[Arts & Culture Committee on April 8, 2026.]
[00:00:13]
I DON'T HAVE A GAVEL, SO I'LL JUST DO THE BEST THAT I CAN.
UH, I AM COUNCIL MEMBER CAROLYN EVANS SHABA, THE CHAIR OF THE ARTS AND CULTURE COMMITTEE, AND GOOD AFTERNOON.
AND IT'S NOW 2:05 PM AND I HEREBY CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER.
UH, WE ARE MEETING IN THE CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBER 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.
PRESENTATION MATERIALS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE.
I WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE MY COLLEAGUES WHO SERVE ON THE COMMITTEE, AND I'D FIRST LIKE TO RECOGNIZE VICE CHAIR COUNCIL MEMBER MARIO CASTILLO.
AND THEN I HAVE, UM, ALSO COUNCIL MEMBER JULIA RAMIREZ.
AND THEN I HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCORN.
AND THEN WE HAVE VICE MAYOR PRO TEM AMY PECK HERE.
SO, AND I ALSO WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE HAVE REPRESENTATION FROM, UM, MAYOR PRO TEM, UH, CASTEX TATUM FROM, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ALEJANDRA SALINA, SOUTH STAR CHILD TODAY.
HELLO, COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ.
DOWN HERE FROM COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS.
AND THEN, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER MARY NAN HUFFMAN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY.
UH, AND THIS TIME WE WILL MOVE TO OPENING REMARKS, AND I WILL OFFER BRIEF REMARKS AND THEN RECOGNIZE AND, AND WELL, ACTUALLY, I, I'VE ALREADY REMARKED I'M GONNA SEND IT TO MY CAP, MY VICE CHAIR, UH, CASTILLO.
UH, IF, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE SOME COMMENTS.
I FELT LIKE WE JUST HAD A MEETING, BUT NOT TOO LONG AGO.
BUT I UNDERSTAND WHAT THE SCHEDULE, UH, WHY WE'RE HERE.
THERE'S A NUMBER OF, OF GREAT PRESENTATIONS AND UPDATES THAT I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING.
SO, UH, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, I'LL END MY REMARKS SO WE CAN GET TO THE, THE BUSINESS OF THE MEETING.
AND BEFORE WE MOVE TO THE, UH, FIRST ITEM, I WANNA TAKE A MOMENT TO RECOGNIZE AN IMPORTANT LEADER IN HOUSTON'S CULTURAL COMMUNITY LANDSCAPE.
AND I'D LIKE TO ASK CORY WILSON, WHO NOW SERVES AS PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE EMANCIPATION PARK CONSERVANCY.
HE STEPPED INTO HIS ROLE AT A PIVOTAL TIME FOR ONE OF OUR CITY'S MOST HISTORIC AND CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT SPACES.
UH, WITH MORE THAN A DECADE OF LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE IN PARKS AND RECREATION, INCLUDING OVERSEEING LARGE SCALE OPERATIONS, BUDGETS, AND NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED SYSTEMS, HE BRINGS BOTH OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE AND STRATEGIC VISION TO THIS POSITION.
UNDER HIS LEADERSHIP IN BATAN ROU, Y'ALL GOT THAT HIS SYSTEM WAS RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF THE BEST IN THE COUNTRY, AND NOW THAT SAME LEVEL OF EXCELLENCE IS BEING BROUGHT HERE TO HOUSTON.
WHAT MAKES THIS ESPECIALLY MEANINGFUL IS HIS UNDERSTANDING OF THE DEEPER PURPOSE OF EMANCIPATION PARK, NOT JUST AS A PARK, BUT AS A HISTORIC AND CULTURAL ANCHOR FOR THE THIRD WARD AND FOR OUR CITY AS A WHOLE.
AND AS WE LOOK AHEAD TO THE JUNETEENTH, YOU KNOW, WE ARE GONNA BE THERE SHAKING THE TAIL FEATHER ON, UH, JUNETEENTH 2026 AND THE CONTINUED ENHANCEMENTS OF EMANCIPATION PARK, WHICH IS SO EXCITING IN INCLUDING EXPANDED PROGRAMMING AND A STRENGTHENED CULTURAL PRESENCE.
HIS LEADERSHIP WILL PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE IN ENSURING THAT THIS SPACE CONTINUES TO EDUCATE, EMPOWER, AND INSPIRE.
AND WE ARE SO VERY PROUD TO HAVE YOU IN HOUSTON, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE IMPACT OF YOUR WORK.
IF YOU WANTED TO SAY A FEW WORDS, YOU CERTAINLY CAN.
I'VE SAID ENOUGH ABOUT YOU, SO WE CAN HEAR FROM YOU.
I APPRECIATE, UH, THE WARM WELCOME AS WELL AS I WANT TO RECOGNIZE THE OTHER COMMITTEE MEMBERS AS WELL.
WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND SERVICE, AND SO WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENING AT EMANCIPATION PARK.
WE HAVE SOME GREAT, UM, RENOVATION AND NEW CONSTRUCTION THAT'S HAPPENING AT THE PARK AS WE SPEAK RIGHT IN TIME FOR JUNETEENTH.
AND JUST WANTED TO SHARE, UH, WE'RE EXCITED TO HAVE OUR, OUR HONORABLE MAYOR, JOHN WHITMAN AS, AS THE, UM, HONORARY CHAIR OF, OF THE JUNETEENTH, UM, CONCERT THIS YEAR.
AND SO IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE HAVE A LOT OF EXCITING THINGS HAPPENING AT THE PARK ON, ON JUNE 6TH.
UM, AND, AND WE'LL SHARE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THAT AT AT THE NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING.
BUT REALLY EXCITED TO BE HERE AND LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH EVERYONE.
[00:05:01]
UH, AT EMANCIPATION PARK, ONE OF THE MANY JEWELS HERE IN, IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.SO LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH EVERYONE.
AND, UH, I'LL HAVE A, A MORE INFORMATIVE PRESENTATION NEXT MONTH.
WE DO HAVE A RIBBON CUTTING ON EMANCIPATION, UH, BOULEVARD TOMORROW AT NINE 30.
SO YOU MAY WANT TO WALK DOWN THE STREET JUST A LITTLE.
ARTS AND CULTURE CONTINUED TO PLAY A VITAL ROLE IN HOUSTON'S ECONOMIC GROWTH, NEIGHBORHOOD IDENTITY, AND QUALITY OF LIFE.
AND THIS COMMITTEE REMAINS COMMITTED TO ENSURING THAT OUR INVESTMENTS ARE EQUITABLE, TRANSPARENT, AND RESPONSIVE TO THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE.
OUR FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA THAT WE ARE GOING TO, UM, ADDRESS.
WE HAVE THE MINI MURAL PROGRAM, ILIA
PUBLIC ART AT THE NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN COMMUNITY IDENTITY BEAUTIFICATION AND LOCAL ENGAGEMENT.
AND I'M CERTAINLY RECOGNIZING YOU.
UH, AND PLEASE GIVE US YOUR PRESENTATION.
I THINK CHAIRWOMAN, WE APPRECIATE YOU FOR HAVING US UP HERE.
I'M NOAH KEYLESS, UM, ELIA'S HUSBAND AND PARTNER.
UM, THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR BEING HERE.
YOU GUYS EXCITED? UH, WELL THANK YOU, UM, TO THE ARTS AND CULTURE, UM, COUNCIL AND, UM, MICHELLE FROM THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF THE ARTS FOR HAVING US TODAY.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE ARE THE CO-FOUNDERS AND PRINCIPLES OF UP ART STUDIO.
UH, UP ART STUDIO IS A HOUSTON BASED, LATINO OWNED, CIVIC ART AND CREATIVE PLACEMAKING FIRM.
UM, NOAH AND I FOUNDED THE STUDIO NEARLY 15 YEARS AGO TO HELP CONNECT ARTISTS WITH PAID OPPORTUNITIES IN THE PUBLIC REALM, AND TO USE PUBLIC ART AS A TOOL TO BEAUTIFY AND STRENGTHEN COMMUNITIES.
OVER THE YEARS, WE'VE PRODUCED AND FACILITATED MORE THAN A THOUSAND PUBLIC ARTWORKS ACROSS HOUSTON, INCLUDING THE MINI MURALS PROGRAM, OUR BIG WALLS, BIG DREAMS, MURAL FESTIVAL, AND THE HOUSTON MURAL MAP.
WE ALSO MANAGE PUBLIC ART PROGRAMS FOR MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS, TURS, UH, OTHER MUNICIPALITIES AND PRIVATE CLIENTS.
AND TODAY WE'RE HERE TO TALK ABOUT MINI MURALS, UH, THE PROGRAM THAT WE ARE MOST KNOWN FOR.
AND, UH, ONE OF THE MOST RELEVANT TO THIS COUNCIL.
SO, WHAT IS MINI MURALS? SINCE 2015, MINI MURALS HAS BEEN TRANSFORMING THE GRAY TRAFFIC SIGNAL CONTROL CABINETS YOU SEE AT INTERSECTIONS ALL OVER HOUSTON, INTO HAND PAINTED WORKS OF PUBLIC ART.
UH, THIS PRO, THIS IS A PROJECT, UM, THAT WE CREATED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS.
AND AT THE TIME, UM, IT WAS THE MOCA OFFICE.
WE COMMISSIONED LOCAL ARTISTS TO DESIGN AND PAINT ORIGINAL MURALS DIRECTLY ON THESE UTILITY CABINETS.
TURNING SOMETHING MOST PEOPLE WALK RIGHT PAST INTO NEIGHBORHOOD LA INTO NEIGHBORHOOD LANDMARK.
THE PROGRAM HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED AS A MODEL FOR CREATIVE PLACEMAKING AND PRIVATE PUBLIC, PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP.
UM, AND IN APRIL, 2025, WE WERE FEATURED NATIONALLY ON THE TODAY SHOW.
AND THE PROJECT HAS BEEN COVERED HUNDREDS OF TIMES BY MEDIA OUTLETS, INCLUDING ALL OF THE NEWS, THE NEWS STATIONS, HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA, HOUSTONIAN MAGAZINE, AND OTHERS.
TODAY, WE'VE COMPLETED MORE THAN TWO, I'M SORRY, MORE THAN 475 CABINETS ACROSS 55 NEIGHBORHOODS.
UM, AND AT LEAST ONE IN EVERY COUNCIL DISTRICT.
SO, UH, THIS PROBABLY DOESN'T READ VERY WELL, UH, SO I'LL JUST GIVE YOU A QUICK, UH, HISTORY.
UH, WE LAUNCHED IN 2015 WITH 31 CABINETS IN DISTRICT K, SPONSORED BY THE LATE COUNCIL MEMBER LARRY GREEN.
WE HAD SUPPORT FROM PUBLIC WORKS, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS, FRESH ARTS, AND THE EAST END FOUNDATION.
UH, WE ALSO BEGAN WORKING WITH THE MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS, HERS AND CIVIC ASSOCIATIONS ACROSS THE REGION.
UM, THE MORE, MORE COUNCIL MEMBERS AND MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS CAME ON BOARD.
AND WITHIN TWO YEARS, WE HAD PAINTED 145 CABINETS.
BY 2017 THROUGH 2020, THE PROGRAM HAD SCALED CITYWIDE REACHING EVERY COUNCIL DISTRICT.
WE SECURED OUR FIRST PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
DURING THAT PERIOD, UM, FROM 2021 THROUGH 2024, THE PROGRAM EXPANDED TO AUSTIN, AND WE SIGNED OUR SECOND, UM, CITY OF HOUSTON CONTRACT.
UM, AND IN 2025, WE CELEBRATED, UM, THE, OUR 10TH ANNIVERSARY, UM, WHICH IS WHEN THE TODAY SHOW CAME CALLING.
UM, SO HOW IT WORKS AT A HIGH LEVEL, HERE'S HOW, UH, IT WORKS.
FIRST, A SPONSOR IDENTIFIES, UM, AND FUNDS A CABINET.
UH, THAT SPONSOR CAN BE A C CITY ENTITY, A MANAGEMENT DISTRICT, CIVIC ASSOCIATION, NONPROFIT.
IT CAN EVEN BE AN INDIVIDUAL PERSON.
UM, SECOND, WE MATCH AN ARTIST FROM OUR VETTED ROSTER TO THE PROJECT.
UH, THIRD, WE DO COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, SOMETIMES THROUGH MEETINGS, SOMETIMES THROUGH A THEME SPONSOR PROVIDES.
AND HONESTLY, THE BEST MURALS ARE THE ONES WHERE THE ARTIST IS GIVEN CREATIVE FREEDOM, UM, WITH THAT DIRECTION.
AND FOURTH, THE ARTIST CREATES A RENDERING FOR APPROVAL, AND THEN HAND PAINTS THE CABINET ON SITE.
THAT TYPICALLY TAKES ONE TO THREE DAYS.
NEXT SLIDE IS ABOUT THE PROCESS.
SO FOR THOSE WHO WANT A LITTLE MORE DETAIL, UM, HERE'S THE FULL PROCESS START TO FINISH.
[00:10:01]
THE SPONSORSHIP AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE SPONSOR AND UP ART STUDIO.FOR CITY SPONSORED CABINETS, WE WORK, UH, WE WORK THROUGH THE CDSF PROCESS OR COUNCIL DISTRICT SERVICE FUND PROCESS.
UM, WE THEN COORDINATE LOCAL APPROVAL WITH HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS, THE LOCATION APPROVAL WITH HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS.
UM, AND THEN NEXT COMES THE ARTIST AND ARTWORK SELECTION.
AND THERE ARE THREE WAYS TO GO ABOUT THAT.
YOU CAN BROWSE OUR ONLINE PORTFOLIO@MINIMURALS.ORG SLASH PORTFOLIO AND SELECT AN EXISTING DESIGN.
OR YOU CAN SELECT A SPECIFIC ARTIST FROM THE ROSTER TO COMMISSION A, A WORK, OR YOU CAN GIVE US A THEME AND WE'LL DO A CALL FOR RENDERINGS FROM OUR ARTIST POOL.
IF THE PROJECT CALLS FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, WE CAN DO, UH, THAT THROUGH AN IN-PERSON OR ONLINE MEETING, A COMMUNITY SURVEY, OR A THEME PROVIDED BY THE SPONSOR.
ONCE THE RENDERING IS APPROVED BY THE SPONSOR, IT THEN GOES TO THE CITY FOR THE OFFICE OF, UH, OF THE ARTS.
AND, UM, HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS HANDLE THE ARTWORK APPROVAL.
REALLY, IT'S OFFICE OF THE ARTS, HANDLES THE ARTWORK APPROVAL.
PUBLIC WORKS IS LOOKING FOR EDIT TO MAKE SURE IT DOESN'T VIOLATE ANY SIGNAGE ORDINANCE.
AND THEN WE HANDLE EVERYTHING FROM THERE.
WE CLEAN AND PRIME THE CABINET, COORDINATE THE PAINTING, APPLY IT, ANTI GRAFFITI, CLEAR COAT, DO A QUALITY INSPECTION, PHOTOGRAPHY, AND THEN A FINAL CLOSEOUT REPORT.
A QUICK WORD ON COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SINCE, UM, I KNOW THAT MATTERS, UH, TO THIS GROUP.
UM, AND TO REALLY TO EVERYONE, UM, IN PUBLIC ART, UM, ENGAGEMENT CAN TAKE MANY FORMS. FOR SOME PROJECTS WE HOLD IN-PERSON OR ONLINE MEETINGS WITH NEIGHBORHOOD STAKEHOLDERS.
FOR OTHERS, THE SPONSOR OR COMMUNITY GIVES US A THEME TO WORK WITH.
UM, AND THEN WE'VE ALSO DONE ONLINE SURVEYS, OR IN-PERSON SURVEYS TOO.
UM, AND IN MANY CASES, THE ARTIST IS GIVEN BROAD CREATIVE FREEDOM, AND THOSE TEND TO BE THE STRONGEST MURALS.
WHEN AN ARTIST CAN INTERPRET A NEIGHBORHOOD'S IDENTITY THROUGH THEIR OWN LENS, THE RESULT IS SOMETHING THAT REALLY RESONATES.
YES, WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THAT.
WE LIKE TO DO THE PROJECT WITH THE COMMUNITY, NOT FOR THE COMMUNITY.
SO, NEXT SLIDE, UM, IS A SNAPSHOT OF OUR IMPACT.
OVER THE PAST, UH, 10 PLUS YEARS, 475, UM, MORE THAN 475 CABINETS PAINTED 116 ARTISTS HAVE PARTICIPATED.
UM, 55 PLUS NEIGHBORHOODS REACHED EVERY ONE OF THE 11.
COUNCIL DISTRICT HAS AT LEAST ONE.
AND I WANNA HIGHLIGHT, UM, THE FUNDING PICTURE HERE.
OVER THE LIFE OF THE PROGRAM, ROUGHLY 41% OF MINI MURALS HAVE BEEN FUNDED BY THE CITY THROUGH, UM, COUNCIL OFFICES, UM, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF COMPLETE COMMUNITIES AND GRANTS.
THE OTHER 59% HAS BEEN FUNDED BY NON-CITY SPONSORS.
SO THAT'S LIKE THE MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS.
HERS IS CIVIC ASSOCIATIONS AND OTHERS, UM, THAT A PUBLIC AND PRIVATE MIX IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MAKES THE PROGRAM WORK.
SO, WHERE WE ARE, UM, THIS MAP SHOWS EVERY MINI MURAL ACROSS HOUSTON.
THIS IS ACTUALLY THROUGH MID 2025, UM, BOTH CITY FUNDED AND NON-CITY FUNDED, COMPLETED, AND IN PROGRESS.
AS YOU CAN SEE, THE PROGRAM REACHES EVERY PART OF THE CITY.
DISTRICT K HAS THE MOST AT 87.
AND THAT GOES BACK TO COUNCIL MEMBER GREEN'S, UH, EARLY SUPPORT AND CONTINUED SUPPORT FROM MAYOR PRO.
FROM MAYOR, SORRY, SAY MAYOR PRO TEM.
I'M USED TO SAYING VICE MAYOR
EVERY DISTRICT HAS BEEN TOUCHED BY THE PROGRAM, AND WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING TO EXPAND INTO AREAS THAT ARE UNDERSERVED.
THE NEXT SLIDE IS ABOUT OUR ARTISTS.
UM, THE ARTISTS ARE THE HEART OF THE PROGRAM.
116 HAVE PAINTED MANY MURALS OVER THE PAST DECADE.
UM, AND AS I'VE MENTIONED ALREADY, THE CURRENT ROSTER HAS 55.
IT'S A DIVERSE GROUP OF HOUSTON BASED CREATIVES WORKING ACROSS STYLES FROM PHOTOREALISM TO ABSTRACT TO FOLK ART.
UH, WE BRING ARTISTS IN THROUGH AN OPEN CALL PROCESS AND VET FOR QUALITY AND PROFESSIONALISM.
MANY OF OUR ARTISTS HAVE GONE ON TO LARGER SCALE PUBLIC ART COMMISSIONS, EVEN THINGS LIKE SCULPTURES.
UM, AND IT'S BEEN A, UH, MANY MURALS HAS BEEN A LAUNCHING PAD FOR THEIR CAREERS.
IN FACT, THERE'S AN OPEN CALL RIGHT NOW THAT'S HAPPENING.
SO IF YOU KNOW ANY ARTIST OR ANYONE WHO'S INTERESTED,
UM, SO IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN BRINGING MINI MURALS TO YOUR DISTRICT, UM, HERE'S WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.
UM, YOU CAN IDENTIFY INTERSECTIONS IN YOUR DISTRICT THAT HAVE TRACK TRAFFIC, SIGNAL CONTROL CABINETS, BASICALLY ANYWHERE THAT THERE'S A TRAFFIC LIGHT, THERE'S GOING TO BE A CABINET.
UM, REACH OUT TO, UH, MICHELLE AT MO AT, UM, AT THE OFFICE OF THE ARTS.
AND, UH, AND THEN WE'LL DISCUSS SCOPE AND TIMELINE.
UM, YOU CAN CHOOSE HOW THE ARTWORK GETS COMMISSIONED.
YOU CAN EITHER PICK AN EXISTING DESIGN, SELECT A SPECIFIC ARTIST, OR GIVE US A THEME.
LOCATION APPROVAL THROUGH PUBLIC WORKS, ARTIST COORDINATION, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, ARTWORK APPROVAL, PAINTING, CLEAR COAT AND CLOSEOUT.
I'D ENCOURAGE YOU TO EXPLORE OUR PORTFOLIO@MINIMURALS.ORG SLASH PORTFOLIO.
YOU CAN SEE THE RANGE OF STYLES AND DESIGNS OUR ARTISTS HAVE CREATED.
AND FINALLY, UM, THAT'S THE PROGRAM.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TODAY.
I AM HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
[00:15:01]
THANK YOU.UH, THE CHAIR RECOGNIZES, COUNCIL MEMBER ALCO.
I WAS ACTUALLY HERE AT CITY HALL AS A STAFFER WHEN THIS FIRST CAME UP.
WHEN LARRY GREEN FIRST DID THAT, SUGGESTED THAT.
AND IT'S JUST BEEN SO GREAT TO SEE HOW IT'S GROWN ACROSS THE CITY.
SOME ARE, SOME ARE CITY FUNDED AND SOME ARE PRIVATELY FUNDED.
49% OF THE BOXES THAT ARE 40, 41%, 41% OF THE BOXES.
CITY FUNDED, CITY FUNDED, 41% CITY FUNDED.
AND I KNOW THEY RUN THE GAMUT DEPENDING ON THE ARTIST, I'M SURE.
BUT IS THERE KIND OF AN AVERAGE COST? DID YOU SAY THAT THE, THE AVERAGE COST IS 34 50 TO 39 50.
AND THE DIFFERENCE IS, UM, WHETHER YOU WANT US TO DO COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT OR NOT, AND OR THE DEPTH OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
'CAUSE WE WILL GO FAR WITH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT YEAH.
AND DID, DID Y'ALL JUST DREAM THIS UP IN YOUR HEAD? HOW DID THE THE IDEA START? OKAY.
SO THE, THE TRUTH IS, UM, WE'RE NOT THE FIRST CITY IN, IN, IN THE REPUBLIC TO DO IT, BUT WE'RE THE FIRST CITY TO DO IT IN THE PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR, WITH OUR, WITH OUR CITY, THE WAY WE HAVE IT.
YOU KNOW, WE SAID THEY'RE DOING EVERYWHERE ELSE.
I HAVE SEEN 'EM IN OTHER CITIES, SO, SO IT WASN'T MM-HMM
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO OUR CITY.
WE ARE, WE'RE A WE ARE A NOT, WE'RE A FLAT LAND, AND EVERYTHING WE SEE IS AT STREET LEVEL, OUR EYES.
AND WE TRY TO UNCLUTTER WITH SIGNAGE AND WHATNOT.
SO WHEN, WHEN OUR EYES GO TO SOMETHING, UM, A BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF ART ON A, YOU KNOW, BORING PUBLIC WORKS, YOU KNOW, BOX.
UH, THE CHAIR RECOGNIZES, UH, VICE CHAIR CASTILLO.
THANK YOU BOTH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
ELIA, I ALSO WANT TO, UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE ON THE NEAR NORTH SIDE TOURS BOARD AS WELL.
UM, YOU KNOW, THIS IS SOMETHING I THINK REALLY THAT TAKES WHAT'S WOULD JUST BE, YOU KNOW, TRAFFIC SIGNAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND TURNS IT INTO A VERY NEIGHBORHOOD CENTRIC PIECE OF ART.
AND IT CAN BE TAILORED TO A SMALL COMMUNITY, AN INDIVIDUAL THAT WAS IMPORTANT TO THE COMMUNITY.
YOU NAME IT, YOU SEE 'EM ALL OVER THE CITY.
ARE THESE MURALS, UM, PART OF THE CITY CIVIC ART CATALOG? TECHNICALLY THEY'RE NOT, BECAUSE THEY ARE CONSIDERED TEMPORARY ARTWORKS.
AND THEY, THEY DON'T FALL UNDER THE TRADITIONAL TEMPORARY OF THE NINE MONTHS RULE AND ALL OF THAT.
UM, THEY HAVE THEIR OWN SET OF RULES, I GUESS.
UM, I'M NOT REALLY SURE WHY, BUT, UM, IT, THEY ARE CONSIDERED TEMPORARY PIECES OF WORK.
THAT WAS, UM, ONE THING I WAS WONDERING.
AND THEN YOU MENTIONED SOME OF THE OTHER PROJECTS Y'ALL ARE INVOLVED IN.
UM, THE MURAL, WHAT WAS IT? MURAL EFFECT? BIG, BIG WALLS, BIG DREAMS, BIG WALLS, FESTIVAL, BIG DREAMS. MM-HMM
UM, ARE THOSE SEPARATE FROM THE CITY OF HOUSTON? THOSE ARE JUST THINGS Y'ALL DO AS UP ART, NOT A PART OF, OF THIS.
UM, BIG WALLS, BIG DREAMS IS ONE OF THE LONGEST CONTINUOUS MURAL FESTIVALS IN THE UNITED STATES.
UM, THAT'S COMPLETELY SEPARATE.
IT'S A PASSION PROJECT OF THE STUDIO.
UH, MINI MURALS IS A DEDICATED PROJECT FOR THE CITY WITH CITY ARTISTS.
IT'S JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS.
ALTHOUGH I WILL SAY THAT BIG WALL'S, BIG DREAMS, MINI MURALS AND THE HOUSTON MURAL MAP ARE ALL ALSO PART, UH, FUNDED IN PART BY THE HOUSTON ARTS ALLIANCE AND THE CITY OF HOUSTON GRANTS.
SO WE, WE RECEIVE A SUPPORT FOR, UH, SUPPORT FOR ORGANIZATIONS GRANT.
AND THAT GRANT IS WHAT, UM, IN PART COVERS, UH, SOME OF THOSE COSTS.
I'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE THE REPRESENTATIVE FROM A COUNCIL MEMBER, TIFFANY D. THOMAS.
AND THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, THERE'S NO DOUBT THAT, YOU KNOW, DRIVING AROUND THE CITY AND WALKING AROUND THE CITY, SEEING THESE LITTLE POCKETS OF, UM, ARTWORK DON'T ART.
YOU KNOW, THEY CERTAINLY SPARK JOY AND BRING, YOU KNOW, LIFE TO, TO SOMETHING THAT, TO, UM, VICE CHAIR CASTILLO'S POINT, YOU KNOW, WOULD OTHERWISE JUST BE A PIECE OF ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT.
UM, I DO WANT TO ADDRESS ON BEHALF OF COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS, OUR OFFICE'S EXPERIENCE, UM, WORKING ON THE MINI MURAL PROJECT.
UM, WE CURRENTLY HAVE TWO PROJECTS SCHEDULED, AND OUR EXPERIENCE WITH THE FIRST HAS BEEN, FRANKLY, LESS THAN SATISFACTORY.
UM, THIS PROJECT HAS EXPERIENCED IN AN EXTENDED TIMELINE, REPEATED DELAYS AND INCONSISTENT COMMUNICATION.
UM, AT THIS STAGE, THE OUTCOME DOES NOT REFLECT THE LEVEL OF CARE COORDINATION OR EXECUTION THAT WAS EXPECTED.
UH, THIS EFFORT WAS INTENDED TO REFLECT AND HONOR A HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT, UH, COMMUNITY OF PINEY POINT, WHICH IS A FORMER FREEDMAN'S TOWN IN DISTRICT F.
UM, AND THAT REQUIRES A LEVEL OF DILIGENCE, INTENTIONALITY, AND FOLLOW THROUGH THAT MATCHES THE IMPORTANCE OF THE WORK.
UM, THAT STANDARD, IN OUR VIEW, HAS NOT BEEN MET MM-HMM
UM, WITH, UH, WHEN PROJECTS ARE DELIVERED ON BEHALF OF THE CITY TO
[00:20:01]
HISTORICALLY OVERLOOKED COMMUNITIES.THERE'S AN EXPECTATION OF QUALITY, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND RESPECT.
UM, OUR OFFICE HAS BEEN IN CONVERSATION WITH PROCUREMENT ABOUT THIS, AND, UM, WE'LL BE FOLLOWING UP WITH DIRECTOR LEO, UM, DIRECTLY AS WELL.
AND I, AND I, YOU KNOW, APOLOGIZED FOR THAT EXPERIENCE.
UM, THERE WERE SEVERAL FACTORS, UM, THAT PLAYED INTO THAT EXPERIENCE.
UM, PARTIALLY, UM, DRIVEN BY, YOU KNOW, THE COMMUNITY.
WELL, WE MET, WE MET WITH THE COMMUNITY MULTIPLE TIMES.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE DID A, WE MET WITH THEM IN PERSON.
THE ARTISTS DID SOME, YOU KNOW, SOME RENDERINGS, UM, THAT I BELIEVE IT WAS FOUR HOURS.
WELL, AND, AND THEN THEY WENT TO THE COUNCIL MEMBER'S OFFICE, AND IT TOOK US IN A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT DIRECTION.
AND WE KIND OF STARTED GOING MORE IN A HISTORICAL, UH, DIRECTION.
AND THEN WHEN WE TOOK THAT BACK TO THE COMMUNITY, THE COMMUNITY SAID, THAT'S NOT WHAT WE WANT
AND SO, YOU KNOW, IT WAS KIND OF LIKE A SERIES OF THINGS.
UM, I THINK THAT, UM, AS I SAID IN THE PRESENTATION, SOME OF THE BEST BOXES COME WHEN THERE'S LESS DICTATION OF, YOU KNOW, EVERY SINGLE LITTLE ELEMENT IN THE BOX.
THAT'S WHEN IT GETS A LITTLE, UH, COMPLICATED AND LESS OF A, AN ARTIST'S VISION AS OPPOSED TO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE JUST PUTTING THINGS ON A BOX.
UM, AND WITH RESPECT TO THE COUNCIL MEMBERS, COMMUNITY MEMBERS, UM, THEY HAD A LOT OF INPUT, AND WE WANTED TO, WE WANTED TO ACHIEVE WHAT THEY WOULD, SORRY ABOUT THAT.
THEY HAD A LOT OF, THEY HAD A LOT OF INPUT ON THE BOX.
THERE'S, THERE'S ONLY SO MUCH REAL ESTATE ON THIS ON THE SURFACE, SO WE COULD ONLY GET SO MUCH.
AND WITH THE, WITH THE DIFFERENT RENDERINGS, AND THEN WITH THE INPUT FROM THE COUNSELOR'S OFFICE, AND THEN WE WENT BACK TO THE COMMUNITY TO BE REPETITIVE, THEN THEY SWITCHED IT AROUND.
AND SO THIS IS WHY WE'RE AT THE DELAY, AND THERE WAS THE RECENT EMAIL THAT CAME THROUGH.
WE RESPONDED AND WE GAVE, UM, A RESPONSE.
AND WE'RE STILL WAITING BACK FROM TO HEAR BACK FROM THE COUNCIL MEMBER'S OFFICE TO HEAR WHAT THE ACTUAL ISSUES ARE SO THAT WE CAN RECTIFY THEM.
ABS AND ABSOLUTELY, WE, UH, YOU KNOW, HAVE SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENTED 478 OF THESE, UM, IN, IN, IN MANY DISADVANTAGED NEIGHBORHOODS, MANY REDLINE COMMUNITIES, MANY, MANY OVERLOOKED COMMUNITIES.
UM, YOU KNOW, AND THIS IS HONESTLY HAS NEVER HAPPENED AT THIS SCALE.
UM, AND IT'S NOT THE STANDARD OF OUR PROGRAM.
AND WE DO WANNA CONTINUE TO WORK WITH YOUR OFFICE SO THAT WE CAN, UM, YOU KNOW, AS I SAID IN THE EMAIL, IT'S NOT COMPLETED YET.
UM, AND THAT WE HOPE THAT WHEN THE ARTIST DOES COMPLETE IT, AND WE GET ALL OF THE FEEDBACK THAT, UM, IT WILL BE A BOX AT THE PINE POINT NEIGHBORHOOD WILL BE PROUD OF.
OUR GOAL, OUR GOAL TO CORRECT IT AND MAKE IT MAKE IT UP.
I'M HAPPY TO, TO JUST TOUCH ON THAT BRIEFLY, UM, AGAIN, YOU MENTIONED IN YOUR PRESENTATION A ONE TO, UH, ONE TO THREE DAY COMPLETION TIME WE'RE COMING UP ON A WEEK.
UM, AND THERE WAS SOME EDITORIALIZING THAT HAPPENED, UM, INCLUSION OF STREET NAMES THAT ARE NOT EVEN IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
I BELIEVE WHOEVER MADE THE DECISION TO CHANGE THE STREET NAMES OF, AGAIN, A HISTORIC FRIEDMANS TOWN THAT HAS UNDERGONE GENTRIFICATION AND ALL SORTS OF COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT OVER THE YEARS, AND PROVIDING THIS ART BOX IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD WAS JUST ANOTHER GESTURE FROM COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS TO LET THEM KNOW THAT SHE'S THINKING OF THEM.
AND SO FOR THEIR EXPERIENCE TO BE WHAT IT HAS BEEN.
AND FOR OUR EXPERIENCE WITH COMMUNICATION, UM, ONGOING FOR THE PAST MONTHS, I MEAN, THIS WAS BUDGETED FOR IN FISCAL YEAR 2024.
WE ARE NOW IN FISCAL YEAR 2026, AND IT'S STILL THE FIRST OF TWO ARE STILL NOT COMPLETED.
UM, INCLUSION OF STREET NAMES THAT ARE IN PINEY POINT VILLAGE, WHICH IS IN DISTRICT G, WHICH IS NOT PINEY POINT.
AND I, AND I DID ADDRESS THAT WITH THE PERSON WHO DID THAT.
AND SO JUST THE ONGOING SORT OF BACK AND FORTH, UM, LIMITED UPDATES ON TIMELINE COMPLETION AND REFLECTING, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE COMMUNITY FEEDBACK WAS.
I BELIEVE THE ORIGINAL, WHAT RENDERING WAS PINE CONES AND BUTTERFLIES.
I MEAN, AGAIN, THIS IS, THERE IS A LEVEL OF HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS NEIGHBORHOOD BOTH TO THE RESIDENTS THAT LIVE THERE.
AND TO COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS, WHO CONTINUES TO CHAMPION THEM MM-HMM
AND SO JUST PROVIDING COMMENTS ON OUR OFFICE'S EXPERIENCE, I, IT'S CLEAR THAT THIS IS A SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM, BUT IT HAS NOT MET AGAIN, THE STANDARDS THAT YOU ALL HAVE HELD YOURSELVES TO WITH THE OTHER INSTALLATIONS AROUND THE CITY.
AND WE DO APOLOGIZE, AND WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING TO TRY TO CORRECT THAT.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUE WORKING WITH YOU UNTIL THIS IS DONE.
YOU DELIVER THAT QUITE ELOQUENTLY ON BEHALF OF YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER.
NOT AS EMPHATICALLY AS SHE PROBABLY WOULD'VE, BUT CERTAINLY AS ELOQUENTLY FOR SURE.
BUT CERTAINLY THANK YOU FOR, UH, AND WE AGREE YOUR, YOUR ENGAGEMENT.
WE DO, WE ONLY CAN DO BETTER IF WE LISTEN TO EACH OTHER AND TRY TO MAKE THOSE CHANGES YES.
UH, WE'VE BEEN JOINED BY THE, UH, MAYOR'S OFFICE ARTS, UH, DIRECTOR MICHELLE AL, IF YOU WANT TO COME FORWARD AND, UH, GIVE US YOUR PRESENTATION, WE SURE WOULD APPRECIATE IT.
[00:25:01]
I HAD TO REARRANGE THE ORDER, UM, SO THAT I COULD TAKE A QUICK TIME SENSITIVE CALL, BUT THANK YOU.UM, AND I, I DO WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THE FEEDBACK THAT WE'VE HEARD, UM, YOU KNOW, ON ALL SIDES AROUND THE, THE MINI MURAL PROGRAM AND THE SUCCESS OF THAT.
AND I KNOW THAT I'VE BEEN WORKING AND IN CONVERSATION WITH, UH, DISTRICT F ABOUT SOME SOLUTIONS TO ADDRESS THAT.
AND, AND SO I THINK WE HAVE A PATH FORWARD THAT, THAT EVERYONE WILL BE SATISFIED WITH.
AND, AND SO I APPRECIATE YOU ALL COMING AND SHARING YOUR CONCERNS TODAY.
I DON'T HAVE TOO MANY UPDATES.
I KNOW WE HAVE A COUPLE MORE, UH, GREAT PRESENTATIONS.
AND, UH, ONE OF THOSE IS GOING TO BE SHARING THE CITYWIDE JUNETEENTH FESTIVITIES.
AND SO I'LL LET THEM GO INTO A THIRD WARD, UH, CULTURAL DISTRICT, GO INTO THOSE DETAILS.
BUT THERE WILL BE A LOT HAPPENING AROUND THAT TIME.
AND BECAUSE THE MAY MEETING WILL LIKELY BE CANCELED OF THIS COMMITTEE WILL LIKELY BE CANCELED DUE TO BUDGET WORKSHOPS.
I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, THE THINGS THAT WERE COMING IN THAT EARLY PART OF JUNE THAT WE COULD HIGHLIGHT FOR YOU ALL.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, THE ROTHKO CHAPEL ASKED TO SHARE THAT THEY HAVE NEIGHBORHOOD COMMUNITY DAY ON APRIL 18TH AT 1:00 PM AND THEY'LL HAVE A NUMBER, NUMBER OF COMMUNITY PARTNERS INCLUDING EXPRESS CHILDREN'S THEATER AND THE ISLAMIC ARTS SOCIETY LEADING PROGRAMS SUCH AS FAMILY ART WORKSHOPS, CALLIGRAPHY DEMONSTRATIONS, AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES ACROSS THE CAMPUS.
SO THAT WOULD BE A GREAT ACTIVITY TO JOIN AND, AND BRING THE FAMILY, IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED.
UM, AND THEN THE, OF COURSE, THE ART CAR PARADE IS HAPPENING HERE THIS WEEKEND, AND AT SATURDAY AT 2:00 PM IS THE PARADE, THE MAIN EVENT.
UM, AND THERE ARE LOTS OF OTHER FESTIVITIES AROUND THAT HAPPENING THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND, BUT THAT IS ALSO A GREAT FAMILY FRIENDLY EVENT TO PARTICIPATE IN.
I KNOW THERE HAVE BEEN SOME, UH, QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS HERE AT THE COMMITTEE, UM, THAT AROUND WAYS THAT THE ARTS AND CULTURE COMMUNITY COULD BE BETTER CONNECTED TO WHAT IS HAPPENING AROUND THE WORLD CUP AND THE INFLUX OF VISITORS THAT WE'RE GONNA BE RECEIVING.
AND SO, UM, THERE ARE, AND I CAN SHARE A LINK, UM, THROUGH THE COUNCIL OFFICES, BUT THERE, I THINK ARE SOME, UH, INFORMATIONAL CALLS THAT ARE BEING HELD THIS WEEK AROUND, YOU KNOW, HOW TO ENGAGE WITH, UM, EVERYTHING, PARTICIPATE IN THE FANFARE, BUT ALSO IN KEEPING WITH FIFA'S RULES AND RESTRICTIONS.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF THINGS HAPPENING BOTH IN TERMS OF, UM, ART BEING INTEGRATED INTO FAN FEST.
UM, I KNOW THAT GRACIE CHAVEZ, WHO IS THE FORMER, UH, FOUNDING MUSIC OFFICER FOR THE CITY, UH, IN HER GROUP, WERE CONTRACTED TO DO THEIR OWN HOUSTON SPIN ON THE FIFA THEME SONG.
AND THAT WILL PLAY AT FAN FEST AND ALSO AT THE GAMES.
UM, AND THEN THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OTHER, UM, KIND OF ACTIVATIONS AND INSTALLATIONS AND ACTIVITIES HAPPENING AROUND THE CITY THAT INDEPENDENTLY, BUT IN, IN COMPLEMENT TO THAT, INCLUDING AT MILLER OUTDOOR AND, AND OTHER, UM, YOU KNOW, PUBLIC PROGRAMMING.
AND SO I'M COMPILING THAT, AND WE'LL SHARE THAT WITH YOU ALL VIA EMAIL.
BUT I, I DO WANNA HIGHLIGHT ALL OF THE GREAT THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING, AND WE'RE CONTINUING TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT FURTHER WAYS THAT WE COULD INTEGRATE THE ARTS AND CULTURE COMMUNITY INTO ALL THE FESTIVITIES.
THAT'S ALL I HAVE, UNLESS YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME.
IT'S ONLY BEEN A SHORT TIME
I KNOW IT'S BEEN JUST A COUPLE WEEKS.
BUT I WANNA THANK YOU FOR COMING, UM, FOR, AND FOR GIVING US THAT UPDATE.
I BELIEVE WE HAVE A, A QUESTION FROM THE REPRESENTATIVE FROM COUNCIL MEMBER MARY ANN HUFFMAN'S OFFICE.
UH, AND WELCOME TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
UM, JUST A QUICK QUESTION HERE.
DO, DOES THE CITY OF HOUSTON MAINTAIN A LIST OF PIECES OF ART THAT THE CITY OWNS? THEY DO.
BECAUSE I KNOW COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO ASKED FOR THIS LIST.
UM, WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO SHARE IT WITH, WITH US FOR OUR REVIEW? YES, ABSOLUTELY.
AND, AND I DO WANNA SPEAK A LITTLE BIT TO THAT PROJECT.
I KNOW, UM, YOU ALL WEREN'T AT THE COMMITTEE MEETING THAT JUST HAPPENED A COUPLE WEEKS AGO MM-HMM
AND WE'VE HAD KIND OF A SERIES OF OFF SCHEDULING THINGS, INCLUDING DURING MARCH BECAUSE OF COUNCIL BREAK WEEK.
UM, BUT WE DID ROLL OUT THE CIVIC ART COLLECTION WEBSITE AND MAP, WHICH ACTUALLY LISTS, UM, THE ITEMS IN THE COLLECTION AND WHERE THEY ARE AROUND THE CITY IN A REALLY USER FRIENDLY WAY SO THAT FOLKS CAN GO, YOU KNOW, INDEPENDENTLY AND FIND THEM AND LOOK AT THEM AND ENJOY AND EXPERIENCE THEM.
BUT, UM, WE CAN SHARE ALL OF THAT INFORMATION WITH YOU.
I KNOW THAT THAT WAS LONG DELAYED IN PART DUE TO TRANSITIONS WITH THE FORMER MOCA OFFICE.
AND DOES IT HAVE THE VALUATION, UH, VALUATION OF EACH PIECE OF ART, OR IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU COULD GET TO US OR, BECAUSE I KNOW THEY WERE GOING THROUGH A PROCESS OF, OF, UH, YOU KNOW, VALUING ALL THE PIECES OF ART THAT THE CITY OWNS.
UM, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF THAT, I BELIEVE THERE IS A COMPLETE, UM, APPRAISAL REPORT.
I'LL HAVE TO LOOK INTO THAT AND, AND GET BACK TO YOU, BUT I BELIEVE THAT HAS BEEN COMPLETED.
[00:30:01]
GREAT.RECOGNIZING COUNCIL MEMBER ALCO.
UM, UN UNTITLED ARTS COMING BACK, RIGHT? YES.
WHEN, WHEN IS THAT? IT IS THE, IS THIS THE LAST WEEKEND IN SEPTEMBER? SEPTEMBER.
SO IN THE FALL SEPTEMBER, ARE WE, ARE WE KIND OF GOING AFTER OTHER THINGS LIKE THAT? YOU KNOW, TRYING TO BUILD SOME ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INTO OUR ART SCENE AND WELL, THANK YOU FOR ASKING.
I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT, UM, I WAS JUST VISITING, I THINK I SAID THIS LAST MONTH WITH HOUSTON BALLET.
THEY, UM, BROUGHT A CONVENTION OR BRINGING A CONVENTION TO HOUSTON AS A DANCE COMPETITION.
THERE'S ABOUT 2000 PARTICIPANTS, 8,000 TOTAL ATTENDEES.
IT WILL HAPPEN OVER NINE DAYS.
THE ECONOMIC IMPACT IS, I THINK NEARING 20 MILLION IS WHAT THEY ESTIMATE.
IT'S A COMPETITION THAT IS ANNUAL THAT EXISTED IN NEW YORK FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, UM, AND I THINK HAS BOUNCED AROUND A BIT AND THERE'S A POSSIBILITY THAT HOUSTON COULD EXPERIENCE IT AGAIN, OR IT COULD BE A, A MORE LONG-TERM, UH, PARTNERSHIP, KIND OF A NEW HOME FOR IT.
WHEN, WHEN IS THAT COMING? THAT'S IN, UM, IN THE, I BELIEVE IT'S THE FIRST WEEK OF MAY, SECOND WEEK OF MAY LIKE EIGHTH, AROUND MAY 8TH.
UM, AND SO, UM, THAT'S JUST ONE EXAMPLE, BUT THERE ARE, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE FREQUENT EVENTS AND I THINK UNTITLED CERTAINLY, UH, IN MY CONVERSATIONS WITH THEIR FOUNDERS AND THEIR LEADERSHIP HAS, UM, A GOAL TO SORT OF BUILD THIS INTO A BIGGER ACTIVATION FOR HOUSTON AND IN HOUSTON.
AND I KNOW THERE WERE IN THE INAUGURAL FAIR, UM, LAST YEAR, A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT ACTIVATIONS AROUND THE CITY, UM, AND A LOT OF EXCITEMENT.
AND SO I THINK THAT WILL CONTINUE TO GROW INTO SOMETHING SUBSTANTIAL FOR HOUSTON.
AND I THINK THE FOLKS AT UNTITLED, UM, ARE EXCITED.
THE FOLKS AT HOUSTON FIRST ARE EXCITED ABOUT IT.
SO, UM, WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING TO, UM, BRING MORE ARTS AND CULTURE TOURISM INTO THE REGION.
AND I THINK TO THE QUESTION ABOUT THE CIVIC ART MAP, YOU KNOW, WHEN FOLKS COME, WHETHER IT'S FOR THE BALLET CONFERENCE OR WHAT, OR AN OIL AND GAS CONFERENCE OR ANY OTHER CONFERENCE, THERE'S A REALLY USER FRIENDLY RESOURCE NOW THAT THEY COULD WALK AROUND DOWNTOWN AND SEE WORKS IN THE CITY'S COLLECTION.
AND, AND WE HAVE SUCH A, THAT'S ALL GREAT NEWS.
WE HAVE SUCH A WIDE ARRAY ARRAY OF ART, EVERYTHING, INSTITUTIONS BIG AND SMALL PERFORMING.
I MEAN, IS THERE ANY THOUGHT TO LIKE FOCUSING ON ONE BIG THING TO, TO, TO KIND OF MAKE US KNOWN FOR, I MEAN, WE'RE KNOWN FOR EVERYTHING AND WE KIND OF DON'T WANNA PUT, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANT THE BALLET TO BE MORE THE MUSEUM OR WHATEVER, BUT, BUT YOU KNOW, LIKE TO KIND OF BUILD A NAME FOR OURSELVES IN, IN ONE AREA OR MANY AREAS.
I'M NOT SURE WHAT I'M ASKING, BUT YOU KNOW, I THINK WE ARE KIND OF KNOWN FOR BEING A WORLD CLASS ARTS AND CULTURE, ARTS AND CULTURE DESTINATION.
UM, I THINK MAYBE WE DON'T ALWAYS STEP BACK AS HOUSTONIANS AND RECOGNIZE HOW WE ARE VIEWED EXTERNALLY, BUT I THINK THAT IS PRETTY SIGNIFICANT.
AND I THINK IT DOES RANGE FROM, YOU KNOW, NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL PROGRAMMING AND EVENTS AND ACTIVATIONS ALL THE WAY TO THE MAJOR INSTITUTIONS.
AND THAT'S PART OF WHY THE CITY, UM, SUPPORTS AND ALLOCATES, YOU KNOW, HOT DOLLARS TO THE ARTS AND CULTURE COMMUNITY IN THAT WAY SO THAT IT TOUCHES EVERY FACET OF THE COMMUNITY.
UM, AND I THINK THAT A LOT OF THE INSTITUTIONS THAT WE HAVE IN TOWN AND A LOT OF THE, THE PROGRAMMING, THEY REALLY DO A GREAT JOB OF COLLABORATING WITH EACH OTHER.
AND YOU'LL HEAR IN A MINUTE FROM THE CULTURAL DISTRICTS.
AND THAT I THINK IS ONE WAY THAT, THAT COHESIVELY IS BEING YEAH.
IT KIND BRINGS IT ALL TOGETHER.
WHILE HELEN, I, MY STAFF AND I TODAY AT LUNCH WENT, RAN OVER TO THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS AND SAW THE SAMA EXHIBIT AND SAW THE FRIDA KALA EXHIBIT AND, AND CLIMBED IN THAT ORANGE NET THING,
PUT YOUR POOP PEA SOCKS ON AND CLIMB THROUGH THE ERNESTO NETO TUNNEL.
THAT'S A GREAT, ANOTHER FAMILY FRIENDLY, YOU KNOW, GOOD FOR ALL AGES KIND OF ART EXPERIENCE.
AND YOU CAN DO ALL THAT IN LIKE 70 MINUTES
I DON'T THINK WE HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, SO THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
OKAY, NOW ON THE AGENDA, IT SAYS THE HOUSTON CULTURAL DISTRICT'S UPDATES.
I DON'T KNOW WHO THAT WOULD BE.
WE ARE GONNA CALL YOU JUST A MINUTE, JASON, I WANNA RECOGNIZE, IS DELOITTE PARKER STILL HERE? DID HE LEAVE? OH, GET ON DELOITTE.
UH, DELOITTE PARKER, I CERTAINLY HAVE TO RECOGNIZE HIM.
HE'S THE CO-FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE SHAPE CENTER SINCE 1969.
UM, AND CERTAINLY IF YOU WANTED TO HAVE A WORD, UH, DELOITTE, YOU CERTAINLY CAN.
I'M JUST EXCITED ABOUT HEARING ALL THE CULTURAL FLAVOR.
ALRIGHT, Y'ALL, THAT'S A BIG DEAL
[00:35:01]
THERE FOR DELOITTE PARKER TO SIT DOWN AND LEARN.AND I LOVE HIM REGARDLESS OF WHETHER HE'S FUSSING AT ME OR NOT.
OKAY, WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO JASON OLIVER.
UM, HE'S GONNA GIVE US AN UPDATE OF THE THIRD WARD CULTURAL DISTRICT.
UH, THIS IS GONNA BE EXCITING AND I'M ALWAYS EXCITED TO SEE JASON OLIVER.
I KNOW I'LL SEE HIM A LOT WHEN WE START TALKING ABOUT THE BUDGET BECAUSE HE REALLY STAYS ON TOP OF THINGS AND I'M SO VERY PROUD OF HIM.
AND WE USED TO HAVE A LITTLE BREAKFAST OVER THIS IS IT.
YOU REMEMBER THAT, RIGHT? YOU WERE JUST A BABY THEN.
BUT
SO I'M TAKING, I'M THE MANAGER, THIRD WARD CULTURAL DISTRICT LOCATED IN THE, IN DISTRICT D THE DISTRICT OF DESTINATION.
TODAY, I'LL BE TALKING ABOUT A SMALL BUT IMPORTANT PART OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING IN THE CULTURAL DISTRICT.
THAT IS, UH, WE ARE THE CONVENING ORGANIZATION FOR JUNETEENTH HOUSTON, THE CITYWIDE COLLABORATIVE.
SO WE DO A LOT, BUT THIS IS ONE OF THE, OUR FLAGSHIP EVENTS THAT WE DO IN BRINGING TOGETHER STAKEHOLDERS FROM ACROSS THE CITY.
UM, FOR THIS JUNETEENTH PROGRAMMING.
UH, YOU CAN GO TO THE JUNETEENTH HOUSTON WEBSITE, OF COURSE, AND THEN ALSO THE THIRD WORLD CULTURAL DISTRICT'S WEBSITE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT WHAT WE HAVE GOING ON.
AND ACTUALLY, COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN HAD ASKED A QUESTION ABOUT THIS BRAND FOR HOUSTON'S ARTS AND CULTURE ECOSYSTEM.
UH, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THE CULTURAL DISTRICTS ARE WORKING ON BECAUSE THAT IS, IS A REALLY IMPORTANT CONVERSATION.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU ALL HEARD ALL THE WHISPERING THAT WAS HAPPENING.
WE WERE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT QUESTION BECAUSE THAT IS LITERALLY, WE'VE, WE'VE HIRED A FIRM TO REALLY START WORKING ON AND DEVELOPING THAT RIGHT NOW.
SO, SO HOPEFULLY GIVE US A FEW MONTHS AND WE'LL HAVE SOMETHING FOR YOU.
UH, BUT JUNETEENTH HOUSTON REALLY CAME OUT OF, UM, SEVEN NEIGHBORHOODS COMING TOGETHER BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT, UH, THE ARTS, ARTS AND CULTURE ARE NOT A LUXURY, BUT THEY'RE A NECESSITY FOR STRONG, SAFE, AND VIBRANT COMMUNITIES.
NEXT UP, SO THERE WAS A NEXT SLIDE.
SO, UH, WE WERE ASKING A QUESTION AS JUNETEENTH BECAME A FEDERAL HOLIDAY.
OH, THANK YOU SO MUCH, SO MUCH BETTER FOR MY BAG
SO, AS
SOME GENERAL HISTORY ABOUT, UH, JUNETEENTH FOR ANYONE WHO MIGHT BE WATCHING ONLINE THAT, THAT'S NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE HOLIDAY, OF COURSE, STARTING, UH, IN, IN 1865.
BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT HOUSTON WAS JUST A FLEDGLING CITY WHEN, WHEN JUNETEENTH, UH, FIRST TOOK PLACE, RIGHT? IT WAS, IT WAS NEW, WHICH MEANS THAT JUNETEENTH IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF HOUSTON STORY.
IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR THE, THE STORY OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND THE STATE OF TEXAS EMANCIPATION PARK.
AND I'M GLAD THAT YOU ALL HAD COREY COME UP AND TALK ABOUT THAT AS THE, AS THE NEW CEO OF EMANCIPATION PARK IS REALLY THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION.
SO, UH, REALLY OVER 160 YEARS OF, OF JUNETEENTH CELEBRATIONS HAPPENING AT THAT PARK, RIGHT IN THIRD WARD, RIGHT, RIGHT HERE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
THIS IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT AND I REALLY APPRECIATE DISTRICT DI MEAN, DISTRICT F COMING IN, UH, AND TALKING ABOUT THE, THE, UH, PINEY POINT NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS HAS TALKED ABOUT THAT QUITE A BIT.
I WASN'T AWARE THAT WE HAD THAT, UM, FREEDOM COLONY THAT THAT HAD FORMED IMMEDIATELY, SHORTLY AFTER EMANCIPATION IN, UH, IN DISTRICT F, RIGHT? WE HEAR A LOT ABOUT FREEMAN'S TOWN, AND OF COURSE, WE SEE THE BRICKS.
WE DON'T HAVE AS MANY OF THOSE PHYSICAL MARKERS IN, IN AREAS LIKE DISTRICT F.
SO WHAT WE DO WITH JUNETEENTH HOUSTON IS REALLY MAKE SURE THAT WE TELL THE STORIES ABOUT PLACES THAT ARE, THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO THE FABRIC OF HOUSTON, EVEN THOUGH THE PHYSICAL MARKERS MAY NOT BE THERE ANYMORE.
SO, ONE OF THE MAIN, UM, ONE OF THE, THE MAIN ELEMENTS THAT WE, THAT WE DO AS THIS JUNETEENTH HOUSTON CITYWIDE
[00:40:01]
COLLABORATIVE IS THIS FESTIVAL.AND I WANT TO FIRST SAY WE, WE REALLY CAN'T DO THIS WITHOUT A LOT OF SUPPORT FROM THE CITY.
WE HAVE OUR ANNUAL PRESS CONFERENCE HERE, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF THE ARTS, RIGHT? UM, THE, THE MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL MAYOR'S OFFICE OF SPECIAL EVENTS WITH ALL OF OUR PERMITS, THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR, UH, HELPING MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR FOOD TRUCKS AND ALL THAT AND EVERYTHING WITH THE PARK GETS SETTLED.
WE REALLY CAN'T DO ANY OF THIS WITHOUT THE, THE SUPPORT OF, OF THE CITY.
AND I WANT TO EXTEND A FORMAL INVITATION TO BOTH COUNCIL AND THE PUBLIC TO THIS EVENT, UM, ON JUNE 6TH.
SO JUNETEENTH TAKES PLACE ON JUNE 19TH, BUT WE HAVE THIS FESTIVAL AT, ON JUNE 6TH AT EMANCIPATION PARK, ONE, ACKNOWLEDGING THE IMPORTANCE OF EMANCIPATION PARK TO THE STORY OF JUNETEENTH, BUT ALSO BECAUSE WE DON'T WANNA GET IN THE WAY OF ALL THE CELEBRATIONS THAT ARE GOING ON LITERALLY THROUGHOUT THE REGION, RIGHT? SO WE DO THIS AT THE BEGINNING TO SAY, ALL RIGHT, WE'RE BRINGING TOGETHER THESE HISTORIC SEVEN NEIGHBORHOODS WITH THE, WITH THE, THE BROADER COMMUNITY OF HOUSTON.
AND NOW WE'RE GOING TO TELL YOU, GO OUT, MAKE SURE YOU'RE MAKING IT TO EMANCIPATION PARK CELEBRATION, RIGHT? MAKE SURE YOU'RE GOING TO ACRES HOMES, MAKE SURE YOU'RE GOING TO THE PARADE THERE.
MAKE SURE YOU'RE GOING ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE CITY TO CELEBRATE THIS, CELEBRATE THIS HOLIDAY.
AND JUNE IS REALLY A MONTH WHERE HOUSTON COMES ALIVE.
WHAT WE'RE GOING TO SEE IN TERMS OF THE WORLD CUP ISN'T NEW HOUSTON IS, IS VERY ACTIVE IN JUNE.
SOMETHING THAT, UH, IS, IS A IMPORTANT PART OF JUNETEENTH HOUSTON.
WE SAID, WELL, AND THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT WE'RE WORKING ON, THE ARTS IN GENERAL, GRATEFUL TO THE HOUSTON ARTS ALLIANCE FOR THEIR CALENDAR.
WE ALSO HAVE A CALENDAR THROUGH JUNETEENTH HOUSTON BECAUSE WE SAID WE NEED PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO FIND OUT ABOUT ALL THESE EVENTS.
IF WE'RE DOING A KICKOFF, PEOPLE NEED TO BE ABLE TO SEE WHERE IN DISTRICT H ARE PEOPLE CELEBRATING, UM, CELEBRATING, YOU KNOW, JUNETEENTH, WHERE ACROSS THE CITY ARE PEOPLE CELEBRATING THIS.
AND WHAT WE'VE SEEN OVER THE YEARS IS THAT PEOPLE ARE VERY MUCH INTERESTED IN THIS, RIGHT? WITH OVER 275 EVENTS ACROSS THE AREA THAT HAVE BEEN ADDED TO OUR CALENDAR, THOUSANDS, TENS OF THOUSANDS OF VISITORS, DONATIONS AND SO ON.
THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT ECONOMIC DRIVER, BUT THIS IS ALSO A REALLY IMPORTANT CULTURAL, UH, ASPECT TO, TO OUR COMMUNITY.
AND WE'RE SEEING THE, THE NEIGHBORHOODS CONSISTENTLY ENGAGING WITH THIS WORK THAT WE'RE HAPPENING.
AND JUST TO HIGHLIGHT A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WE ARE, WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN TERMS OF THE ENGAGEMENT, WE'RE BRINGING, AGAIN, PEOPLE FROM ACROSS THE CITY TOGETHER TO PLAN THIS EVENT.
AND ONE OF THE OTHER ELEMENTS THAT WE HAVE, SO WE HAVE THE WEBSITE, THE FESTIVAL, FESTIVAL, BUT ALSO THIS, UH, BUS TOUR, BLACK HOUSTON BUS TOUR THAT TAKES US ACROSS OVER 40 DIFFERENT SITES ACROSS THE CITY, RIGHT? THAT WE ARE, THAT, THAT WE PUT TOGETHER AND, AND DO ANNUALLY.
I WANT TO EXTEND AN INVITATION TO DISTRICT F TO THINK ABOUT IF THERE ARE WAYS THAT WE CAN IN INCORPORATE THAT STORY OF PINEY POINT INTO THE FESTIVAL, RIGHT? OR INTO THE, THE WORK OF JUNETEENTH HOUSTON.
VERY, VERY HAPPY TO, TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION AS WELL.
I, AND THEN IF WE'RE LOOKING AT SOME OF THE IMPACT, RIGHT? WE'RE SEEING, AGAIN, THOUSANDS OF ELEMENTS, UH, UM, RESIDENTS THAT ARE PARTICIPATING NEW, UNIQUE PROGRAMMING THAT'S BEING ACTIVATED HERE, AND SO MUCH IN INVESTMENTS THAT'S TAKING PLACE.
THIS IS IMPORTANT FOR BOTH VISITORS AND RESIDENTS OF HOUSTON.
AND WE KNOW THAT WHEN WE INVEST IN OUR COMMUNITIES, WE SEE THAT COMING BACK IN TURN.
SO EVERY DOLLAR THAT WE SEE INVESTED IN HIGH TAXES, WE'RE GRATEFUL TO BE A RECIPIENT OF, UH, HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAXES FROM THE CITY THROUGH THE HOUSTON ARTS ALLIANCE, HELLO TO TAYLOR JACKSON, UH, THE CEO OF HAA WHO'S HERE IN THE ROOM.
BUT WE ALSO, YEAH, WE KNOW THAT, THAT THAT MONEY COMES BACK TO THE CITY, TWOFOLD IN TAXES, RIGHT? THE MONEY THAT WE'RE PAYING TO THE PEOPLE THAT ARE, UH, PERFORMING AT OUR EVENTS OR SELLING FOOD OR, UH, SETTING UP THE, THE INFRASTRUCTURE, ALL OF THAT REQUIRES MONEY.
THAT, THAT THEN THOSE PEOPLE, THESE ARE HOUSTONIANS THAT ARE PUTTING ON THIS EVENT, RIGHT? JUNETEENTH IS A REALLY IMPORTANT HOUSTON STORY.
SO, PUTTING OUT A CALL TO, TO, UM, TO EVERYBODY WHO MAY BE WATCHING, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT, UH, ARTS AND CULTURE IS ONE OF THE FAVORITE COMMITTEES OF, OF THE CITY THAT EVERYBODY'S WATCHING ONLINE.
OF COURSE, YOU CAN SUPPORT JUNETEENTH IN MANY WAYS.
UH, GO TO OUR WEBSITE, DONATE, VOLUNTEER, APPLY IF YOU HAVE ARTISTS THAT ARE INTERESTED.
WE PAY ARTISTS TO DO PUBLIC ART ACTIVATIONS, RIGHT? TO, UH, CREATE DIFFERENT, UH, ELEMENTS THAT, THAT WE HIGHLIGHT DURING OUR FESTIVAL AND TO PERFORM, OF COURSE.
AND THEN THIS IS, WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS SINCE
[00:45:01]
2022.THIS IS OUR FIFTH YEAR OF, OF THE JUNETEENTH HOUSTON COLLABORATIVE.
SO IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN, IN GETTING MORE INVOLVED, RIGHT? OR YOU HAVE IDEAS ABOUT WAYS THAT WE CAN SUPPORT WITHIN THE DIFFERENT, UH, WITHIN THE DIFFERENT DISTRICTS OR ACROSS THE CITY, WE WOULD ABSOLUTELY LOVE TO, TO HAVE ADDITIONAL CONVERSATIONS BOTH WITH COUNCIL MEMBERS AND WITH MEMBERS OF THE BROADER COMMUNITY.
YEAH, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE SUPPORT THE ARTS IN ORDER TO FOSTER A MORE COHESIVE AND ENGAGED POPULACE.
SO HERE, UM, ARE A FEW DATES THAT I WANT THE COMMUNITY TO SEE.
OF COURSE, THE, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY DOING THIS KICKOFF FOR WHAT WE'RE CALLING THE 19TH DAYS OF JUNETEENTH.
THIS IS GONNA BE A BIG MONTH, BUT 19 DAYS OF, OF JUNETEENTH KICKING OFF ON, ON THE FIRST WITH THE FESTIVAL AT EMANCIPATION PARK COMING UP ON JUNE 6TH.
AND THEN WE'LL BE DOING THE BUS TOUR ON JUNE 13TH.
AGAIN, THESE ARE ONLY THE EVENTS THAT THE CITYWIDE COLLABORATIVE ARE DOING, BUT LIKE WE SAID, THERE HAVE BEEN OVER 270 EVENTS THAT HAVE BEEN ON OUR CALENDAR.
THAT WILL BE THINGS GOING ON ALL THROUGHOUT THE MONTH.
UM, TO THAT END, GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
I WANT TO, TO MENTION A COUPLE THINGS THAT'LL BE HAPPENING DURING THE TIME OF FIFA, RIGHT? SO THE WORLD CUP IS COMING, THAT'LL BE KICKING OFF TOWARD THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH AFTER OUR OFFICIAL KICKOFF CELEBRATION, BUT JUNETEENTH IS GOING TO HAVE AN EXCITING MATCH THAT DAY, RIGHT? HAITI VERSUS BRAZIL, WHICH I THINK IS A, IS A GREAT MATCH TO HAPPEN ON, ON JUNETEENTH.
UH, JUST THAT THERE WAS A QUESTION EARLIER ABOUT THINKING ABOUT THE, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN OUR ART SECTOR, RIGHT? UM, ONE OF THE ELEMENTS THAT, THAT WE'RE DOING THIS YEAR IS JUNETEENTH ON ALAMEDA.
ALAMEDA IS A REALLY IMPORTANT AND, AND VIBRANT ECONOMIC CORRIDOR, BUT, UH, LEFT TO ITS OWN DEVICES.
THERE, THERE IS ROOM FOR MORE SUPPORT AND, AND STRUCTURE, RIGHT? TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE SUPPORTING BOTH THE BUSINESSES AND THEN MAKING SURE THAT OUR RESIDENTS AND NEIGHBORS, BUT ALSO VISITORS ARE HAVING AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE.
SO WE'RE WORKING WITH A LOT OF THE, UM, THE BUSINESSES THAT WE HAVE IN THE AREA, AS WELL AS ARTISTS AND ARTS ORGANIZATIONS TO COME THROUGH AND CREATE WHAT WE'RE CALLING JUNETEENTH ON ALAMEDA, WHICH WILL BE ON JUNETEENTH SINCE IT'S A FRIDAY THIS YEAR.
UH, A CELEBRATION AND AN ACTIVATION UP AND ALONG THAT, THAT CORRIDOR, YOU CAN FIND MORE EVENTS, UH, AT JUNETEENTH HOUSTON.ORG.
BUT REALLY WANTED TO MENTION THAT ALONGSIDE, AND I KNOW THAT MARCY, UH, WILL, WILL BE TALKING ABOUT THIS, UM, WITH THE CULTURAL DISTRICT'S LINE ITEM IN, IN THE AGENDA, BUT WE ARE REALLY MAKING SURE TO SPREAD TO THE BUSINESSES AND THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE HAVE.
LIKE WHAT ARE THE GUIDELINES FOR THE WORLD CUP, FOR THESE COMMUNITY PARTNERS THAT ARE LOOKING TO PARTICIPATE, UH, IN, IN, IN THE WORLD CUP? AND WHAT ARE THE FIFA GUIDELINES, RIGHT? BUT THERE IS, UH, THE CULTURAL DISTRICTS ALSO WORKING ON A CAMPAIGN TO PROMOTE THE DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES, NOT JUST THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BUT MORE THAT, THAT ARE GOING ON AND THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE AND ACCESSIBLE TO RESIDENTS AND VISITORS THAT ARE COMING HERE.
I JUST WANNA GIVE, TAKE A POINT OF PRIVILEGE AND GIVE A QUICK SHOUT OUT TO YATES HIGH SCHOOL.
UM,
AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT WE'RE DOING AND HOW WE'RE THINKING ABOUT, UH, JUNETEENTH IN, IN, UH, ALIGNMENT WITH THIS STORY ABOUT TELLING HOUSTON STORIES.
UH, WE HAVE COLLABORATED WITH PHOTO FEST, IF YOU HAVEN'T VISITED ONE OF THE 50 PLUS SITES WHERE THE PHOTO FEST BIENNIAL IS TAKING PLACE ACROSS THE CITY.
UH, I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE THAT, BUT WE'LL BE HAVING AN OUTDOOR, UH, EXHIBITION THAT'S TAKING PLACE IN THIRD WARD, COMPLETELY FREE PUBLIC ART THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, THAT'S PUT TOGETHER IN COLLABORATION WITH CURRENT YATES HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND THE TEACHER DANIELLE MASON, TO SHOW SOME OF THAT HISTORIC WORK.
UM, REFLECTING THE HISTORIC ION THIRD WARD EXHIBITION THAT WAS DONE IN COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS AND YATES HIGH SCHOOL THAT'LL BE ON VIEW, UH, ON, ON ALABAMA STREET AND LIVE OAK LATER, LATER THIS MONTH.
SO A LOT OF EXCITING THINGS GOING ON.
JUNETEENTH IS JUST A, A GREAT EXAMPLE OF HOW THE CITY CAN COME ALIVE THROUGH THE ARTS, AND THAT CAN BE A, A GREAT TOOL FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND, AND STRENGTHENING THE CITY.
AND, AND WHAT WAS THAT COUNCIL MEMBER? ALCO AND JY FOR LIFE, RIGHT? SHE'S TAUGHT US ALL JY FOR LIFE, MAN.
OH, ARE YOU RECOGNIZING ME? GO AHEAD.
I DIDN'T KNOW IF YOU WERE GONNA TALK FIRST, BUT ANYWAY, JASON, GREAT TO SEE YOU AND THANKS FOR ALL YOU'RE DOING.
I DIDN'T REALIZE ALL THIS COLLABORATIVE WAS HAPPENING, SO I REALLY LIKE THE EXPLANATION.
I'VE BEEN LOOKING AROUND THE WEBSITE AND ON YOUR INSTAGRAM, AND YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF GREAT CONTENT OUT OF THERE.
I THINK THE BUS TOUR SOUNDS REALLY COOL.
LIKE, HOW LONG IS THAT GONNA TAKE OUT OF
[00:50:01]
40 PLACES? IT'S, IT'S A BIT OF A MARATHONI, I THINK THAT SOUNDS REALLY INTERESTING.
I'M GONNA HAVE TO, I'M GONNA HAVE TO GET ON BOARD WITH THAT.
UM, THANK YOU FOR COMING AND WE'LL BE SURE TO SHARE A LOT OF THIS IN OUR NEWSLETTERS AND EVERYTHING.
SOME MORE PEOPLE CAN PARTICIPATE.
I KNOW YOU GET TONS OF PARTICIPATION, BUT IT SOUNDS, SOUNDS LIKE YOU'VE GOT A GREAT YEAR AHEAD AND THE FIFA THING'S REALLY GONNA DRIVE IT HOME.
UH, CHAIR RECOGNIZES, UH, THE REPRESENTATIVE FROM COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR EXCELLENT PRESENTATION.
UM, WE CERTAINLY ARE FAMILIAR WITH THIRD WARD, UH, CULTURAL ART DISTRICT AND THE COLLABORATIVE, BUT THANK YOU FOR THE REALLY THOROUGH PRESENTATION.
DIDN'T REALIZE JUST THE BREADTH OF, UM, EFFORTS AND COLLABORATION THAT YOU ALL HAVE PUT TOGETHER.
AND, UM, ALSO WANNA THANK YOU FOR RECOGNIZING PINEY POINT.
WE'LL DEFINITELY WELCOME A CONVERSATION WITH YOU.
UM, MAYBE WE CAN SET UP A MEETING TO KIND OF SEE WHAT THAT POTENTIAL COLLABORATION COULD LOOK LIKE.
I THINK PINEY POINT IS ONE THAT, UH, SHOCKS A LOT OF PEOPLE
SO WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE HOW WE CAN COLLABORATE ON THAT EFFORT.
UM, RECOGNIZING THE REPRESENTATIVE FROM, UH, MAYOR PRO, TIM CASTEX TATUM? I DIDN'T PRESS IT.
OH, YOU NO FUNCTION 'CAUSE I DIDN'T TOUCH IT.
ANYWAY, WELL, UH, THANK YOU EVERYONE.
THANK YOU FOR THAT PRESENTATION.
AND, AND COREY, YOU'RE COMING.
YOU BETTER GET READY TO GET BUSY AND EXCITED THAT JUNETEENTH IS MAJOR, BUT YOU'RE COMING FROM
IT'LL BE A WONDERFUL CELEBRATION AND A WONDERFUL WELCOME.
I'M NOT SURE, DO WE HAVE ANY CULTURAL DISTRICT UPDATES? OH, SURE, WE DO.
COUNCILMAN CHAIR EVAN SHABAZZ.
THERE'S A, UH, PRESENTATION AND I BELIEVE THAT MARCY DALLAS AND, UH, CLAUDIA DE VASCO HAVE A PRESENTATION ON BEHALF OF THE CULTURAL DISTRICTS IN HOUSTON COLLECTIVELY.
COREY TOLD ME IT WAS SOME UPDATES, BUT HE DIDN'T TELL ME WHO.
THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE TODAY.
IT'S SO NICE TO SEE SO MANY OF YOU HERE AT THE ARTS AND CULTURE COMMITTEE MEETING, AND WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR, UH, FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THE COMMITTEE.
UM, DIRECTOR LIAL ASKED ME TO GIVE SOME UPDATES ON THE WORK THAT THE CULTURAL DISTRICTS ARE DOING.
WE'VE BEEN HERE TWICE SINCE THIS COMMITTEE BEGAN ITS WORK ONCE IN SEPTEMBER OF 2024, WHENEVER LONG CHU FROM HOUSTON ENDOWMENT.
AND I CAME TO GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF THE WORK THAT THE CULTURAL DISTRICTS WERE BEGINNING, AND THEN AGAIN IN MAY, 2025 WHENEVER CRAIG SHAW FROM THE THEATER DISTRICT AND, UM, HARRISON GUY FROM THE FIFTH WARD CULTURAL DISTRICT CAME TO GIVE AN UPDATE ON THE WORK THAT HUGH ARTS IS DOING, WHICH IS AN INITIATIVE OF THE COLLECTIVE, UH, CULTURAL DISTRICT'S WORK.
I THOUGHT I WOULD JUST GIVE, UM, I'LL JUST, UM, SAY THAT CLAUDIA AND I ARE THE ONES WHO ARE STANDING HERE, BUT THE CULTURAL DISTRICTS IS A COLLECTIVE OF MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE WORKING TOGETHER, UM, FROM THE SEVEN STATE DESIGNATED CULTURAL DISTRICTS IN HOUSTON.
UM, WE'VE DONE LOTS OF WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS TO TALK ABOUT WHAT IT IS THAT THE COMMUNITY WOULD LIKE FOR THE CULTURAL DISTRICTS TO BE WORKING ON COLLECTIVELY.
UM, AND SO I JUST WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THE LEADERSHIP OF THE SEVEN CULTURAL DISTRICTS HERE.
AND JUST AS A REALLY BRIEF OVERVIEW, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE SOME OF YOU WEREN'T HERE WHENEVER WE WERE HERE IN 2024 AND 2025, UM, THE CULTURAL DISTRICTS IS A STATE DESIGNATION.
THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE GAVE THE AUTHORITY TO TEXAS COMMISSION ON THE ARTS IN 2005 TO DESIGNATE CULTURAL DISTRICTS.
ANY AREA OR NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE THERE'S LOTS OF CULTURAL VIBRANCY CAN COME TOGETHER AND APPLY.
THERE'S AN APPLICATION THAT'S OPEN EACH YEAR.
IF THERE ARE AREAS IN YOUR DISTRICTS THAT YOU THINK WOULD MAKE SENSE FOR A CULTURAL DISTRICT, WE WOULD LOVE TO TALK TO YOU OR YOUR CONSTITUENTS ABOUT THAT TOO, BECAUSE HOUSTON HAS SEVEN STATE DESIGNATED CULTURAL DISTRICTS, WHICH IS THE MOST IN ANY CITY IN THE STATE.
BUT WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE OTHER PARTS OF TOWN, UM, IN ADDITION TO THE SEVEN THAT EXIST WHERE THERE'S LOTS OF CULTURALLY RICH ACTIVITY.
AND SO WE'D LOVE TO TALK ABOUT HOW WE COULD EVEN BRING MORE CULTURAL DISTRICTS TO, TO HOUSTON.
BUT THE REASON THAT THE STATE PUT THIS PROGRAM TOGETHER IS TO ENCOURAGE CULTURAL TOURISM AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
SO THAT'S WHAT THE SEVEN CULTURAL DISTRICTS ARE TASKED WITH.
I JUST PUT A MAP HERE TO SHOW YOU THE LOCATION OF THE SEVEN DISTRICTS.
UM, SO EACH OF THE DISTRICTS ARE REALLY DIFFERENT FROM EACH OTHER.
YOU HAVE THE LARGE INSTITUTIONAL DISTRICTS, AND ACTUALLY YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE TOO, THAT HIGHLIGHTS THAT.
UM, EACH OF THE DISTRICTS ARE REALLY DIFFERENT FROM EACH OTHER AND THEY HAVE THEIR
[00:55:01]
OWN INDIVIDUAL FOCUS.SO AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, THE MUSEUM DISTRICT AND THE THEATER DISTRICT ARE INSTITUTION BASED AND THEY'RE REALLY DIFFERENT FROM THE ARTS AND CULTURAL ACTIVITY THAT HAPPENS IN MORE HERITAGE FOCUSED DISTRICTS LIKE THE FIFTH WARD AND THE THIRD WARD AND EAST END.
AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE DISTRICTS THAT ARE REALLY FOCUSED ON WHERE ART CREATION HAPPENS, LIKE ARTS DISTRICT HOUSTON, WHICH HOUSES MORE THAN 400 ARTIST STUDIOS IN HOUSTON.
UM, AND YOU CAN LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE.
YOU CAN LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE.
WE HAVE A WEBSITE, HOUSTON CULTURAL DISTRICTS.COM.
THERE'S A GREAT SHORT VIDEO THAT EXPLAINS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SEVEN DISTRICTS AND GIVES A LITTLE BIT OF INFORMATION ABOUT THAT IN HOUSTON.
BUT WHAT WE ARE HERE TO TALK ABOUT IS THE COLLECTIVE WORK OF THE CULTURAL DISTRICTS.
SO THE DISTRICTS HAVE, UM, HAVE FOR THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS BEEN DOING AN EVALUATION PROJECT TO LOOK AT THE IMPACT THAT THEY MAKE ACROSS THE COMMUNITY.
AND THE THINGS THAT THEY'RE FOCUSED ON ARE CULTURAL VIBRANCY, COMMUNITY COHESION, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
THOSE ARE THE THREE AREAS WHERE ACCORDING TO THE EVALUATION AND THE RESEARCH THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING, THAT THE DISTRICTS ARE MAKING THEIR GREATEST IMPACT.
BUT THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING TOGETHER AS A COLLECTIVE, UM, WAS DECIDED ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO THROUGH LOTS OF OF CONVERSATIONS WITH THE COMMUNITY ABOUT WHAT WAS IT THAT THE CITY IS MISSING AND HOW CAN, IN THE ARTS AND CULTURE SPACE, AND HOW CAN THE DISTRICTS WORK TOGETHER TO SORT OF HELP TO BRIDGE THAT GAP.
SO A LOT OF THIS SPEAKS TO WHAT YOU WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT, COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN, BUT, UM, THE IDEA WHEN THE CULTURAL DISTRICTS GOT TOGETHER IS, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, THE GOALS OF SAY EAST END ARE REALLY DIFFERENT FROM THE GOALS OF THE MUSEUM DISTRICT.
AND SO WHEN WE FIRST STARTED TALKING, THE CONVERSATION WAS ABOUT WHAT IS IT THAT WE ALL HAVE IN COMMON? WHAT IS IT THAT THE WHOLE SECTOR IS REALLY INTERESTED IN? WHAT'S THE REALLY HIGH LEVEL, UM, WORK THAT WE CAN ALL BE DOING TOGETHER? AND WHAT WE HEARD FROM EACH OTHER AND FROM THE COMMUNITY WAS THAT HOUSTON HAS A REALLY EXCELLENT ARTS AND CULTURE SECTOR.
I THINK I SAID WHENEVER I WAS HERE TWO YEARS AGO, THAT I WORKED AT A BIG MUSEUM IN NEW YORK CITY BEFORE I MOVED TO HOUSTON.
AND WHENEVER I LEFT THAT MUSEUM, EVERYONE AT THE MUSEUM SAID TO ME LIKE, WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU GO TO HOUSTON? I DON'T UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW? AND SO, BUT THOSE OF US WHO ARE WHO LIVE HERE KNOW THAT IT IS A VERY VIBRANT AND DIVERSE ARTS AND CULTURE SPACE.
YOU HAVE MAJOR INSTITUTIONS THAT ARE WORLD RENOWNED.
YOU HAVE AMAZING COMMUNITY, YOU KNOW, COMMUNITY FESTIVALS AND COMMUNITY, UM, CELEBRATIONS AND THAT KIND OF THING.
YOU HAVE A HUGE NUMBER OF, UM, WORKING ARTISTS AND YOU HAVE EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN.
AND WE AS A CITY DON'T DO A GOOD ENOUGH JOB OF TELLING THAT STORY.
AND THAT'S WHAT THE CULTURAL DISTRICTS THOUGHT WAS SORT OF LIKE THE COMMON GROUND THAT WE ALL HAD TOGETHER.
AND IT WAS ALSO WHAT THE COMMUNITY SAID, LIKE, WE REALLY HAVE TO CHANGE THE PERCEPTION OF ARTS AND CULTURE IN HOUSTON.
UM, AND THAT HELPS EVERYBODY IN THE SECTOR AND IT HELPS THE CITY AS WELL.
SO, SO THE DISTRICTS GOT TOGETHER AND CAME UP WITH TWO STRATEGIES.
ONE IS TO CELEBRATE ARTS AND CULTURE, AND ONE IS TO CHAMPION ARTS AND CULTURE.
CHAMPIONING ARTS AND CULTURE HAS TURNED INTO THIS INITIATIVE CALLED HUW ARTS.
WE HAVE A WEBSITE, HUW ARTS STUD COME THAT YOU CAN LOOK AT, UM, TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE THE PLATFORM.
BUT WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT ONE OF THE STRATEGIC PLATFORM AREAS HERE TODAY, UM, THAT HUW ARTS IS WORKING ON.
AND THAT'S EFFECTIVE STORYTELLING.
I WANNA RECOGNIZE THERE ARE TWO MEMBERS, I THINK OF THE LEADERSHIP TEAM FROM HUW ARTS IN THE AUDIENCE, RU ROB JACKSON, WHO IS LEADING THE TEAM ON ECONOMIC, UM, OPPORTUNITY.
AND JASON OLIVER, WHO YOU JUST HEARD FROM, WHO'S LEADING OUR ADVOCACY WORK.
UM, AND CLAUDIA DI VASCO IS LEADING OUR EFFECTIVE STORYTELLING WORK GROUP.
WE SPECIFICALLY HIRED PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY WORKING IN ARTS AND CULTURE TO HELP WITH THIS INITIATIVE BECAUSE IT'S THINGS THAT WE ARE ALL ALREADY THINKING ABOUT.
UM, AND SO IT BRINGS A REALLY, LIKE HERE, BOOTS ON THE GROUND KIND OF FEEL TO THE WORK AND, AND KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT THE NEEDS ARE THAT EXIST.
SO I WANNA ASK CLAUDIA TO SAY A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE EFFECTIVE STORYTELLING WORK, AND THEN WE'LL TELL YOU ABOUT AN INITIATIVE THAT WE HAVE COMING UP.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE AND FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT ON THIS COMMITTEE.
YOU KNOW, ME AND MY CAPACITY AS MANAGING DIRECTOR OF MILLER OUTDOOR THEATER, BUT I AM HERE, UH, IN THE CAPACITY OF, UH, SERVING ON THE BOARD AT THE MUSEUM DISTRICT AND ALSO ON THE HUGH ARTS LEADERSHIP TEAM.
I FIRST ENTERED THIS CONVERSATION IN THIS WORK WHEN I WAS INVITED TO SERVE ON THE TASK FORCE.
WHAT I THINK IS REALLY SPECIAL IS THAT THE CULTURAL DISTRICTS IDENTIFIED THE NEED TO INCLUDE OTHERS IN THE SECTOR, NOT JUST THOSE WORKING IN THE CULTURAL DISTRICT, BUT INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS, PRACTITIONERS, THOSE ADJACENT TO OUR COMMUNITY TO EXPLORE WHAT DO WE NEED, WHAT DO WE NEED TO FOCUS ON? AND OUT OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS CAME THESE FOUR INITIATIVES, THE VIBRANT SPACES, EFFECTIVE STORYTELLING, PUBLIC FUNDING, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
I HAVE THE HONOR, AND I'M EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO LEAD THE WORKING GROUP IN EFFECTIVE STORYTELLING, WHICH IS REALLY TRYING TO ANSWER EXACTLY WHAT MARCY SAID.
HOW DO WE CHANGE THE NARRATIVE ON HOW HOUSTON IS PERCEIVED? SO MANY OF US
[01:00:01]
WITHIN THE SECTOR, WE KNOW, AND THOSE ON THIS COMMITTEE, YOU KNOW, HOW WONDERFUL AND VIBRANT HOUSTON IS.BUT OFTENTIMES THAT MESSAGE DOESN'T GET TRANSLATED TO TOURISTS.
IF YOU WERE ONLINE DURING THE BIG RODEO COMMOTION THAT WAS HAPPENING, HAPPENING LAST MONTH WITH THE INFLUX OF TOURISTS WHO WERE LOOKING FOR THINGS TO DO, IT'S ALMOST AS IF WE HAVEN'T REALLY YET COMMUNICATED WHAT HOUSTON HAS TO OFFER OUTSIDE OF THE INDUSTRY OR SOME OF OUR MAIN SIGNATURE EVENTS LIKE THE RODEO.
UM, BUT ALSO THAT STORY HASN'T NECESSARILY BEEN COMMUNICATED TO THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE AND WORK HERE, OR TO THE BUSINESSES AND THE FOLKS THAT CALL THIS PLACE THEIR HOME.
SO WE'VE BEEN GETTING TOGETHER AS, UH, MEMBERS OF THE SECTOR, AND THIS IS, UH, EVERYONE FROM ARTISTS, CREATIVES, FOLKS THAT ARE ADMINISTRATORS, FOLKS THAT WORK ADJACENT TO THE ARTS TO START EXPLORING SOME OF THESE STRATEGIES.
UH, FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAD THIS MINI ARTS HACKATHON A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, AND OUT OF THAT CAYMAN IDEA, JUST LIKE WHAT YOU WERE MENTIONING COUNCIL MEMBER, IT'S UH, COULD WE HAVE A CITYWIDE EXPO THAT TRULY REFLECTS WHAT WE HAVE TO OFFER SO THAT FOLKS CAN KIND OF SAMPLE IT ON A WEEKEND AND, AND EXPLORE? AND THOSE ARE THE KINDS OF IDEAS WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, INCLUDING HOW DO WE COLLABORATE WITH INFLUENCERS, LOCAL INFLUENCERS, TO SPREAD THE MESSAGE.
HOW CAN WE BETTER SUPPORT THE INFORMATION WE PROVIDE TO YOU ALL SO THAT THE CITY LEADERSHIP CAN ALSO BE VERY AWARE OF ALL THE WONDERFUL THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING, BECAUSE I'M STILL LEARNING ABOUT THEM AND ALL THE THINGS, UH, UH, I AS JUST, UH, SHOWN BY WHAT JASON PRESENTED AND ALL THE, UH, JUNETEENTH ACTIVITY THAT I WASN'T AWARE OF EITHER.
LAST FALL, WE HAD A REALLY WONDERFUL EVENT.
IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THE ARTS SECTOR CAME TOGETHER FOR THE GREATER HOUSTON ARTS FORUM.
IT WAS HOSTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HOBBY CENTER AND THE HOUSTON ARTS ALLIANCE.
WE BROUGHT THE SECTOR TOGETHER FOR PANELS AND WORKSHOPS AND CONVERSATION, AND WE HELD A STORYTELLING WORKSHOP WITH THE ENTIRE GROUP TO ASSESS WHAT DOES OUR SECTOR, WHAT DO WE REALLY FEEL IS THE CHARACTER OR THE BRAND OF HOUSTON ARTS AND CULTURE? UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
OUT OF THAT, UH, WE NOT ONLY HELD AN IN-PERSON WORKSHOP, WE SURVEYED THE GROUP AND THEN, UH, WE CAME BACK AND PROVIDED A REPORT TO THE EFFECTIVE STORYTELLING WORKING GROUP.
AND THROUGH THAT IT WAS REALLY CLEAR THAT WE HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF OUR ARTS AND CULTURE, UH, COMMUNITY SECTOR, WORK INDUSTRY AS DIVERSE, UM, THAT WE SEE IT MORE AS A VIBE RATHER THAN CONNECTED TO ONE PARTICULAR INDUSTRY OR SIGNATURE EVENT LIKE YOU MIGHT FIND IN HOLLYWOOD OR NEW ORLEANS WITH MUSIC.
AND THAT THERE WAS THIS CONSISTENT FEELING OF FEELING UNDERREPRESENTED UNDER CHAMPIONED ACROSS THE BOARD IN HOUSTON.
SO IT WAS REALLY CLEAR AFTER THIS WORK AND THE WORK THAT WE WERE DOING, THAT WE'RE DOING ACTIVELY ON THE WORKING GROUP, THAT WE NEEDED TO CONTINUE TO PARTNER WITH THE CULTURAL DISTRICTS ON HOW TO TELL THAT STORY BETTER.
SO I'M GONNA PASS THAT ON TO MARCY, UM, TO COMMUNICATE WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO.
SO THE CULTURAL DISTRICTS HAVE RECENTLY INVESTED IN, UM, A INITIATIVE.
I'LL ASK R MITCHELL TO COME UP FROM THE BLACK SHEEP AGENCY.
UM, THE CULTURAL DISTRICTS HAVE RECENTLY, HI, VERY RECENTLY HIRED THE BLACK SHEEP AGENCY TO HELP US THINK THROUGH A BRAND FOR THE ART SECTOR IN HOUSTON.
THIS IS NOT A BRAND FOR THE CULTURAL DISTRICTS.
THIS IS THINKING ABOUT HOW WE, ALL OF US, WE ALL OF US, THE WHOLE SECTOR, ALL OF YOU, UM, TALK ABOUT THE ART SECTOR IN HOUSTON.
UM, AND SO WE'LL, WE'LL ASK R TO JUST SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SORT OF LIKE THE TIMELINE AND THE PLAN FOR THAT WORK.
HAPPILY, THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
I WAS, UM, PLANNING ON COMING UP CROUCHING 'CAUSE I WAS WANTING THE, THE PODIUM TO DANCE A LITTLE BIT AGAIN.
UM, HAPPY TO BE HERE AND REPRESENT THE BLACK SHEEP AGENCY.
UH, WE ARE A CREATIVE BRAND STRATEGY FIRM.
BLACK SHEEP HAS BEEN ROOTED RIGHT HERE IN HOUSTON, UM, PARTNERING WITH INSTITUTIONS, CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS, UM, THAT MAKE THIS CITY EXTRAORDINARY.
AND WE'RE REALLY HAPPY, UM, TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS PROJECT.
IT SOUNDS LIKE IT'S TIMELY AS SOME OF THIS CONVERSATION HAS BEEN, UM, BUBBLING UP TO THIS MOMENT.
UM, WE HAVE ALSO IN THE PAST SERVED AS THE CITY OF HOUSTON PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, UM, AGENCY AND LED THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FOR THE MOST RECENT ARTS AND CULTURAL PLAN.
IT'S BEEN A WHILE, BUT UH, WE WERE PART OF THAT PROCESS.
UM, SO WE UNDERSTAND HOW CULTURAL IDENTITY TAKES SHAPE AND HOW IT RESONATES ACROSS GENERATIONS, NEIGHBORHOODS, UM, COMMUNITIES.
SO WHEN THE CULTURAL DISTRICTS CAME TOGETHER TO CREATE THIS UNIFIED BRAND FOR THE ARTS IN THE CITY, WE ARE JUST THRILLED AND HONORED TO BE, UM, THE CHOSEN PARTNER.
UM, THIS PROJECT IS MORE THAN A LOGO.
IT IS THE PLAN IS TO BE A CRYSTALLIZING HOUSTON THING THAT REALLY BRINGS ALL THE CRE CREATIVE IDENTITY TOGETHER AND GIVES EVERY HOUSTONIAN AND A VISITOR A REASON, UM, TO SAY, WOW.
THE ARTS HERE ARE REALLY WORLD CLASS.
WE'RE CURRENTLY IN THE IMMERSION PROCESS, UM, WHICH MEANS WE ARE INTERVIEWING ANYONE AND EVERYONE.
WE'VE STARTED WITH THE CULTURAL DISTRICTS, UM, BUT WE WILL ALSO
[01:05:01]
LISTEN TO VOICES THAT REPRESENT A FULL 360 DEGREE STAKEHOLDER MAP OF THE CITY AND THE REGION.UM, IF YOU WANT TO BE INTERVIEWED, WE WOULD LOVE TO TALK TO YOUR, UM, OFFICE, AND WE DON'T WANNA MISS ANY VOICES, BUT THE POINT IS TO CREATE, UM, AN ARTS AND CULTURAL CAMPAIGN THAT REALLY UPLIFTS AND AMPLIFIES WHAT'S ALREADY HAPPENING IN THE CITY.
SO WE'RE HAPPY, UM, TO WORK ALONGSIDE THESE AMAZING PEOPLE.
UM, ON THE HEELS OF THAT STORYTELLING WORKSHOP AT THE FORUM, UM, THERE'S MOMENTUM BEHIND THIS AND WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO BE IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT.
UM, OCTOBER IS WHEN WE PLAN TO ROLL OUT THIS NEW INITIATIVE.
SO WE'LL BE DOING THE WORK UNTIL THEN.
UM, OCTOBER IS ALSO NATIONAL ARTS AND HUMANITIES MONTH.
UM, AND FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS ACTUALLY, THE CULTURAL DISTRICTS HAVE HOSTED A, UH, BREAKFAST OR RECEPTION RELATED TO, UM, NATIONAL ARTS AND HUMANITIES MONTH.
UH, IN 2024, WE WERE AT, UM, HOUSTON ENDOWMENT.
I KNOW COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHABAZZ MARTINEZ, UH, RAMIREZ WERE THERE.
LAST YEAR WE WERE WITH THE HOBBY CENTER AND WE WERE WITH HOUSTON ARTS ALLIANCE AT THE GREATER HOUSTON ARTS FORUM.
COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO CAME AND GAVE A PROCLAMATION.
UM, THIS YEAR WE KNOW THE DATE EARLY BECAUSE I KNOW THAT MANY OF YOU OFTEN WANT TO COME TO THE RECEPTION AND AREN'T ABLE TO THIS YEAR.
IT'S GONNA BE ON OCTOBER 12TH.
UM, WE'RE AGAIN WORKING HUW ARTS.
THE CULTURAL DISTRICT'S, UM, HOUSTON ARTS ALLIANCE AND THE HOBBY CENTER ARE WORKING AGAIN TO PUT TOGETHER THE GREATER HOUSTON ARTS FORUM IN OCTOBER.
THIS IS OFFICIALLY THE SAVE THE DATE, UH, FOR YOU AND FOR THE COMMUNITY, BUT THIS YEAR WE'RE PARTNERING WITH TEXANS FOR THE ARTS, WHICH IS THE STATE ARTS ADVOCACY AGENCY FOR THE ARTS.
UM, THEY WORK A LOT AT MAKING SURE THAT FUNDING REMAINS STEADY AND INCREASES AT THE STATE LEVEL, WHICH WE ALL BENEFIT FROM HERE.
IN FACT, ONE OF THE MAJOR BENEFITS OF HAVING CULTURAL DISTRICTS IN, IN HOUSTON IS THAT, UM, THERE'S A SPECIAL GRANT AT THE STATE LEVEL THAT'S ONLY AVAILABLE TO CULTURAL DISTRICTS AND ENTITIES WITHIN CULTURAL DISTRICTS.
UM, THAT GR FUNDING HAS BEEN THERE FOR THE LAST EIGHT UM, YEARS, AND IN THOSE EIGHT YEARS THEY'VE DISTRIBUTED ABOUT $30 MILLION IN FUNDING.
15 MILLION OF THAT 30 MILLION HAS COME TO HOUSTON BECAUSE WE HAVE MORE CULTURAL DISTRICTS THAN THE REST OF THE STATE.
SO THERE'S A DIRECT FINANCIAL INCENTIVE TO HAVING THAT THERE TOO.
SO WE'LL FOLLOW UP WITH ALL OF YOUR OFFICES TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE THAT OCTOBER 12TH DATE ON YOUR CALENDAR, AND WE HOPE THAT, UM, THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO SEE YOU ALL THERE.
AND I'LL JUST ADD ONE OTHER INITIATIVE THAT'S COMING UP THAT WE WERE PROBABLY GONNA TALK ABOUT AT THE MAY MEETING, BUT NOW THAT THERE'S NOT ONE, I'LL JUST ADD THAT LED BY, UM, CRAIG HOUSEHOLD IN THE THEATER DISTRICT, UM, THERE WILL BE AN INITIATIVE TO PROMOTE THE ARTS AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES THAT ARE HAPPENING DURING FIFA.
AND SO WE'LL BE FOLLOWING UP WITH YOUR OFFICES AND ASKING YOU TO PLEASE SHARE THAT OUT WITH YOUR CONSTITUENTS AS WELL TOO.
UM, AND JUST, YOU MISSED IT BY DAY.
MY BIRTHDAY IS OCTOBER 13TH, BUT I'LL TRY TO SEE.
WE CAN CELEBRATE
THANK YOU CHAIR, AND THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION AND ALSO THANKS FOR ARTICULATING WHAT I WAS TRYING TO ASK SO MUCH BETTER THAN I WAS ACTUALLY ASKING IT.
UH, JUST BASICALLY TO BE KNOWN FOR SOMETHING OR HAVE US TELL THAT STORY A LITTLE BIT BETTER.
UM, THE EXAMPLE THAT WAS GIVEN TO ME WAS KIND OF AFTER THE ASIAN FINANCIAL CRISIS, HOW THE SOUTH KOREAN GOVERNMENT REALLY INVESTED IN K-POP.
I MEAN, THAT, THAT, THAT, LIKE THEY PUT, THEY MADE THAT A BIG EMPHASIS AND NOW LOOK MM-HMM
I MEAN IT'S LIKE A HUGE THING.
AND SO KIND OF WHERE DO WE NEED TO BE? WHERE DO WE NEED TO PUT OUR EMPHASIS SO WE CAN BE KNOWN FOR ALL THE GREAT VIBRANT, WONDERFUL ART THAT WE HAVE TO, TO THE REST OF THE WORLD.
IT'S A HUGE ECONOMIC DRIVER AND WE WANT, WE WANT MORE PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT IT.
SO THANKS FOR THE WORK YOU'RE DOING.
I'D LOVE TO BE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT MY THOUGHTS ARE, BUT I'D LOVE TO BE INTERVIEWED.
AND, UM, AND JUST LOOK FORWARD TO THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING.
I KNOW ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'M REALLY THE MOST EXCITED ABOUT, ABOUT THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING WITH BLACK SHEEP IS THROUGH THE, AT THE LAST GREATER HOUSTON ARTS FORUM AND THE STORYTELLING, UH, WORKSHOP THAT WE HAD, THERE WAS A CONVERSATION ABOUT HOW, YOU KNOW, NEW YORK'S KNOWN FOR BROADWAY OR YOU KNOW, LA'S KNOWN FOR THE FILM INDUSTRY.
LIKE DIFFERENT CITIES ARE KNOWN FOR DIFFERENT KINDS OF THINGS.
AND HOUSTON, WHAT MAKES US INTERESTING AND UNIQUE AS A SPACE FOR ARTS AND CULTURE IS THE DIVERSITY THAT EXISTS HERE.
I MEAN, YOU SEE, WE TALK ABOUT THIS BEING A DIVERSE CITY, BUT YOU REALLY SEE IT REFLECTED IN THE ARTS AND CULTURE HERE.
AND SO WE REALLY HOPE THAT WE ARE ABLE TO SORT OF LIKE HAVE THAT AS THE THING THAT HOUSTON'S KNOWN FOR AND FIGURE OUT A WAY THAT WE CAN PUT THAT OUT WITH A LARGER MEGAPHONE.
YEAH, IT'S HARD BECAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH, IT'S NOT ONE THING, IT'S HARD TO LIKE BOIL IT DOWN EXACTLY.
BUT LIKE, EVEN IN THE KINDER SURVEY, IT'S, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE VALUE DIVERSITY AND THE, THE EXPERIENCES, LIKE THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE LIKE MOST ABOUT HOUSTON.
YOU'VE GOT ALL KINDS OF CULTURAL AND ALL KINDS OF EXPERIENCES THAT YOU HAVE THERE, BUT THAT'S HARD TO LIKE, IT'S NOT LIKE COME SEE THE ARCH OR, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER.
I MEAN WE HAVE THE RODEO, WE HAVE LOTS OF SIGNATURE EVENTS AND THINGS, BUT THE WAY TO TALK ABOUT OUR ARTS AND CULTURE AND THAT REALLY KIND OF SUMS IT UP.
[01:10:01]
THANK YOU BOTH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
IT'S GOOD TO HAVE Y'ALL BACK AT THE COMMITTEE.
UH, YOU TALKED ABOUT NEW CULTURAL DISTRICTS.
UM, CAN YOU TALK MORE ABOUT THE PROCESS AND THE ANTICIPATED TIMELINE ON WHAT IT WOULD TAKE TO ESTABLISH AND CREATE A NEW CULTURAL DISTRICT? SURE.
I'LL GIVE A SORT OF BRIEF OVERVIEW AND I'M HAPPY TO TALK IN MORE DETAIL TOO.
'CAUSE I THINK CULTURAL DISTRICTS ARE A GREAT SORT OF ECONOMIC ENGINE FOR THE STATE ACROSS THE BOARD.
UM, AND I REALLY LIKE THE WAY THAT THEY BRING DIVERSE CONSTITUENCIES TOGETHER.
UM, BUT THE PROCESS IS THAT EVERY SUMMER THERE'S A APPLICATION DEADLINE AT TEXAS COMMISSION ON THE ARTS, THE, YOU CAN GO ON TEXAS COMMISSION, ON THE ARTS' WEBSITE, THERE'S A SECTION ABOUT CULTURAL DISTRICTS.
YOU CAN READ ALL ABOUT WHAT THE CRITERIA IS AND WHAT THE QUESTIONS ARE.
UM, MANY, ALL OF US, THE SEVEN OF US IN HOUSTON WHO ARE CULTURAL DISTRICTS HAVE FILLED OUT THAT APPLICATION AND GONE THROUGH THE PROCESS.
UM, AND SO WOULD BE HAPPY TO SHARE WHAT THAT EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN LIKE.
BUT THE IDEA IS THAT IT IS A FOOTPRINT THAT HAS CULTURAL VIBRANCY WITHIN THAT FOOTPRINT AND YOU HAVE TO DEMONSTRATE THAT TO THE STATE.
SO THE VIBRANCY ALREADY HAS TO EXIST.
IT'S NOT TO CREATE VIBRANCY IN A CERTAIN SPACE, IT'S JUST TO RECOGNIZE AND SORT OF PACKAGE THE STORY.
UM, AND THEN THERE'S A COMMITTEE OF PEERS ACROSS THE STATE WHO SIT AND REVIEW THOSE APPLICATIONS IN THE SUMMER AND THEN SELECT, IT'S A COMPETITIVE PROCESS.
UM, MANY CULTURAL DISTRICTS IN HOUSTON HAD TO APPLY MORE THAN ONCE.
UM, AND MANY, I SIT ON THAT PANEL MANY YEARS AND UM, USUALLY ABOUT HALF OF THOSE WHO APPLY ARE ACCEPTED INTO THE PROCESS.
THANK YOU FOR THAT INFORMATION.
UM, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF CULTURAL DISTRICTS THAT INTERSECT DISTRICT H AND I KNOW THAT THEY DO ADD, UH, TO THE COMMUNITY, TO THE ECONOMY AS WELL AS JUST HIGHLIGHTING DIFFERENT, UH, FABRICS OF THE CULTURE.
SO, UM, WOULD LOVE TO TALK TO YOU MORE ABOUT POTENTIAL NEW ADDITIONS AND AND APPLICATIONS.
I'LL ADD ONE OTHER THING IS THAT SOME CITIES HAVE A CULTURAL DISTRICT PROCESS.
AUSTIN DOES, FOR EXAMPLE, AUSTIN DESIGNATES CULTURAL DISTRICTS.
IN FACT, THE LAST TIME I SAT ON A PANEL, TWO OF THE APPLICATIONS HAD ALREADY BEEN APPROVED AS CULTURAL DISTRICTS AT THE CITY LEVEL.
AND THEN WE'RE APPLYING AT THE STATE LEVEL.
SOME COUNTIES HAVE CULTURAL DISTRICT DESIGNATIONS.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE ARE INVESTIGATING WITH HARRIS COUNTY TOO.
I KNOW LOS ANGELES HAS A COUNTY CULTURAL DISTRICT DESIGNATION.
AND SO THERE ARE OTHER WAYS ALSO IF THE STATE CULTURAL DISTRICT DESIGNATION DOESN'T WORK FOR CERTAIN KINDS OF THINGS THAT I THINK WE CAN LOOK AT LOOKING AT IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT COULD HAPPEN MORE AT THE COUNTY OR THE CITY LEVEL TOO.
WELL, THANK YOU ALL THREE FOR YOUR PRESENTATION AND, AND CLAUDIA IN, IN YOUR OTHER ROLE.
WHEN DO I GET MY 15 SECONDS OF FAME? WHEN DO WE
WELL, ON THAT JUNETEENTH NOTE, THE FIRST SHOW OF THIS SEASON AT MILLER OUTDOOR THEATER IS JUNETEENTH.
OUR CONSTRUCTION, UH, MANY OF YOU WERE AT OUR GROUNDBREAKING FOR THE NEW GATEWAY PROJECT AT MILLER OUTDOOR.
THAT CONSTRUCTION IS SET TO END AT THE END OF MAY.
I'M KNOCKING ON WOOD TO MAKE SURE THAT WE MEET THAT DEADLINE.
UM, AND THEN WE WILL BE READY TO BEGIN THE SEASON BY JUNE 19TH AND CONTINUE UNTIL NOVEMBER 14TH.
SO I BETTER SEE YOU AT JUNE 19TH, THOUGH.
I KNOW THERE'S LOTS OF OTHER EVENTS HAPPENING TOO, SO IF WE GOT OFF, I CAN DO IT ALL SCHEDULE.
THEY'RE ALL IN THE DISTRICT OF DESTINATION SO I CAN MAKE IT
I'LL SEND YOU MORE INFORMATION, BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH.
ALRIGHT, NOW, NOW TIME FOR PUBLIC SPEAKERS.
I DON'T KNOW IF WE HAVE ANYONE SIGNED UP, BUT IF THERE'S SOMEONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO COME FORWARD AND IDENTIFY YOURSELF, UH, WHAT ORGANIZATION YOU REPRESENT, AND IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION OR COMMENT, UM, WE'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES START NOW.
UM, MY NAME'S ANASTASIA CARRAS.
I LIVE IN DISTRICT HI AM A ARTIST AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZER FOR ZINE FEST FEST HOUSTON.
I HAVE AN EVENT, UM, TO SHARE ABOUT, IT'S CALLED UNCLE BOB'S PHOTO ZINE MARKET.
WE ARE PARTNERING WITH, UM, THE PHOTO FEST BIENNIAL THIS YEAR AND WE'RE GONNA BE AT SILVER STREET STUDIOS AND THIS IS OUR FOURTH ITERATION OF THE FESTIVAL.
AND FOR THOSE OF YOU NOT FAMILIAR WITH ZINES, THEY'RE SELF-PUBLISHED MAGAZINES.
UM, AND UM, YEAH, WE'RE VERY, REALLY GRATEFUL TO BE PARTNERING WITH PHOTO FEST THIS YEAR AND UM, WE HOPE YOU CAN MAKE IT OUT FOR THAT.
CERTAINLY IF YOU GET THAT INFORMATION TOO US, WE'LL TRY TO GET IT OUT THERE FOR YOU.
I'LL SHARE IT IN MY NEWSLETTER.
THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR AND THANK YOU TO THE COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR FORMING AND SERVING ON THIS VITAL COMMITTEE.
[01:15:01]
JAKE MARGOLIN.AS ARTISTS, MY HUSBAND NICK VAUGHN AND I HAVE BEEN GRATEFUL RECIPIENTS OF CAREER CHANGING GRANTS FROM THE HOUSTON ARTS ALLIANCE AS WELL AS CIVIC ART COMMISSIONS FROM THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
UM, AND I'M HERE TODAY AS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF A NEW 5 0 1 C3 NONPROFIT THAT NICK AND I FOUNDED CALLED THE RENDEZVOUS CENTER FOR ART, UH, WHICH SUPPORTS QUEER INTERDISCIPLINARY ART IN HOUSTON.
UH, WE'RE AT THE EARLY STAGES OF ESTABLISHING A BRICK AND MORTAR QUEER VISUAL ARTS CENTER.
UM, AND I WANTED TO SPEAK BRIEFLY ABOUT THE HOUSTON QUEER AGENDA, UH, AND ITS RELEVANCE TO THIS COMMITTEE.
AND WHILE A COUPLE OF, UH, YOU ARE ALREADY FAMILIAR WITH THE AGENDA, I KNOW THERE ARE PROBABLY OTHERS WHO ARE NOT.
UH, LAST FEBRUARY RENDEZVOUS WAS ONE OF 27 QUEER SERVING ORGANIZATIONS WHO PUT TOGETHER THE GREATER HOUSTON LGBTQ PLUS COMMUNITY SUMMIT AT THE MONTROSE CENTER, UH, OUT OF WHICH CAME A UNIFIED AGENDA.
UM, AND MANY THANKS TO THOSE OF YOU WHO WERE PRESENT FOR THE FORMAL READING ON FEBRUARY 8TH.
UM, AND THERE ARE THREE, UH, ITEMS IN THE AGENDA THAT RELATE DIRECTLY TO THE ARTS THAT I WANTED TO SHARE HERE BECAUSE I HOPE THAT AS THIS COMMITTEE AND THE CULTURAL ARTS DISTRICT CONTINUE THEIR IMPORTANT WORK THAT YOU CAN SUPPORT THE NEEDS OF HOUSTON'S LGBTQ PLUS COMMUNITY AS ARTICULATED IN THE AGENDA.
UM, ONE IS TO ESTABLISH A DEDICATED LGBTQI PLUS ART HISTORY AND PERFORMANCE CENTER, UH, OR MUSEUM.
ANOTHER IS TO CREATE AND SUPPORT MORE OPPORTUNITIES AND VENUES OUTSIDE OF HOME WORK AND SCHOOL WHERE LGBTQIA PLUS PEOPLE CAN BUILD COMMUNITY IN A SAFE AND SOBER SPACE.
UM, AND THE THIRD IS TO REQUIRE THE CULTURAL ARTS DISTRICTS AND INSTITUTIONS THROUGHOUT THE CITY TO FUND LGBTQIA PLUS ADVOCATES AND TO IMPLEMENT GENDER NEUTRAL BATHROOMS, UH, WITHOUT POLICING.
THE ARTS AND CULTURE ARE CENTRAL TO HOUSTON'S QUEER COMMUNITY.
UH, AND YOUR WORK CAN BE A PART OF STRENGTHENING AND BOLSTERING THIS COMMUNITY.
UH, AND RENDEZVOUS IS HAPPY TO PARTNER WITH ANY OF YOU ON SPECIFICS OR IDEAS ON ANY AND ALL OF IT.
AND SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR ADVOCACY, FOR YOUR WORK, UM, AND FOR YOUR DEDICATION.
ANY INFORMATION THAT YOU WANNA DISSEMINATE TO US, JUST MAKE SURE THAT WE, WE GET IT.
AND THANK YOU FOR COMING FORWARD.
HELLO AND THANK YOU TO THE COUNCIL.
I'M CHRISTINA BOGART, I'M WITH ALLIE THEATRE AND I WANTED TO FIRST OF ALL START WITH A BIG THANK YOU TO YOU AND THE MAYOR'S OFFICE FOR YOUR SUPPORT.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IS COMING UP VERY SOON IS ALLIE THEATRE GOT A NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS GRANT THANKS TO SUPPORT FROM THE MAYOR'S OFFICE.
UM, WE ARE WORKING TO KICK IT OFF RIGHT NOW WITH OUR FENCES BY AUGUST WILSON, WHICH WILL BE OPENING ON APRIL 22ND, BUT THERE'S GOING TO BE FAR REACHING COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES ACROSS SEVERAL DISTRICTS OVER THE NEXT YEAR AND A HALF.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT.
THE OTHER IS YOU DID MENTION THE IMPORTANCE OF BRINGING IN TOURISM AND CONFERENCES AND EXPANDING, UM, THE PRESENCE OF THE ARTS WITHIN OUR NATIONAL, UH, FORUMS. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT ALLEY THEATER IS DOING IS ACTUALLY HOSTING THE LEAGUE OF RESIDENT THEATERS AT THE END OF THIS MONTH.
UM, OVER 80 THEATERS IN THE COUNTRY ARE PART OF IT, UM, AS MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS AND ENCOMPASSING OVER 30 STATES.
AND THEY'LL BE CONVENING HERE AT THE END OF APRIL, UM, TO DISCUSS THE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT IMPACT OUR ORGANIZATIONS WITH A SPECIAL FOCUS ON ARTS EDUCATION THIS YEAR.
SO IT'S A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT THE WONDERFUL THINGS THAT WE DO HERE IN HOUSTON AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ARTS IN HOUSTON.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE THAT WITH YOU.
AND JUST AS A LITTLE TRIVIA, WAY BACK IN THE DAY I WAS IN PINOCCHIO, I WAS A LITTLE BITTY GIRL
WERE YOU PART OF HAIR LIKE PINOCCHIO AT THE ALLEY? I WAS NOT PINOCCHIO, LET'S BE CLEAR, BUT I WAS IN AT A PLAY THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT I REMEMBER FROM MANY, MANY, MANY YEARS AGO.
WERE YOU PART OF MERRY-GO-ROUND WITH ALLIE? WAS I WHAT PART OF THE MERRY-GO-ROUND GROUP, WHICH IS ALLIE'S BEEN DOING? I HAVE NO IDEA.
I JUST KNOW I WAS THERE REPEATING WHATEVER THE PERSON NEXT TO ME SAID.
WE MAY REACH OUT TO YOU BECAUSE WE ARE COLLECTING STORIES OF YOUTH, YOUTH EDUCATION.
I THINK, UH, DELOITTE PARKER WAS GOING TO SPEAK.
I'VE LISTENED AND I'VE LEARNED, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT I SAID.
I'VE LEARNED THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY A WHOLE LOT TO MEAN A WHOLE LOT.
AND WHAT I'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU ALL IS THAT, UH, THE CULTURE DISTRICT, I'VE BEEN THIRD SHAPES, I'VE BEEN RUNNING SHAPES ENOUGH FOR 56 YEARS AND CULTURE HAS BEEN SOMETHING THAT WE'VE EMBRACED ALL 56 OF THOSE YEARS THROUGH KWANZA PAN-AFRICAN CULTURAL FESTIVAL, YOUTH FESTIVALS FREEDOM TOUR, WHERE YOU RETRACE THE CIVIL RIGHTS
[01:20:01]
MOVEMENT, LEARNING THE CULTURES.AND, UH, THE CITY HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN HELPING US WITH THAT, THAT WE'D LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR THAT.
WE ARE IN OUR, WE WENT THROUGH A VERY CHALLENGING PERIOD THIS PAST YEAR.
OUR BUILDING CAUGHT ON FIRE AND WE DIDN'T LOSE THE BUILDING.
IN FACT, WE CONTINUE TO OPERATE AND THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF INSURANCE.
YOU GET INSURANCE THAT YOU PAY EVERY MONTH FOR RIGHT? NEVER FILE A CLAIM, RIGHT? BUT WHEN YOU DO, YOU CAN TELL GETTING YOUR MONEY.
THEN THERE'S ANOTHER KIND OF INSURANCE WHERE YOU INSURED WITH THE PEOPLE AND THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE.
SO THE CITY OF HOUSTON IS INCLUSIVE, INCLUSIVE IN THAT.
AND ALL ORGANIZATIONS IN THE CITY HAVE BEEN HELPED US TO GO STRONGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER.
SO I'D LIKE TO THANK THE CITY OF HOUSTON FIRST AND THIS CULTURAL DISTRICT AND HOUSTON ART ALLIANCE AND ALL OF YOUR ORGANIZATIONS, CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS IN PARTICULAR THAT'S BEEN ATTRIBUTED TO US BEING ABLE TO STILL CONTINUE TO BE WHAT DO WHAT WE ARE DOING.
AGAIN, IT'S UNITY, SELF-DETERMINATION, COLLECTIVE WORK AND RESPONSIBILITY, COOPERATIVE ECONOMICS, PURPOSE, CREATIVITY, AND F-A-I-T-H.
THOSE ARE THE SEVEN PRINCIPLES THAT WE EMBRACE.
THESE ARE CULTURAL AND UH, WE THANK THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
WE THANK YOU COUNCILWOMAN AND FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO CONTRIBUTE AND ALL CITY COUNCIL IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON FOR, AND TO GO ALL THE WAY BACK TO MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER WHO LIFT THE LIGHT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND THANK YOU DELOITTE, FOR ALL YOUR YEARS THAT YOU HAVE SHAPED, YOU HAVE ACTUALLY SHAPED THE MINDS OF SO MANY YOUNG AND OLDER PEOPLE.
I BELIEVE THAT CONCLUDES, UH, THE MEETING.
THERE'S NO FURTHER BUSINESS BEFORE THIS COMMITTEE.
I'M SORRY, COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO.
I ARE JUST PUSHING THESE BUTTONS AND Y'ALL DON'T KNOW IT, RIGHT?
UH, THIS, AS THERE IS NO FURTHER BUSINESS BEFORE THIS COMMITTEE, THIS MEETING OF THE ARTS AND CULTURE COMMITTEE IS NOW ADJOURNED.
AND I THANK YOU AND YOU HAVE A GREAT AFTERNOON AND IT IS 3:27 PM HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY.