THE CITY OF HOUSTON AWARDS $100,000 TO PROJECTS PROMOTING ARTS TOURISM AND DISASTER RESILIENCE

HOUSTON — The City of Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (MOCA) is awarding $100,000 in grants to 10 individuals and nonprofit organizations whose work furthers cultural tourism and resilience throughout the city of Houston. The funds were awarded through City’s Initiative, a competitive grant program administered by Houston Arts Alliance (HAA) and funded by a portion of the city’s Hotel Occupancy Tax. The City’s Initiative application period is open three times annually and grant funding falls into three categories: Art + Neighborhood Cultural Destinations, Art + Disaster Resilience Awareness, and Art + Conference Tourism.

Grantees of the first round of City’s Initiative 2024 are:

Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
From September 16-19, 2024, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH), Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy (HFTC), and artist Theaster Gates will host Houston’s edition of the renowned Black Artists Retreat (B.A.R), focused on the radical concept of “Black Land Ownership and Space: Black Stabilization and Determination”. Over four days, the convening will present speakers, panelists, and experts from Houston and across the country, bringing together, elevating, and inspiring the brain trust in local Black and BIPOC artists, creatives, and intellectuals. With programming in Houston Freedmen’s Town, POST Houston, and CAMH, B.A.R. has the potential to generate paradigm-shifting frameworks. This grant was awarded in the Art + Conference Tourism category.

the next generation of outstanding jazz talent. This series will include eight concerts falling on Sunday afternoons from October 2024 – May 2025. All concerts will be offered as pay-what-you-can, all-ages concerts. This grant was awarded in the Art + Neighborhood Cultural Destinations category.

Dance Afrikana (fiscally sponsored by Fresh Arts)

An extension of the Black Dance in Texas research project by Dance Afrikana’s founder and Scholar-in-Residence for Rice University’s CERCL Program at the African American History Research Center Gregory Campus, Black Dance in Texas is a multidisciplinary project around documenting the tradition of Black dance in Texas. This project includes a curated exhibition, digital dance archive, and a book. This grant was awarded in the Art + Neighborhood Cultural Destinations category.

on October 3rd and 4th, 7:30pm at MATCH. The company will host a free studio open rehearsal also livestreamed on the company’s social media platforms prior to the premiere. Performances will feature all artists, and a visual set and costumes made of recyclable materials live on stage followed by an open discussion with the audience. This grant was awarded in the Art + Resilience Awareness category.

Take Me as I Am, is a solo exhibit featuring the work of multidisciplinary artist Lance Flowers. The exhibit will take place simultaneously at the Hogan Brown Gallery in Houston, TX and Yale University’s Institute for Sacred Music. The Yale portion has obtained its own independent funding. This exhibit will feature new works highlighting Third Ward and its community through a series of mixed media works. The materials used will be gathered from the entirety of Third Ward. This exhibit will be curated by gallery director Robert Hodge and feature 2d works, videography, music, and photography highlighting Third Ward residents. This grant was awarded in the Art + Resilience Awareness category.

Norma Jo Thomas
“Carol of the Bells” is an original musical theatre production by Norma J. Thomas, to be performed at the C. Lee Turner Performing Arts Center on December 14, 2024. Building upon Norma’s tradition of bringing Winter Holiday productions to the community, “Carol of the Bells” has its world premiere as part of an Acres Homes community collaboration to fill the month of December with artistic and cultural holiday offerings. This grant was awarded in the Art + Neighborhood Cultural Destinations category.

One Sample Cultural Foundation
Ethnography of Afro-Venezuelan Music is a multidisciplinary educational conference that includes videos, music and dance, which explores the syncretism of African culture and European religious practices in Venezuela through music. The project aims to strengthen ties between the African American and Venezuelan communities and promote a dynamic cultural exchange. This is a free educational-cultural activity for the general public, which will take place at the Institute of Hispanic Culture of Houston (10/10/2024) and Teatro Bilingüe de Houston (04/13/2025). This grant was awarded in the Art + Conference Tourism category.

SoulSista Art Foundation
A conference highlighting Houston’s contributions to the new music business will be held at Houston Warehouse Studio (1506 Lorraine St, HTX) and include performances from selected poets and Afrobeats artists who have been recognized over the years in Houston. This event is scheduled for November 11, 2024, from 12pm to 6pm. The event will be open to the general public for free, donations will be accepted. We will also have food-trucks and DJs. This grant was awarded in the Art + Conference Tourism category.

The Pilot Dance Project
Loteria is an original dance work by celebrated Houston-based choreographer, Cynthia Garcia. Loteria brings to life the characters of the traditional Mexican board game, which is similar to bingo. In an urban landscape of constant gentrification, often cultural signifiers, customs, and traditions are left behind to show the legacies of cultural communities. The dances of Loteria will be presented at two major cultural events in gentrified neighborhoods that have histories as Mexican and Mexican American neighborhoods: MECA’s Day of the Dead Festival in Sixth Ward (October 2024), and the MD Anderson YMCA’s annual posada in Near Northside (December 2024). This grant was awarded in the Art + Neighborhood Cultural Destinations category.

University of Houston Foundation
The Terence Blanchard concert will engage communities from Third Ward and Downtown Houston in a series of events with 7-time Grammy winning artist Terence Blanchard. In addition to performing a concert, Blanchard will collaborate with University of Houston and University of Houston-Downtown students. The performance will be November 7th, 8th, or 10th at either the Wortham Theater or at UH Moores School of Music. There will also be a fireside chat/workshop as part of the visit. This grant was awarded in the Art + Neighborhood Cultural Destinations category.