the obamas are coming

Famed Barack and Michelle Obama portraits head to Texas museum

Get ready, Texas: The Obamas are on the move and will be making a temporary home in 2022 at Houston's Museum of Fine Arts.

Okay, technically the real 44th U.S. president and first lady aren’t making an in-person appearance; instead the acclaimed “President Barack Obama”portrait by Kehinde Wiley and the “Michelle Obama” portrait by Amy Sherald will take up residence at the Houston museum March 25-May 30, 2022.

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery just announced a five-city tour of the famed portraits and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston will be the last stop on the tour and the only museum in Texas and the Southwest. The tour begins in the Obamas' hometown of Chicago and makes stops at the Brooklyn Museum, New York; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; and the High Art Museum in Atlanta before coming to Texas.

The first African-American artists selected for a National Portrait Gallery’s official portraits of a president or first lady commission, Wiley and Sherald’s pieces became instant sensations when first revealed in early 2018.

“We view the country as our community,” said Kim Sajet, director of the National Portrait Gallery in a statement made upon the announcement of the tour. “Since the unveiling of these two portraits of the Obamas, the Portrait Gallery has experienced a record number of visitors, not only to view these works in person, but to be part of the communal experience of a particular moment in time. This tour is an opportunity for audiences in different parts of the country to witness how portraiture can engage people in the beauty of dialogue and shared experience.”

In addition to the paintings, the tour will include an audio-visual element, Portrait Gallery-led teacher workshops, and curatorial presentations in each location. In anticipation of the tour, the Portrait Gallery is also publishing a book in partnership with Princeton University Press. The Obama Portraits will be released February 11.

"Barack Obama" by Kehinde Wiley, oil on canvas, 2018. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.

Image courtesy of Kehinde Wiley

"Barack Obama" by Kehinde Wiley, oil on canvas, 2018. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.

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Roundup Repertoire

San Antonio rodeo rounds up Jon Pardi and Pesado for 2025 lineup

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Jon Pardi is going to the rodeo.

Besides the allure of seeing a rodeo in a more traditionally western city, Austinites have a few higher profile reasons to travel an hour and a half to the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo each year. Big concerts are a draw to Texas tourists, and the 2025 lineup will bring some major country stars to the Frost Bank Center and Freeman Coliseum, according to three rounds of announcements between August 8 and November 14.

There are five performances in the newly announced, final round:

Wednesday, February 12, at 7 pm: Jon Pardi
Saturday, February 15, at noon: Southall
Saturday, February 15, at 7:30 pm: Turnpike Troubadours
Sunday, February 16, at 7:30 pm: Pesado
Tuesday, February 18, 2025, at 7 pm: Joe Nichols

That makes 21 total, with 16 performances already announced in previous rounds:

Thursday, February 6, at 7 pm: Scotty McCreery
Friday, February 7, at 7 pm: Koe Wetzel
Saturday, February 8, at noon and 7:30 pm: Keith Urban
Sunday, February 9, 2025, at noon: LeAnn Rimes
Sunday, February 9, 2025, at 7:30 pm: Bellamy Brothers
Monday, February 10, 2025, at 7 pm: Mark Chesnutt
Tuesday, February 11, 2025, at 7 pm: Eli Young Band
Thursday, February 13, at 7 pm: Muscadine Bloodline
Friday, February 14, at 7 pm: Tyler Hubbard
Sunday, February 16, at noon: Zach Top
Monday, February 17, at 7 pm: Diamond Rio
February 19, 2025, at 7 pm: Whiskey Myers
Thursday, February 20, at 7 pm: Sammy Hagar
February 21, 2025, at 7 pm: Nelly
Saturday, February 22, at noon: Nate Smith
Saturday, February 22, at 7:30 pm: Dwight Yoakam

Be sure to check the schedule before going, since some acts are performing at different events.

Announcing the lineup in rounds is customary for the rodeo, which in 2024 featured country and rock acts such as Wynonna Judd, Brad Paisley, The Oak Ridge Boys, Cheap Trick, Styx, and Brooks & Dunn. In addition to the bigger names were local stars like Austin's Charley Crockett (born in San Benito and raised in Dallas-Fort Worth). Surprisingly, Midland, from Dripping Springs, does not appear on the 2025 lineup. They have played the rodeo every year since at least 2020.

The San Antonio rodeo is a very popular annual occasion, which in 2025 includes 22 events and will likely draw more than 1.5 million visitors. That's been bringing in tourist money since 1949, and a portion of funds raised also go back to young people across Texas in the form of education, vocational training, and agricultural projects.

"We are immensely thankful to the community, sponsors, partners, and our over 6,000 volunteers for their unwavering support in advancing our mission to educate the youth of Texas," said executive director and CEO Cody Davenport in a press release. "Our longstanding traditions will continue to serve the community, showcasing our world-class rodeo and Agriculture Fair. We eagerly anticipate welcoming everyone in 2025."

Tickets are on sale now via Ticketmaster and sarodeo.com. Tickets can be purchased for the season or individually.

This article was originally published with the first announcement August 8, and was updated September 13, October 11, and November 14 to add information about additional rounds of performers.

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