The Anderson Center for the Arts, the first and only arts organization serving Unincorporated East Harris County (UEHC), is on a mission to rewrite the area’s cultural narrative.
Known for its lack of art and cultural engagement, UEHC is just 16 minutes from downtown Houston but often feels a world away.
Developed and underdeveloped neighborhoods dot the area, and public art is almost nonexistent, save for a single mural on the side of a laundromat. The BIPOC Arts and Network Fund calls this a “cultural desert.”
Determined to change this, the Anderson Center has committed to “bringing water to the desert.” The goal is to expand access to the arts in underserved communities while preserving and celebrating Black history and culture.
The organization received a BANF organizational award in 2022, which enabled them to launch their flagship program, A.I.R. for Culture, an artist residency designed to uplift Black creatives and help them transition from “surviving to thriving” in the arts sector.
Each year, the Anderson Center selects up to 11 artists for the residency, providing complimentary studio space, professional development, and exhibition support. Unique to Houston, this is the only residency dedicated exclusively to supporting Black artists across all disciplines. Since its launch in 2023, the A.I.R. for Culture program has supported 16 artists and engaged 40 more, reaching over 40,000 community members with affordable art and cultural experiences.
Executive Director Michelle L. Bonton credits the BANF grant for amplifying the center’s mission.
“By harnessing the unifying power of the arts, we’ve built community connectedness, created shared memories, and preserved, shared, and celebrated Black history and culture. Through advocacy, capacity building, community engagement, and education, The Anderson Center for the Arts has become a leading voice in the Houston arts sector, a trusted community partner, and a catalyst for regional economic growth and development,” Bonton said.
Houston Cultural Treasures
BANF, the Houston-based organization that supports local BIPOC arts communities, has designated six African American organizations as Houston Cultural Treasures. The organizations honored include the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum, SHAPE Community Center, Community Artists’ Collective, Community Music Center of Houston, Houston Museum of African American Culture, and Nia Cultural Center in Galveston.
Community Music Center
The Community Music Center in Houston, a nonprofit organization, aims to preserve Black music traditions that are at risk of disappearing through education and performance. Old spirituals, Jazz, Gospel, pop music, hip hop, and classical music resound in their music room. These organizations also help Black culture and art thrive.
“We look at all kinds of different Black music experiences. We involve kids in terms of our music lessons. We perform in the community, often at churches, and music by Black composers,” said Dr. Anne Lundy, the music director of CMCH, who received her Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music in 2015’
Lundy is the first African-American woman to conduct the Houston Symphony at Miller Outdoor Theater.
“Many people don’t know that Black composers have written symphonies, operas, ballets, jazz and gospel music.”
Erin McClarty, the facilitator for Houston Cultural Traditions, feels it is necessary to bring stalwarts who have been practicing their art for several decades together, acknowledge their contributions, move out of “deficit-mindedness,” and take cognizance of what’s already available.
“We talk a lot about the invisible work that some that Black and Brown organizations have to do. It’s one thing to be doing the art interventions, and it’s another to acknowledge that in the communities that we’re in, they also do conflict mediation with their families, feed, and nourish in a number of different ways,” McClarty said. “We wanted to give them a space to come together to talk about what that looks like.”
