Nearly 100 arts leaders, creatives, and supporters gathered at Houston Endowment on May 13 to learn about a first-of-its kind collaboration. They held different goals for their individual organizations, were driven by different creative passions, and brought a broad range of experiences and tenure levels within the arts.
But following a presentation on HouArts in Action, a sector-wide effort to champion arts and culture in Greater Houston, the crowd was unified by strategic advocacy, expanded partnerships, and cohesive messaging. During the event, attendees previewed this messaging and had the opportunity to record their own story as it pertained to the arts sector.
“One of the key parts of this work for HouArts in Action is about connecting the sector,” said Marci Dallas, founder of Cultural Launch. “This is the first time that the whole sector has worked together on a shared platform and a shared narrative.”
HouArts in Action centralizes advocacy efforts and messaging for the arts sector. Through these efforts, it seeks to protect and grow public funding, create and preserve vibrant cultural spaces, build pathways to economic opportunity, and communicate effective stories about the richness of Houston’s culture.
“As a city, we don’t do a good enough job talking about how broad and rich and wonderful all the arts and culture are,” said Amy Gibbs, managing director of ROCO. “I think this is really going to have very long-lasting, positive impacts…Whether it’s just getting greater recognition and understanding of the arts or additional funding so that we can continue serving our community more.”
Creating HouArts in Action
The creation of the HouArts in Action platform came from a years-long journey of relationship building, listening, and understanding the needs of arts organizations and artists. With a focus on sustaining the sector, Houston Endowment played an integral role convening stakeholders and fostering dialogue about strengthening the vibrancy of our region.
“The relationships that Houston Endowment has built over 10 years, that’s the seed of this work,” said Bao-Long Chu, arts and parks program director at Houston Endowment. “Our job is to pay attention and to hear what the community needs, and those needs evolve. So our work is evolving alongside those needs to address what is critically important for the sector.”
With backing from Houston’s seven cultural districts and Houston Endowment, a movement began to materialize. First, a sector-wide task force collaborated and brought voices together. Then, the group defined the HouArts in Action platform to guide the community in championing arts and culture in the Greater Houston area.
Be a Champion
Artists, business leaders, elected officials, educators, and residents are called to become champions of the arts sector. And with HouArts in Action launched, they can become part of the initiative’s two-part approach: put arts on the agenda in spaces historically focused on tourism, economic development, and general quality of life and establish and deepen relationships.
A suite of messaging resources and data points that articulate the economic, educational, and health-related benefits of a vibrant arts and culture sector is now on HouArts.org. Champions are encouraged to share these messages and serve as arts and culture ambassadors to advocate for the arts with key decision makers.
At the same time, HouArts in Action will facilitate relationship-building among ambassadors and key constituencies, including philanthropists, educational institutions, and the business community.
“ I really feel that a rising tide lifts all boats,” said Tricia Kievlan, director of development at Prelude Music Foundation. “There’s a great possibility for great collective impact work here.”