Houston, let's take a nap together.

Kolbe, who has become a regular napper at Napping Affects Performance, has shared her own blog entry about NAP and Julia Claire Wallace's Sunday afternoon Community Nap and performance.


"Houston, let's take a nap together."
by Kolbe Ricks on May 25, 2010

A dimly lit room, cots with blankets and pillows chosen to fit how you sleep, white noise lulling you to sleep, a naptician to gently wake you when your nap is over. This can all be found at the Napping Affects Performance or NAP exhibit at Art League Houston on Montrose.

Emily Sloan’s NAP exhibit is an intricate weave of performance art, art installation, and comfort. The interactive art endeavor opened on May 14 and runs through June 25.

I went for the first time on Friday with my friend Haley. We weren’t quite sure what to expect. Were we going to look at something, actually take a nap, see any traditional art? When we first arrived we were definitely a little nervous and unsure of what we were doing. Haley, being an artist herself, took the lead when we got to the actual NAP room. We were greeted by Emily Sloan, the creator and the naptician. She asked us to sign in and write down the time that we would like to be awoken from our nap (you can also choose to nap as long as you like and not be woken up by a certain time). We opted for a 20 minute snooze, ourselves.

Sloan gave us the correct type of pillow for our sleeping style, which was on our side. I later realized that I’m actually a stomach sleeper. Haley and I were pretty caffeinated and I didn’t actually fall into a deep sleep, but it was very relaxing and the cot was surprisingly comfortable.

Sloan then told us that there was going to be a performance on Sunday afternoon accompanied by a community nap and there was no way that we were going to miss out on that!

So Sunday rolled around and it was time to head back to the Art League Houston and commence naptime! Julia Claire Wallace was the performing artist. She played two lullabies that she had written and went around the room and rubbed everyone’s back as they drifted off to sleep. We had signed in for a 30 minute nap this time, but for some reason we didn’t wake up until over an hour after we had planned! This time though, we actually fell asleep. I’m not sure about Haley, but my nap was awesome. Also, this time all of the cots were filled with nappers and someone had to put a sleeping bag on the floor for their nap!

I really like this exhibit, my brother and I are going to go sometime soon and hopefully when my friends from Dallas come down to visit they’ll be up for a nap. If you are looking for something free and awesome to do in Houston, you should definitely check out Art League Houston and the NAP exhibit. It’s next door to a really delicious coffee shop so you can caffeine up after your nap too.

Visit Kolbe's blog.

Julia Claire Wallace: Good Night Nick Teel and Back Patting

On Sunday, May 23, Houston performance artist Julia Claire Wallace shared two songs she wrote for the NAP project. The first one was called "Good Night, Nick Teel" and was inspired by a story from Nick of how his mother would lull him to sleep. The second lullaby was written to herself, and included all the things that she wanted to hear to help her fall asleep. It was created especially for the show.

Community Nap Event: Julia Claire Wallace, Sunday, May 23, 2pm at Art League Houston

Community Nap Event: Julia Claire Wallace, collaboration with (NAP) Napping Affects Performance

Sunday, May 23 at 2pm (at Art League Houston)

Julia Claire Wallace is a Houston artist that works in a variety of media, such as performance, video, social practice, spoken word and writing. She received her BFA in painting from the University of Houston in 2009. She has served as a facilitator to Performance Art Lab, one of Houston’s most mischievous art collectives, and was a founding member of their project sexyATTACK. She is the creator and curator of Houston’s notorious semi monthly event, Performance Art Night. Her art often explores spirituality, sexuality, desire and the awkward spaces between human beings.

Julia is creating a performance artwork especially in conjunction with the (NAP) project...She doesn't want to say much more than that!

Although some cots and a rug are provided, for community naps the bringing of additional blankets or mats is recommended.

Additional upcoming performances:
Saturday, June 5---Beth Secor, story time, 1:30pm
Saturday, June 19---Ruby "Lips" Woodward, whistling lullabies, 1:30pm




About (NAP): (NAP) is a performance and participation project designed and organized by Emily Sloan providing community naps in collaboration with various performance projects, performances involving the delivery of naps to various sites/contexts around Houston, and an ongoing free nap site at Art League Houston. The free nap site can be utilized anytime during Art League Houston hours, Mondays through Fridays 9am-5pm and Saturdays from 11am-5pm. Stop in anytime, or reserve a spot by calling: 713-582-1198.

NAP Performance Schedule!

Here is a list of the NAP-related happenings for that special naptime experience...

NAP Performance Schedule at Art League Houston

Friday, May 14---*Opening reception*, Kisa Parker from the University of Houston's Moore School of Music will perform Brahms' Lullaby (Opening is 6-9pm, performance is at 7pm)

Sunday, May 23---Julia Claire Wallace will perform a new performance artwork inspired by (NAP), 2pm.

Saturday, June 5---Beth Secor will treat us to a storytime starting at 1:30pm.

Saturday, June 19---Ruby "Lips" Woodward will be whistling lullabies starting at 1:30pm.

You can also drop-in or make an appointment to nap by calling 713-582-1198 anytime during Art League Houston's regular hours.

Art League Houston regular hours:
Mondays through Fridays from 9am to 5pm
Saturdays from 11am to 5pm