. it runs through may 12.

– the mfah is also celebrating its 100th birthday April 21 with a festival on the plaza and in the gardens. the event is free but you'll need to sign up for a ticket if you want to go inside.