NUESTRA HISTORIA

The Houston Alliance for Latinx Arts (HALA) is a grassroots group made up of artists and leaders in the arts. Our mission is to support and uplift Houston’s Latinx arts community. We focus on making sure everyone has fair access to arts funding and helping artists connect with arts organizations.

HALA started in 2017 and became formal in 2018 after community meetings. These meetings were in response to a report about arts equity by the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC). This report showed the challenges Latinx artists face compared to other groups in Houston. Over time, HALA grew into a group that helps Latinx artists lead and make a difference.

Since we began, HALA has:

  • Worked to include Spanish in the Houston Arts Alliance's grant process.

  • Connected artists and arts groups so they can learn about important arts policies in Houston.

  • Collaborated with Arts Accountability Houston during the COVID pandemic to change how the City gives grants to individuals based on current funds.

  • Partnered with Advocates of a Latino Museum of Culture and Visual Arts & Complex in Houston (ALMAAHH) to support the creation of a major Hispanic arts museum in Houston.

  • Received a grant in 2022 from the BIPOC Arts Network & Fund (BANF) to help support our artists.

  • Created a safe space for artists to connect and share important news.

HALA has organized more than 35 gatherings that help Latinx artists, creatives, and their allies connect and talk. These events are great for networking and sharing ideas. People from many different arts backgrounds attend, including visual artists, writers, chefs, performers, and community leaders who want to help the Latinx arts community.

In 2023, we introduced "Platic-ARTE," a series of social events for our members. Local artists shared their work, and participants enjoyed food from local Latinx chefs. Funded by the 2022 BANF grant, we held three events that helped everyone learn more about different art practices.

HALA operates without a strict hierarchy and has always had a volunteer steering committee. You can find the current committee here, showing a variety of artistic backgrounds. Our past leaders can be found here as well. The committee is dedicated to ensuring Latinx artists have a voice in policy decisions and to promoting leadership and activism in Houston’s art communities.

Today, HALA focuses on:

  • Fair funding for Latinx artists and arts organizations

  • Solving the challenges of limited arts funding

  • Reducing language barriers and inequalities in the arts

  • Creating a supportive environment for Latinx artists and arts organizations in Houston.