Teaching Artist, Carlos Mendoza working with students in the classroom. Photo by Hector Garcia.
Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH)’s Teaching Artists In Classrooms (TAIC) program is a collaborative initiative that integrates professional artists into school settings, fostering creativity and self-expression among students at South Early College High School (SECHS). Over two weeks, students engaged in a meaningful art project under the guidance of local artist Carlos Mendoza, renowned for his evocative portraiture exploring his relationship with the city of Houston. Students began by selecting photographs of deep personal significance, which served as the foundation for their original sketches. Reflecting on the question, “Who is depicted in your image, and what do they mean to you?” students connected their artwork to personal narratives, bringing emotional depth to their creations.
Under Mendoza’s mentorship, students were encouraged to step outside their comfort zones, especially as many had never considered themselves artists. For most, this project marked their first experience with acrylic paints, pushing them to explore new techniques and mediums. The resulting artworks are vibrant self-portraits that reflect relationships with family, friends, and pastimes, showcasing the students' resilience and creativity. This collaboration between CAMH, SECHS, and Houston Public Library underscores the transformative power of art in education, empowering students to explore their identities, develop artistic voices, and celebrate the intersection of community and creativity.
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Wednesday, February 12, 2025, 5:00 - 7:00 PM | Opening Celebration of Through Our Eyes: The Art of Family, Friendship, and Pastimes
About Teaching Artists in Classrooms (TAIC)
The Teaching Artists in Classrooms (TAIC) program allows K-12 students from historically under-resourced school to learn from and work closely with a local Houston artist on a collaborative project in their home classroom. This program is a natural outgrowth of CAMH"s many conversations with HISD art teachers on their needs, especially current and past participants of CAMH's Teacher Advisory Group (TAG). The program provides teachers with additional support in the classroom and emerging artists with professional development opportunities. Hand-selected teaching artists work with art teachers on projects that meet the school's community needs and bring new ideas, materials, and perspectives into the classroom. Furthermore, these artists establish a direct connection with the Museum by bringing students on field lessons to the Museum and introducing them to CAMH. Currently, TAIC participating teachers are from HISD and Aldine ISD.
About Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH)
Contemporary Arts Museum Houston presents extraordinary, thought-provoking arts programming and exhibitions to educate and inspire audiences nationally and internationally.
Established in 1948, CAMH is one of the country's oldest non-collecting contemporary art museums 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, both in and beyond the Museum, is presented free to the public and advocates for artists’ essential role and impact in society. Contemporary Arts Museum Houston is located in the heart of the Museum distinct at 5216 Montrose Boulevard. For more information, visit camh.org.
Haruki Murakami and Paul Theroux Book Signing | Zadie Smith | Margaret Atwood Library | All images © Laura Wilson
Renowned photographer Laura Wilson offers us intimate glimpses into the everyday lives of more than 30 influential and internationally acclaimed writers. This exhibition features of a selection of portraits from her book, The Writers: Portraits (Yale University Press, 2022), which was inspired by the popular photo essays published in Life magazine in the mid-20th century. After viewing this collection of portraits and candid photographs, borrow and enjoy the works of these best-selling writers from Houston Public LIbrary's collection.
Laura Wilson's photographs have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, and London's Sunday Times Magazine, The Washington Post Magazine, among others. She has published seven books of photographs and text including Avedon at Work (2003), Grit and Glory (2003), That Day: Pictures in the American West (2015), and From Rodin to Plensa (2018).
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Opening Reception with Laura Wilson | Thursday, February 13, 2025, 5:00 - 7:00 PM
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Books by Laura Wilson
Writers Featured in this Exhibition