On Tuesday, July 23, 2024, the Lubbock City Council voted to cut $30,000 in funding for First Friday Art Trail (FFAT), a monthly program hosted by the Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts (LHUCA), over supposed LGBTQ programming.
First Friday Art Trail. Photo courtesy of the Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts.
Launched in 2004, FFAT was developed to support Lubbock’s downtown art galleries and artist studios. Over the last 20 years, the program has grown from only 13 people in attendance at the first event to 5,000 to 7,000 attendees each month. While LHUCA still manages the program, it partners with dozens of art venues to feature visual art, live music, and performances.
The City of Lubbock has supported FFAT for numerous years through its Cultural Arts Grants Program (CAGP). Since 2019, the funding has increased from $14,625 to $30,000 in 2023. For the 2024 granting cycle, LHUCA requested $32,000 and the CAGP committee recommended they be granted $25,600. In the committee’s comments, it noted that FFAT “has strong artistic merit, creates great exposure for participating venues and artists, [has] a good marketing plan for advertising outside the region, [and has] strong corporate as well as state and local foundation grant support.” The funding for FFAT would have been a small portion of the $549,639.80 funds available for the CAGP.
David Glasheen and Christy Martinez-Garcia at the July Lubbock City Council Meeting
Last month, the grants were approved by Civic Lubbock Inc. (CLI), a 501(c)3 organization that partners with the city to administer the Hotel Occupancy Tax revenue that is used to support local arts programming. At the July 23 City Council meeting, CLI presented its recommendations to the council for its approval. City Councilman David Glasheen requested that FFAT be removed from the grant program, stating, “This money from the grant program comes from Hotel Occupancy Tax… it has limited uses under the law… In June of this year as part of Pride Month, we saw that one of the programs that FFAT promoted was programs for promoting LGBT agenda… programs like Queering West Texas, a child-friendly LGBT workshop. It also included drag performances, which were subsidized or promoted by tax dollars. The intention is to offer full drag performances on Art Trail in the next year.”
Mr. Glasheen also called into question some of the art exhibitions and the prompts they posed regarding allyship. He went on to indicate he was concerned about other cities across the state who have engaged in these types of programs, such as Fort Worth and Arlington. The Queering West Texas “program” Mr. Glasheen mentioned was an exhibition at the Texas Tech School of Art satellite gallery, a space adjacent to and independent from LHUCA, and was organized by students. The show ran from June 7 (First Friday) through 22, the date of the Lubbock Pride Fest, organized by LubbockPride. Each weekend, the site hosted workshops that were advertised as “family-friendly” and included activities such as coloring and collage. The exhibit and workshops were not directly related to First Friday programming and were not on site at LHUCA.
Councilwoman and Mayor Pro Tem Christy Martinez-Garcia was visibly surprised and responded, “This is in my district… when we hold the FFAT, we get about 20,000 people… and many of them are young people. A lot of people that attend FFAT choose the date they want to go… as this city grows… we need to make it for everybody. For me, it allows us to choose, just like when I choose what TV station I watch… I don’t think all of the programming is based just on that. I’ve seen some very good and talented people… but we don’t get to pick who we are representing. We have to be inclusive of our community.”
Ms. Martinez-Garcia went on to point out that the tax money in question comes from Hotel Occupancy Tax, not from Lubbock citizens directly. Mayor Mark McBrayer alleged that drag performances are of a sexual nature and are inappropriate for children. He stated, “This is not whether you or gay or straight, it is about a sexualized performance in a venue that is meant to be family-friendly.”
Following the discussion, the council voted 6-1 to remove FFAT from the CAGP funding proposal. The remainder of the funding was then approved, including additional funds to LHUCA for other programs.
In a public statement made on its social media platforms, LHUCA has shared that it was “not consulted about the funding request nor asked about the drag event in question by City Council before the decision was made.” The organization also disputes whether or not the show in question was a drag event and explained that the performance was held at the Charles Adams Studio Project (CASP), which is a separate nonprofit.
It is unclear what specific “drag performances” Mr. Glasheen was referring to in his statements at the council meeting. Multiple sources have indicated that it was likely a one-day art exhibition at CASP titled Madres Radicales, which was curated by Leslie C. Sotomayor II, Katy Ballard, and Sophia Villalobos. The show has a performance component that was ultimately canceled by Chad Plunket, the Executive Director of CASP. He told Glasstire that he had concerns about health and human safety. For the performance at CASP, the performers disrobed from their drag clothing, removed their makeup, and went on with a “non-drag” performance.
A performance at CASP
This morning, CASP released the following statement regarding the rescinded funding for FFAT: “Over the past decade, the First Friday Art Trail has grown from a few hundred participants to tens of thousands, creating significant economic impact that has put Lubbock on the arts map. We appreciate the past support from the City of Lubbock, and are disappointed in the recent decision to not fund the security and transportation for the event going forward.
We welcome all to attend the First Friday Art Trail on August 2nd, and hope the Mayor and City Council will join us as we celebrate the impact we have on Downtown Lubbock.”
LHUCA told Glasstire that this grant from the city, which has been denied, represents about 25-30% of its overall FFAT budget. The event is also supported by corporate sponsorships, foundations, state funding, and LHUCA memberships. A representative explained, “The reason stated by the council for rejecting the funding did not reflect what was asked for in LHUCA’s request.” Specifically, the majority of the funding would have been used for marketing, a trolley service that transports attendees to sites throughout downtown, security, wayfinding signage, local bands, and artists exhibiting in the LHUCA galleries.
Even if LHUCA or another organization had applied for funding for LGBTQ programming, the 2024 CAGP Guidelines and Procedures does not state that funds cannot be used for LGBTQ-related activities or that programs must be appropriate for children. The two stipulations are that each project must show it “directly promotes tourism” and “involves the encouragement, promotion, improvement, and application of the arts.” While there are restrictions regarding the usage of funds, they relate to things such as paying debts, travel expenses, fundraising events, and capital improvements. Though last year the Texas House passed SB12 — a bill which sought to regulate “sexually oriented performances” by restricting where they could take place and prohibiting children from viewing such programs — , ultimately, it was deemed unconstitutional and cannot be enforced.
Lubbock City Council’s decision is just the latest in a struggle between the Lubbock LGBTQ community and the city. Last year, LGBTQ leaders and activists pushed for the city to recognize June as Pride Month. At the time, the Texas Tribune reported that then-Councilperson McBrayer said it would be improper to do so. This year, LubbockPride has continued to seek support for Pride month from the city, but has not received a response.
Scotty Hensler, an artist and Assistant Professor of Art in the Fine Arts Department at South Plains College, was one of many local artists who took to social media to call on the community to reach out to their council members regarding the funding cut for First Friday. He told Glasstire, “I have witnessed firsthand the impact of LHUCA’s First Friday Art Trail on my students, family, friends, and the broader population… Every month, more than 5,000 arts enthusiasts converge on Lubbock to participate in this vibrant celebration. Beyond enriching our cultural landscape, FFAT also plays a pivotal role in Lubbock’s economy. It generates revenue for art vendors, performers, food vendors, and all other accommodations catering to visitors. Tourists flock to Lubbock, booking hotels, savoring local cuisine, and capturing the essence of the event to share with others. In essence, FFAT serves as a substantial monthly economic stimulus for our city.”
Mr. Hensler went on to state that the LGBTQ community is an integral part of the arts community. He explained, “Contrary to misconceptions, none of the exhibits or performances at FFAT include sexual content and they were intended for the general demographic of audience attendees. Such conflation of sex and identity oversimplifies the multifaceted nature of each individual. Any individual is more than just their sexuality, experiences, and forms of expressing that; they are a complex amalgamation of various facets. The LGBTQ and drag artists in our community engage in performance art that extends beyond mere sexuality.”
Glasstire reached out to councilpersons Mr. Glasheen and Ms. Martinez-Garcia as well as the communications department for the City of Lubbock to ask about the decision to cut funding over supposed LGBTQ programming. Among other questions, Glasstire asked if the city has cut funding to other businesses or programs that support LGBTQ artists or performers. At the time of publication, we have not received a response.
2 comments
Thank you for sharing this story.
I have already requested that this item be placed on the August 13, 2024 Council for reconsideration.
This event draws people from all backgrounds and all the community and surrounding areas and has become a part of the welcome mat to downtown Lubbock.
I’ve had an overwhelming number of calls, and I was on a deadline and did not see that Glasstire had reached out.
If you would like additional information, or if I can answer additional questions, please email me.
Thank you, and please note that Lubbock is a great community.
I am a local Artist, and I agree with the fact that art venues should be just that, about Art. I believe in family as well and would like to see venues stay suitable for all ages…to encourage our young children in a safe and positive atmosphere. I also know that art is subjective and what is art to one may not be for another. So, it is a fine line, and hard not to offend some people, while catering to others. I do believe that the LHUCA org. should have been notified and had an opportunity to clear up any misconceptions. However, I also believe in protecting our youth from sexualized/promiscuous/questionable preformances or visually disturbing material. So I am grateful to the city counsel for looking out for our youth and communities in that manner. I also believe that the city counsel should maybe reconsider their decision based on the fact that it was not LHUCA that put on or approved said preformance, if that is their finding. Thank you.