HPL

Celebrating the opening of the Dr. James and Betty Key Map Room, Mapping Texas and Houston: Selections from the Houston History Research Center highlights some of the over 2000 maps at the Houston History Research Center. The maps have found their way into the collection via individual donations, as part of archival collections, and through the state document depository program. The new Key Map Room is a dedicated gallery space for displaying maps of Houston, Texas, and beyond, offering a unique opportunity for the public viewing of these beautiful and educational pieces of history.

This exhibition explores the changing shapes of Texas and Houston, starting with 16th century world maps from the European Age of Discovery. As explorers traversed the region, our understanding of the shape of the Texas coastline and the geography of its landforms and waterways grew more accurate. The maps record the dramatic evolution of the state’s boundaries through colonization, revolutions, and US statehood.

EXPLORE SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Maps

Historical maps of Houston and surrounding areas, digitized items include the earliest map of Houston, Gail and Thomas H. Borden's “Plan of the City of Houston,” and the 1869 map by W. E. Wood.

Dr. Claude Elliott Texana Collection (MSS 0048)

Dr. Elliott was formerly a professor of history of San Marcos Teacher's College, San Marcos, Texas, and was a collector of Texana for many years. The Elliott collection consists of 23 early Texas documents which Dr. Elliott considered to be the finest in his collection. These documents will be of value to researchers on the land policies of Mexico and the Republic of Texas.

Robert P. Boyce Papers (MSS 0038)

Robert P. Boyce (1816-1889) was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and claimed his memoirs to “come of a hard headed race.” He was a veteran of both the Texas Revolution and the U.S. Civil War. An important milestone during his military career transpired when he was assigned to guard Santa Anna following the Texas victory at the Battle of San Jacinto. This collection is comprised of a scrapbook, which contains newspaper clippings and mementos, a handwritten memoir and corresponding typescripts, maps, and photographs from the life of Robert P. Boyce.

SUGGESTED READING

• Bryan, James P., Texas in Maps, 1961

• Fehrenbach, T. R., Lone Star: A History of Texas and the Texans, 2000

• Francaviglia, Richard V., The Shape of Texas: Maps as Metaphors, 1995

• Harrigan, Stephen, Big Wonderful Thing, 2019

• Jackson, Jack, Mapping Texas and the Gulf Coast: The Contributions of Saint-Denis, Oliván, and Le Maire, 1990

• Martin, James C. and Martin, Robert Sidney, Maps of Texas and the Southwest, 1513 – 1900, 1984, 1999

• Martin, Robert Sidney and Martin, James C., Contours of Discovery: Printed Maps Delineating the Texas and Southwestern Chapters of Cartographic History of North America, 1513-1900, 1982

• Reinhartz, Dennis, The Mapping of the Entradas into the Greater Southwest, 1998

• Texas Christian University, Center for Texas Studies, Going to Texas: Five Centuries of Texas Maps, 2007

• The University of Texas at Arlington Libraries, The Shifting Shapes of Early Texas: Some Highlights from UTA Libraries Special Collections, 2022

• Virga, Vincent, Texas: Mapping the Lone Star State through History, 2010

This exhibition is generously supported by Houston Public Library, Houston Public Library Foundation, and City of Houston.

The biennial Citywide African American Artists Exhibition is a collaboration between the University Museum at Texas Southern University and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. The exhibition offers all artists of the African Diaspora in the Greater Houston area the opportunity to show their work to a broader public and art-collecting community.

The 2024 exhibition was curated by Christopher Blay, director of public programs at the National Juneteenth Museum. It was on view at the Glassell School of Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston from December 12, 2024, through January 12, 2025. The 2024 Artist prizes were juried by Dr. Laura Augusta, Jane Dale Owen Director & Chief Curator of Blaffer Art Museum; Christina Grubitz, Curator at Houston Public Library; and Christopher Paul, Houston artist.

1st Prize: Sir Charles, II by Afi Ese

2nd Prize: Green with Envy by Jon Gilcrist

3rd Prize: Circle of Trust by Eddie Filer, Jr.

Special Mentions: Fragmentation I by Ebony, Opulence V by Jaymes Earl, All Night Long / Around the Way Girl by Quentin Pace

Curator's Choice Award: Jesus Pieces by Christopher Crooke

5A (MFAH African American Art Advisory Association) Choice Award: Our Bookcase by Patricia Henderson

Please visit both locations to see artwork by Shawn Artis, Mathieu Jean Baptiste, Mikal Boston, Rodney D. Butler, Sinden Collier, Christopher Crooke, John NEGRASSO Duncan, Jaymes Earl, Ebony, Anne Edwards, Afi Ese, Eddie Filer, Jr., Melissa Fontenette-Mitchell, Sara Ford, Marc Furi, Jon Gilchrist, Karl E. Hall, Patricia Henderson, Prof. Charles Holmes a.k.a. Hakeem Hassan, Monae Jacobs, Dannye Jones, Christie Leday, C. M. Lewis, Terry Madison, Quentin Pace, Romeo Clay Robinson, Daniel Sam, Shunshieva, La'Toya Smith, Oluseyi Soyege, Kamryn Sterling, Roy Vinson Thomas, Vonola Joseph Trinidad, Vernon, and Rickale West.

EXPLORE SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Oscar and Maudene McNary Collection (MSS 0022)

The Oscar and Maudene McNary Collection reflects the lives of Oscar and Maudene McNary as art collectors and art consultants, and the many artists they have known both professionally and personally over the years. This collection, which dates from 1915  to 2008, consists of news clippings, correspondence, programs, photographs, art books, art related publications, and art and artifacts created by African American artists including John Biggers, Carroll Harris Simms, Jacob Lawrence, and Robert Neal Williams.

CHECK OUT THE CATALOG

Kid/Juvenile

• Ames, Lee J., Draw the Draw 50 Way: How to Draw Cats, Puppies, Horses, Buildings, Birds, Aliens, Boats, Trains, and Everything Else Under the Sun
• Crilley, Mark, The Drawing Lesson: A Graphic Novel That Teaches You How to Draw
• Freeman, Daniel, The Beginner Art Book for Kids: Learn How to Draw, Paint, Sculpt, and More!
• Knutson, Julie, Project Row Houses
• Llimós Plomer, Anna, Easy Clay Crafts in 5 Steps
• Vagts, Carolyn S., I Can Quilt

Adult

• Biggers, John Thomas, Black Art in Houston: The Texas Southern University Experience
• Bunch, Robert Craig, The Art of Found Objects: Interviews with Texas Artists
• de Lima Greene, Alison, Texas: 150 Works from the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
• Graves, Laia Farran, The Story of the Hermès Scarf
• Finkelpearl, Tom, What We Made: Conversations on Art and Social Cooperation
• McEvilley, Thomas, Bert Long: The Artist's Journey
• Theisen, Ollie Jensen, A Life on Paper: The Drawings and Lithographs of John Thomas Biggers
• Theisen, Ollie Jensen, Walls that Speak: The Murals of John Thomas Biggers
• Wardlaw, Alvia, J., The Art of John Biggers: View from the Upper Room

Watch

• Garrison, Andrew, Third Ward TX

Create with our Library of Things!

• Watercolor Markers
• Wood Carving Set
• Rubbing Plates - Floral
• Rubbing Plates - Abstract

This exhibition is partnership with Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and the University Museum at Texas Southern University.

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).

JOIN US

Opening Reception with Laura Wilson | Thursday, February 13, 2025, 5:00 - 7:00 PM

CHECK OUT OUR CATALOG

Books by Laura Wilson

• Avedon at Work: In the American West
• Hutterites of Montana
• That Day: Pictures in the American West
• Watt Matthews of Lambshead

Writers Featured in this Exhibition

• Margaret Atwood
• Russell Banks
• John Banville
• Brit Bennett
• A. S. Byatt
• Peter Carey
• Michael Chabon
• Ta-Nehisi Coates
• J. M. Coetzee
• Rachel Cusk
• Edwidge Danticat
• Louise Erdrich
• Richard Ford
• Carlos Fuentes
• Gabriel García Márquez
• Seamus Heaney
• Cormac McCarthy
• David McCullough
• Ian McEwan
• Thomas McGuane
• Larry McMurtry
• Haruki Murakami
• Tim O'Brien
• Michael Ondaatje
• Annie Proulx
• Marjane Sartrapi
• Sam Shepard
• Zadie Smith
• Tom Stoppard
• Paul Theroux
• Colm Tóibín

A love story born from letters and nurtured through decades of dedication, the Lawson Love Letters transport you to a time of heartfelt correspondence and a timeless romance. Step into a world where years of letters changed the course of two lives forever. Labor of Love: The Lawson Love Letters highlights a unique interpretation of the Black History Month theme African Americans and Labor, by showcasing the labor of love exercised in building and sustaining relationships. These letters invite you to immerse yourself in and celebrate the extraordinary courtship of Reverend William and Mrs. Audrey Hoffman Lawson—a romance that blossomed from an audacious dormitory dare and flourished over fifty-six years of unwavering love. 

Witness the evolution of their relationship as Audrey, a student at Tennessee State University, reached out to William (affectionately known as Bill), an alumnus she had never met. Through their daily letters, a remarkable bond formed—bridging the distance and transcending the constraints of time, long before the digital age. The letters, initially platonic, filled with warmth and growing affection, trace Bill’s realization that he had fallen for this faceless young woman. Despite never having exchanged photographs, their connection was undeniable. Bill’s journey to St. Louis, under the pretext of visiting relatives, led to a brief but impactful courtship, ending with their wedding on January 30, 1954. 

The vivid memory of Audrey’s bright red corduroy suit on their first meeting earned her the endearing nickname “Little Red,” symbolizing their enduring love. Bill’s proposal at a summer camp was followed by a heartfelt request for Audrey’s father’s blessing. The ruby engagement ring he gave her, surrounded by diamonds, symbolized the vibrant red theme that marked their relationship. 

JOIN US

Saturday, February 22, 2025 - African American Archives Tour

EXPLORE SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Rev. William and Audrey Lawson Collection (MSS 0200)

These three volumes tell the story of a courtship that began between two people who had never seen each other, and lasted for 56 years. Most people know this couple as Rev. William and Mrs. Audrey Hoffman Lawson. William had graduated from Tennessee State and Audrey transferred there after he had left. She hadn't a clue who this alumnus was, but he was writing to some of the girls in Hayes Hall, the women's dormitory. One night when they were sharing a letter from him, Audrey remarked that she liked the letters and that she might write to him. One of the girls dared her to do it, and on that dare she wrote the first letter. Can you believe that a 56-year love partnership started by a college girl taking a dare?

Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church Collection (RG 0010)

In March of 1962, 13 pioneering worshippers assembled in the lounge of Texas Southern University's Baptist Student Union for the sole purpose of establishing an ecclesiastical form of expression through which the worship of God and service to mankind could coexist. Founder Rev. Dr. William A. Lawson and the original members served to improve social justice and demand change. The institution quickly became one of Houston's leading African American churches actively in its community giving back to the needy. The Wheeler Baptist Church Collection houses the papers of the church from 1968 to 2010. This collection consists of vital news clippings, various event programs, annual reports, and funeral programs.

• Reverend William Lawson Oral History, August 12, 1974
• Reverend Bill Lawson Oral History, March 14, 2008

CHECK OUT THE CATALOG

Kid/Juvenile

• Baker, Keith, Hap-pea Valentine's Day!
• Dean, Kim, Valentine's Day is Cool
• Denise, Anika, The Love Letter
• Flowers, Alanna, Love Letters: An Alphabet of Affirmations
• Katzenberger, Lisa, A Love Letter to My Library
• Kirsch, Vincent, From Archie to Zack
• Nellist, Glenys, Love Letters from God: Bible Stories
• Ponto, Joanna, Valentine's Day
• Rex, Adam, XO, OX: A Love Story

Teen

• Creedle, Laura, The Love Letters of Abelard and Lily
• Han, Jenny, To All the Boys I've Loved Before
• Henstra, Sarah, We Contain Multitudes
• Kemmerer, Brigid, Letters to the Lost
• See, Melissa, Love Letters for Joy

Adult

• Lawson, William, Lawson's Leaves of Love: Daily Meditations
• Brown, Cole and Natalie Johnson, Black Love Letters
• Cameron, Julia, Love Letters from the Divine
• Newkirk, Pamela, A Love No Less: More Than Two Centuries of African American Love Letters
• O'Shea, Samara, For the Love of Letters: A 21st-Century Guide to the Art of Letter Writing
• Roberts, Rita, I Can't Wait to Call You My Wife: African American Letters of Love and Family in the Civil War Era

Listen

• Love Letters by Various Artists

Share the love with our Library of Things!

• Elegant Heart Bundt Pan

Space for Us: Afrofuturism and the Poetic Imagination is a multidisciplinary exhibition that seeks to usher in a new Houston by exploring both the historical and contemporary demands of organizers, poets, archivists, and community members within this city. Pairing photos and materials from the archives of the African American History Research Center at the Gregory Campus with multilingual poems exploring ideas of home, community and imagined futures, audiences will experience the urgency of worldbuilding, using the tools we have and the tools we create, to actualize a liberated Houston. Alongside these poems and archives, a poetic tapestry of interviews from Black community leaders across Greater Houston will showcase the present organizing efforts that move through, beyond, and alongside the page to create the Houston we deserve. Through this exploration of poetry, preservation and movement building, Space for Us is a poetic manifesto of this audacious city we aim to see in our lifetime and long after.

Facilitated as part of Aris Kian Brown's community outreach project as 2023-2025 Houston Poet Laureate, this exhibition aims to challenge the boundaries between art and organizing, protest and poetics, imagination and demand. Audiences will be able to engage with the demands of Houstonians in real time, allowing the urgency of poetry to serve as a tool for contemporary organizing, worldbuilding, and language justice for communities in Houston fighting for all marginalized people.

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Opening Reception - March 20, 2025 | 6:00 - 8:00 PM

Rap & Poetry Workshops for Teens

EXPLORE SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Ben Desoto Photographs Collection (MSS 0118)

The Ben Desoto Photographs Collection documents his career in Houston as a freelance photographer and as a photojournalist for the Houston Chronicle and Houston Post from the 1980s to 2020s. This collection contains over 30,000 photographic items including photographs, negatives and slides, newspapers, and notebooks that depict life in minority communities and the early stages of gentrification in historically Black neighborhoods and hip hop and rock music during the 1980s and early 1990s. His work captures Freedmen's Town, the Allen Parkway Village and Direct Exposure youth projects along with local social problems including homelessness and poverty in his Understanding Poverty Project.

Eliza Johnson Home for Aged Negroes Collection (RG 0047)

The Eliza Johnson Home for Aged Negroes began as a dream of Anna Dupree. Dupree moved to Houston from Galveston in 1916. When the Eliza Johnson Home opened in June 1952, it was largely due to her determination and resources, as well as support and encouragement of her husband, Clarence (C.A.) and others in the black community. The goal of the Home - located on a 35-acre tract off Chocolate Bayou Road in the historically black neighborhood of Sunnyside - was basic: to provide a place “where our old people enjoy kind, human care and freedom from fear and want in their remaining days.”

Black Photographic Collection (MSS 0137)

This collection is composed of mostly photographic images having to do with African Americans in the Houston area from 1896 to 1968. Except for its singular focus on images of African Americans, this collection is miscellaneous. Several of the photographs are of Jack Johnson, the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion and a Juneteenth Parade float. Some images are tintypes of well-dressed people in Third Ward and downtown Houston during the early 20th century.

CHECK OUT THE CATALOG

Adult

• Anastacia-Reneé, Here in the (Middle) of Nowhere
• Brookins, KB, Freedom House: Poems
• Duplan, Anais, Blackspace: On the Poetics of an Afrofuture
• Hersey, Tricia, Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto
• National Museum of African American History and Culture, Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures
• Zepeda, Gwendolyn (ed.), Houston Noir

Works by past Poet Laureates

• Davidson, Robin, City that Ripens on the Tree of the World
• Davidson, Robin, Luminous Other
• Mouton, Deborah D.E.E.P., Black Chameleon: Memory, Womanhood, and Myth
• Schwartz, Leslie Contreras, From the Womb of Sky and Earth
• Zepeda, Gwendolyn, Better With You Here
• Zepeda, Gwendolyn, Falling in Love With Fellow Prisoners: Poems
• Zepeda, Gwendolyn, Houston We Have a Problema
• Zepeda, Gwendolyn, Monsters, Zombies + Addicts: Poems

The Freedmen’s Town Conservancy Visitor Center is proud to present Bennett Road, an exhibition that powerfully engages with the 2025 Black History Month’s theme of Black Labor through the lens of two innovative designers, Michael Bennett, Creative Director of Studio Kër, and Martellus Bennett, Creative Director of TOMONOSHi! i+d LaB. This exhibition is a significant exploration of identity, community, and the intersections of culture, drawing from both artists’ rich backgrounds and their deep connection to the African diaspora.

Bennett Road serves as a platform for community engagement, particularly for the youth of Houston Freedmen’s Town. By prioritizing play and exploration, the exhibition encourages the next generation to embrace their heritage and the legacy of Black labor, inspiring them to become active participants in their communities. Through the lens of design and creativity, the exhibition empowers youth to envision a future that honors their roots while cultivating agency and innovation.

Bennett Road is co-organized by Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy (HFTC) and Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH) as part of the Rebirth in Action project. The exhibition is curated by Mich Stevenson, Project Manager – Partnerships.

Major support for THIS WAY: A Houston Group Show is provided by the Mellon Foundation. Rebirth in Action is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Looking Up: Sky, Branch and Bough exhibits 44 tree paintings from artist Marla Luttrell’s neighborhood. The paintings, created outdoors to capture the essence of the trees in nature, are presented as small “tiles” mimicking the interface of a cell phone. The juxtaposition of natural beauty and the imitation of man-made technology encourages viewers to go outside and look up at natural beauty rather than look down at their phones. Luttrell observed the trees for over a year. Each painting evokes the senses awakened by sights, sounds, and climate.

Marla Luttrell is a contemporary impressionist landscape oil painter in Houston, Texas. For more information, please visit the artist’s website and Instagram page: @marlaluttrellartist.

JOIN US

Artist Talk with Marla Luttrell | Saturday, December 7, 4:00 - 5:00 PM

CHECK OUT OUR CATALOG

Kid/Juvenile

• Bunting, Philip, The Gentle Genius of Trees
• Cousins, Lucy, Maisy Loves Trees: Explore and Learn!
• Cyrus, Kurt, Trillions of Trees
• Delacre, Lulu, Cool Green: Amazing, Remarkable Trees
• DK Smithsonian Institution, Trees, Leaves, Flowers & Seeds: A Visual Encyclopedia of the Plant Kingdom
• Hirsch, Andy, Trees: Kings of the Forest
• Johnston, Tony, Trees
• Lemniscates, Árboles | Trees
• Veitch, Catherine, Learning About Trees
• Volant, iris, Under the Canopy, Trees Around the World
• Ziefert, Harriet, Be Thankful for Trees
• Zuckerberg, Randi, Dot. Unplugged

Adult

• Albala, Mitchell, Landscape Painting: Essential Concepts and Techniques for Plein Air and Studio Practice
• Baker, Samantha Dion, Draw Your World: How to Sketch and Paint Your Remarkable Life
• Doherty, M. Stephen, The Art of Plein Air Painting: An Essential Guide to Materials, Concept, and Techniques for Painting Outdoors
• Garrett, Howard, Howard Garrett's Texas Trees
• Macpherson, Kevin D., Landscape Painting Inside & Out: Capture the Vitality of Outdoor Painting in Your Studio with Oils
• Newport, Cal, Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World
• Price, Catherine, How to Break Up With Your Phone | Cómo cortar con tu móvil
• Smibert, Tony, Tate Watercolour Manual: Lessons from the Great Masters
• Wolf, Rachel Jepsen, The Unplugged Family Activity Book: 60+ Simple Crafts and Recipes for Year-Round Fun

Watch

• Development of Painting - Tempera and Oils
• Intelligent Trees
• Painting Trees and Bark
• Trees | English | Español

Library of Things

• Bird Watching Kit
• First Orchard Game
• Leaflettes Cakelet Pan
• Harvest Leaves Bundt Pan
• Harvest Mini Loaf Pan
• Orchard Game
• Pine Forest Bundt Pan
• Seed Library
• The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game!
• Watercolor Brush Pens