Project Row Houses (PRH) has launched a call inviting artists and community members to share memories and messages celebrating the impact of its founders.
Project Row Houses founders Rick Lowe and Jesse Lott during the renovation of PRH, 1993. Photo: David Robinson, courtesy of PRH
Inspired by artist and mentor Dr. John Biggers, James Bettison (1958 – 1997), Bert Long, Jr. (1940 – 2013), Jesse Lott (1943 – 2023), Rick Lowe, Floyd Newsum, Bert Samples, and George Smith established PRH in 1993. Located in Houston’s Historic Third Ward, the organization has grown to encompass five city blocks and 39 structures and is a hub for community initiatives, art programming, and neighborhood development.
Project Row Houses, Memory Project
To honor its founders, PRH will gather digital and physical notes and photographs into a Memory Box for each founder. The boxes will be presented to living founders and the families of founders who have died. On its website, PRH has offered the following suggestions for what participants might submit:
– Write a note, postcard, or letter
– Share a photo…or several (be sure to include identifying info and dates on the back if you have them!)
– Do a sketch or paint a tiny canvas
– Make a song list of the music that reminds you of a memory or a moment
– Include a (small) memento or charm
– Voice memos recorded on your cell phone
Memories and messages can be submitted via a digital form, emailed to [email protected], dropped off at the Community Gallery (2521 Holman Street), or mailed to Founder Memories, Project Row Houses, PO Box 1011, Houston, TX 77251. The organization requests that sent items be no larger than 14 1/4 by 12 1/4 by 1 3/8-inches.
The deadline for submissions is Friday, June 21, 2024. Learn more about the initiative via the PRH website.
