Art & Community Engagement

Our mission is to empower people and enrich communities through engagement, art, and & direct action.  In Third Ward neighborhood, we bring together a dynamic mix of artists and independent change agents focused on artistic expression, creativity, and the well-being and stability of our neighbors.

Generously funded by Houston Endowment, the Strategic Art Plan works to collaborate with organizations based in the Third Ward to present public art engagement opportunities for the community.

Past Projects

Below are past projects and initiatives supported by PRH through the Strategic Art Plan.

Yoga with Letty

Artist: Leticia Contreras
Delia’s Lounge / Free Market Square
Yoga with Letty is a series of free yoga classes led by artist and creative practitioner Leticia Contreras held two Saturdays each month. Leticia will host light-hearted beginner lessons to introduce the community to vinyasa flow in a public space. This style of yoga involves synchronizing breath with a continuous flow of poses. Through this flow, participants will learn how to quiet the mind and bring ease to the body during these tumultuous times while connecting with the community.

Free Market Square

Organized by Cedric Douglas
2301 Elgin Street 77004
Free Market Square was a community marketplace in the heart of Third Ward that highlighted its culture, entrepreneurship, and artistic performance throughout the year. The market aimed to reignite the historic legacy of our community and add to the strength, vibrancy, and self-determination of the Historic Third Ward.

Dear Mama

Artist: Ashura Bayyan
Martin Luther King Community Center
June 3, 2018- August 12, 2018

This project brought together a ceremonial acknowledgment to mothers and their children through a one-day exhibition and features Third Ward vendors, haircuts provided by a Third Ward barber, and performances by local creatives.

Beautiful, Still

Artist: Colby Deal
Mural installed at the Eldorado Building
The photographic project captures and creates a rendition of the Third Ward community and its landscape. The image was on view at the Eldorado Building and smaller vignettes were placed around the Third Ward for public interaction.

Third Ward Fresh

Organizers: Nathan Keibler + Marilyn Maples
June 9, 16 |  July 14, 21 | August 11, 18, 2018

Third Ward Fresh conducted cooking lessons and partnered with “One Seed, One Block,” a project organized by the University of Houston Black Student Union, to host a series of community plotting/ painting sessions at Free Market Square and other locations in Northern Third Ward.

The TrePhonos

Artists: Jeanette Degollado, Matthew Fries, Julian Luna
Opening Date: September 1, 2018
This project comprises a series of three payphones that feature the voices of Third Ward recordings. The payphones exist as sculptural works transformed through painting and metalwork. They will be installed on Emancipation Avenue in three different locations.

SIDI, The City of Elders

Artist: Melanie “Meleekah” Villegas
September 22, 2018
Eldorado Ballroom
After a year of conducting a comprehensive needs assessment of the Third Ward, the team found and understood the value of working with the elders to capture their stories and wisdom. Creating oral history of their stories, the team used audio, photography, and video, to capture the elders rich history.

Emancipation Avenue Bus Stop Tours

Artist: Naomi Carrier
Departs from Eldorado Building
June 19 – August 18, 2018

These bus stop tours explored African American Texan History through storytelling at 6 points along Emancipation Avenue.

Third Ward Veteran Appreciation Day

Artist: Phillip Pyle, II
Public art event honoring veterans
November 19, 2018
Emancipation Park
Phillip Pyle II organized a wrestling match with a modern twist honoring Veterans. Third Ward is home to the largest number of current and former military veterans, and highlights why the Office of Veteran Affairs chose Third Ward as the area for community engagement.