The College of Fine Arts and Communication and The Friends of the Arts invite you to join us for a sparkling celebration of the golden anniversary of Le Grand Bal. Supporting the Fine Arts at Â鶹ÊÓƵ.
Saturday, March 21, 2026
6:30 p.m. - Midnight
Black Tie with glimmers of gold
Give
Help provide students of the College of Fine Arts and Communication with much-needed funds for scholarships, conferences, teaching tools, competitions, master classes, work-study and recruitment efforts.
Art
Take part in the Le Grand Bal Art Auction, a silent auction and reception from 6:30 p.m. -10:00 p.m. at the Setzer Center Ballroom.
Online Pre-sales are open from March 17th through the 21st!
Dining
Enjoy dinner and music in the Setzer Student Center from 7:00 p.m. - Midnight.
Le Grand Bal Honoree
Every year, Le Grand Bal committee members select an honoree, recognized for their contributions to the arts.
Gisela Houseman
Born in Hamburg, immigrated to the U. S. in 1950 and became a citizen in 1956. She has 2 daughters and 4 grandchildren plus a new great grandson.
Married Tony Houseman and moved to Southeast Texas in 1987. Together they formed The Houseman Companies, a land development and home building company. She has continued to grow the company after his death in 2007.
Current owner and CEO of the Houseman Companies. Prior to moving to Southeast Texas, she was an insurance professional for 25 years with a background in accounting and finance, including CLU and ChFC designations from the American College.
She is a graduate of Leadership Texas, Leadership America and one of the founding members of Leadership Southeast Texas over 25 years ago.
She actively works to improve her community and all of Southeast Texas. Two years ago she was instrumental in bringing a new hospital to Orange County. In addition to being honored for her contributions to CASA for abused children, she has received numerous awards including the Athena Award of Orange County, Southeast Texan of the year and Citizen of the Year in Orange County.
She is a supporter of Â鶹ÊÓƵ and has served on the LU Foundation Board in addition to establishing two scholarships, Gisela Houseman Scholarship in Business and the Tony Houseman Memorial Scholarship in Speech and Hearing.
She is also active on numerous boards and foundations and has established and funded scholarships for students at Lamar Institute of Technology and Lamar State College Orange.
She and her husband traveled the world and she loves adventure. She climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, traveled to Antarctica and rode in one of the musher’s sled for 20 miles at the annual Iditarod Race in Alaska for the ceremonial start.
About the Friends of the Arts
Established in 1973, the Friends of the Arts staged its first ball in 1975. Activities, décor and entertainment are designed to reflect the talents of LU art, theater, music and dance faculty and students. Since 1975, the event has raised more than $3- million dollars for the College of Fine Arts and Communication. These funds enable the Friends of the Arts to contribute to scholarships and educational enhancements such as master classes, visiting artists and trips to clinics and workshops that expand learning opportunities for students.