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- The Houston art scene isn't waiting around anymore
The Houston art scene isn't waiting around anymore
Five Houston voices discuss the future of the city's creative community
Reagan Sullivan
August 14, 2025
Reagan Sullivan on the recent MFAH panel about the future of Houston’s creative landscape. As always, scroll down for our weekly giveaway and weekend links.
The art scene in Houston is like no other large city in America.
The intricacies and quirks of our city lay the groundwork for a very diverse and eclectic community. We’re also living through historic times with little precedent (dear goddess, please make it stop). What does the future hold for our blossoming community? A panel held at the Glassell School of Art at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, hosted by Fresh Arts Houston, brought together a group of artists and creatives to answer this question.
Brian Ellison, Francesca Fuchs, Amarie Gipson, Adam Marnie, and Gabriel Martinez spoke to a full room at the MFAH. The panel was broken down into several questions each artist was given the opportunity to answer for themselves. Gracie Chavez, the program director of Fresh Arts, introduced herself and the purpose of their mission.
“At Fresh Arts, our mission is to nurture Houston's diverse creative community by engaging, enhancing the professional capacity of our local artists and amplifying their impact. Tonight's panel is a reflection of that commitment, bringing artists, educators, and advocates together to explore what it takes to build more inclusive and sustainable creative futures.”
The moderator, Tony Evans, on the chair of the artist advisory committee began to introduce the artists:
“Amari Gibson is a Houston-born writer, editor, and cultural worker. She has held curator positions at various art institutions, including the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Independently, her writing has been published in Arts Black, Art Form, Art News, Essence, Oxford American, and many others.”
“Adam Marnie is an artist, writer, publisher, art dealer living in Houston. And, Adam is the founder of F Magazine and its accompanying art gallery and indie publishing house.”
“Brian Ellison is a conceptual artist who believes art is a universal language that can be a catalyst for healing, he pursues the origins of misconceptions such as dimensionless expression and emotional inaccessibility, exploring how these have led to cultural misconceptions…He is a founding member of the Black Man Project, a non-profit urbanization rooted in creating and sustaining safe spaces for healthy conversations that explores the many nuances affecting black men and youth.”
“Francesca Fuchs. Born in London and raised in Muster, Germany, Francesca Fuchs moved to Houston in 1996 as a fellow for the core program at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Throughout her nearly 30-year career in Houston and internationally, Fuchs has been thinking about the significance of everyday objects, insisting that they illuminate foundational truths about ourselves, our communities, and our histories.”
“Gabriel Martinez is an artist, writer, performer living and working in Houston. He is the founding director of Alabama Song, an experimental sound and art space for which he received the Robert Rochenberg Sea Grant.”
The panel continued with a series of questions. First, each artist was given the opportunity to speak about their background and what led them to the art world, then were asked about what they envisioned as Houston’s artistic future.
While personal stories and perspectives did vary, a common thread line emerged with responses: we need more creativity. We need more people to put themselves out there. Funding should be diversifying and spreading to smaller artists and galleries.
A look into the MFAH panel on August 7th. Photo by Reagan Sullivan.
Amarie warned new and upcoming artists to expect to be met with resistance if going to larger, big name artists for help or support because her experience had been that they were unwilling to help someone who hadn’t fought their way up. She encouraged them to seek support and start out small and to take every victory as it came.
The panel also recommended networking and being willing to ask companies for support or donations, citing personal experiences with Nike and Mattel executive meetings for funding local arts programs.
Houston artists aren’t waiting for permission anymore.
The night ended on a note of cautious optimism, a future we can build, in our hands, if we are able to put in the labor. If the table will not seat us all, we can build a bigger and better one. The future belongs to those who show up until the city of Houston can’t help but say yes.
This week’s matcha is on us! That means 5 readers will receive a $10 gift card to Matcha Mia. All you have to do is open this issue (If you’re reading this you just did. Nice!) and you’ll be entered to win.
Winners will be randomly selected and notified by email tomorrow morning.
Want to sponsor a future issue and treat readers to a local spot on you? Hit reply.
LATELY IN HOUSTON
Phones, banned. Screen time, low. Devices are now banned in K-12 schools. Is it really that easy? A new statewide ban on cellphones is now prohibiting use of devices in school. Some teachers on TikTok already note positive changes while one student bemoans, “I had to socialize all day!”
It’s sumo time, baby! From loin clothes to topknots, wrestlers of all sizes come to challenge each other in sumo wrestling. Shogeki Sumo Dojo and Asia Society Texas presents the 19th Annual Classic Sumo Tournament on August 30th.
(Another) New tiki room just dropped. There doesn’t seem to be a shortage of new speakeasies popping up left and right, but who says that with our sub-tropical weather we can’t have more? Enter: Road to Nowhere, a new tiki-inspired speakeasy situated within Toasted Coconut. Hello rum!
WEEKEND EVENTS
@onthehousehtx A little micro dose of nature? Yes please. 📍 Edith L Moore Nature Sanctuary #thingstodoinhouston #explorehouston #houstontx #naturesanctuary
Visit Edith L Moore Nature Sanctuary for a little dose of nature.
All Weekend
Houston Restaurant Weeks continues
Catch the last shows this and next week for Agatha Christie’s “The Mirror Crack’d” at Alley Theatre
Watch Drunk Shakespeare
Thursday, 8/14
6pm-9pm, Opening Reception | View and attend the opening reception to Jaymes Earl’s exhibition “Roots and Rhymes: The Cultural Ties Between Traditional African Cultures And Hip-Hop” at Reeves Art Gallery. “Each piece serves as a homage to the dynamic spirit of hip-hop, echoing its boldness and creativity while drawing from traditional African patterns and storytelling.” Free.
6:30pm, Class | Take a pasta making class at Lyric Market. $60. Sold Out. But keep this on your radar for every Thursday.
7pm-9pm, Artist Talk | Meet the artist, Margo Lunsford Chacon, at The Kennedy.
Friday, 8/15
7pm-11pm, Museum Afters | Experience Mixers & Elixirs: Latin Night at Houston Museum of Natural Science. $25.
7:30pm, Movie | Watch Scott Pilgrim vs. The World on it’s 15th anniversary at Rooftop Cinema Club. $21+ .
8pm, Live Concert | It’s 90’s Mixtape Night at Miller Outdoor Theatre. Hear radio hits from artists like “Alanis Morissette, Boys II Men, Brittany Spears, Green Day, Nirvana, En Vogue, or NSYNC.” Free.
Saturday, 8/16
7:45am, Pilates | Experience pilates at the Houston Zoo aka zoolates. It includes all day zoo admission, 45-min indoor pilates class and a sea lion meet and greet. Sold Out.
9am, Run club and DJ party | Get a run in and then enjoy a matcha party at Matcha Mia. “We’re coming back to DJ sets, Matcha Mia whisking matcha, and Tago’s Tulum-style patio!” Free.
2pm-6pm, Market | Divine Market is celebrating two years! “We will be featuring all your favorite small businesses plus some exciting new ones from tooth gems, sweet treats, clothing boutiques, matcha bar and more!!! “
4pm-10pm, Dancing | It’s Salsa Mami aka salsa night at Karbach brewing. “Complete with a live band, @caribbeats spinning all evening, and a salsa class to get you moving! 🕺 🎶” Free.
6:30pm-8:30pm, Museum Afters | Don’t miss another Art Crowd night at MFAH for Anicka Yi’s exhibition. “Tickets provide two free drinks plus light bites, music, curatorial art talks, and art making—all inspired by this immersive exhibition that dissolves boundaries between biology and technology.” $35. Free for members.
Sunday, 8/17
11:30am-2:30pm, Drag Brunch | For the Swifties out there, experience a Taylor Swift tribute drag brunch at The Kennedy. RSVP.
6:30p, Live Music | Bit Brigade performs: Mega Man X live. “Bit Brigade performs rock covers of full SNES/NES game soundtracks in sync with their gamer as he speed runs the game live on stage.” $30.
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