A Picture Tour of Pop Shop Houston Festival

Okay, so this thing is getting crazy. Turns out, a team of 10 can barely handle 8,000 in attendance. It was fun. It was unexpected. The weather forecast was dreary at best and people came anyway. A lot of things are going to have to change to meet this new demand.

We’ll be revamping the bar and VIP, expanding and taking over the event space as well as the galleries of Silver Street Studios in November. We’ll host more hands on activities and art to look at. We’ll be including film screenings, more live performances and broadening our sense of what an art festival should be. You can RSVP to our next Festival here or join us at the afterparty and shop for him at Mister Man this Friday June 19th 5-10pm.

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Here’s the entrance to Pop Shop Houston Festival and the event center at Silver Street Studios. Check out Michael C. Rodriguez and Nicky Davis painting on the right.

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Here’s a close up of the live painting by Michael C. Rodriguez. Michael has made most of our festival posters since day 1 and we’ve had been collaborators for years before that. He’s one of the most talented guys I know. And seeing the back of his head is pretty normal because he’s not the kind of guy that needs to be in the spotlight.

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A lot of people asked who made the giant origami crane sculpture in the center of the festival and the 1000 rainbow cranes that hung near the back gallery hallway. It was this guy – Josh Davis. And yes he can fold cranes and bunnies and other things this small! Not only can he make tiny things but he’s also created new folding techniques – he’s actually invented new origami shapes. He does all of this while helping people that are having emergencies. Josh works for 311 Austin.

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The crowds – I know I’ve mentioned it but I haven’t exactly shown it. It was absolute chaos! We had over 5,000 in attendance on Saturday and our usual 2,500 on Sunday. It was such a blast seeing so many smiling faces and people having a fun weekend. Here are some ladies ready to get their DIY on in the workshop area at Pop Shop Houston. We collaborated with our pals TX/RX Labs to run free and paid craft and DIY workshops all weekend.

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The one thing that was a bummer about the crowds is feeling like we could barely check in with the vendors. No one had time to bring them snacks, make sure their wifi was working, see if they needed breaks. Those are the things that make Pop Shop a great place for makers and artists to exhibit their wares. *Sigh* But at least the vendors weren’t bored!

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One of my favorite activities was the DIY Silkscreening with Eric Pearce and Mike Stovall. They are so talented and nice too! It was so fun to have them there. They ran out of materials both days which means they screenprinted over 300 objects with kids, seniors, and people of all ages.

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My favorite booth display was Iza Pearl, a first time Pop Shop participant. Melissa designs fabric based on her paintings and makes that custom fabric into pajamas and sleepwear.  I love seeing the process at her booth. She displays some of the original paintings and can show you the fabrics they have been made in their image. There are lots of bright colors, dreamcatchers, and stuffed animals around to make the whole area feel whimsical and fun.

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If you attend a Pop Shop event, getting a poem from Traci Lavois is a must. She brings people to tears all day long. I really don’t know how she does it. Every poem is so rich with meaning, personalized, and full of thought. You can read more about her here.

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Mayor Pro-Tem Ed Gonzalez attended Pop Shop on Sunday and brought his colleague Adrian Garcia who is running for Mayor. Ed Gonzalez gave a quick talk about deeming District H “District Make”. It’s in his district that Pop Shop, TX/RX Labs, and Houston Makerspace all find their home. Adrian Garcia has a personal connection to handmade and both of them were impressed with shop local and maker revolution in Houston. It was a blast to introduce them to new artists and these friendly, caring guys made new colleagues and friends quickly.11038076_1102824139734842_7556856892939369806_n

Hayden Jones & the Roosevelt House Band, Space Villains*, and HOA2 (Hearts of Animals) were all amazing to see perform live. We’ve been gearing up to add more bands at Pop Shop and now that we have our feet underneath us, be prepared for live music all day at Pop Shop Holiday Festival in November.

These photos are by Marisa Brodie and Jerry Peruchini. Want to see the rest of the Pop Shop Houston Festival photos? You can see them all Here on Flickr    or

Here on Facebook.

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We want to especially thank: Michael C. Rodriguez, Nicky Davis, and Tarbox for the live art. Hearts of Animals, Space Villains*, and Hayden Jones for performing live with Dj NoFun, Ceeplus Bad Knives, Dan Castillo, FREDster, and Angielist. Thank you Eric Pearce, Mike Stovall, The Houston Writers Guild, and TX/RX Labs Hackerspace for the hands on activities. Thank you Mija Vera, Flora Eginton, Nirvana Trey, Gabe Dominguez, Ryan Chavez, and Angela Nobles for being a part of the Pop Shop Team. Thank you Oh My Pocket Pies, Dry Creek, Juice Girl, Slow Dough, Topo Chico, Royal Oak, Love Bites by Tanuja, Blackbird Foods, Honeychild Sweet Creams, Hugs & Donuts, Bravado Spice, Sconetastic for the delicious bites.

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