big little art

Tiny box 'galleries' in Heights and Montrose bring big art to Houston

A Little Gallery box at The MendCenter (519 Heights Blvd.).

The cool thing about public art is that when people happen upon it, it can feel like the day gets a lift. Think driving down Allen Parkway and catching a glimpse of the giant Henry Moore sculpture in Buffalo Bayou Park or the windows in downtown that have been transformed into art pieces.

Art truly is all around in Houston, and a new project asks Houstonians to take a closer look at something...smaller.

Dotted through The Heights and Montrose are a series of Little Galleries, an art installation project designed to increase Houstonians' exposure to art created by Houston artists and build community engagement. The tiny treasures are an initiative by Artists for Artists, a nonprofit organization that provides emergency relief, wellness programming and mental health support for Houston artists.

Each project features a piece of art inside Little Galleries' signature teal blue box.

"We have five boxes currently in rotation, and have plans for 20," said Megan Olivia Ebel, program director at Artists for Artists and curator of the project, tells CultureMap. "This is such a great way to bring art into communities that may not feel comfortable in a gallery or museum setting."

Having the artworks around the city also means they're free for people to stop and look at it. There's one at Heights Boulevard and 11th Street, outside the Lululemon and the MendCenter, both on Heights Boulevard, and one outside Axelrad at 1517 Alabama St. Another is in Bellaire on private property.

"These are museum quality art pieces," says Ebel. "I want Houstonians to know the work being done by these incredible artists."

Houstonians should look for those additional little galleries to be placed around the city over the next six months. The program provides stipends for the artists and supports Artists for Artists' creative wellness program. As Ebel looks to the future, she envisions having Little Galleries boxes all over the country, and developing an app with a map showing all the installations.

In the meantime, Houstonians can wander the city and know these little boxes are part of a much bigger idea.

the-heights galleries

And the Winner Is

Houston's Alley Theatre only Texas winner of prestigious new play award

Photo courtesy of Alley Theatre

Bring a friend to the theater for free.

The Tony Award-winning Alley Theatre has once again earned national recognition, becoming the only Texas theater selected for a 2025 Edgerton Foundation New Play Award, a prestigious honor known for helping launch some of the most influential plays and musicals of the past two decades.

The award will support the Alley’s May 2026 world premiere of Dear Alien by Liz Duffy Adams, giving the production additional rehearsal time that has proven essential for shaping new work.

The Edgerton Awards have a powerful legacy behind them. Past recipients include phenomenon-level titles such as Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, The Prom, Next to Normal, and Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike — shows that went on to win Tony Awards, earn Pulitzer Prizes, and define contemporary American theater.

“I’m so grateful to the Edgerton Foundation for their support of Liz Duffy Adams’ play Dear Alien," says Alley artistic director Rob Melrose in a release. "Getting an additional week of rehearsal on a new play makes a tremendous difference. In Dear Alien, the titular role (played by resident acting company member Dylan Godwin) is onstage the entire show, and it is going to be quite a challenge. Supporting new plays is incredibly important for the health of the American theater. Four years ago, Alley Theatre premiered Liz’s play Born with Teeth, and it is currently having a run on the West End after gracing the stages of major theaters in the U.S. such as the Guthrie, Asolo Rep, and Oregon Shakespeare Festival."

Alley Theatre has a significant history with developing new work. In 1996, the Alley won the Regional Theatre Tony Award after debuting the world premiere of the musical Jekyll & Hyde, which went on to tour 40 cities and play for two years on Broadway (it lives on thanks to a DVD and VHS recording starring David Hasselhoff in the title roles).

In 1998, the Alley staged the American premiere of a rediscovered Tennessee Williams play, Not About Nightingales, which later enjoyed a successful Broadway run.

The Edgerton Foundation New Plays Program, directed by Brad and Louise Edgerton, was piloted in 2006 with Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles by offering two musicals in development an extended rehearsal period for the entire creative team, including the playwrights. The Edgertons launched the program nationally in 2007 and have supported 569 plays to date at over 50 different theaters across the country. Over the last 19 years, the Edgerton Foundation has awarded $19,670,534 to 569 productions.

Among the 2025 winners are pop-country star Jennifer Nettles' new musical Giulia: The Poison Queen of Palermo at Perelman Performing Arts Center in New York City; Claudia Shear's The Recipe, about the early life of Julia Child, at La Jolla Playhouse in California; and prolific playwright David Lindsay-Abaire's latest title, The Balusters, at Manhattan Theatre Club. See the complete list here.

awards alley theatre dear alien liz duffy adams edgerton foundation edgerton foundation new play award theater