Since the beginning of August, I have been in an artist residency here at Cherryhurst House in Houston, TX. It has been a great few months of being able to generate musical ideas in an unfettered manner and with the inspiration of the various artists, architects, photographers, and chefs, that I have been in contact with here. I have had the opportunity to imagine music driven by, being the driving force for, or working in exact unity with all those forms, and have been able to experiment with techniques new to me to make that work out. I have been pleased that initial ideas have been through many transformations in the way that they will be presented and there may be a few more coming.

Today, I'll return to New Orleans for a long stretch to teach composition in the media arts department at NOCCA, as well as, remain involved in the many projects I miss being part of around town. I am really excited about this particular development and can only see great stuff coming out of the experience of being able to give a little back to New Orleans by teaching the younger folks.

The work towards the show here at Cherryhurst will continue, with weekend events featuring compositions and performances leading logically up to the exhibition set here for September 2017.

I have many people to thank here in Texas who are new friends and a kind supportive set of people who have helped me greatly here. Top of the list is Dallas Mcnamara who I have been in part collaborating with since the outset. The curators here, Barbara Levine, and Paige Raimey have been helpful and have in a great way challenged my reasons and directions to help with keeping an air of solidity around here.

I also am grateful to have gotten to know Heather Johnson, the outgoing artist-in-residence, Dan Fergus over at Cafe Brasil, Rachel Rogers, Kim and Lisa Glosserman, Arturo and Lorena, Jefe Abrams and a host of other great people who have made my time in Houston so far such a warm experience.

I am both very sad to leave, and very happy to go back to New Orleans.

Heather Johnson piece has been the backdrop behind my workdesk at cherryhurst.

As of a few days ago, I have started a long period of work as artist in residence here at Cherryhurst House in Houston, Texas.

I will be working on a long term collaborative project with photographer, Dallas McNamara, and, I'm sure a number of great things will be presented as a result of the work and all goes towards an exhibition for sometime toward the heart of 2017.

Principally it hinges on ideas of de-modularizing the way that the art forms, that seem the province of one sense or another, are normally put together in a collage type fashion of just going well alongside each other. In this case image, sound and object. The climate unfortunately favors object.

This angle could change, of course...check back in later.

For now, we start with a month long road trip on which I will be collecting and documenting a variety of materials for later composition and sound/silence structural work up the line. This is very exciting, of course, since it is a rare opportunity to develop things in an unfettered way which hasn't been the case since the stint at CalArts a few years ago.

Cherryhurst house really is a residence that is also a gallery and so makes for a very comfortable environment to work in.

Currently they are setting up to show the fascinating work of Heather L. Johnson,

and I am quite honored to have been asked in, along with such talented folk over here.

Cherryhurst House, Houston: phase 1 wrap up. Heading back to New Orleans

The Summer Report Part 2: Residency at Cherryhurst House, Houston

Jonathan Freilich Presents