Made Possible In Part by Donation from Solange Knowles, Project Row Houses Meets Fundraising Goal to Send 12 Third Ward Youth to Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
HOUSTON, TX, JULY 2, 2018 – Today, Project Row Houses (PRH) announced that due to a special donation made by Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter and visual artist Solange Knowles, the organization has met its fundraising goal and will be sponsoring a group of 12 high school students from Houston’s Third Ward to travel to Washington, D.C. Led by PRH, the group will take part in a special tour of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC).
Project Row Houses, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people and enriching communities through engagement, art and direct action, is special to Solange who is a native to Houston, TX and grew up performing at the organization’s block parties. By partnering on this latest initiative, 12 minority youth from the organization’s affordable housing residence and the surrounding community will get the opportunity to travel and immerse themselves in African American history.
“We are honored to have our work and the work of Floyd Newsum commemorated at this historic institution and are very grateful to Solange for her generous support of what will be a transformative experience for our Third Ward youth,” said Project Row Houses Executive Director Eureka Gilkey. “Seeing their community represented at this level will provide the students with a more profound understanding of themselves, their history, and their culture.”
While touring the NMAAHC, the youth will view a permanent display on Project Row Houses as well as work by PRH founding artist Floyd Newsum, who is featured both in exhibition and in the museum’s art collection. The students will also have the opportunity to meet with staff for special discussions on the development of the museum and its important role in our nation’s history. Newly opened in 2016, the National Museum of African American History and Culture is the only national museum dedicated to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture.
Apart from the museum, the youth will enjoy sight-seeing and visiting other iconic sites, including the 11th Street Bridge Project and the National Portrait Gallery.
Now in its 25th year, PRH was a thought experiment conceived by an extraordinary group of artists who have been active in the Houston community, especially the Third Ward, for decades. The trip to Washington, D.C. is a part of PRH’s year-long celebration for this milestone anniversary.
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About Solange
Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter and visual artist Solange Knowles has used her platform to advocate for representation while providing constructive and empowering political messages. With her album, A Seat at the Table, Solange has invoked themes of identity, empowerment, grief and healing. Her performance art shows at the Guggenheim Museum, the Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas, coupled with her art installation at London’s Tate Modern museum and recent interdisciplinary video and dance performance piece, Metatronia, which premiered at the Hammer Museum, have culminated into a career defying convention.
In 2016, Solange’s album A Seat at The Table debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart. The record’s success led to her performing at the White House for President Obama and her Orion’s Rise performance series that included sold out shows at legendary venues such as Radio City Music Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Sydney Opera House.
Solange has been honored with Glamour’s Woman of the Year Award, Billboard’s Impact Award, and named Harvard University’s 2018 Artist of the Year for her work in music and art. She was also honored by The New School as a pioneering figure in fashion at the 70th Annual Parsons Benefit.
ABOUT PROJECT ROW HOUSES (PRH)
PRH is a community platform that enriches lives through art with an emphasis on cultural identity and its impact on the urban landscape. It engages neighbors, artists, and enterprises in collective creative action to help materialize sustainable opportunities in marginalized communities.
PRH occupies a significant footprint in Houston’s Historic Third Ward, one of the city’s oldest African-American neighborhoods. The site encompasses five city blocks and houses 39 structures that serve as home base to a variety of community enriching initiatives, art programs, and neighborhood development activities. PRH programs touch the lives of under resourced neighbors, young single mothers with the ambition of a better life for themselves and their children, small enterprises with the drive to take their businesses to the next level, and artists interested in using their talents to understand and enrich the lives of others. Although PRH’s African-American roots are planted deeply in Third Ward, the work of PRH extends far beyond the borders of a neighborhood in transition. The PRH model for art and social engagement applies not only to Houston, but also to diverse communities around the world.
Project Row Houses Media Contacts:
Jennie Roberts, jennie@elmorepr.com
Nataly Torres, nataly@elmorepr.com
Elmore Public Relations, 713.524.0661
Solange Media Contacts:
Sunshine Sachs
Tiffany Shipp / Janna Pea / Maggie Faircloth
skpress@sunshinesachs.com
212.691.2800
Solange US Label Media Contact:
Sarah Mary Cunningham / Columbia Records
sarahmary.cunningham@sonymusic.com
212-833-7178
