Aurora Picture Show, a Houston-based nonprofit media arts organization, has announced that it will move to a new location this fall.
Established in 1998, Aurora has relocated a few times in its 25 year history. With the help of volunteers, founder Andrea Grover converted a 1924 church on Aurora Street in Houston’s Sunset Heights neighborhood into a 100-seat cinema. This space remained the organization’s home until 2009, when Aurora moved its offices to the Menil Collection campus and refocused its programming to venues and alternative spaces throughout the city. Since 2012, Aurora has been housed in a small warehouse screening space in the Kirby/Rice area, adjacent to Deborah Colton Gallery, and has also continued to present programs across Houston. Since 2010, Aurora’s original location has been occupied by 14 Pews, another nonprofit organization that programs visual arts, films, and theater works.
This October, Aurora will move its headquarters to a converted warehouse, with office spaces and a main venue for screenings and other events, in Houston’s East End. The space is owned by Concept Neighborhood, a Houston real estate investment, development, and management company. According to the company’s website, Concept Neighborhood’s plan for Houston’s historic Second Ward “includes 250,000 square feet of retail, creative office and urban maker space in addition to 1,000 multifamily units.” Aurora’s new headquarters, at 201 Roberts, will be centrally located and easily accessible via METRORail and bike trails.
Aerial map of Aurora Picture Show’s new location in Concept Neighborhood’s The Plant/Second Ward. Image courtesy of Public Content
In a press release announcing the organization’s relocation, Aurora’s Executive Director, Sarah Stauder, said, “Even as a 25-year-old organization, we never stop trying to build new connections, deepen relationships, and create meaningful experiences through moving image art. There’s no better part of town to center those efforts than the East End – a place with a strong cultural identity, a rich history, and a thriving creative community.”
Night Light 2022, presented by Aurora Picture Show and Buffalo Bayou Partnership. Projections by Input Output. Image courtesy of Aurora Picture Show
The move to the East End will strengthen Aurora’s partnerships with area organizations, like its annual Night Light event with Buffalo Bayou Partnership. The free evening event features new video installations by local artists along the Buffalo Bayou East trails. Night Light 2023 will take place on April 1 and will include works by Chap Edmonson, Jamie Robertson, and Input Output.
