Cultural Affairs Office

Press and Communications

April 23, 2019 -- The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs today announced 22 recipients of quarterly Let Creativity Happen! competitive grants for artist projects.

Initiated last year, the Let Creativity Happen! grant program supports creative risk-taking and continues to attract artists from every discipline with inventive ideas for connecting audiences with art.

The 22 grants of $2,500 each were awarded to 14 artists, 6 organizations and 2 collectives.

Funded by the City of Houston Hotel Occupancy Tax dedicated to the arts, Let Creativity Happen! is administered by The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs with Houston Arts Alliance.

“As we enter the second year of this program, Houston’s artists continue to use their talents, inspiration and energy to bring us projects that spark curiosity and enliven the city,” The Mayor said. “Because of the city’s diversity, we keep seeing the most interesting mixing, merging and mashups of art in each round of grants.”

The Let Creativity Happen! grants support ideas that redefine artistic boundaries, reshape conversations about art and art experiences, and/or establish unique opportunities to experience art. The grants culminate with artists discussing their ideas and how their project unfolded with a live audience and fellow grant recipients.

“Each grant fuels a new art experience for residents and visitors and continues to deliver on Houston’s identity as an exceptional arts and cultural destination,” said Debbie McNulty, director of The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs. “We are making connections between our diverse and growing pool of artists and I can’t wait to see the new collaborations and creativity that will come next.”

Congratulations to all award recipients!  Thank you for your dedication and contributions to the expansive arts and cultural landscape of Houston.

To learn more about each of these grants, visit http://houstonartsalliance.com/images/uploads/main/2019_Recipient_List.pdf. (link disabled)

The next deadline for grant applications is 5:30 p.m. July 1.

Grant recipients:

14 Pews, Native American and Indigenous Film Series (Visual Arts & Film)

Andrew Karnavas, Houston Sound Library: An Audio Sample Pack (Sound Design)

BABA RUEROB, A3L: Across 3 Languages (Music)

Candice D’Meza, Radical Awakening: Recognizing Racism (Theater)

Colleen Maynard, Celebrating Coral (Visual Arts – Drawing)

Cressandra Thibodeaux, Fry Bread and Gumbo (Film)

Dana Kroos, The Museum of Cracked Pavement (Interdisciplinary)

Frame Dance, METROdances 2019 (Dance, Music & Flow Arts)

Gregory Carter & Patrick Renner, Who You Think Built The Pyramids? (Multidisciplinary)

Henry G. Sanchez, BioArt Bayou-torium (Social practice, art-science, multi-disciplinary)

Iris Contreras, 14th Annual Frida Festival (Visual Arts)

Jessi Bowman, FLATS Presents (Photography)

Jesus Cantu Medel, The Hand-made Texan Boot: An Art Project Aimed at Its Preservation (Folk Arts)

Kurt Stallman, Among Rivers (Music, Composition and Sound Art)

Next Iteration Ensemble, Intercultural Play Reading Series (Visual Arts & Film)

Pilot Dance, The Long Stay (Modern Dance)

Pride Houston, Pride Houston Art Program (Visual Art)

Rebecca French, LGBTQ Art Camp! (Social practice)

TEATRX, REFLEXION: A Latinx New Works Project (Theatre)

Adam Casteneda, Things Left Behind (Dance & Literary Arts)

Tom Carter, Houston Cassette Culture 1980-1989 (Music)

Writers in the Schools, Myth City (Writing)

The City of Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs develops policies and initiatives that expand access to arts and cultural programs in the community, attract visitors and leverage private investment. Learn more at www.houstontx.gov/culturalaffairs. Find fun stuff on Houston’s Cultural Events Calendar.