We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Michelle Bonton a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Michelle, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Founding Harris County Cultural Arts Council and implementing an Artist in Residence program to provide a platform for artists of color and help them increase the value of their work in the marketplace. HCCAC’s mission is to expand arts access for underserved communities and to preserve, share, and celebrate the histories and cultures of Black and LatinX people. Our mission has uniquely positioned us to expand arts access in Unincorporated East Harris County, Texas, a cultural desert, and to provide free studio space, business development and direct financial support to artists of color. Our work is critical on two fronts. 1) Prior to our existence there were no cultural institutions in our community – no performance venues, museums, or cultural assets. The community was losing as much as $80,000,000 per year because of lack of options to experience the arts close to home. Our presence has initiated an arts-based community transformation that will lead to a stronger, more connected, more resilient community. 2) We are actively working to mitigate the opportunity inequities historically experienced by artists of color. They often lack a platform to create and showcase their work, as well as the skills to effectively market their work. We leverage our 20,000 square foot facility to support them with a year of free studio space and opportunities to exhibit. We also are working to create a business development program with classes, mentoring, and other tools from which artists of color will benefit.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am a social entrepreneur and self-described “broke philanthropist,” with a passion to work for the good of my community. I spent 30 years of my professional life working in the field of education as a teacher, counselor, and school leader. Whenever I was told “we don’t have that”, or “we don’t do that,” I was the person who went to work to try and figure out how to fill the need/void. I love the arts and understand their importance to quality of life, mental health, and self-expression and understanding others. As a teacher, I wanted my students to have more arts based experiences but there were none available in my community. I began a summer arts program to address this need and upon retirement re-organized the arts program into a full service arts and cultural institution. It is the first one ever in our community. The work is heavy, but I do it gladly because we are literally “bringing water to the desert,” where community based arts are concerned in our area. We not only provide arts experiences for more than 40,000 residents, we are also a critical resource for Black and LatinX artists who are so in need of advocates! We also have the privilege of being what I call “keepers of the jewels,” as it relates to the preservation of the stories of Black and LatinX people. We get to deliver arts that is centered in the rich cultures and histories of people who look like us and the audience get to experience programming that includes people who look like them.

I am proud to be blazing a trail for arts access in my community and to be creating a pathway for Black and LatinX creatives in Houston.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

During the pandemic, the recognition of the importance of the arts was brought into stark relief. Even though venues around the world were shuttered, the arts emerged as a stabilizing force that sustained people emotionally and connected them to each other. Music, and song, and dance, and recorded plays were in high demand by all. Frustrations and protests about social injustice were expressed in the form of visual arts projects around the entire world. Absent crises, however, the arts are often seen as an “extra,” rather than the very necessary life resource they actually are. Not only are the arts necessary to our emotional and social well-being, the creative industry has huge economic impact. In Houston alone, the creative industry brings nearly ONE BILLION dollars into the Houston economy. To ensure that the arts continue to thrive, society can help reframe the narrative and start carrying the message that the arts are not only wanted, but they are needed and necessary to a healthy society. They can advocate for arts funding at the local, state, and national levels and they can patronize the arts as often as they can!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I get to do what I love and share it with others!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.harriscountycac.org
• Instagram: harriscocac
• Facebook: harris county cultural arts council
• Linkedin: michelle bonton
• Twitter: harriscountycac
• Other: FB: Michelle Bonton FB: Texas Cultural Trust IG: @texasculturaltrust IG: @texascommarts