ABOUT ARTS
DISTRICT HOUSTON

Arts District Houston embodies Houston’s up and coming creative economy. This colorful, urban, artist-centered community is situated in the city center along the Washington Avenue Corridor and touts the highest concentration of working artists in the state. Visit this lively historically designated area bound by two of the city’s bayous and feel the creativity flow throughout the creative businesses, restaurants, artists studios, and reimagined industrial spaces, notably the iconic repurposed rice silos and old Union Pacific rail line that run through it.

The Arts District’s Footprint

This state-appointed Arts and Cultural District has a rich history as it encompasses the First and Sixth Wards, two of the city’s oldest neighborhoods. Arts District Houston is home to 300+ studio spaces for local artists, designers, and makers where you can see firsthand how art gets made. Experience art and architecture in the context of the preserved silos at the Site Gallery. Visit Houston’s beautiful historic Glenwood Cemetery where the famed Howard Hughes was laid to rest or grab a coffee or a beer at one of the neighborhood haunts. Take in the expansive murals at Art Alley or check out Sawyer Yards, Foto Fest, MECA, or the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern which exhibits art in a former underground drinking water facility from the 1920’s. Arts District Houston is without a doubt one of Houston’s most dynamic places to experience art.

Arts District Houston + Fresh Arts

Fresh Arts is the managing partner of Arts District Houston and amplifies the district’s ability to serve artists and the greater community through artist-centered initiatives that help build capacity, audiences and shared resources for the artists and creative businesses that compose the district. Fresh Arts and Arts District Houston are dedicated to shaping and building Houston’s creative economy in a responsible way that ensures the district retains top artistic talent and energy while continually enhancing the livability of the surrounding neighborhood.

A Brief History of the Arts District

Arts District Houston is one of nearly 300 state-designated districts nation-wide and one of five in Houston. Fresh Arts took over management of the District in late 2017 because we believe that cultural districts have the capacity to be the building blocks that tell the story of Houston’s diverse artists and arts organizations. These districts represent a cross-section of the historic neighborhoods that make Houston so unique. Arts District Houston is a colorful, urban community situated in the city center along the Washington Avenue Corridor. This lively historically designated area is bound by two of the city’s bayous and made up of two of its oldest neighborhoods, the First and Sixth Wards. In these neighborhoods you can experience art and architecture in preserved industrial spaces like the former rice silos of Site Gallery at Sawyer Yards, the former underground drinking water facility at Cistern at Buffalo Bayou Park, and the first Houston neighborhood listed on the National Register of Historic Places – the Old Sixth Ward. You can also visit Glenwood Cemetery which was built in the 1870s when this was still a rural area, and feel the creativity flow throughout the local businesses, restaurants and 400+ artist studios. Part of the District’s focus over the past year has been to challenge our thinking about our role as manager of Arts District Houston. We realize that we cannot tell the story of the present without examining the past and including the variety of histories that exist within the narrative. Through the process of connecting artists with community histories, we were reminded that people feel connected to a place when they see themselves reflected in it. We believe that storytelling is a radical act of affirming history and place, and that telling history builds cohesion, wayfinding and a sense of place. Partnering community members with artists to make the hidden history of the area more visible and engaging not only results in unexpected interactive arts experiences for residents and visitors but also allows us to ask the questions: Is the cultural identity of the community being celebrated or diminished? Do we have all of the voices at the table? Who is missing?