El Paso, Houston, Marfa and San Angelo get NEA Our Town grants

Last week the National Endowment for the Arts Our Town program announced $6.575 million in grants to 51 communities. Among them are four projects in Texas: the city of El Paso gets $25,000 to support the design of a pedestrian green space between the Union Plaza Entertainment District to the Cultural Arts District downtown, replacing a parking lot, railroad tracks, and industrial loading docks that currently serve as physical barriers.The University of Houston gets $100,000 to support a mash-up of public art installations, new media initiatives, and cultural planning activities to help revitalize Houston’s Third Ward neighborhood. Ballroom Marfa gets $250,000 to improve Vizcaino County Park, several acres of scenic desert that will be home for the Drive-In, a new outdoor venue for music, film, and performing arts. The City of San Angelo gets $150,000 to commissioning of public art and public spaces along the Concho River Trail.