Category: Arts and Culture

A new award supports first-time Latino authors of children’s literature

Josefina’s Habichuelas / Las habichuelas de Josefina by Jasminne Mendez won the 2021 Salinas de Alba Award for children’s picture books. Arte Público Press has just launched the Reyes-Olivas Award for first-time Latino writers of children’s literature.

In 2020, according to the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, only 228 (or 7%) of 3,299 published children’s books were written by Latinos and only 200 (or 6%) centered Latino characters.

Arte Público Press – the nation’s oldest and largest Hispanic publisher in the U.S. based at the University of Houston – is launching a new $5,000 award that aims to inspire and support more first-time Latino authors of books for children and teens.

“There just are not enough writers producing works for and about Latino children. In particular, the Reyes-Olivas Award is squarely targeting those who have written for adults to encourage them to write for young adults and children,” said Dr. Nicolás Kanellos, founder and director of Arte Público Press.

Studies suggest a link between representation in literature and literacy rates, indicating that more inclusive children’s literature could lead to more successful reading skills and academic outcomes.

“Latino kids need to see themselves and their families in books, which will contribute to positive feelings about their identity,” said Dr. Kanellos. “Reading books by Hispanic authors will help kids believe they are important—in school and society—and will hopefully lead to increased educational achievement.”

The Reyes-Olivas Award for Best First Book of Latino Children’s and Young Adult Literature will be given annually, starting in the fall of 2022. In addition to the prize money, the award includes publication of the book, an advance, and future royalties.

In an email to Houston Arts Journal, Arte Público Press described the selection process:

“We’ll send calls for submission multiple times throughout the year … we are looking for books that authentically represent the lives of Hispanic children. So we’re not looking for re-tellings of Grimms fairy tales or books about life in Argentina or Spain. We want our books to speak to Hispanic kids living here, which means we might publish books about migration from Central America (given the influx of children and families from the region and the issue of unaccompanied minors, etc.), for instance. Our award committee will review appropriate submissions year-round and will make a decision by August for publication later in the year.”

The award is named for Dr. Augustina “Tina” Reyes and Dr. Michael Olivas, both retired University of Houston professors, who donated $80,000 to create an endowment for the prize.

“At a time when politics have brought libraries and teachers under fire, it is more important than ever to step in and encourage support for reading education, including the wide array of children’s literature by and from our community,” Reyes and Olivas said in a statement.

The couple say they plan to raise an additional $45,000 to ensure that the $5,000 award can be given each year using endowment interest.

The Reyes-Olivas Award is among the latest Houston-based efforts to support writers of color, including a new BIPOC Book Fest set to take place this spring.

In 2020, Arte Público Press also established the Salinas de Alba Award for Latino Children’s Literature, a $5,000 prize that is given to authors of children’s picture books.

Thousands of rare photos from Prairie View A&M will be digitized as part of a Getty Images HBCU grant

Photo of the Grandchildren’s Club from the 1943 Panther yearbook / Courtesy of Prairie View A&M University

A new Getty Images Photo Archives Grant for Historically Black Colleges and Universities aims to honor and amplify the legacy, stories, and contributions of HBCUs to American history.

Prairie View A&M University is one of four inaugural recipients selected to receive a combined $500,000 to support the digitization of up to 200,000 archival images this year.

Other grant winners are Jackson State University (Jackson, Mississippi), North Carolina Central University (Durham, North Carolina), and Claflin University (Orangeburg, South Carolina).

Roughly 50,000 rarely seen photographs from Prairie View A&M’s library will be preserved, restored, and digitized with funding from the grant. Photo subjects include stories of migration movements, voting rights, housing displacement, injustices, Black women in politics, and Black family life within Texas communities, according to a press release.

The collection also preserves the legacy of Elnora Teal and the Teal Portrait Studio, an influential African-American photography studio established in 1919 in Houston. It operated for decades in the city’s Third, Fourth, and Fifth Wards. Elnora Teal was one of only 100 Black female photographers in the country at the time, as documented by the 1920 U.S. Census.

Science class, undated photo / Courtesy of Prairie View A&M University

“Getty Images is proud to partner with archivists at each of the four HBCUs to uncover rarely seen photographs of Black culture and ensure these historical artifacts are preserved and accessible to storytellers around the world,” said Cassandra Illidge, VP of Partnerships at Getty Images, in a statement.

“This year’s Grant is just the beginning of our work helping to preserve HBCUs history and our commitment to the HBCU community,” Illidge said.

The HBCU Photo Collection is now online and available for licensing, with thousands of images to be added throughout 2022.

Other aspects of the grant:

  • Prairie View A&M archivists and librarians (and each of the respective HBCU recipients) will work alongside Getty Images and the post-production agency Adnet Global in the digitization of its collection.
  • HBCUs will retain copyright of their photos. 
  • Getty Images will provide funding and mentoring to support HBCU students interested in becoming involved in the digitization process.  
  • Revenue from the photos will be distributed to HBCUs: 50% will go to Grant recipients; 30% will go to a Scholarship Fund for HBCU students, with scholarships becoming available in 2022; and the remaining 20% will be reinvested to fund the Getty Images Photo Archive Grants for HBCUs each year.

Read more on the subject of African American photography in Texas:

Did you know there is a Texas African American Photography Archive?

Houston’s new BIPOC Arts Network and Fund awards $2 million to 120 local arts groups serving communities of color

TEATRX, a Latinx theater company and BANF grantee [pictured from left to right: Fabiola Andujar, Michael Sifuentes, Matthew Ruiz and Matthew Martinez] / photo by Melissa Taylor

In its first round of funding, the BIPOC Arts Network and Fund (BANF) has announced that it is awarding a combined $2 million to 120 Houston-area arts groups serving Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian American, Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern and other communities of color.

The grants range from $5,000 to $50,000 for 59 artist collectives and 61 arts organizations – with support from the Ford Foundation, Houston Endowment, The Brown Foundation, Inc., The Cullen Foundation, Kinder Foundation, and The Powell Foundation.

“This is a moving moment because there are many grantees who are being funded for the first time, despite having a strong and lengthy track record of work in their communities,” said Marissa Castillo, co-founder of TEATRX, in a press release. The Latinx theater company is the recipient of a $7,500 BANF grant.

“This grant helps TEATRX advance our mission of making Latinx performance arts a vital and prominent part of the artistic identity of Houston by representing and supporting the Latinx community, its artists, and its stories,” Castillo said.

While Houston is the most racially and ethnically diverse city in an increasingly diverse country, 90% of local arts philanthropy goes to 27 mostly white-led organizations, according to a 2017 study by Houston Endowment.

Only about 7% of local public funding goes to Latinx organizations, per a Houston report that was released in 2018 by the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture.

Nationally, the 20 largest mainstream arts organizations have a median budget of $61 million – 16 times the median budget of the 20 largest organizations of color at $3.8 million, according to a 2015 Diversity in the Arts study by the DeVos Institute.

BANF was launched in September 2021 to address these inequities locally. The multi-year initiative aims to support BIPOC-led nonprofits that provide arts and culture programming, as well as fiscally-sponsored artist collectives, across the nine counties of Greater Houston (Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, and Waller counties).

The groundwork for the effort was laid by the Ford Foundation’s America’s Cultural Treasures initiative, which in September 2020 committed an unprecedented $156 million to support BIPOC arts communities nationwide in response to the devastating economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Of that amount, $5 million was invested in the Greater Houston region and combined with contributions from local foundations to create BANF.

Alief Art House, a BANF grantee, was founded and organized by Houston Filipinx artist Matt Manalo. A shipping container that houses free art exhibits and events, it brings art into the one of the most diverse neighborhoods within Greater Houston and serves as an outlet to showcase Alief artists. The collective is in the process of expanding to two shipping containers to house offices and workshops. / courtesy of Alief Art House

Of the 155 grant applicants in this inaugural round, 77% were funded after going through a review process by a panel of creatives, arts administrators, and arts and community leaders from Houston’s BIPOC communities.

“We took the opportunity to prioritize learning and abundance and to de-emphasize competition in our grantmaking process,” said Sixto Wagan, BANF Project Director, in a statement.

“We saw this as an opportunity to learn from the written and spoken words of applicants what our communities’ strengths and challenges are as they face the current economic, social, and health realities of today,” Wagan said.

Organizers say that this community-learning approach that centers BIPOC voices will continue to guide BANF as it develops ways to assist artists beyond financial investment – such as by “broadening networks or expanding development opportunities.”

In this coming year, the initiative will host a series of information sessions with grantees and the arts community at large to identify how BIPOC arts organizations and artists want to be supported specifically to meet challenges and needs.

A full list of grantees can be found here.

Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, ROCO adjust schedules and events because of COVID safety concerns

Calder Kamin, “Plastic Planet Stag,” 2018. Plastic bags, steel, foam, wood, glass eyes. Featured in the exhibition “Nothing Goes to Waste” at the Houston Center for Contemporary Arts / photo by Philip Rogers

Houston Arts Journal continues to follow the impact of the omicron-related COVID-19 surge on local arts groups, including closures, cancelations, and rescheduling of events.

This week, the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft announced that it will be closed (as of January 19) through January 28:

This temporary closure affects one current exhibition, Limitless: The 2021 Recipients of Clay Houston’s Award for Texas BIPOC Ceramic Artists, which had recently opened on January 15. It will now resume on January 29 and run through March 5. In the meantime, a virtual tour of Limitless, along with a conversation with the artists, can be found on the center’s Facebook page.

Biba Schutz, “Sparkiln Ring,” 2010. Sterling silver, fine silver, 18k gold. Featured in the exhibition “Rings! 1968- 2021” at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft / Photo by Ron Boszko

Upcoming exhibitions are still on schedule, including Rings! 1968- 2021 (January 29 – March 12), which explores avant-garde notions of contemporary jewelry through the form of the ring, and Nothing Goes to Waste (February 5 – May 7), a survey of artists who use salvaged materials.

The center’s COVID safety protocol and visitor guidelines can be found here.

This week, the chamber ensemble ROCO also announced the cancelation of its next two concerts:

Now postponed to next season, ROCO Connections: A House of My Own (originally planned for January 22) was a salon concert featuring World Premiere songs by Grammy-nominated composer Derek Bermel and American Book Award-winning author Sandra Cisneros. A conversation with Bermel and Cisneros remains available on ROCO’s Facebook page.

ROCO Unchambered: Ties That Bind (originally planned for February 5), an intimate and interactive program about the violin, was impacted by COVID travel restrictions and will also be rescheduled for next season.

ROCO In Concert at The Church of St. John the Divine / photo by Joel Luks

The rest of ROCO’s season currently remains in place.

The season resumes with Pictures at an Exhibition: A ROCO Musical Promenade, a free concert on February 17 at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Pianist Mei Rui will perform experts from Mussorgsky’s original piano version of Pictures at an Exhibition, paired with artworks from the MFAH.

Also coming up next month is ROCO In Concert: Canvasing the Earth on February 26 at the Church of St. John the Divine, in-person and live-streamed. That concert will feature conductor Sarah Hicks, tenor Nicholas Phan, and the orchestra in World Premieres by Aaron Jay Kernis, Leanna Primiani, and Jonathan Leshnoff.

ROCO’s health and safety protocols can be found here.

Houston’s only festival for high school playwrights is accepting submissions

“Keep Your Head Above the Water” by 2020 student playwright winner Rachel Iliev, directed by Christine Weems; (L-R: Justin Bernard as Jake, Chris Szeto-Joe as Quinn, Helen Rios as Shalla) / photo courtesy of Dirt Dogs Theatre Co.

Founded in 2015, Dirt Dogs Theatre Company “collaborates with other Houston artists and playwrights to provide an opportunity for new works to be seen” – and this includes works by the next generation of aspiring playwrights.

Since 2018, the company has hosted a competition and showcase of plays by high school students. It is currently accepting submissions for its 2022 Student Playwright Festival.

The festival is open to high school seniors in the Greater Houston area, who are invited to submit previously unproduced one-act plays, up to 30 minutes in length. The deadline is February 11, 2022. Rules and application are available here.

Three to five plays will be selected to be produced by the festival on June 8, 2022 at the MATCH, with the winning playwrights in attendance as guests of honor.

Each winner will also receive a $500 scholarship and the experience of preparing their works for the stage – including mentorship by a Houston-based playwright and participation in the rehearsal process leading up to the festival.

A unique opportunity for area students, Dirt Dogs Theatre Company’s Student Playwright Festival is the only one of its kind open to high school students across the city, based on Houston Arts Journal’s review of multiple local theater organizations.

Other local efforts to engage teens indicate an active youth theater scene overall in Houston, with an emphasis on performance – including youth training programs offered by the Alley Theatre, Ensemble Theatre, Main Street Theater, Stages, and Theater Under The Stars. The University of Houston’s School of Theatre and Dance also produces an annual 10-Minute Play Festival that showcases new works by college playwrights in its B.F.A. program.

Houston Arts Journal reached out to Trevor B. Cone, Executive Director of Dirt Dogs Theatre Company, for the following interview to find out more about the impact of its Student Playwright Festival (SPF).

“The New World” by 2020 student playwright winner Jack A. Mowry, directed by Trevor B. Cone; (L-R: Todd Thigpen as Guard, Jeff Featherston as Walter Dunningham, Allen Dorris, Jr. as Jeff Drake) / photo courtesy of Dirt Dogs Theatre Co.

Is there any story behind the festival? How and why did you start it?

Our younger daughter, Sydney, took a playwriting class at her high school in the spring of 2017. Their semester concluded with each of the students in the class producing their plays. The performances were done over a weekend and were mainly attended by friends and family.

We figured there were other high school students who were also playwrights that maybe didn’t have an opportunity to see their work go from the page to the stage but would really benefit from it. After some brainstorming with our artists in residence, Doug Williams and Donna McKenzie, the framework for the Student Playwright Festival was built and then launched in 2018. 

The first two festivals took place in June 2018 and 2019. The 2020 SPF was postponed due to COVID and was held in November in 2021.

How many student plays have you produced through the festival so far?  Are there any particular plays or experiences of mentoring past winners that stand out?

Each SPF has featured three plays, so in total we have produced nine. The mentors have each formed lasting relationships with one or more of the students they have mentored that have extended beyond the festival into their college and adult lives. We continue to hear stories of other projects their students have worked on because of the connections established by the SPF.

How is the scholarship funded?

So far, we have been very fortunate to have the scholarships underwritten by a mixture of individual, corporate, and foundation gifts. Our first SPF scholarships were funded by the Salners Family Foundation. Since then, we have been sponsored by Carrabba’s Original, and this year we received funding from the J. Flowers Health Institute.

Have any past winners gone on to study theater or playwrighting, or go on to produce more plays?

Yes, one of the students in the first festival studied at Brandeis and continues to write and design. Another is currently studying theatre at Emerson College and another is finishing his college career this spring at California Institute of the Arts.

How have you seen the festival impact students and the community?  In these complicated pandemic times, when many companies are struggling to present a full season amidst COVID, why is it important to you to continue to offer this opportunity to students?

The festival has been extremely fulfilling to the playwrights, the mentors, and Dirt Dogs Theatre Co. For the playwrights, the SPF is a validation of their talent and a celebration of their creativity and dedication to their craft. As 2018 SPF winner Carter Prentiss told us, “Seeing my show go from the moments in my mind to the words on a page and finally to actions on stage was nothing short of amazing.”

For some, the SPF exposed them to how a play is produced and all that goes into it. Another 2018 SPF winner Addison Antonoff said, “Being able to help a show go from a draft to full production has given me the ability to work in different areas of theatre I didn’t have previous experience in because I was able to see not just the work of those areas, but how they fit together in a show.” For the mentors and Dirt Dogs, the SPF allows us to foster the talents of the next generation of theatre makers. 

Regarding the company in general, what would you like people to know about how the pandemic has impacted Dirt Dogs Theatre Company?

We were mid-way through Season 4 when COVID-19 reached the United States. Our production of The Dead Eye Boy completed its run on March 7, 2020. The city shut down the following week. We were unable to complete Season 4, and in Season 5 we produced a streaming production of Anna Deavere Smith’s Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992. Originally produced by the playwright as a one-woman show with Ms. Smith performing over 30 roles, Dirt Dogs instead chose to cast 32 local actors, and we rehearsed and filmed them under strict socially distanced guidelines. The cinematic theatrical production was made available on demand during the month of November 2020 and again in February 2021.

We launched our Season 6 in October 2021 with a production of The Revolutionists by Lauren Gunderson. In December, we continued our ULNEASHED series, which debuted in January 2020 with Jeff Goode’s The Eight: Reindeer Monologues. Both shows were well attended, showing us that people are excited about the return of live theatre.

Rehearsals have begun for our restaging of A Steady Rain, which we originally produced as the first show of our premiere season in 2016. We are hopeful that the current omicron surge will subside enough for our audiences to come back to MATCH when we open on February 18.

As Houston theater veteran, do you know of any other local student playwriting festivals or similar opportunities?

We are not aware of any other local or regional playwriting festivals that are specifically targeted at high school students. This is one of the reasons we decided to start the SPF. With encouragement and guidance, we hope that kids who are interested in theatre, and specifically the creation of new plays, will follow through on that urge. These kids are the future of the American theatre. Hopefully, Dirt Dogs Theatre Co. can have a positive impact on them.

The number of local arts events postponed by the current COVID-19 wave is growing

Jay Sullivan as “Puck” and James Black as “Bottom” in a 2016 Alley Theatre production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” The company is postponing a new production, which would have premiered this month, to 2023 / photo by Lynn Lane

Since December, the U.S. has faced a wave of COVID-19 cases fueled by the omicron variant, impacting Houston arts groups during the holiday season and leading some to update their safety protocol.

As of this week, COVID-19 cases in Greater Houston reached a record high, with Harris County’s positivity rate surpassing 34%, and on Monday Judge Lina Hidalgo raised the county’s COVID threat level to “red” (severe).

According to reporting by Houston Public Media, hospital officials say that omicron leads to infections that are generally less severe than those of the delta variant. However, it is highly transmissible, and hospitalizations have surged: “Daily COVID hospitalizations at Texas Medical Center hospitals also saw record numbers last week, with an average of 497 a day. That’s up from an average of 68 daily COVID hospitalizations in December 2021.”

Under these current circumstances, some Houston arts organizations – or their partners – have decided to cancel, reschedule, or reimagine upcoming performances and events.

Here is a list of recent announcements, compiled by Houston Arts Journal:

ALLEY THEATRE

While its on-stage season is currently unaffected, the company is postponing its new touring series, Alley Transported, to 2023 “due to ongoing challenges with COVID-19 and in order to keep the cast, creative team, and community safe,” according to a press release.

Originally set to begin this month with a production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Alley Transported is part of an NEA-funded initiative that aims to bring free, intimate performances of Shakespeare and other plays to neighborhood settings, community centers, and schools in order to foster a shared sense of community and a “transporting experience” of live theatre.

“I appreciate everyone’s understanding in this tough decision as well as all the hard work so many have already put toward making this a great show.  It will still be great – a year from now,” said Rob Melrose, Alley Theatre Artistic Director, in a statement.

BROADWAY AT THE HOBBY CENTER

When the January 4th opening night of Hadestown was canceled because of both COVID and non-COVID-related illnesses, the company was hopeful that the rest of the run through January 9th would resume. However, all remaining performances were eventually canceled because of breakthrough positive COVID cases within the show’s company. Hadestown has now been rescheduled for October 4 – 9, 2022.

CATASTROPHIC THEATRE

Catastrophic Theatre is postponing its production of Brian Jucha’s They Do Not Move to next season. The company released the following statement on January 4th:

We regret to inform you that Catastrophic’s upcoming production of Brian Jucha’s They Do Not Move, scheduled to perform February 11 through March 6, has been postponed until next season. 

They Do Not Move is an original work created entirely during the rehearsal process by the Catastrophic ensemble and Brian Jucha. With Covid-19 rapidly spreading across our city, we cannot safely and successfully create, rehearse, and perform this physically intimate piece of work. There is a strong likelihood that we will each come into contact with the Covid-19 virus in the weeks ahead. We don’t want our rehearsal process or production to become a super spreader event.

Thank you for your understanding. It breaks our hearts that we cannot bring They Do Not Move to you at this time. We are moving forward with the rest of our season, with the assumption that we will be in a better place in the spring.

The Catastrophic Theatre

FRESH ARTS

Fresh Arts, a nonprofit that provides resources and support to artists, announced this week that it has canceled its gala, The Unbelieve-A-Ball, originally scheduled for January 22nd.

While we were excited to be back together for the Unbelieve-a-Ball this month, our concerns for the safety and health of our community have to take precedence.

It is disappointing to announce that we will forgo the gala scheduled for Jan. 22 due to the recent Omicron spike.

Fresh Arts

In place of this year’s gala, Fresh Arts will now hold a reimagined Gala Auction, January 22 – 29.

“The Girl” by Tony Paraná, one of the artworks that will be featured in Fresh Arts’ 2022 Gala Auction / image courtesy of Fresh Arts

According to Fresh Arts’ public relations partner Like Minds: “Galas account for a crucial 15-20% of the nonprofit’s revenue,” which is why the organization is moving forward with its fundraising through the auction –whose proceeds will support Fresh Arts and local artists.

In an email with Houston Arts Journal, Like Minds shared more about the Gala Auction:

“A So Unbelievable Auction Pop Up” will be a hybrid fundraiser where art aficionados can browse and bid on 50+ works of art and one-of-a-kind experience packages in all price ranges.

Those who wish to bid on the auction items can do so either online or in-person at participating exhibit spaces around the city, such as Buffalo Bayou Brewing Company, MKT Bar at Phoenicia Downtown, and the Arts District Houston Welcome Center at Winter Street Studios. More locations to be announced soon!

Art from local artists such as Outspoken Bean, Tony Paraná, Renee Victor, and more will be featured in the auction.

Founded in 2001, Fresh Arts also plans to host a 20th Birthday Party later this year “when it is safe to do so,” according to its website.

HOUSTON EARLY MUSIC

Houston Early Music, a presenter of historically informed performances of music from the Medieval through Classical periods, is postponing its January 22nd concert by Sante Fe-based Severall Friends to next season. The organization released the following statement this week:

Houston Early Music regrets to announce the cancelation of its Jan. 22 concert, The Shadow of Night: Mysticism and Magic in Renaissance Music, by Severall Friends. While Severall Friends was forced to cancel their performance because of COVID-19, the early music consortium is working with HEM to reschedule the concert for the 2022-2023 season. For information about ticket refunds, email info@houstonarlymusic.org, or call 713-325-5377.

Houston Early Music

ROCO

ROCO canceled its concert, Beer and Brass, on January 13th and has since rescheduled it to April 6th.

The annual family-friendly event features the ROCO Brass Quintet at Saint Arnold Brewing Company, with performances of traditional beer hall music and brass arrangements, along with craft beer, root beer, and food.

You can find COVID safety protocol for each arts organization on their respective websites.

NEA announces over $33 million in project funding nationally, including $1.7 million for Texas arts

Photo credit: Young Audiences of Houston / Facebook

The National Endowment for the Arts is awarding 1,498 grants totaling nearly $33.2 million for its first round of funding for fiscal year 2022.

Of that amount, $1,746,000 is going to 77 institutions in Texas, with 22 Houston arts organizations receiving $632,000.

The overall funding spans every state, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The types of grants awarded include Grants for Arts Projects, which represent 15 artistic disciplines; Challenge America grants, “for projects that extend the reach of the arts to populations that have limited access to the arts due to geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability”; Literature Fellowships in creative writing and translation; and Arts Research grants.

“These National Endowment for the Arts grants underscore the resilience of our nation’s artists and arts organizations, will support efforts to provide access to the arts, and rebuild the creative economy,” said Ann Eilers, NEA Acting Chair, in a press release.

“The supported projects demonstrate how the arts are a source of strength and well-being for communities and individuals, and can open doors to conversations that address complex issues of our time,” Eilers said.

Among local grantees, Young Audiences of Houston will receive $50,000 for its Neighborhoods, Identity, and Diversity Project, which aims to increase arts access and equity. By providing free programs across 10 communities, the project works to amplify youth voices, infuse local cultures and traditions into arts-based learning, and collaborate with teaching artists and schools.

“We look forward to sharing over the next year the progress of this exciting project, unique to Houston and the communities that create our region’s vibrancy,” said Mary Mettenbrink, Young Audiences of Houston’s Executive Director, in a statement. “This project will support Acres Homes, Alief-Westwood, Fort Bend Houston, Gulfton, Kashmere Gardens, Magnolia-Park Manchester, Near Northside, Second Ward, Sunnyside, and Third Ward.”

Houston’s Discovery Green Conservancy will receive a $15,000 NEA grant in support of its project, Tejas Got Soul: Celebrating Houston’s Tejano Roots Music Legacy.

Initiated by East End residents Pat Jasper, Nick Gaitan, Isaac Rodriguez, Robert Rodriguez, and Angel Quesada, the project includes 3 free concerts in fall 2022 that feature traditional music genres popular in the Chicano community, from orquesta to conjunto and Tejano to Brown-Eyed Soul. There will also be panel discussions about the history of the local Chicano music scene and a social media campaign to add historical and cultural context about the music, musicians, and the community.

“Part of Discovery Green Conservancy’s mission is to shine a light on the diversity of traditions that exist in Houston,” said Barry Mandel, Discovery Green Conservancy President, in a statement. “The Conservancy is very proud to work with talented Houstonians to present these concerts and is very grateful for the National Endowment of Arts support.”

A full state-by-state listing of grants is available here.

A full list of Houston grantees follows:

Alley Theatre
$20,000
Grants for Arts Projects – Theater

Arts Connect Houston
$100,000
Grants for Arts Projects – Arts Education

Aurora Picture Show (aka Aurora)
$15,000
Grants for Arts Projects – Media Arts

Da Camera Society of Texas (aka Da Camera chamber music & jazz)
$25,000
Grants for Arts Projects – Music

Discovery Green Conservancy (aka Discovery Green)
$15,000
Grants for Arts Projects – Folk & Traditional Arts

FotoFest, Inc.
$25,000
Grants for Arts Projects – Visual Arts

Guez, Julia
$10,000
Literature Fellowships: Translation Projects – Literary Arts

Gulf Coast: A Journal of Literature & Fine Arts (aka Gulf Coast)
$15,000
Grants for Arts Projects – Literary Arts

Houston Architecture Foundation (aka Architecture Center Houston)
$12,000
Grants for Arts Projects – Design

Houston Arts Alliance (aka HAA)
$35,000
Grants for Arts Projects – Local Arts Agencies

Houston Cinema Arts Society
$20,000
Grants for Arts Projects – Media Arts

Houston Grand Opera Association, Inc.
$65,000
Grants for Arts Projects – Opera

Houston Symphony Society (aka Houston Symphony)
$15,000
Grants for Arts Projects – Music

Musiqa Inc.
$10,000
Grants for Arts Projects – Music

Nameless Sound
$20,000
Grants for Arts Projects – Music

Open Dance Project Inc.
$10,000
Grants for Arts Projects – Dance

Rothko Chapel
$35,000
Grants for Arts Projects – Presenting & Multidisciplinary Works

Society for the Performing Arts (aka SPA)
$35,000
Grants for Arts Projects – Presenting & Multidisciplinary Works

Theatre Under The Stars, Inc.
$10,000
Grants for Arts Projects – Musical Theater

University of Houston (on behalf of Arte Publico Press)
$60,000
Grants for Arts Projects – Literary Arts

University of Houston (on behalf of Blaffer Art Museum)
$30,000
Grants for Arts Projects – Museums

Young Audiences Inc of Houston (aka Houston Arts Partners)
$50,000
Grants for Arts Projects – Arts Education

Contemporary Arts Museum Houston and Radom Capital launch a local artist residency in Montrose

Frame Dance Productions will be a CAMHLAB artist-in-residence at Montrose Collective in spring 2022. / photo courtesy of Contemporary Arts Museum Houston

During the pandemic, in the fall of 2020, the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston created the CAMHLAB initiative, an artists’ residency based at the museum’s newly renovated upstairs Brown Foundation Gallery.

It was implemented in response to the impact of COVID on Houston artists – in particular, to offset the loss of performance and rehearsal space, and to provide a safe way to connect artists and audiences.

CAMH is now expanding that residency program through a partnership with real estate developer Radom Capital, which has offered to house it in a new gallery space at Montrose Collective – a shopping center that includes chefs, merchants, wellness services, and creative offices. Located adjacent to the Museum District, Montrose is considered by many to be among the city’s most creative, culturally rich, and inclusive areas.

“Walking though Montrose inspires curiosity, wonder, and discovery. In the spirit of our neighborhood, we are honored to announce our curatorial and programming partnership with CAMH,” said Steve Radom, managing principal of Radom Capital, in a press release.

“CAMHLAB x MC is a light-filled gallery providing neighbors and visitors with access to an exciting and eclectic lineup of local artists curated by CAMH,” Radom said.

Montrose Collective / photo courtesy of Contemporary Art Museum Houston

Through this re-envisioned residency, local artists will have the opportunity to create new and timely works, while aiming to foster community interaction and connection following nearly two years of social distancing and isolation brought on by the pandemic.

“We are living through wild times and the world is a strange place these days. CAMHLAB is making space for artists to process and interpret,” said Eepi Chaad, artist-in-residence, in a statement. “Each residency is like a capsule of a moment during an extraordinary period of acceleration in the human timeline.”

According to reporting by Glasstire,“artists will receive an honorarium, opportunities to host programming, support for communications and marketing, and additional support as needed from CAMH.”

The gallery is family friendly and free.

“This is an opportunity for artists to move not just beyond the walls of the Museum, but to directly share their creative process with the public,” said Hesse McGraw, CAMH Executive Director, in a statement.

Four artists-in-residence have been selected and will rotate through the space (project descriptions and photos provided by CAMH):

Eepi Chaad

December 15, 2021–January 30, 2022

Artist Eepi Chaad’s “Soft Space” is an installation that celebrates the soft surfaces we associate with our homes. Visitors are invited to learn about surface design, take part in the process of making, and engage with the transformed space created out of handkerchiefs, bandanas, scarfs, afghans, throws, and security blankets. “Soft Space” aims to provide a safe and welcoming space for visitors to create, heal, and connect with one another through a communal project.

Two Star Symphony

February 2–March 27, 2022

Two Star Symphony will utilize the space to create new performance and sound works. The group is often inspired by the movement of dancers, silent film, and other visual mediums. The ensemble will offer regular open studio hours to connect with their audience and make their process visible.

March 30–May 25, 2022

Frame Dance will present “The Family Mantra,” an installation-based participatory performance that explores generational psychological shifts in the Houston community. The group aims to create an environment that will invite interaction with marbles, toy tops, pathways on the floor, pipe cleaner dolls to manipulate, and puppets. Frame Dance will host family dance parties with the goal of building bonding and creative expression.

Dana Caldera

June 1–30, 2022

Artist Dana Caldera’s project, “Paper to Fabric,” will explore the intersection of quilt and collage. An important component of this work is a community sewing circle event, which aims to offer a place for community, organizing for political or social causes, and education that is open to everyone. Caldera’s residency embraces the artist/caretaker role in order to model a family-friendly environment that welcomes children and ensures they are safely included in all events.

Society for the Performing Arts announces new COVID safety protocol

Fran Lebowitz, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and Drum Tao 2022 are among the artists on Society for the Performing Arts’ February calendar.

Society for the Performing Arts has announced that it will expand its COVID-19 safety requirements from masks to proof of a negative COVID test or proof of vaccination for all patrons ages 5 and older, starting in February.

By doing so, SPA joins four other major arts organizations in Houston’s Theater District that currently have similar COVID safety protocol – including the Alley Theatre, Broadway at The Hobby Center, and Theatre Under The Stars (which require proof of negative results or vaccination for ages 12 and older), as well as Da Camera.

As “the largest nonprofit presenting organization of its kind in the Southwest,” SPA brings internationally acclaimed artists, musicians, dancers, actors, and speakers to Houston, and champions local artists through its Houston Artist Commissioning Project.

“With the amount of travel [SPA touring artists] are doing, more and more are requiring increased health and safety protocols,” the organization stated in its January newsletter as the impetus for the change.

Beginning next month, all audience members ages 5 and older will be required to show proof of a negative PCR or rapid antigen COVID-19 test, taken within 72 hours prior to the performance. SPA also requires that that the negative result be from a professionally administered test, not an at-home self-test.

Alternatively, patrons may choose to show proof of vaccination in the form of either 1) a CDC designated vaccine card that has two vaccine dates for the Pfizer/Moderna vaccine or one vaccine date for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, with the date of the final dose at least 14 days prior to the performance, or 2) a photo or digital copy of the card.

Patrons also need to present ID that matches the name on the test or vaccination card. Children may be accompanied by an adult who can provide identification. 

Masks will continue to be required inside the theater for all attendees ages 3 and older.

According to SPA, current ticket holders who cannot or do not wish to participate in these guidelines may contact the box office or email info@spahouston.org by January 28 to exchange their tickets for credit, to donate tickets, or to request a full refund.

Here’s a look at current COVID safety protocol for 8 major arts organizations in downtown Houston’s Theater District, subject to change:

Alley Theatre

  • Proof of negative COVID-19 test result or vaccination for patrons ages 12 and older
  • Masks required for all ages
  • All staff, artists, creative teams, crews, and ushers required to be vaccinated

Broadway at The Hobby Center

  • Proof of negative COVID-19 test result or vaccination for guests ages 12 and older
  • Masks required for all ages

Da Camera

  • Proof of negative COVID-19 test result or vaccination for all patrons
  • Masks required for all patrons

Houston Ballet

  • Masks required for all patrons
  • All staff and ushers fully vaccinated and masked at all times

Houston Grand Opera

  • Masks required for all patrons
  • All guests attending HGO Special Event dinners required to show proof of negative COVID-19 test result or vaccination, with masks also required at these events

Houston Symphony

  • Masks required for all patrons
  • All staff, ushers, musicians vaccinated; all ushers and staff in Jones Hall masked
  • Mix of full capacity and socially distanced areas in Jones Hall

Society for the Performing Arts

  • Masks required for all patrons
  • Starting February 2022, proof of negative COVID-19 test result or vaccination for patrons ages 5 and older

Theatre Under The Stars

  • Proof of negative COVID-19 test result or vaccination for patrons ages 12 and older
  • Masks required for all ages
  • On-site COVID testing available

How is COVID-19 affecting Houston’s holiday performing arts?

Delphi Borich as Ariel in Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” from Theatre Under The Stars, which has canceled remaining performances of the show due to COVID / photo credit: Melissa Taylor

This article has been updated to reflect developments [12/22/21, 9:30pm]

As the U.S. faces a new wave of COVID – fueled by the highly transmissible omicron variant, making up 73% of new infections last week, according to the CDC – NPR reported via The Associated Press:

Many stages on both Broadway and the West End have been forced to go dark once more as the live theater community grapples with backstage outbreaks of the coronavirus and its variants, temporarily closing everything from London’s revival of Cabaret starring Eddie Redmayne to mighty Hamilton in New York.

At one point last week, according to the report, five of 32 Broadway shows were dealing with canceled performances. This week, producers of the Broadway musical Jagged Little Pill announced that it would close that show because of multiple positive COVID-19 cases within the company.

Update: Today NPR reported that nine Broadway musicals have announced that they will be on haitus until after Christmas because of breakthrough infections.

Here in Houston – where hospital officials say that positive omicron cases are doubling every two to three days and the Harris County threat level has been raised to “orange” (significant) as of Monday – local performing arts groups have been impacted by COVID. So far there have not been a large number of canceled performances or productions, though the situation is developing.

The only production that has closed, based on Houston Arts Journal’s review of local companies, is Disney’s The Little Mermaid by Theatre Under The Stars.

Originally scheduled to run through December 24 at The Hobby Center, TUTS announced on December 20, that it would cancel all remaining performances due to COVID among cast and crew:

Update: This evening, the Ensemble Theatre announced that breakthrough COVID cases have forced the company to cancel the December 23 performance of A Motown Christmas – with remaining performances in the run to be determined.

Last week, Stages Theatre canceled performances of Panto Little Mermaid because of a positive COVID test in the cast, according to an email from Dancie Perugini Ware Public Relations. That production has now been cleared to resume on December 22 and will continue, with additional shows scheduled, through January 2.

Stages’ concurrent production of Sister’s Christmas Catechism has not been disrupted and continues to run as scheduled through December 31.

Another show that has coped with COVID is A Christmas Carol at The Alley Theatre, which canceled performances on December 19:

The Alley has since resumed its scheduled run of A Christmas Carol through December 29.

Among other local holiday offerings, the following productions are currently running without disruption:

You can find COVID safety protocol for each company on their respective websites.

Read more here:

COVID surge cancels Houston theater performances, basketball games and holiday parties (via Houston Chronicle)

Latest COVID surge hits Broadway duruing the lucrative holiday season (via NPR)