HouArts in Action Sends Houstonians to Austin to Advocate for the Arts

Bus Trip Part of a Broader Effort to Elevate the Visibility of Arts & Culture in the Most Diverse City in America

HOUSTON, Feb. 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- HouArts in Action, an initiative to champion arts and culture in the Greater Houston region, hosted a bus trip to Austin on Wednesday, February 5, for Texas Arts Advocacy Day at the Texas State Capitol. More than 200 citizen activists from across the state gathered to learn, share and participate in the democratic process. The nearly 50 Houstonians on the trip had the opportunity to join Texans for the Arts in channeling their passion into constructive and informative legislative meetings.

"Thanks to Houston's Cultural Districts and my fellow HouArts in Action Task Force members, the Houston arts community exceeded our expectations by showing up in numbers to share the impact of their work and the arts agenda for the 89th Legislative Session with their legislators—many for the first time," said HouArts in Action Task Force member RUEROB Jackson.

"Our meetings with legislators and partners from across the state were a powerful reminder of the importance of collaboration in strengthening the arts within our community," said Marci Dallas, founder of Cultural Launch and project coordinator of HouArts in Action. "HouArts in Action is on a mission to increase support for arts and culture in the Greater Houston Area, working with the sector to craft a platform and strategy to champion the arts for our region while ensuring support from state and federal sources continues to expand over the years and across administrations."

The HouArts in Action initiative came out of a visioning and planning process conducted by Houston's Cultural Districts and supported by Houston Endowment in 2023, which outlined a two-part strategy to increase the connection, visibility and sustainability of arts and culture in Houston. The resulting plan identifies a need to grow the network of arts and culture champions in Houston through building capacity for advocacy as well as developing partnerships beyond the arts & culture sector in order to advance shared policy and funding priorities, resulting in a well-funded arts and culture sector that is involved in the everyday decisions that shape life in Houston.

"HouArts in Action has hosted several public events in the last two months—a community kickoff meeting, a town hall and an advocacy training workshop. The bus trip to Austin was an important step in mobilizing the growing network of ambassadors for arts and culture," said Isaac MacDonald, strategy lead for HouArts in Action and director of planning & impact at the consulting firm Trepwise.

HouArts in Action will be hosting future events through which the public can give input on the platform and get involved as champions for arts and culture in Houston. Sign up for more information at HouArts.org.

About Trepwise:
Trepwise is a New Orleans-based strategy consulting firm dedicated to unlocking the potential of purpose-driven organizations. The firm uses innovative approaches to align people, process and vision in order to foster thriving and equitable communities nourished by good ideas. Trepwise lifts the experiences and insights of a diverse array of stakeholders into their work to help organizational leaders, team members and changemakers dream of a brighter future.

About HouArts:
HouArts in Action is an effort to champion arts & culture in the Greater Houston Area. This initiative, supported by Houston Endowment, Houston's Cultural Districts and the HouArts in Action Task Force, is an opportunity for the sector to come together to craft a platform and strategy to champion the arts. The initiative attempts to grow the network of arts and cultural ambassadors in Houston by building capacity for advocacy and developing new partnerships outside of the sector. Building power for the arts & culture sector will allow these efforts to advance shared policy and funding priorities, resulting in a well-funded arts and culture sector that is involved in the everyday decisions that shape life in Houston.

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SOURCE HouArts in Action