"Art Did All of This"

We've finally returned from the Houston weekender and truly, it was a whirlwind weekend! From the murals by John Biggers at Texas Southern University to our visits to Black Heritage Gallery, Project Rowhouses and the Houston Museum of African American Art and Culture, the entire experience was enriching.

Ellene did a great job of coordinating everything! We saw, learned and experienced so much. It was really an amazing experience! As I reflect upon all that happened, there is one statement that resonates deep inside of me, made by contemporary artist Nathaniel Dunnaae, during our visit to Project Rowhouses, and that is that "art did all of this."

Many things about art and creating art were deeply reinforced within my heart. Such as, art is inspiring, it touches and moves people on so many different levels, it propels people into action, it is a catalyst for change, it is a means of sharing what can't be expressed in words, it is an adhesive that holds communities together and that it is a very real and needed form of creativity that the world needs.

On the last day of the visit, as we sat in the reception cottage of the Rothko Chapel, we talked with the folks who'd joined us on this trip. I was most interested in what the experience meant to them and what they got out of it. So many thoughts and feelings were expressed. I was moved when one of the travelers expressed that for the first time art became "tangible." I completely understood this statement as I remembered looking at art from the outside as a student and wondering - "wow, what really is it? How is it done? What goes into it?" I will never forget witnessing one of our group members crying as she listened to us artists talk with passion about what we do. Again I realized that like music, people really truly need what we do. It is a form of communication that is a sort of release, a powerful antidote to life's ills. I am so happy to have experienced these few days and to see others enjoy "the other side" as much as we do.