Exhibitions
The exhibition program helps prepare the emerging artists for their professional career while increasing interest in artistic work and creativity in general.
Current & Upcoming Exhibitions
▪ Exhibition Title: Third Ward Unity in Faith: Backbone of Our Souls
▪ On View: March 23 – May 18, 2024
▪ Opening Reception: Saturday, March 23, 2024, 2 to 5 p.m.
▪ Artist Talk and Workshop: April 27, 2024, 3 p.m.
▪ Venue: Community Artists’ Collective, 4101 San Jacinto, Suite 116
Early African American settlers in Houston’s Third Ward area established small worship places, reminiscent of the praise houses attended during slavery in the Jim Crow era. The intimate and personal size of the congregations created bonds in the community that would last for more than 90 years.
Images of the still-standing small houses of worship, captured by art photographers Earlie Hudnall, Ray Carrington and Tamirah Collins, will be shared at the exhibition “Third Ward Unity in Faith: Backbone of Our Souls,” opening March 23 at the Community Artists’ Collective, 4101 San Jacinto, Suite 116.
Kathleen Coleman, a fourth generation Third Ward resident, curated the exhibition.
These small churches resembled rural structures like those in many sharecropping communities near Houston. A few of these small congregations linger and tell the story of the Third Ward’s ever-changing landscape. Because of its proximity to downtown Houston, the churches are often sold and inhabited by a younger demographic.
Hudnall and Carrington, who attended Texas Southern University, have been cataloging the Third Ward area for more than 30 years, telling a story with their photos of the community block by block, from past to present. Hudnall’s mentor, Dr. John Biggers, saw the shotgun houses as urban pyramids. Carrington’s mentor, veteran photographer and teacher Herbert Provost, instilled a love of photography and of the community in him as a student at Jack Yates High School.
Collins, a mentee of Carrington and the exhibition coordinator at The Collective, will continue documenting the area from a new generational perspective.
The exhibition, which continues through May 18, is part of the FotoFest Biennial and is free to attend. An opening reception will be held Saturday, March 23, at 2 p.m. and an artists’ talk Saturday, April 27, at 3 p.m.
Mid-career and more experienced local and international artists often participate in the exhibitions to encourage/be accessible to the emerging artists and expand their markets.
Artists are also introduced to other adjunct aspects of the arts universe beyond production of their work, which broaden their understanding of the interdependence of the industry. We also plan exhibitions in collaboration with other entities at other venues.
Exhibitions are instructive to the viewers in that they have the opportunity to glimpse the variety of talent, especially in the local arts community, and appreciate/recognize the many forms in which the talents are manifested. We are open to working with other entities to increase the development of venues to support the public display of work (especially) by African American artists.
Previous exhibitions
ARTrepreneurship
Workshop Series
ARTrepreneurship Workshop Series is a program within the Community Artists' Collective Entrepreneurship Program designed to spotlight professional artists who will share their artistic journey and career path and describe what helped develop them into professional artists. The overall goal of the ARTrepreneurship Workshop Series is to provide insight into what it takes to achieve the level of a professional artist and how to prepare for the journey. H-E-B sponsors the workshops.
