Editors Note: As part of the celebration of Houston's 175th anniversary, we asked some of Houston's leaders to imagine the city's future. In this essay, Reginald C. Adams, founder of the Museum of Cultural Arts Houston (MOCAH) imagines how the public art scene will look in a decade based on special projects undertaken now.

Mayor Reginald C. Adams
State of the Arts Address
Houston, Texas
January 1, 2022

Hello Fellow Houstonians:

As I reflect on how much has been accomplished and the lives that have been touched since we launched the citywide Public Art Campaign in 2012 I must say it has been an amazing decade for the arts and cultural scene in Houston, Texas. When we initially gathered the city’s top art leaders, culture shapers and art patrons to set out to transform the city into an international public art mecca I’d venture to say that no one could have imagined how much our city would benefit as a result of a commitment to one goal: Bring the arts to all communities within Houston. Let’s take a look at the numbers:

Cultural Impact

Since 2012 we have commissioned more than 300 local, national and international artists to create site specific public art projects, programs, workshops, special events, installations, exhibits and seminars in communities across the city.

Economic Development

Through public/private contributions more than $310 million has been invested in the local arts community and for every dollar invested we have seen $10 returned through cultural tourism, restaurant revenue, hotel occupancy, mass transit usage and retail shopping. This totals over 3 billion dollars in revenue back into the local economy from arts based programming.

International Diversity

We have leveraged Houston’s position as one of the nation’s most internationally diverse cities by partnering with the Sister Cities of Houston program. In 2012 we partnered with the Museum of Cultural Arts Houston (MOCAH) and co-sponsored the International Mural Exchange program. Now in its ninth year, we’ve established mural art exchanges with nine countries. The International Mural Exchange program has strengthened Houston’s role as a major player on the international public art scene resulting in Houston hosting the 33rd International Sculpture Conference.

Education

The Houston Independent School District (HISD), the seventh largest public school district, now is the only district in the U.S. that offers mandatory art, music, dance and drama classes by experienced instructors in grades pre-K through 12. Art Residencies in The Schools (ARTS) is a 10-year commitment, funded by the Texas Commission for the Arts and NEA, by HISD to ensure that every child in every classroom has hands-on experiential exposure to the arts.

This commitment to the arts has resulted in the sharpest increase of graduation rates amongst public school students across the country, 51% in 2012 to 87% in 2022. Math, science, reading and writing scores on all standardized tests have increased on average by 17% from 2012-2022.

Affordable Housing

In 2012 the Houston Housing Authority provided housing assistance to more than 60,000 low income families. The HHA partnered with local artists and arts organizations through the Art of Living program which brings multicultural, multidisciplinary art programming to the residents within the housing developments. Over the past 10 years there has been a 23% reduction in renewed applicants for housing assistance which have saved tax payers over $12 million. The vocational training component of the Art of Living has launched 28 micro-enterprises which collectively generate $1,659,000 in revenue annually.

Film & Entertainment

The Texas Film Commission caught wind of the blossoming public art scene and jumped on board of the Public Art Campaign by providing funding for the production of the Sundance Film Festival award-winning documentary, Community Canvas. The feature film follows eight local artists and organizations over 10 years as they bring public art and shape culture in some of Houston’s most overlooked and underserved communities. The film has now been shown in over 112 film festivals across the globe and has brought an international spotlight to the Houston public art scene. From 2012-2021, 18 independent art films have been produced and filmed in the city, helping to shape Houston into an art film capital.

Transportation

METRO has served as one of our leading partners through the Arts in Motion campaign which has commissioned 37 artists to design and produce artistic enhancements for all 18 METRO Light Rail Lines which now connect virtually every corner of Houston. The Arts in Motion campaign has received numerous awards including 2021 Best Transit Oriented Design program by the American Public Transportation Association. One of the most exciting features of the Arts in Motion campaign is the tours of the public art projects throughout Houston.

In collaboration with the City of Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau, over 80,000 passengers annually are traveling across the city to view and experience the nation’s top public art collection. These tours have been featured on American Roadshow, Good Morning America, Texas Monthly, the Discovery Channel, Bravo Network and PBS, to name a few.

Parks and Green Space

Through a unique partnership with the Houston Park and Recreation Department we have installed 82 new murals and sculptures in parks and greens spaces throughout the city. Under the Art in the Park initiative, artists are invited and encouraged to present their wares, perform and produce their crafts during public park hours at selected parks. The Art in the Park program has reduced crime in some of the more under-utilized parks and has spawned a dramatic increase in the usage from all the parks that the program operates in. The program is looked upon as a national model for how the arts can revitalize public parks and green space.

Volunteerism and Civic Engagement

Under the umbrella of the Art Angels initiative we worked hand in hand with our volunteer agencies, non-profit organizations and service organizations like the more than 65 Rotary Clubs in Houston. Art Angels has enlisted an army of volunteers to help support and promote the Public Art Campaign. 19,781 volunteers and volunteer groups took that challenge and contributed 1,349,760 volunteer hours for a total estimated savings of $20,246,400. The volunteers assisted in art festivals, project dedications, afterschool art programs and a myriad of other fun and engaging activities that ensured the success of the campaign. We also experienced a dramatic spike in the number of volunteers seeking to serve on the board of directors of Houston’s blossoming nonprofit art organizations.

Closing

One thing I learned in my 15 years as president/CEO of the Museum of Cultural Arts Houston (MOCAH) is that with a little vision, dedication, teamwork, focus and creativity we can transform ourselves, our homes, our community and our city through the arts. The City Wide Public Art Campaign has been the story of ordinary people who dare to dream and exercise their creativity. That's how we build for the future.

The City Wide Public Art Campaign was not just about bringing great art to Houston but about- how we help children in our schools reach their maximum potential using the arts-how to bring hope to our inner city communities by celebrating culture and heritage-how to strengthen our transit systems by engaging the public- how can we bolster our creative economy by tapping into local art resources. I am comforted that we can step back and say, “Art made a difference!”

Creativity is our strength as a society. How we exercise our creativity is our choice. And today, just a decade after the launch of the City Wide Public Art Campaign, it is because of people just like you that our future is hopeful, our journey goes forward, and the state of the arts in Houston is strong.

Thank you.
Reginald C. Adams
Mayor of City of Houston 2022