Houston

===Arts and theater===
[[File:Hobbycenter.jpg|thumb|[[Hobby Center for the Performing Arts]]]]
[[File:MFA houston.jpg|thumb|[[Museum of Fine Arts, Houston]]]]
The [[Houston Theater District]], in Downtown, is home to nine major performing arts organizations and six performance halls. It is the second-largest concentration of theater seats in a Downtown area in the United States.<ref>Ramsey, Cody. "[http://www.texasmonthly.com/content/texas-tidbits-19 In a state of big, Houston is at the top] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140628150540/http://www.texasmonthly.com/content/texas-tidbits-19 |date=June 28, 2014 }}", ''Texas Monthly'', September 2002. Retrieved February 16, 2014.</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Houston Arts and Museums |publisher=City of Houston eGovernment Center |url=http://www.houstontx.gov/abouthouston/artsandmuseums.html |access-date=February 7, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515172725/http://www.houstontx.gov/abouthouston/artsandmuseums.html |archive-date=May 15, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20061209083929/http://www.houstontheaterdistrict.org/en/cms/?68 About Houston Theater District]", ''Houston Theater District''. Retrieved on December 16, 2006. Archived at the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.</ref>

Houston is one of the few United States cities with permanent, professional, resident companies in all major performing arts disciplines: opera ([[Houston Grand Opera]]), ballet ([[Houston Ballet]]), music ([[Houston Symphony|Houston Symphony Orchestra]]), and theater ([[The Alley Theatre]], [[Theatre Under The Stars (Houston)|Theatre Under the Stars]]).<ref name="ikvngd" /><ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20061212043351/http://www.houstontheaterdistrict.org/en/cms/?12 Performing Arts Venues]", ''Houston Theater District''. Retrieved on December 16, 2006. Archived at the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.</ref> Houston is also home to [[folk art]]ists, [[art groups]] and various small progressive arts organizations.<ref>"[http://www.artcarmuseum.com/History/history.htm A Brief History of the Art Car Museum] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928161618/http://www.artcarmuseum.com/History/history.htm |date=September 28, 2007 }}", ''ArtCar Museum of Houston''. Retrieved on December 16, 2006.</ref>

Houston attracts many touring Broadway acts, concerts, shows, and exhibitions for a variety of interests.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20061230024248/http://www.quilts.com/home/news/index.php 2006 fall edition of International Quilt Festival attracts 53,546 to Houston]. ''Quilts., Inc.'' Press release published November 30, 2006. Retrieved on January 12, 2007.</ref> Facilities in the Theater District include the [[Jones Hall]]—home of the [[Houston Symphony Orchestra]] and Society for the Performing Arts—and the [[Hobby Center for the Performing Arts]].

The [[Houston Museum District|Museum District]]'s cultural institutions and exhibits attract more than 7 million visitors a year.<ref>[http://www.visithoustontexas.com/visitors/listing.details.php?id=23096 Houston Museum District] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070211044458/http://www.visithoustontexas.com/visitors/listing.details.php?id=23096 |date=February 11, 2007 }}. Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau. Retrieved on February 18, 2007.</ref><ref>{{cite news |access-date=May 22, 2007 |url=http://www.austin360.com/arts/content/arts/stories/2006/04/1austin.html |title=Central Austin has the makings of a museum district |publisher=Austin360.com |first=Jeanne Claire |last=van Ryzin |date=April 1, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070502011750/http://www.austin360.com/arts/content/arts/stories/2006/04/1austin.html |archive-date=May 2, 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref> Notable facilities include [[The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston|The Museum of Fine Arts]], the [[Houston Museum of Natural Science]], the [[Contemporary Arts Museum Houston]], the [[Station Museum of Contemporary Art]], the [[Holocaust Museum Houston]], the [[Children's Museum of Houston]], and the [[Houston Zoo]].<ref>[http://www.texasmonthly.com/promotions/cadillac/breakthroughs2/museums/ Houston Museum District Day] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061129050103/http://www.texasmonthly.com/promotions/cadillac/breakthroughs2/museums/ |date=November 29, 2006 }}. Texas Monthly. 2006. Retrieved on January 10, 2007.</ref><ref>[http://www.camh.org/ Home Page] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070112080338/http://www.camh.org/ |date=January 12, 2007 }}. Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. Retrieved on January 10, 2007.</ref><ref>
[http://www.visithoustontexas.com/visitors/parks_and_outdoors/listing.details.php?id=23096 Houston Museum District] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070211044810/http://www.visithoustontexas.com/visitors/parks_and_outdoors/listing.details.php?id=23096 |date=February 11, 2007 }}. Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau. Retrieved on January 10, 2007.</ref>

Located near the Museum District are [[Menil Collection|The Menil Collection]], [[Rothko Chapel]], the Moody Center for the Arts and the [[Byzantine Fresco Chapel Museum]].

[[Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens|Bayou Bend]] is a {{convert|14|acre|adj=on}} facility of the Museum of Fine Arts that houses one of America's most prominent collections of decorative art, paintings, and furniture. Bayou Bend is the former home of Houston philanthropist [[Ima Hogg]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Bayou Bend Collections and Gardens, Houston, Texas |access-date=March 23, 2008 |url=http://www.museumsusa.org/museums/info/1167540 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080424055638/http://www.museumsusa.org/museums/info/1167540 |archive-date=April 24, 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The National Museum of Funeral History is in Houston near the [[George Bush Intercontinental Airport]]. The museum houses the original [[Popemobile]] used by [[Pope John Paul II]] in the 1980s along with numerous hearses, embalming displays, and information on famous funerals.

Venues across Houston regularly host local and touring rock, blues, country, dubstep, and Tejano musical acts. While Houston has never been widely known for its music scene,<ref>{{cite news |last=Lomax |first=John Nova |title=Nobody Gets Out of Here Alive – The Houston Rock Scene and the Cultural Cringe |work=The Houston Press |date=February 1, 2007}}</ref> [[Houston hip hop]] has become a significant, independent music scene that is influential nationwide. Houston is the birthplace of the chopped and screwed remixing-technique in hip-hop which was pioneered by [[DJ Screw]] from the city. Some other notable hip-hop artists from the area include [[Destiny's Child]], [[Don Toliver]], [[Slim Thug]], [[Paul Wall]], [[Mike Jones (rapper)|Mike Jones]], [[Bun B]], [[Geto Boys]], [[Trae tha Truth]], [[Kirko Bangz]], [[Z-Ro]], [[South Park Mexican]], [[Travis Scott]] and [[Megan Thee Stallion]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Frere-Jones |first=Sasha |title=A Place in the Sun – Houston Hip-Hop Takes Over |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |date=November 14, 2005 |url=http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/11/14/051114crmu_music |access-date=February 6, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070816085538/http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/11/14/051114crmu_music |archive-date=August 16, 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref>