Hit and Run Accident

A shining light fades: Jeremy Choate's death leaves a void in Houston artscommunity — and beyond

If there was one Houston creative who roused audiences to pay attention to light, it was Jeremy Choate. The light artist partnered with numerous dance, theater and multi-disciplinary masters to layer aesthetic elements that not only complemented their work but shifted the focus of how what happened on stage was viewed.

More than a national and internationally-recognized innovator, Choate was a humble, respectful, charming, quiet gent with a witty sense of humor who would call all women, no matter their age, ma'am. Whenever he arrived on the job, his 6-year-old and 8-year-old daughters would signal his presence with hugs and kisses for everyone.

Choate died Sunday afternoon.

"His work has been an integral part of the Houston Arts/Dance/Theater world and has extended far beyond the Texas borders."

He was the victim of a hit and run accident at around 9:15 p.m. Saturday, reports KHOU. Choate was on his motorcycle stopped at the intersection of the Katy Freeway feeder road and Studemont Street when a driver identifed as 25-year-old Shannon Garcia ran a red light and plowed her black Ford Fusion into him.

Before officers arrived on the scene, Garcia ran away from her vehicle and abandoned her passenger, who identified the driver.

The death of 33-year-old Choate leaves a void in the arts community.

"Jeremy had an uncanny ability to diffuse stressful situations," Louie Saletan, Barnevelder Movement/Arts Complex managing director, says. "He was amazing at scanning any situation, he could identify who was getting too tight and bring a sense of peace and calmness. He was the father figure that let everyone know that things would be OK.

"He would work beyond his job description. If there was a need, he would just take care of it before anyone asked or noticed. Jeremy could get done in 30 minutes what others would take six hours to accomplish."

NobleMotion Dance co-artistic director Andy Noble credits Choate for helping the company emerge.

Next year, Noble plans to re-stage Splitting Night as an homage to his close friend, advocate and company volunteer.

"Jeremy discovered us, signed up to be on our board and made us better artists," says Noble, who is in the midst of preparing for Spitting Ether: A Reality Bending Dance (Aug. 31 to Sept. 8 at Barnevelder). The performance extends a work premiered last year, Splitting Night, in which NobleMotion not only collaborated with Choate but centered the piece around Choate's vision.

"With light designer David Deveau, Spitting Ether continues what we started with Jeremy," Noble explains. "As it's about someone going into surgery and moving on to another world, Jeremy's passing is surreal."

Noble says that if he were to die at a young age, he would wish for his work to be produced one more time. Next year, he plans to re-stage Splitting Night as an homage to his close friend, advocate and company volunteer.

"I want to do that for Jeremy, to bring to life his art — at least one more time," Noble explains.

Many comments on Facebook evince what those close to Choate thought of his character and work.

Fresh Arts executive director Jenni Rebecca Stephenson writes that her "heart is heavy with the loss of a great Houston artist taken from us all too soon." Photographer Lynn Lane posted that "the world lost one of the most amazing lighting artists and people that has ever graced this planet," and that "his work has been an integral part of the Houston Arts/Dance/Theater world and has extended far beyond the Texas borders."

It's expected that Choate's daughters will live with his ex-wife, with whom he shared custody. Details about his funeral service have not been announced.

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”