HFTC x CAMH is seeking artists-in-residence for the 2023 iteration of CAMHLAB at Freedmen’s Town, a neighborhood established in 1865 by over 1,000 formerly enslaved people that is now recognized as Houston’s first Heritage District.
For this context-specific iteration of CAMHLAB at Freedmen’s Town, artists will be selected for projects that highlight, honor, and animate the critical histories and stories of Freedmen’s Town in collaboration with Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy (HFTC). The residencies will commence in April 2023, and proceed on a monthly basis throughout the project. If selected, each resident is required to attend a Freedmen’s Town History Tour led by HFTC x CAMH Engagement Manager.
This opportunity is open to Black Houston-area artists. Applicants must be ages 18+.
Applicants should submit innovative project proposals that center regeneration and healing for Freedmen’s Town legacy residents living in the community.
Further details on studio spaces and location logistics are coming soon. Please check back on this page later, or sign up for the CAMHLAB at Freedmen’s Town FAQ Call taking place on Wednesday, February 1 at 12PM.
The deadline to submit all applications is Saturday, February 25, 2023 at 11:59PM CST. Late applications will not be accepted. Selected artists will be contacted from March 6–10, 2023.
For any inquiries about CAMHLAB at Freedmen’s Town, please contact YET Torres, CAMHLAB Manager, or Mich Stevenson, HFTC x CAMH Project Manager, by Wednesday, February 22, 2023.
About CAMHLAB
CAMHLAB is an ongoing artist-in-residence initiative that supports artists working within and in partnership with the Museum to develop new work and ideas. CAMHLAB offers critical and early-stage direct support of artists’ process and production of new and timely work through short-term residencies and long-term collaborations with artists. CAMHLAB residencies seek to connect artists directly with audiences through catalytic and unexpected experiences of contemporary art.
About HFTC x CAMH
HFTC x CAMH is a partnership between Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy (HFTC) and Contemporary Arts Museum and Houston (CAMH) promoting Houston Freedmen’s Town as a monument of Black community, agency, and heritage. Freedmen’s Town, a neighborhood established in 1865 by over 1,000 formerly enslaved people is now recognized as Houston’s first Heritage District. The two organizations have partnered to create artistic activations through artist residency programs, research fellowships, and exhibitions with the mission to share and honor the story of Houston’s Fourth Ward and to establish creative opportunities informed by its legacy and community stakeholders.
In 2023, HFTC x CAMH announced their partnership with with the City of Houston (COH) and artist Theaster Gates to promote Houston Freedmen’s Town as a monument of Black community, agency, and heritage through the multi-year Rebirth in Action: Telling the Story of Freedom initiative supported by the Mellon Foundation and NEA Our Town grant. The project’s first phase includes community engagement and artist-led activations through a continuation of CAMH’s artist residency program, CAMHLAB.
For more information on HFTC x CAMH, visit CAMH.ORG/HFTC.
About Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy
The Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that protects and preserves the history of Freedmen’s Town for the benefit of future generations. The conservancy supports community engagement, re-education, and heritage tourism while preserving the historic legacy of Freedmen’s Town, inspiring all through education and awareness of its unique story.
About Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
Established in 1948, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH) is one of the oldest non-collecting contemporary art museums in the country and is internationally known for presenting pivotal and landmark work by artists recognized as the most important of the 20th and 21st centuries. CAMH’s mandate is to be present, to connect artists and audiences through the urgent issues of our time, and to adventurously promote the catalytic possibilities of contemporary art. CAMH’s programming in and beyond the Museum is presented free to the public and advocates for artists’ essential role and impact in society.