Artist SPEAKeasy with Jade Simmons & Michael Kahlil Taylor October 20, 2010

Every third Wednesday of the month at the Artist SPEAKeasy, Spacetaker hosts artists from varying disciplines (visual, performing, literary, etc.) to present, in an informal atmosphere, creative dialogs/talks/presentations about their work followed by a question and answer session where the audience can glean further insight into the artist, the artist's aesthetic and creative process. The evening is designed not only to bring together artists and those who appreciate the arts, but also to introduce local artists to each other to encourage conversation and cross-disciplinary collaboration between artists and their chosen media.


Drinks and nosh are served at 6:30; formal talks are underway at 7:00. Guests are invited to come and go as necessary.

October's Artist SPEAKeasy features Jade Simmons, concert pianist and executive director of Impulse Artist Series, and visual artist and curator Michael Kahlil Taylor involved in the Life is Living: Houston festival.



About Jade Simmons & Impulse Artist Series:
Jade Simmons, an innovative concert pianist recognized as a rising star in her field, is the creator of The Impulse Artist Series. An advocate for passionate performances, she has created a space for creative deserving artists who know how to respond to those wonderful, but slightly risky instincts: temperament and impulse.

Impulse provides performance opportunities and career building assistance to emerging concert artists who have come to the end of their academic endeavors and are in the midst of embarking on their professional careers. Impulse presents the freshest talent on the scene to eager audiences thankful for exciting, intimate and unforgettable concert experiences.

Jade will talk about the upcoming Impulse Alter Ego Festival and the story behind its creation.

About Michael K. Taylor:
Michael Kahlil Taylor is a multimedia visual artist and performer based in Houston, Tx and born outside New Orleans, La. From video and object installations at Project Row Houses to wall relief sculptures at the MFAH and CAMH, Taylor’s artwork and exhibitions have been a dynamically experimentation since branching off from the photography based work the began his career as an artist. Taylor is looking for projects in assemblage, installation and sculptural based projects that focus on issues facing global communities.

Michael is an active member of the Community Artists' Collective (CAC) and is curating an exhibition called "Eco-logic" from Oct 15 - Nov 13 at the CAC in conjuction with the hip hop-based environmental justice festival called Life is Living: Houston (which is being presented by the UH Mitchell Center for the Arts on Nov 6 at Emancipation Park in Houston's Third Ward).