City of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner Donates $250,000 to Relief Fund for Winter Street Artists Affected by the Fire
February 16, 2023, Houston, TX – Mayor Sylvester Turner hosted a press conference to announce the donation of $250,000 from the City of Houston to the Houston Arts Alliance Emergency Relief Fund for artists affected by the December fire at Winter Street Studios. The press conference took place at the burned-out studios at Sawyer Yards, providing a demonstrative background for the hopeful news. Speakers included Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, Houston Arts Alliance Board Chair Michele Leal Farah, Winter Street Studios artists and fire victims Gerardo Parra Jr. and Holly Nowak, and Executive Director of Fresh Arts and Cultural Arts Director for Arts District Houston.
Mayor Sylvester Turner poses for a picture with affected artists, City of Houston officials, and Arts Leaders at Winter Street Studios.The Disaster Services program of the Houston Arts Alliance activated its Emergency Relief Fund on December 21st to provide stipends to those affected by the tragic fire. HAA is currently contributing $15,000 from its reserves to the relief effort to help where it is needed. As of February 16th, 378 individuals have donated $70,246.15 to the Emergency Relief Fund. Most of these donations are small-dollar donations from artists—folks with firsthand knowledge of how devastating these losses are. The donation made by the City of Houston brings the Fund’s total to $318,000. A small percentage of these funds has been used for art conservation efforts to help artists recover any artwork they can. As of February 16th, the Houston Arts Alliance has received 70 applications from Winter Street artists reporting over $2,050,000 in damage. Initially, stipends were divided into two tiers of either $750 or $1500. These amounts will be brought up and artists who received initial Relief Fund dollars will receive these additional funds without needing to take any further action. The Relief Fund is designed to distribute all available funds to affected artists and to reach as many artists as possible, with consideration for the amount of loss each has suffered. The deadline to apply to the Relief Fund is February 28th.
Many in the community can understand the anguish and loss that artists at Winter Street Studios are experiencing, with so many Houstonians still building back from Hurricane Harvey and the deep losses of the pandemic. Many of our community’s artists do not have the expensive insurance required to help with a tragedy of this scale or type. And many have lost years of artwork and equipment—eliminating their ability to earn a living each day. Some lost artworks that had already been sold but were not yet delivered to their new owners.
Artist Holly Nowak shared her long journey to recovery, “My studio is right next to the studio that was targeted by the fire. My things smell horrible, and I am working to salvage some of the work. It is a long process. John Deal, the owner of Winter Street Studios, has arranged storage on campus for us all to use. Times of loss and tragedy show the best in people, and I’ve witnessed it first-hand the past few days. Thank you to everyone that has helped. It might be a small $25 donation, but it has gone a long way in helping everyone. I don’t think many people understand that being an artist is a full-time career. This is our business, our livelihood. We put in the hours, pay our taxes, and do everything along with creating. The difference is that we can’t call a warehouse and restock the shelves. We lost years of inventory that we have built up. We now have to start from scratch.”
Artist Holly Nowak shares an Instagram post about the hardships she has faced and how she’s using her artistic practice to overcome grief. January 25th, 2023. Click here to access the original post. HAA has received support from a few area businesses—Unbridled, which is a Sawyer Yards community member, Collaborate Architects, and Republic Services. The fund has also received support from Houston First Corporation and the Hobby Family Foundation. While several nonprofit funders have rejected requests for help, HAA continued to ask funders to step up for the community’s dire need at this time.
“We are beyond thankful to Mayor Turner, known to our community as the Arts Mayor, for a historic gift to artist relief,” said HAA CEO, John Abodeely. “I came to Houston 5 years ago to serve as CEO for the Houston Arts Alliance just after Hurricane Harvey’s historic devastation. What I have found is a resilient community of generous and talented artists who give so much to our city, not just in their unrivaled creativity, but also in driving a healthy economy. We established the Disaster Services program just after Harvey because the community demanded a more secure future from disasters. Houston should be proud of this program. It is the only one of its kind in the nation, and it is supported by private donations from the community it serves. Today, I’m glad it’s here to help the artists of Winter Street.”
HAA’s Director of Disaster Services Lauren Hainley said this, “To many artists and creatives, their studio is a sacred space. It is where their livelihood comes from, and it is where their vision is realized. Our research shows that Houston suffers a federally declared disaster every 9 months, on average. This means that Houston artists are particularly vulnerable to catastrophes. Over the last few years at the Houston Arts Alliance, we have invented new methods to help the arts community build resilience before disasters and recovery more quickly after them. In this case, the HAA team was able to activate the Emergency Relief Fund in less than 12 hours.”
Artist Gerardo Parras Jr. shared many of the vulnerabilities that artists face during the press conference. “The past few years have not been easy for Houston artists. The artist community has been hit hard by the pandemic and by other disasters like Hurricane Harvey. And now, Winter Street artists must endure one more tragedy. I personally don’t have an art studio anymore. My tools were burned or stolen. I didn’t have insurance either. It has been difficult for my mental health. My twin brother and I are in the studio and I’m the one applying for both of us. I think it’s wonderful that the City of Houston and the Houston Arts Alliance have been able to step in to do this work. I hope that the community continues to work together, and I hope that community members, politicians, the private sector and Houstonians in general will continue to support the arts community. During disasters, artists step in to share their work and knowledge to make things better. It is my hope that our work continues to be valued and uplifted.”
The City of Houston thanked its partners at the Houston Arts Alliance, naming Director of Disaster Lauren Hainley and Disaster Services Coordinator Colby Wilson who, under the leadership of Board Chair Michele Leal Farah & CEO John Abodeely, have advocated fiercely and tirelessly for the arts community.
Thanks were also given to TX-CERA and its leader Steve Pine, who volunteered time and expertise to salvage the artwork of the affected artists, as well as Executive Director of Fresh Arts and Cultural Arts Director for Arts District Houston Angela Carranza, who has diligently cared for the needs of the Winter Street artists since the moment of the fire, even though the Fresh Arts offices were also damaged.
Jon Deal and Sara Jackson of DealCo, the owner and operator of the building, were also recognized for their efforts to help artists recover from this terrible tragedy.
Additional assistance was given by national arts & disaster organizations such as CERF+, National Coalition for Arts’ Preparedness and Emergency Response, and Performing Arts Readiness to ensure all needs are being met to the fullest extent possible.
“Artists share so much of their talent with our city, and this is when they need our help. When tragedy strikes, having a supportive community is essential. Houston would not be a vibrant city without the many individuals, businesses, and organizations that create. Thank you, Houstonians, for the continued support to the arts community in this and all things.” Said Necole S. Irvin, Director at the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.
To donate in this time of need and for more information, please visit http://ready.haatx.com.
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ABOUT THE MAYOR’S OFFICE OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS
The City of Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (MOCA) guides the City’s cultural investments with policies and initiatives that expand access to arts and cultural programs in the community, attract visitors and leverage private investment. Learn more at www.houstontx.gov/culturalaffairs and follow us on Facebook & Instagram: @HoustonMOCA.
ABOUT FRESHARTS
Fresh Arts is a Houston-based nonprofit that empowers local artists through programs that build knowledge, amplify resources and connect communities through art. Fresh Arts is also the management entity for Arts District Houston, one of seven state-designated cultural districts in Houston. Follow and learn more at www.fresharts.org, @freshartsorg, and @artsdistricthou.
ABOUT THE DISASTER SERVICES EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND
The disaster resilience and recovery program at HAA was established after Hurricane Harvey, in partnership with several organizations that worked with HAA directly on Harvey recovery efforts. The program’s job is to provide critical information to artists and nonprofits about disasters and to help the Emergency Management industry better include artists and nonprofits in their recovery and resilience building. The Emergency Fund was set up in spring 2020, in partnership with a dozen area arts organizations, to raise funds and then distribute them to those facing dire economic hardship due to the pandemic. HAA is activating the fund now to help those impacted by the tragic fire at Winter Street Studios on December 20th.
ABOUT HOUSTON ARTS ALLIANCE
Houston Arts Alliance (HAA) is a local arts and culture organization whose principal work is to implement the City of Houston’s vision, values, and goals for its arts grantmaking and civic art investments. HAA also executes privately funded special projects to meet the needs of the arts community, such as disaster preparation, research on the state of the arts in Houston, and temporary public art projects that energize neighborhoods. In short, HAA helps artists and nonprofits be bold, productive, and strong. To learn more about HAA, visit www.houstonartsalliance.com and follow us on Facebook & Instagram: @HoustonArtsAlliance.