[Arts & Culture Committee on March 26, 2026. ]
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I AM COUNCIL MEMBER CAROLYN, EVAN SHABAZZ, COUNCIL MEMBER FOR DISTRICT D, WHAT I CALL THE DISTRICT OF DESTINATION.
BUT TODAY I AM SERVING AS CHAIR OF THE ARTS AND CULTURE COMMITTEE.
IT IS NOW 2:05 PM AND I HEREBY CALL TO ORDER THIS MEETING OF THE ARTS AND CULTURE COMMITTEE OF THE HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL FOR THURSDAY, MARCH THE 26TH.
WE ARE MEETING IN THE CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS 9 0 1 BAGBY STREET, SECOND FLOOR, HOUSTON, TEXAS.
THIS MEETING IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND IS BEING BROADCAST LIVE ON HTV, THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S MUNICIPAL CHANNEL.
I WANNA FIRST RECOGNIZE MY VICE CHAIR, MARIO CASTILLO, FOR SO OPENING REMARKS.
I LOOK FORWARD TO A GREAT MEETING TODAY.
ALRIGHT, WELL LET, LET ME MOVE DOWN JUST A LITTLE AND LET YOU KNOW THAT THE PRESENTATION MATERIALS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE.
AND NOW I WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCORN TO SAY HI.
DID YOU WANNA SAY SOMETHING? NO, NO.
OH, I CAN ALWAYS DEPEND ON YOU TO GIVE US SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT.
I'M ALSO EXCITED ABOUT THIS MEETING,
AND THEN WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ, WHO HAS JOINED US.
AND THEN WE HAVE REPRESENTATIVES FROM COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN, COUNCIL MEMBER CARTER, COUNCIL MEMBER SALINAS.
I THINK THAT'S IT, RIGHT? OH, AND, AND COUNCIL MEMBER TIFFANY D. THOMAS.
SO VERY GLAD THAT YOU ALL COULD BE HERE TODAY.
AND, UH, I WANT TO THANK THE PRESENTERS, THE PARTNERS AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC FOR JOINING US.
UM, I THINK WE HAVE STARTED WITH SOME BRIEF OPENING REMARKS, SO WE'RE JUST GONNA MOVE ON INTO THE AGENDA AND, UM, CERTAINLY THE ARTS AND CULTURE COMMITTEE CONTINUE TO PLAY A VITAL ROLE IN HOUSTON'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, NEIGHBORHOOD IDENTITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE.
THIS COMMITTEE REMAINS FOCUSED ON ENSURING THAT OUR CULTURAL INVESTMENTS ARE ACCESSIBLE, ACCOUNTABLE, AND REFLECTIVE OF THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE.
WE ARE GOING TO MOVE ON TO AGENDA ITEM TWO, CITY FUNDED ARTS GRANT, OPPORTUNITIES AND UPDATES.
THE CHAIR RECOGNIZES DIRECTOR MICHELLE AL FROM THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF THE ARTS.
AND THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBERS.
UM, I'M, I'LL HAVE, I HAVE A FEW QUICK UPDATES FROM MY OFFICE, NOT RELATED TO GRANTS BEFORE I DIVE INTO THAT.
UM, BUT REALLY JUST WANTED TO THANK EVERYBODY FOR THE VERY WARM WELCOME AS I'M ABOUT A MONTH IN NOW AND, UM, HAVE REALLY HIT THE GROUND RUNNING.
I'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO ALL KINDS OF ARTS EVENTS IN THE COMMUNITY ON BEHALF OF THE MAYOR AND THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
I I JUST IN THE LAST, YOU KNOW, I WOULD SAY WEEK OR 10 DAYS, I'VE GOTTEN TO ATTEND A, A BALLET PERFORMANCE, EXCUSE ME, OF, UH, BROKEN WINGS, WHICH WAS A, UM, YOU KNOW, BASED OFF OF, UH, FRIDA KAHLO AND HER, HER LIFE EXPERIENCE OF, UM, A WELCOME RECEPTION FOR A NEW DIRECTOR AT WRITERS IN THE SCHOOLS.
UH, AN EVENT WITH PHOTO FEST CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF PHOTO FEST, THE OPENING OF A NEW GALLERY HERE IN TOWN.
UH, AN EVENT CELEBRATING, UH, THE HIGH SCHOOL FOR PERFORMING IN VISUAL ARTS.
THE OPENING OF A VERY COOL EXHIBITION AT MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS THAT I HIGHLY RECOMMEND FOR ALL AGES.
IT'S A, IT'S KIND OF AN INTERACTIVE, UH, ONE THAT KIDS WOULD REALLY ENJOY 'CAUSE YOU CAN CLIMB THROUGH IT, WALK THROUGH IT.
UM, BUT, UH, ERNESTO NETTO, SUN FORCE, OCEAN LIFE.
UM, LET'S SEE, THE LATINO FILM FESTIVAL, WHICH CELEBRATED 10 YEARS, UM, THIS PAST WEEKEND.
AND, UM, WHAT ELSE? UH, THE, UH, ALBUM RELEASE EVENT, THE LIVE ALBUM RELEASE EVENT FOR A, UH, JAZZ GROUP, LAHA THAT, UH, HAS I THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ FOR INTRODUCING ME TO THEM, BUT WHO ARE A, A CITY FUNDED GRANTEE.
AND, AND WITH THOSE FUNDS, WERE ABLE TO RECORD THEIR ALBUM.
AND, AND THAT WAS A FANTASTIC EVENT, SO THANK YOU.
UM, AND THEN LAST WEEK I JOINED MAYOR WHITMEYER, THE MAYOR PRO TEM, UM, AND MANY OF THE WOMEN DIRECTORS HERE AT THE CITY OF HOUSTON TO CELEBRATE THE CHARLOTTE BALDWIN ALLEN SCULPTURE THAT WAS GIFTED TO THE CITY AND INSTALLED IN FRONT OF THE JULIA IEN BUILDING, UH, BY THE GREATER HOUSTON WOMEN'S CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND CELEBRATION OF WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH.
SO, UM, LOTS OF EXCITING THINGS HAPPENING IN THE ARTS IN HOUSTON ALL THE TIME.
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COUNCIL MEMBER AND YOUR OPENING REMARKS, UH, CHAIR AND YOUR OPENING REMARKS FOR, UH, RECOGNIZING THE, UH, ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE ARTS.AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS COMING, UM, HERE TO HOUSTON WHERE THE ARTS WILL CONTINUE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE ECONOMY.
I KNOW I WAS VISITING WITH THE HOUSTON BALLET JUST THIS PAST WEEKEND.
THEY ARE PLAYING HOST TO A DANCE COMPETITION THAT IS COMING IN MAY THAT WILL BRING AROUND 8,000 VISITORS TO HOUSTON OVER A NINE DAY PERIOD, UM, AND BRING A SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC IMPACT.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I APPRECIATE YOU RECOGNIZING THAT AS WELL.
AND NOW I WILL DIVE INTO THE GRANTS UPDATES.
UH, AND I KNOW THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.
SOME OF YOU, UM, IN THE, UH, IN THE AUDIENCE AND WATCHING, UM, ARE VERY INTERESTED IN THAT INFORMATION.
KWANG, WILL YOU JUST KIND OF RAISE YOUR HAND? HE'S THE DIRECTOR OF GRANTS AT HOUSTON ARTS ALLIANCE.
AND IF THERE ARE MORE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ABOUT GRANT FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES, QUA IS HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS AFTER THE MEETING.
UM, BUT QUA AND I MET EARLIER THIS MONTH TO REVIEW SOME PROPOSED GUIDELINE CHANGES FOR THE UPCOMING LET CREATIVITY HAPPEN IN CITY'S INITIATIVE.
THOSE UPDATES ARE PART OF HAAS'S BROADER ANNUAL EVALUATION WORK THAT THEY SUBMIT TO MY OFFICE AND WE COLLABORATE ON.
UM, BUT THE, UM, I THINK AT THE FEBRUARY GRANTS COMMITTEE MEETING OF HOUSTON ARTS ALLIANCE, THERE WAS AN OVERVIEW OF THESE CHANGES BEING INTRODUCED AND, UM, THE, AND WE'RE EXCITED TO KIND OF IMPLEMENT THOSE TO MAKE THE PROCESS A LITTLE BIT MORE, UH, EQUITABLE AND JUST STREAMLINE THINGS A LITTLE BIT, MAKE, MAKE THINGS A LITTLE BIT EASIER.
SO, UM, WITH THAT, UM, SAID, WE, YOU KNOW, IT, IT'S, UH, WE ARE CAPPING CITY'S INITIATIVE AWARDS AT $10,000.
AND THAT IS, LIKE I SAID, TO, UH, CREATE GREATER EQUITY AND PROCEDURAL FAIRNESS IN THE GRANT MAKING PROCESS AND BEING ABLE TO DISTRIBUTE MORE DOLLARS TO MORE APPLICANTS.
FOR SOME REASON, QUANG, YOUR OTHER DATES DID NOT GET, OKAY, HERE IT IS.
I JUST GOT A NEW DEVICE AND I'M NOT CONNECTED TO THE PRINTER YET, SO, UM, I'M DOING THIS FROM MY IPAD.
BUT, UM, THOSE APPLICATION CYCLES ARE OPEN NOW, CORRECT? THEY OPENED LAST WEEK.
UM, AND THEY ARE OPEN UNTIL APRIL 21ST AT 11:59 PM IT'S AN ONLINE APPLICATION, OF COURSE.
AND I WILL SEND, UM, ALL OF THESE KIND OF BULLET POINTS AROUND TO THE COUNCIL OFFICES AS WELL, IN CASE YOU WANNA INCLUDE THEM IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR ANY KIND OF COMMUNITY COMMUNICATIONS.
UM, BUT PLEASE ENCOURAGE, UH, ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS, UM, YOU KNOW, PROJECTS TO CONSIDER APPLYING.
AND AS I MENTIONED, THE HAA GRANTS TEAM IS ALWAYS HERE TO HELP AND TO SUPPORT APPLICANTS.
THEY, UH, MAKE THEMSELVES AVAILABLE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS BOTH BEFORE, UH, SOMEONE SUBMITS THEIR APPLICATION AS WELL AS TO ASSIST, UH, DURING THE APPLICATION PROCESS.
AND, UM, THAT IS ALL I HAVE ON THE GRANT SIDE.
THAT'S ALL ALWAYS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE PEOPLE NEED FUNDING AND SO FOR YOU TO PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION IS, IS JUST WONDERFUL.
UH, I, ON AND SINCE YOU MENTIONED KINDER, I GUESS I'LL HAVE TO MENTION A YOUNG LADY THAT I, I, I CALL HER MY NIECE, BUT SHE'S A PHENOMENAL ARTIST THAT ATTENDS KINDER AND HER NAME IS CHLOE TUCSON.
SHE'LL KNOW THAT I CALLED HER NAME AND SHE WILL PROBABLY RUN DOWN FROM THE SCHOOL TO THE BUILDING, BUT SHE IS PHENOMENAL, SO I THOUGHT I WOULD MENTION HER.
I'M JUST SAYING, SAYING I WAS BLOWN AWAY BY SOME OF THE PROGRAMMING.
I MEAN, THE, THE KIDS WERE, UM, YOU KNOW, PART OF THE PRESENTATIONS AND THERE WERE SOME PERFORMANCES AND I WAS VERY IMPRESSED.
SHE'S A JUNIOR THERE, SO SHE'S UP AND COMING.
AS WELL AS A, I MET A LOT OF NICE ARTISTS.
I, I OPENED MY HOME TO A SLEEPOVER ABOUT A WEEK AGO, SO I MET A A, A LOT OF NICE YOUNG LADIES, BUT TALENTED YOUNG LADIES.
SO NOW WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO AGENDA ITEM THREE, CIVIC ART MAP WEBSITE PRESENTATION.
SO I'LL STAY UP HERE AND I WILL INVITE ALLISON KILLEN, DIRECTOR OF CIVIC ART AT HOUSTON ARTS ALLIANCE TO JOIN ME.
UM, AND WE WILL WALK YOU GUYS THROUGH WHAT I THINK HAS BEEN LONG ANTICIPATED.
I KNOW WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS FOR QUITE A WHILE.
AND, UM, THIS WAS A PROJECT THAT WAS HAPPENING WITHIN THE, UH, FORMER OFFICE OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS AND THEN, UH, WAS STALLED A LITTLE BIT DUE TO STAFF TRANSITIONS.
AND SO HOUSTON ARTS ALLIANCE WAS ASKED TO, UH, PICK THAT UP AND, AND FINISH OUT THE EXECUTION OF THAT WITH THE WEBSITE CONTRACTOR.
AND SO THAT IS READY AND WE ARE EXCITED TO SHOW IT TO YOU.
AND ALLISON IS GONNA WALK US THROUGH THAT A LITTLE BIT.
AND THANK YOU FOR RECOGNIZING ALLISON THAT'S IN MY SCRIPT AND I MISSED HER, UH, FROM THE HOUSTON ARTS ALLIANCE.
NICE TO BE HERE WITH ALL OF YOU COUNCIL MEMBERS.
UM, AS MICHELLE MENTIONED, I AM NEW IN THIS ROLE AND I'M EXCITED TO BE SHARING A BRAND NEW,
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BEAUTIFUL WEBSITE WITH YOU ALL TODAY.UM, IF WE GO AHEAD AND MOVE ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE, I CAN JUST JUMP RIGHT IN.
DON'T WANNA KEEP YOU WAITING TOO LONG.
SO THIS WEBSITE IS A, UM, AN INTERACTIVE MAP THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE ONLINE.
IT'S CURRENTLY LIVE, SO YOU CAN GO TO, UM, THE WEBSITE AND I'LL HAVE A QR CODE AT THE END FOR YOU ALL.
BUT, UM, THIS MAP SHOWS ALL OF THE CIVIC ART INVESTMENTS, ALL 873 ARTWORKS DISTRIBUTED ACROSS THE HOUSTON AREA.
AND, UM, CLICKABLE PINS THAT ARE LOCATED ON THE MAP INDICATING THE ARTWORKS OR OBJECTS, LOCATIONS IN THE CITY.
UM, THIS FUNCTIONALITY HAS THE ABILITY TO CLICK ON A PIN.
IT OPENS AND GIVES YOU INFORMATION ABOUT THE ARTWORK DETAIL RIGHT THERE ON THE PAGE.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO RELOAD OR OPEN A NEW TAB.
IT'S JUST RIGHT THERE, RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU.
UM, YOU CAN ZOOM IN TO EXPLORE A NEIGHBORHOOD AND, UM, IT WORKS ON YOUR DESKTOP, YOUR PHONE, YOUR TABLET, SO YOU CAN ACCESS IT NOT ONLY AT YOUR DESK, BUT ALSO ON THE GO.
AND SO ON THIS NEXT SLIDE THAT YOU'RE SEEING NOW, THIS INTERACTIVE MAP, I HAVE TWO EXAMPLES SHOWN FOR YOU OF WHAT THAT, UM, FUNCTIONALITY WILL LOOK LIKE.
SO ON THE LEFT IS VAQUERO BY LOUIS AND MENEZ, AND THIS IS IN, UM, IN THE NORTH SIDE NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND, UM, THIS PIN SHOWS JUST THE SINGULAR ARTWORK THAT'S LOCATED IN THAT LOCATION.
AND THEN ON THE RIGHT IS DOWNTOWN RR, WHICH IS BY SYDNEY MOEN.
AND THAT'S A PHOTOGRAPH INSTALLED RIGHT HERE IN THE CITY HALL ANNEX BASEMENT, CITY HALL BASEMENT.
SO IF YOU HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO SEE IT, IT IS IN THE CONFERENCE ROOM.
AND, UM, YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THERE'S A YELLOW BAR ABOVE THE TITLE OF THE ARTWORK INDICATING THAT THERE'S 70 ARTWORKS LOCATED RIGHT HERE IN CITY HALL.
AND SO YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SCROLL THROUGH AND THEN CLICK INTO THOSE ARTWORKS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THEM RIGHT HERE ON THE WEBSITE.
UM, SPEAKING MORE ABOUT CLICKING IN AND LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE ARTWORKS ON THE NEXT PAGE, I WILL SHOW YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.
SO THESE DETAIL PAGES HAVE, UM, IMAGES AT THE TOP.
AND FOR THE NEXT EXAMPLE WE HAVE GEOMETRIC MOUSE SCALE X.
IT'S LOCATED JUST ACROSS THE STREET AT THE HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY.
AND THIS IS BY KLAUS OLDENBERG.
AND, UM, THIS IS A VERY GREAT EXAMPLE OF WHAT HAPPENS FOR ALL OF THE ARTWORKS.
YOU'LL HAVE A TITLE, IMAGES OF THOSE ARTWORKS, THE ARTIST'S NAME, THEIR NATIONALITY, WHERE THEY'RE FROM, THEIR LIFE DATES, UH, AND THEN INFORMATION ABOUT THE ARTWORK, SPECIFICALLY THE MEDIUM, THE DIMENSIONS, AND THEN MOST IMPORTANTLY, WHERE IT'S LOCATED AND THE CITY THAT IS RESPONSIBLE WITHIN THAT SPONSORING DEPARTMENT WHO, UM, IS MAINTAINING THAT ARTWORK.
UM, AND THEN YOU'LL ALSO BE ABLE TO LINK TO THE ARTIST PROFILE AND LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ARTIST AND SEE IF THERE'S ANY OTHER WORKS IN THE COLLECTION BY THAT SAME ARTIST.
UH, ON THE NEXT PAGE, WE CAN GO INTO LEARNING MORE ABOUT ALL OF THE ARTWORK AND THE ABILITY TO FILTER BY SPONSORING DEPARTMENTS.
AND SO I KNOW IT'S A LITTLE BIT HARD TO SEE, UM, IF YOU DO GO ONLINE AND CHECK THIS OUT, WHICH I AM SURE YOU ALL WILL, UH, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SEE A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THIS DESCRIPTION AT THE TOP, WHICH IS JUST ABOUT THE COLLECTION, HOW IT'S FUNDED, UM, ABOUT THE CIVIC ART PROGRAM AS A WHOLE.
AND THEN, UM, ROTATING IMAGES AT THE TOP, SHOWCASING SOME OF THE ITEMS WITHIN THE COLLECTION.
UH, AND YOU'RE ALSO ABLE TO FILTER BY LIBRARIES, BY PARKS, BY, UH, POLICE OR FIRE OR LEGAL PARKING, ALL OF THE SPONSORING DEPARTMENTS WITHIN THE CITY SO THAT YOU CAN SEE EXACTLY WHAT TYPES OF ARTWORKS ARE LOCATED WHERE, UM, ESPECIALLY FOR THINGS LIKE THE PARKS, LIKE WHAT'S IN THE PARK NEXT TO MY HOUSE, HOW CAN I SEE IF THAT'S IN THE CIVIC ART COLLECTION? YOU CAN DIVE IN AND LOOK.
UM, AND THIS PAGE JUST HIGHLIGHTS THOSE.
'CAUSE I KNOW THOSE CALL OUT BUBBLES WERE A LITTLE BIT HARD TO SEE.
AND SO, UM, THESE ARE ALL OF THE SPONSORING DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE A PART OF THE CITY CIVIC ART COLLECTION, AND YOU CAN FILTER BY DEPARTMENT FOR THOSE.
ON THE NEXT PAGE, UH, WE HAVE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE ARTIST.
AND SO, UM, I SELECTED THIS CARD.
MICHELLE GAVE ME A HINT THAT KAREN NAVARRO IS SPEAKING TODAY.
AND SO WE DON'T HAVE PHOTOS FOR ALL OF THE ARTISTS IN THE COLLECTION.
SOME OF THEM DATE BACK, UM, QUITE SOME TIME.
AND SO WE DON'T HAVE A FULL DIRECTORY OF HEADSHOTS FOR ALL OF THE ARTISTS, BUT YOU ARE ABLE TO CLICK IN AND GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ALL 516 INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS.
UM, ANY INFORMATION THAT WE DO HAVE IS AVAILABLE ON THE WEBSITE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THEM, ABOUT THE HISTORY, ABOUT THEIR PROCESS, THEIR BIO, THEIR ARTWORKS, AND AGAIN, ANY AND ALL ARTWORKS THAT THEY HAVE THAT ARE INCLUDED IN THE CITY CIVIC ART COLLECTION.
ON THE LAST PAGE, THE LAST FUNCTION I REALLY WANNA HIGHLIGHT IS THE SEARCH TOOL.
IF YOU'VE MADE A GOOGLE SEARCH, YOU KNOW HOW THE SEARCH TOOL WORKS.
UM, JUST ON THE SITE, THE TOP RIGHT CORNER, THERE'S A SEARCH ICON.
YOU CAN CLICK IT AND YOU CAN SEARCH
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BY NAME, BY ARTWORK TYPE BY LOCATION.UM, AND IN THE EXAMPLE I'M SHARING WITH YOU TODAY, I JUST TYPED IN HERMAN PARK AND IT POPULATES, OH, LET'S SEE, 48 RESULTS OF ARTWORKS THAT ARE RELATED TO HAVE A KEY WORD OF HERMAN PARK.
AND SO, UM, IT'S A GREAT WAY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ANY ARTWORK THAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO SEARCH SPECIFICALLY FOR.
SO WHAT'S IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD? WHAT ARE THE PAINTINGS IN THE COLLECTION? ARE THERE ARTWORKS BY MEL CHIN THAT I WANNA LEARN MORE ABOUT? YOU CAN JUST DO THE SEARCH INSTEAD OF HAVING TO GO ON THE MAP OR SEARCH BY ARTIST.
THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS TO FIND AND NAVIGATE THROUGH THE WEBSITE.
LASTLY, JUST FOR IMPACT, I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU ALL WHO DOES THIS BENEFIT.
WHO IS THIS WEBSITE FOR? FOR ONE, IT'S FOR ALL OF YOU.
UM, THIS ALLOWS YOU TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ARTWORK ASSETS.
I KNOW SOMETIMES YOU ALL HAVE QUESTIONS, AND SO THIS IS A GREAT RESOURCE THAT I HOPE YOU ALL CAN REFERENCE AND ACCESS AT ANY TIME.
UM, TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CIVIC ART ACROSS THE CITY AND PERHAPS IN YOUR DISTRICTS, UH, THIS IS FOR THE CITY DEPARTMENT.
IT IS ALSO FOR HOUSTON RESIDENTS.
IT'S FOR PEOPLE LIKE YOU, LIKE ME, LIKE EVERYONE HERE TODAY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CIVIC ARTWORKS AND UM, GET A CHANCE TO REALLY EXPLORE THE CULTURAL LANDSCAPE AROUND THEM.
AGAIN, EDUCATORS AND STUDENTS, THERE IS A WEALTH OF ART HISTORY LOCATED IN THE CITY CIVIC ART COLLECTION, AND I REALLY WANNA EMPHASIZE THAT WE DO TRY AND CAPTURE ALL OF THAT AND IT IS REFLECTED AND NOW AVAILABLE FOR EVERYONE TO REFERENCE.
AND IT'S FOR ARTISTS ARTS ORGANIZATIONS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT, SEE THEIR ARTWORK INCLUDED, HAVE THAT SEARCHABLE RESOURCE AND TOURISTS AND VISITORS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT'S AROUND THEM WHEN THEY VISIT, LEARN WHAT GREAT AND AMAZING CIVIC ARTWORK WE DO HAVE AND EXPERIENCE IT AT THEIR OWN PACE AND AT THEIR OWN LEISURE.
SO I WILL LEAVE YOU WITH SOME TAKEAWAYS TODAY.
UM, ON THE NEXT PAGE YOU'LL SEE JUST AGAIN, DRIVING HOME, THIS IS A PUBLIC RESOURCE.
IT IS NOT JUST AN ADMINISTRATIVE THING, IT'S NOT COLLECTION SPECIFIC.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT EVERYONE CAN USE.
AND I HOPE THAT YOU ALL DO HAVE THE CHANCE TO USE.
THERE'S MANY DIFFERENT WAYS TO EXPLORE AND UTILIZE THE WEBSITE.
SO HOWEVER IT WORKS FOR YOU, WE HOPE THAT YOU, UM, ARE ABLE TO EXPLORE IT BY DEPARTMENT, ARTIST NAME, TYPE OF ARTWORK, LOCATION, AND IT IS A LIVING AND GROWING DATABASE.
IT UPDATES NIGHTLY SO YOU'RE ABLE TO SYNC WITH ANY CHANGES AND ADDITIONS TO THE COLLECTION AS IT CONTINUES TO GROW AND EXPAND.
SO LASTLY, THERE'S A QR CODE OR THE URL FOR THE WEBSITE, AND I WILL PAUSE THERE.
WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT PRESENTATION.
UM, AND I WANNA THANK WHOEVER THAT GHOST IS.
I DUNNO WHO WAS GONNA MOVE THE PRESENTATION, BUT I WANT TO THANK THAT GHOST THAT, THAT THEY CAME RIGHT ON TIME.
I MEAN, CERTAINLY WE HAVE A QUESTION FROM, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ.
I THINK THE, UH, THE MAP AND THE CLICKABLE FEATURES ON IT, UH, IS REALLY GOOD, UH, FEATURE THAT WILL ALLOW PEOPLE TO SEARCH WHERE THESE PIECES ARE AND, YOU KNOW, IF THEY SEE ONE THEY LIKE, THEN MAYBE THEY CAN GO HUNTING FOR IT TO FIND IT.
AND I THINK IT WILL INCREASE, UH, VISITORS TO THE INDIVIDUAL PIECES.
SO I THINK IT'S A REALLY, REALLY GOOD IDEA.
YOU KNOW, I WAS CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS HERE, AND IF MY MATH IS RIGHT, ABOUT 44% OF ALL THE PIECES IN HOUSTON'S COLLECTION ARE IN ONE OF THE TWO AIRPORTS, RIGHT? AND, UH, I HAVEN'T BEEN THROUGH AN AIRPORT RECENTLY, THANK, THANKFULLY, BUT, UH, WHEN I'VE BEEN THROUGH THERE, SOMETIMES IT'S, IT'S OCCURRED TO ME THAT, UM, MAYBE THEY WEREN'T LOCATED IN PLACES WHERE PEOPLE WOULD, WOULD TEND TO LINGER AND ACTUALLY PAY ATTENTION TO THEM.
UM, AND I DON'T KNOW IF ANY THOUGHT HAS BEEN GIVEN, I KNOW NO ONE'S, NO ONE'S HERE FROM THE AIRPORT THOUGHT BEEN GIVEN TO MAYBE A KIND OF A LITTLE MUSEUM WHERE, WHERE THERE'S A COLLECTION OF THEM, UH, CENTRALLY LOCATED WHERE PEOPLE COULD GO AND LOOK AT THEM WHEN, WHEN THEY HAVE SOME, SOME DOWNTIME AS OPPOSED TO, UH, SOME OF THE WAYS THEY'RE, THEY'RE DISPLAYED NOW.
BUT, UM, UH, THANKS FOR THE WORK THAT, THAT Y'ALL ARE DOING AND, UH, PRESENTING THIS COLLECTION TO US THAT WILL HELP HOUSTONIANS BETTER APPRECIATE WHAT WE HAVE.
THAT'S GREAT FEEDBACK AND WE'LL DEFINITELY TAKE THAT TO THE, THE AIRPORT FOLKS AND, UM, THEY'RE, UH, WANTED TO BE HERE OR ALTON WANTED TO BE HERE, BUT OBVIOUSLY IT'S, THEY'RE KIND OF ALL HANDS ON DECK TRYING TO DO WHAT LITTLE THEY CAN TO ALLEVIATE THE CURRENT SITUATION.
THE CHAIR RECOGNIZES VICE CHAIR CASTILLO.
THANK YOU CHAIR, AND THANK YOU BOTH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, NOT ONLY IS THIS A WAY TO CATALOG OUR, OUR COLLECTION, BUT IT TURNS IT INTO A TOOL THAT HAS MANY DIFFERENT USES, UM, FROM
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VISITORS TO EVEN COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO CAN NOW EXPLORE THE CIVIC ART IN THEIR DISTRICT IN A WAY THAT, YOU KNOW, WE CAN THEN HIGHLIGHT, UH, TO OUR CONSTITUENTS OR TO OUR COMMUNITY, UM, AND EVEN THE ARTISTS THAT ARE A PART OF IT AND LEARNING MORE ABOUT WHO THEY ARE AND THEIR WORK.UM, IT'S A GREAT, I I'VE PLAYED AROUND WITH IT A LITTLE HERE, UM, ON MY LAPTOP.
I MEAN, IT'S A GREAT TOOL, UH, I COMMEND Y'ALL FOR, FOR GETTING IT UP AND RUNNING AND IT'S GONNA HELP US SHOWCASE AND, UM, HIGHLIGHT OUR, OUR COLLECTION.
I'M VERY EXCITED TO, YOU KNOW, TAKE THIS TO OUR PARTNERS AT, UH, HOUSTON FIRST VISIT HOUSTON AND, AND USE THIS AS A TOOL FOR ARTS TOURISM.
I THINK THAT'S GONNA BE REALLY GREAT.
YOU KNOW, THEY'VE UNTITLED ART FAIR AS AN EXAMPLE WHEN IT RETURNS TO THE GEORGE R. BROWN THIS FALL.
I COULD CERTAINLY SEE, YOU KNOW, CURATORS AND ADVISORS AND GROUPS, UH, CURATING TOURS OF CERTAIN ELEMENTS OF THE CITY'S COLLECTION NOW THAT THEY HAVE A RESOURCE TO BE ABLE TO LOCATE THE ART.
THE CHAIR RECOGNIZES A GREAT REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE OFFICE OF CO OF COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN.
AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS PRESENTATION.
LIKE EVERYONE ELSE, THIS IS, I THINK I'M GONNA GO DO A SCAVENGER HUNT AND LOOK FOR THINGS.
I WAS WONDERING IF, UM, AND I ONLY TRIED ONE LOCATION, SO THEY MIGHT ALREADY BE ON HERE AND WE MIGHT BE MISSING ONE.
IF THERE'S ANY INTEREST IN ADDING, UM, OUR MINI MURAL COLLECTION TO THIS, UM, DATABASE, MANY COUNCIL OFFICES ARE PUTTING UP BEAUTIFUL, UM, MINI MURALS OR IF THAT'S A DIFFERENT TYPE OF ART THAT WOULDN'T BE INCLUDED? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
I DON'T KNOW HOW, I MEAN, I KNOW THAT IS A, CERTAINLY A PART, THAT PROGRAM IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF HOW THE CITY MAKES ART INVESTMENTS, BUT I'M NOT SURE HOW THOSE ARE CATALOGED OR CONSIDERED.
IN TERMS OF COLLECTION, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT OR I DO BELIEVE THAT THERE IS A MINI MURALS MAP ALREADY EXISTING.
AND SO AS THERE ARE SO MANY OF THEM, ESPECIALLY ON THOSE TRAFFIC CABINETS, I WOULD, UH, RECOMMEND, I DON'T HAVE THE WEBSITE LINK IN FRONT OF ME FOR THAT, BUT I THINK IF YOU JUST TYPE IT INTO YOUR SEARCH ENGINE MINI MURALS MAP, UM, SOMETHING SHOULD POPULATE, I DUNNO HOW UP TO DATE IT IS.
I KNOW THEY'RE CONSTANTLY ADDING MORE OF THOSE MURALS.
SO, UM, THAT PROGRAM ESPECIALLY EVOLVES QUICKLY.
BUT THERE IS A RESOURCE EXISTING.
AND SO, UH, THE SCOPE OF THIS PROJECT WAS REALLY TO FOCUS ON THE CIVIC ARTWORK, UM, THAT IS, UM, WITHIN THE CIVIC ART COLLECTION SPECIFICALLY.
AND I'M HAPPY TO FIND THAT LINK AND INCLUDE IT IN THE, UH, THE OTHER GRANTS UPDATES THAT I SENT TO YOU ALL.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? WELL, I WANT TO THANK YOU DIRECTOR LEON AND, UH, MS. ALLISON KILLEN, WHO ARE SHARING THEIR PRESENTATION WITH US.
AND I JUST WANNA REMIND YOU THAT THE PRESENTATIONS ARE ON THE WEBSITE.
I KNOW THEY'RE A LITTLE SMALL TRYING TO READ THEM ON THE SCREEN, BUT THEY ARE AVAILABLE TO YOU ON THE WEBSITE, THE CITY WEBSITE.
SO NOW WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO THE COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT AND WE WILL HEAR NOW FROM THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF THE ARTS COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT.
UM, YES, I JUST, YOU KNOW, I WANTED, WE TALK A LOT ABOUT THE PROGRAMS AND THE INVESTMENTS THAT THE CITY MAKES AROUND THE ART, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S MOST MEANINGFUL TO ME IN THE WORK THAT I DO OUT IN THE COMMUNITY IS BEING ABLE TO CONNECT WITH ARTISTS AND IN CONVERSATION WITH THEM, LEARN HOW THE PROGRAMS HAVE IMPACTED AND THE INVESTMENTS THAT THE CITY MAKES IN THE ARTS HAVE IMPACTED THEIR CAREERS.
AND, UM, SO I JUST THOUGHT IT WOULD BE NICE TO HEAR FROM ONE OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS.
AND, AND SO I REACHED OUT TO KAREN NAVARRO, WHO HAS BEEN BOTH A RECIPIENT OF, UH, GRANTS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH, UH, HOUSTON ARTS ALLIANCE FROM THE CITY OF HOUSTON, AND ALSO THE CIVIC ART PROGRAM, AND HAS WORK IN THE CITY CIVIC ART COLLECTION.
AND SO I JUST THOUGHT SHE COULD SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HER EXPERIENCE WITH THE PROGRAMS FOR A FEW MINUTES.
UH, I'M VERY HAPPY TO BE HERE TO BE SHARING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MY EXPERIENCE WITH, UH, THE GRANTS THAT HAA HAVE PROVIDE THROUGHOUT MY CAREER.
UM, I I, I HAVE BEEN A RECIPIENT OF, UM, THE CITIZEN INITIATIVE AND THE SUPPORT FOR ARTISTS AND CREATIVE INDIVIDUALS.
AND I MUST SAY THAT THIS GRANT HAVE HELPED ME, UH, GROW MY ARTISTIC CAREER.
THEY, UM, THEY HAVE BEEN SUCH A FUNDAMENTAL PART OF, UH, DEVELOPING AND, AND GETTING TO THE
[00:25:01]
NEXT STEP IN MY CAREER.AND NOT ONLY THAT, BUT IT ALSO ALLOW ME TO, UH, CONTRIBUTE TO THE CITY, UH, ECONOMICALLY IN A WAY BECAUSE, UM, I AM WORKING WITH CONTRACTORS.
UH, AND AT THE END OF THIS, OF THIS GRANTS, UH, WE ARE GIVING BACK, UH, TO THE COMMUNITY, UH, BY DOING AN EVENT AND ENGAGING, ENGAGING, UH, WITH DIFFERENT PROGRAMMING, UH, THAT, THAT I DO, UH, THROUGHOUT THIS, UH, THIS, THIS GRANTS THAT, THIS GRANT CYCLES AND, AND PRESENTING MY WORK, RIGHT? I AM AN IMMIGRANT.
I, I'VE BEEN HERE FOR ABOUT 10 YEARS AND I BELIEVE THAT WITHOUT THIS GRANTS, I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO BE WHERE I AM TODAY.
UH, THEY HAVE BEEN SUCH, UH, AN REPEAT, UH, UH, FUNDAMENTAL PART OF SUPPORTING MY ARTISTIC CAREER.
IF THERE ARE NO QUESTIONS, I THINK NOW WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO THE PUBLIC COMMENT.
AND BEFORE WE GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT, I, I'M GONNA TAKE A POINT OF PERSONAL, PERSONAL PRIVILEGE TO RECOGNIZE DWIGHT BAXTER HERE.
I KNOW I'M SURPRISING HIM, BUT HE, UH, WAS A CHOREOGRAPHER AND DANCER ON BROADWAY.
WE WERE ACTUALLY RAISED IN THE SAME NEIGHBORHOOD AND IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, EITHER YOU DANCE OR YOU RAN AND HE CHOSE TO DANCE.
AND WE, WE ARE SO VERY PROUD OF HIM AND HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
SO NOW WE WILL MOVE ON TO PUBLIC COMMENTS.
UH, I THINK WE HAVE TWO THAT HAVE, UH, SIGNED UP TO SPEAK.
THE FIRST PERSON IS CRYSTAL WALTERS.
IF CRYSTAL, THANK YOU CRYSTAL, PLEASE IDENTIFY YOURSELF AND YOUR ORGANIZATION AND THEN YOU CAN MOVE ON WITH YOUR COMMENT AND WE'LL GIVE YOU THREE MINUTES SINCE THE MEETING IS MOVING SO FAST THAT IT'S ALMOST OVER.
I AM HERE ON BEHALF OF MATTHEW JEAN BATISTE, LLC ART FIRM.
AND I'M ALSO HERE ADVOCATING AS A SMALL BUSINESS IN THE ARTS.
UM, IN DISTRICT K, DISTRICT K HAS THE HONOR OF HOSTING FIFA WORLD CUP.
IT IS COMING TO OUR DISTRICT AND WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT IT AS WE'VE BEEN DOING OUR HOMEWORK AND I'M GLAD TO BE HERE TODAY.
UM, I WAS ABLE TO MEET WITH SOME GREAT PEOPLE, ENGAGE AND SPRINKLE SOME SEEDS OF SUGGESTION TO OUR NEW, UM, UH, LEADER IN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE FOR THE ARTS, MRS. LEE.
BUT I'M HERE TO SAY THAT I NEED TO KNOW KEN CAN.
BUSINESS OWNERS IN THE ARTS IN DISTRICT K FIND PATHWAYS TO FUNDING OUR PUBLIC ART.
THE WORLD IS COMING TO OUR CITY AND OUR DISTRICT.
I KNOW WE HAVE THE FAN FESTIVAL COMING, UM, TO THE EAST END AND I THINK THAT'S GREAT, BUT DISTRICT K DEMOGRAPHICS IS SOME, I THINK IT'S DIVERSE.
MY HUSBAND, MY SON, MY SON'S ON HIS SOCCER TEAM.
WE HAVE A HEAVY, UH, CARIBBEAN LATINO, AFRO-LATINO COMMUNITY.
UM, I THINK WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT HOW ARE WE ENGAGING THAT COMMUNITY THAT IS ACTUALLY HOSTING.
I WENT TO THE HOUSTON SPORTS AUTHORITY TO ASK, HEY, WHERE ARE SOME RFPS, SOME RF QS FOR PUBLIC ART, EVEN IN THE CLEAN ZONE.
THEY WANT TO, THEY WANT THE ART, BUT ARTISTS NEED FUNDING.
AND I'M NOT JUST ADVOCATING FOR OUR BUSINESS, BUT THERE'S OTHER ARTISTS.
THEY CAN'T STOP THEIR GRIND TO BE HERE.
SO I'M SPEAKING FOR ALL OF US.
PLEASE ENGAGE COMMUNITY INVESTORS.
SPEAK TO, UM, WHOEVER IS THE LEADERSHIP.
I DON'T KNOW THE GOVERNANCE, THAT'S WHY I'M HERE TODAY.
BUT ASK THEM, CHALLENGE THEM TO THINK ABOUT PUBLIC ART IN REGARDS TO LEAVING THAT LASTING IMPRESSION TO ALL THE PEOPLE THAT ARE COMING TO OUR CITY AND MY DISTRICT, UM, TO EXPERIENCE THE RAH RAH OF FIFA.
AND LASTLY, BEFORE I LEAVE, 'CAUSE I'M KEEPING COUNT FOR YOU CHAIRWOMAN, UM, WE HAVE LOOKED, UM, AND ENGAGED THE COMMUNITY.
WE SPOKE TO THE FIFA HOST COMMITTEE.
THEY DON'T HAVE ANY FUNDING FOR PUBLIC ART.
I SPECIFICALLY ASKED MR. BRADY.
SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, I KEEP GETTING REDIRECTED, BUT THEY DON'T HAVE IT.
SO IF WE CAN SPEAK TO OUR PRECINCTS, UM, I KNOW WE HAVE SOME GREAT PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE, IF WE CAN JUST THINK ABOUT HOW CAN WE GET FUNDING AND BRING THAT ECONOMY
[00:30:01]
TO THE ARTS.HOUSTON IS TOO BIG FOR STRUGGLING ARTISTS, ESPECIALLY IF THEY ARE ABOUT THE BUSINESS AND OFFERING GREAT PRODUCT.
AND THAT IS MY PUBLIC COMMENT.
THAT IS A GREAT COMMENT AND IT WAS ACTUALLY BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION THAT YOU WERE GOING TO ASK THAT QUESTION.
WE DON'T HAVE THE ANSWER JUST YET, BUT CERTAINLY IT'S A, A, A WONDERFUL COMMENT AND CERTAINLY WORTHY OF DISCUSSION.
AND SO I THANK YOU FOR COMING FORWARD AND WE WILL GET THAT ANSWER AND PERHAPS ENGAGE YOU IN HELPING US TO BE ABLE TO GET THAT INFORMATION OUT.
THANK YOU CHAIRWOMAN AND CO-CHAIR MEN.
WE HAVE A QUESTION FROM A GREAT REPRESENTATIVE FROM COUNCIL MEMBER TIFFANY D. THOMAS
UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH MS. WALTERS FOR COMING AND, UM, EXPRESSING THAT WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
UH, DEFINITELY AGREE THAT MORE FUNDING IS NEEDED FOR THE ARTS.
I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS UNFORTUNATELY COULDN'T MAKE IT TODAY, BUT SHE DOES HAVE A MEETING FRIDAY MORNING WITH DIRECTOR LEO ABOUT THAT VERY THING AND FINDING MORE FUNDING, UM, PARTICULARLY WITHIN DISTRICT F FOR THE ARTS.
SO I JUST WANTED TO LET THE RECORD BE KNOWN AND THANK YOU TODAY FOR COMING TO EXPRESS THAT.
AND WHEN WE, WE DO NOT MIND WORKING WITH DISTRICT F UH, AT LARGE POSITION ONE, DISTRICT C.
WE ARE HERE TO BEAUTIFY THE CITY.
UM, WE WORK WITH ARTISTS IN THE CITY AND I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT AND I'M EXCITED AND I HOPE WE ARE ALL EXCITED ABOUT WHAT'S TO COME.
YOU SEE HOW THAT WORKS? YOU PUT THE QUESTION OUT THERE AND THEN SOMEBODY IS READY TO ENTERTAIN THAT.
IT WAS A, IT IS A GREAT SUGGESTION.
SO THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY.
THE NEXT PERSON IS AKIA SIMS. IS AKIA HERE? I DON'T SEE NIKIA.
OKAY, WELL, UM, THAT ENDS OUR SPEAKER'S COMMENTS.
IS THERE ANYONE HERE WHO WOULD LIKE TO COME UP BRIEFLY AND, AND MAKE A COMMENT? YOU CERTAINLY COULD COME UP AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF.
YOU KNOW, I BELIEVE PEOPLE WHO COME ALL THE WAY DOWN HERE NEED TO HAVE THEIR VOICES HEARD.
SO SIR, IF YOU WANT TO COME FORWARD AND TELL US YOUR NAME AND YOUR ORGANIZATION AND UH, GIVE US YOUR COMMENT.
CAN WE RAISE THIS A LITTLE? SORRY.
I'M YOUR HOUSTON POET LAUREATE, UH, UNTIL APRIL, 2027.
MAKE SURE YOU SPEAKING TO THAT.
YEAH, YOU KINDA TALL FOR THE SPEAKERS.
AS I SAID BEFORE, I'M RE RAMIREZ.
YOU'RE A HOUSTON POET LAUREATE UNTIL APRIL, 2027.
UM, SO I JUST WANNA GIVE YOU AN UPDATE, JUST SOME NEWS ON WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE POETRY WORLD OF HOUSTON.
UH, ONE, UH, LAST MONTH, UH, THE TEXAS INSTITUTE OF LETTERS RECOGNIZED, UH, THREE HOUSTON POETS FOR THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS.
UH, EBONY STEWART AND HER LATEST COLLECTION OF POETRY WAS AN HONOR WINNER FOR ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF POETRY PUBLISHED LAST YEAR.
UH, RANDALL JAMES TYRONE RECEIVED ALSO AN ON, WAS AN HONOR WINNER FOR HIS DEBUT BOOK OF POETRY.
CITY OF DISS, AN AMAZING BOOK.
AND I ACTUALLY ALSO GOT AN HONOR, UH, WAS RECOGNIZED, AN HONOR WINNER FOR A SHORT STORY, UM, ALL THAT GOOD STUFF.
SO TEXAS I TWO LETTERS IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE, IF NOT THE BIGGEST AND OLDEST, UH, LITERARY ORGANIZATION IN IN TEXAS THAT RECOGNIZES TEXAS WRITERS.
UH, NEXT MONTH IS, UH, NATIONAL POETRY MONTH.
SO AT THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS HOUSTON, I'LL BE HOSTING, UH, A SERIES OF WORKSHOPS IN THEIR ART GALLERIES THAT IS FREE AND IT'S ON THEIR FREE DAYS ON THURSDAYS.
UM, I WILL BE DOING A PROGRAM WITH THE HOUSTON, HOUSTON YOUTH POET LAUREATE CAVEAT DEER, UH, HERE, UH, NEXT DOOR AT THE CENTRAL LIBRARY MID-APRIL.
UM, I WILL BE DOING SELLING ACTUALLY A BOOK THAT I PUBLISHED THROUGH A HOUSTON ARTS ALLIANCE GRANT THAT I RECEIVED, UH, ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO THAT ACTUALLY DOCUMENTS HOUSTON'S BREWERIES THROUGH POETRY AND PHOTOGRAPHY.
PHOTO FEST, THAT'S NEXT MONTH.
UM, AND YEAH, FOR NATURAL POETRY MONTH, EVERY DAY I'LL BE POSTING A BOOK OF POETRY ON THE HOUSTON POET LAUREATE SOCIAL MEDIA ABOUT, UH, ABOUT EVERY BOOK OR AS MANY BOOKS AS I HAVE, UH, PUBLISHED BY HOUSTON POETS.
SO IF YOU DON'T KNOW, AT LEAST 30 HOUSTON POETS I DO.
UH, AND IF YOU WANNA SUPPORT, YOU CAN ALWAYS BUY THEIR BOOKS AND I'LL BE POSTING ABOUT THEM ON THE SOCIAL MEDIA, HUGH POET LAUREATE.
UM, SO ANYWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
UH, IT'S ALWAYS MY PLEASURE TO PROVE THAT HOUSTON IS ONE OF THE GREATEST CITIES IN THE WORLD FOR POETRY AND LITERATURE.
SO, UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH AND THANK YOU.
AND SHARE THAT INFORMATION TO MAKE SURE WE CAN PUT IT ON THE WEBSITE AS WELL.
AND SO, UH, I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE THAT HAS OH, YOU WANNA COME AND SPEAK? OKAY.
[00:35:03]
HELLO.I'M NOT A LAWYER, THAT'S MY NAME.
I FOUNDED ROCO, UH, HOUSTON'S CHAMBER ORCHESTRA, A 40 PIECE PROFESSIONAL GROUP, SOME OF YOU KNOW, AND I JUST WANTED TO COMMENT ON HOW AWESOME IT IS ABOUT THE PUBLIC ART.
BUT A PIECE OF WHAT WE DO IS WE HAVE PUT OUR MUSIC ON QR CODES ALL OVER HOUSTON TO THE RECORDINGS OF 1200 TRACKS FOR 21 YEARS THAT WE'VE BEEN RECORDING.
AND WE'RE REALLY THE ONLY ORGANIZATION THAT IS ABLE TO DO THAT.
SO IT IS CONSIDERED IN OUR EYES PUBLIC ART AND WE'RE THRILLED TO BE A PART OF ALL OF THE CITY WITH 30 PARTNERS IN 80 LOCATIONS.
AND WE WERE JUST PUT IN THE, UH, AIRPORTS.
SO YOU'LL SEE IN TERMINAL D QR CODES TO OUR MUSIC.
AND WE'RE REALLY ABOUT BEING A GREAT MUSICAL VIRUS,
WE ARE NUMBER TWO IN THE WORLD PROGRAMMING COMPOSERS OF COLOR AND WOMEN COMPOSERS.
AND WE HAVE PERFORMED IN 82 VENUES IN PERSON LIVE.
SO LIVE STREAMING TO THE WORLD.
SO WE JUST FEEL LIKE HOUSTON IS THE PLACE THAT WE COULD HAVE FORMED THIS AND REALLY THRIVED.
BUT JUST NOTICE THOSE QR CODES, THOSE ARE OURS.
AND IT'S REALLY EXCITING TO BE ABLE TO PARTNER ANYWHERE AND EVERYWHERE.
AND I'M PRETTY SURE WE'RE IN EVERY SINGLE DISTRICT.
UNFORTUNATELY, UM, IT'S A LOT OF TIME TO PERUSE THE ART IN THE, IN THE AIRPORT RIGHT ABOUT NOW, RIGHT?
I WANNA JUST GIVE SOME KEY TAKEAWAYS.
ALL 873 CIVIC ARTWORKS ARE PUBLICLY SEARCHABLE, MAPPED, UNDOCUMENTED.
ANY RESIDENT OR OFFICIAL CAN ACCESS INFORMATION ABOUT THE CIVIC ART COLLECTION.
MULTIPLE WAYS TO EXPLORE, FIND ARTWORK BY DEPARTMENT, BY ARTIST'S NAME, BY LOCATION ON THE MAP ARE BY SEARCHING ANY KEYWORD FLEXIBLE FOR ANY USER, USER FRIENDLY.
AND THEN, UH, FINALLY, A LIVING, GROWING DATABASE.
THE WEBSITE SYNC SYNCS WITH THE COLLECTION DATABASE NIGHTLY, SO IT IS UP TO DATE AS NEW ARTWORKS ARE ADDED TO THE GROWING CIVIC ART COLLECTION.
AND CERTAINLY IF YOU GET THE OPPORTUNITY, PLEASE SCAN THE QR CODE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.
SO IF THERE IS NO FURTHER BUSINESS BEFORE THIS COMMITTEE, THIS MEETING OF THE ARTS AND CULTURE COMMITTEE IS NOW ADJOURNED AT 2:42 PM THANK YOU AND HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY.