Let Creativity Happen! is a grant program awarded by the Houston Arts Alliance to encourage creative risk-taking. Awards support art that redefine boundaries and spark conversations. The maximum $2,500 awards for a one-year grant term has been awarded for 2019’s fourth quarter. A total of $55,000 in grants were awarded from funds out of City of Houston Occupancy Tax (HOT) revenues.

“As we close out the second year of this grant program, the exponential growth of applications highlights the importance of supporting the innovation of Houston’s artists,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said. “This ‘express’ grant-making approach is fueling new art experiences for visitors and residents across the breadth of the city.”

The fourth quarter awards for literary projects were awarded to:

Mommy & Me Pop Up Libraries

By Kenisha Coleman

Literary Arts

Mommy & Me Pop Up Library is a program designed to enrich the lives of mothers and their children through literacy, social engagement, culture, arts, and crafts. The program will help to cultivate lifelong skills of learning, comprehension, language, culture, community, and creativity. They will also offer bilingual learning opportunities. The project will consist of pop-up mobile libraries in the Fifth Ward, Sunnyside, and Third Ward neighborhoods, the first of which will take place at the Pop Up Place, an outdoor venue, at 4302 Almeda Drive.

Cat Tales

By April Lim

Creative Writing

An evening of poetry and prose surrounding the theme of cats. Writers will have the opportunity to share their works with fellow feline fanatics. The event will ideally take place at El Gate Coffeehouse.

The Flower Garden of Ignatius Beltran

By Adam Castaneda

Modern Dance and Literary Arts

The Flower Garden of Ignatius Beltran is an original dance work built by the community and performed by the community. This process-based work brings together both professional dancers and non-movers for a process and performance experience that attempts to dismantle the hierarchy and exclusionary practices of Western concert dance.

In Augmented Reality

By Public Poetry

Literary Arts: Poetry

“In Augmented Reality” is an interactive, experiential project with multimedia writer/artist/collaborator, Mary McDonald. Her augmented reality (AR) video provides a framework to understand and explore the creative potentialities of this technology. Using equipment McDonald’s bringing, this two-part program includes a hands-on session with participants to create their own AR pieces.