WITS Gala Celebrates Reading

WITS gala is one for the record books with first-ever Houston youth poet laureate

What: WITS: A Celebration of Story Gala.

Where: The Junior League of Houston.

The 411: This one was for the record books, literally, as Writes in the Schools (WITS) hosted its seventh annual Celebration of Story Gala Thursday night with a theme that stories are the foundation of a child’s education and imagination.

F. Xavier Peña, former WITS (Writers in the Schools) board resident and currently vice president of finance and general counsel at Houston Endowment Inc., was honored with the 2015 Creativity Award. Peña played an instrumental role in the growth of WITS, nurturing a literary culture and expanding quality education for underserved children.

Mayor Annise Parker was given the honors of crowning the first-ever Houston Youth Poet Laureate, Andrew White, 18, a senior creative writing major at High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA). He took the stage to perform his winning poem, “Lunar Patterns,” to the sold-out and captivated audience.

“WITS decided to partner with the mayor of Houston and the Houston Public Library to create the Youth Poet Laureate program because we value the voices of the next generation of leaders,” WITS executive director Robin Reagler explained.

The evening celebrated the stories of WITS students, including a performance by the top-ranked high school slam poetry group, Meta-Four Houston, along with a silent auction, chaired by Mitra Woody. that included literary experiences, works of art, writing retreats, and more.

The gala took in $160,000, making it the highest grossing event in WITS history. Funds raised will help WITS send writers into schools and community classrooms to reach an additional 3,000 children this school year. “The Celebration of Story helps WITS provide our proven literacy program to thousands of Houston students free-of-charge. WITS empowers students to communicate clearly,” Reagler said.

Who: Chanler and Juni Langham, Dr. Rhea Brown Lawson, Houston Poet Laureate Dr. Robin Davidson, Monica Pope, Bryn Larsen, Jessica Rossman and Gordon Bethune, Miya Shay and Gene Wu, Barry Mandel, Bob and Gail Eury, Jackie Martin, Amanda Edwards and Emanuelee “Outspoken” Bean.

Also celebrating the evening were Zachary Caballero, Beth and Jason Bernal, Lisa Helfman, Jeffrey Beauchamp, Esther Perrine, MaryScott Hagle and Daniel Kornberg, Stephanie Larsen, Deborah Detering, Lizzie and Scott Fletcher, Lauren and Geoffrey Harrison, Joshua Espinedo, Gracie and Bob Cavnar, Laura and Michael Pipkin, Mitra Woody and Carliss Chatman.

Robin Davidson, Andrew White.

Photo by Yvonne Feece

Robin Davidson, Andrew White.

fundraisers galas awards literature

MFAH expands

Houston museum acquires historic Masonic lodge property for new greenspace

Holland Lodge No. 1, A.F. & A.M./Facebook

The building at 4911 will be torn down for the new greenspace.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston has acquired a prime parcel to expand its campus in the Museum District. On Tuesday, December 23, the museum announced it has purchased a two-acre parcel of land at 4911 Montrose Blvd that will bring its total footprint to 16 acres.

Located just north of the Glassel School of Art, the property will be developed as a greenspace that will serve as a community lawn as well as be utilized for future museum events and parking. MFAH has retained landscape architects Nelson Byrd Woltz — the firm responsible for work at Memorial Park and the recently-opened Ismaili Center — to create the design for the new greenspace.

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston greenspace rendering A rendering offers a bird's-eye preview of the new greenspace.Image by by Cong Nie/Courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

At this time, the museum does not have plans to build anything on the property, according to a press release.

To make way for the greenspace, the property’s existing building, Holland Lodge No. 1, will be torn down. Built in 1954 as a home for the oldest Masonic lodge chapter in Texas, the building features a sandstone mural facade. It has been for sale since at least 2005, according to a report in the Houston Chronicle.

Demolition on the site is expected to begin in spring 2026 with the greenspace opening in approximately two years, according to press materials. In addition to the Glassell School, the museum’s campus includes the Audrey Jones Beck Building, the Caroline Wiess Law Building, the Lillie and Hugh Roy Cullen Sculpture Garden, and the Nancy and Rich Kinder Building.

“We are delighted to contribute to Houston’s greenspace access with this new initiative, which will expand the museum’s 14-acre campus to a thoroughly walkable 16 acres,” Gary Tinterow, director and Margaret Alkek Williams chair of the MFAH, said in a statement. “While the primary objective for the purchase of this property is to secure land for any potential future expansion of the museum, our priority now is to create a welcoming community lawn. Thoughtfully designed by Nelson Byrd Woltz, one of the leading firms in sustainable landscape practice, the site will serve as public greenspace and provide additional parking for museum visitors.”

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