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The city of Houston has been selected as one of the eight cities to receive a $1 million grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge. The grant will be used to fund Houston's winning project, "HueMan: Shelter," which aims to challenge perceptions of homelessness and foster artistic collaborations between artists and unhoused individuals. The project is a collaborative concept led by the Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs and the Midtown Houston Cultural Arts and Entertainment District, in partnership with the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston, the Career and Recovery Resources, Inc., and METRO Houston.
The "HueMan: Shelter" project in Houston will feature multimedia public artworks at eight locations along a main pedestrian corridor in Midtown. The grant program aims to address civic issues through temporary public art projects and selected Houston's project due to its focus on creative collaboration, homelessness, and its support for the local economy through art-making. The initiative will involve local artists collaborating with unhoused individuals, and the grant will cover expenses related to development, artist budgets, installation, and documentation, according to a press release by the city of Houston.
"Houston has emerged as a pioneer city in implementing thoughtful strategies to address homelessness. This generous grant enables us to further prioritize the needs of unsheltered individuals, while also reminding the public about our interconnectedness and the importance of meeting everyone's basic needs through creative efforts. We all deserve to be seen, heard, and validated,” said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, according to a press release by the city of Houston.
The Mayor's Office for Homeless Initiatives (MOHI) in Houston, along with various city agencies, has a history of addressing homelessness through data-driven approaches. The Housing First model has successfully housed over 30,000 individuals and families since 2012. The Public Art Challenge grant will fund the development of nine installations over the next two years, aligning with Bloomberg's philosophy on the transformative power of public art to improve quality of life, stimulate creativity, and drive economic development. Previous challenges in 2018 generated over $100 million in economic benefits for local economies.
The "HueMan: Shelter" project in Houston is an exciting opportunity to use public art as a means to address homelessness, foster collaboration, and support the local economy. With the $1 million grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies, Houston will be able to create meaningful and impactful installations that challenge perceptions and bring attention to the needs of unhoused individuals.