March is National Women’s History Month, and this year’s theme is “Visionary Women: Champions of Peace & Nonviolence.” In celebration, the District C team is featuring Mayor Pro Tem Cohen’s ‘Women in Government’ Mini Murals Initiative.
Of the more than 5,000 public outdoor sculptures across America that are entered in the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Art Inventories Catalog, less than 400 include women – approximately 8%. This includes tributes to fictional women and female figures representing an idea, such as the Statue of Liberty.
Mayor Pro Tem Cohen seeks to increase this unfortunately low percentage by sponsoring a series of murals honoring strong female leaders, particularly those who have represented Houston in government.
With allocations from her Council District Service Fund, Mayor Pro Tem Cohen has partnered with UP Art Studio and local artists to create murals in tribute to: Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, Governor Ann Richards, and Council Member Eleanor Tinsley. More ‘Women in Government’ murals are planned for 2019, including works to honor the first four female Supreme Court Justices, Nobel Peace Prize Winner Malala Yousafzai, and First LadiesBarbara Bush and Lady Bird Johnson.
An initiative of UP Art Studio, the Mini Mural program reimagines traffic signal control cabinets as blank canvasses that can be used to beautify neighborhoods, strengthen community cohesiveness, and deter graffiti. In total, Mayor Pro Tem Cohen has sponsored 35 murals throughout District C.
The annual District C CIP Meeting will take place on Thursday, March 28th at 6:30PMat the West Gray Metropolitan Multi-Service Center (1475 W. Gray St, 77019). Our annual meeting focuses on the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), the City’s master document that prioritizes infrastructure improvement projects that will take place city-wide over the next five years. Information tables and experts will be available before and after the meeting to answer specific questions and provide resources. For those unable to attend, the meeting will be archived online via HTV. We hope to see you there!