A Holiday Message from Houston Institute for Culture

[Mark]

We hope you are having a great holiday season!

As you consider your priorities and begin to make New Year
resolutions, consider volunteering for Houston Institute for Culture
in 2011.

Over the past year we have developed a plan to raise our level of
excellent programs and provide the greatest possible benefits to
Houston and the region. Our Vision for Houston 2010-2020 goals
include:

-Build the Houston Museum of Culture
-Establish a permanent youth camp
-Increase innovative youth programs
-Produce excellent citywide arts events
-Increase cultural exchange programs


BUILD THE HOUSTON MUSEUM OF CULTURE

We will establish one of the most acclaimed and provident museums in
the nation, the Houston Museum of Culture. During this critical
founding stage there is a role for everyone who is interested. As "a
living museum about the ways we live", the museum will provide
tremendous benefits to Houston, as it will involve all area
universities and diverse communities to promote education, quality of
life and greater cultural exchange between Houston and the world.

Attend one of the informational meetings described below to learn how
you can be a founder or founding advisory board member of a prominent
international cultural institution in Houston. You may also help by
spreading the word and by planning informational meetings for area
organizations, academic departments and community organizations. Visit
www.hmoc.org to learn more.


ESTABLISH A PERMANENT YOUTH CAMP

Camp Dos Cabezas, in its sixth year, provides children from at-risk
communities with the experience of a lifetime to help them achieve
success in their lives. The camp will grow to include a permanent camp
facility that utilizes the latest technology for energy efficiency.
Through individual support and organization partnerships, the camp
will benefit youth brought by other nonprofit organizations, adult
continuing education programs and university research projects.

Attend the meeting described below to learn more about how you can
help build a youth education and adventure camp to achieve greater
scholarship, lifelong learning and quality of life for at-risk youth
in the Houston area, while creating greater opportunities for
university students and adults.


INCREASE INNOVATIVE YOUTH PROGRAMS

As we enter the sixth year of our highly beneficial in-school and
after-school programs, we plan to expand to provide for more area
schools and community centers. The programs empower marginalized youth
through media literacy and production, community advocacy and civic
engagement. Our current needs to expand the programs include
additional internships for university students, a program coordinator
and additional funding through grants and benefit events. Please
provide your information at the volunteer link below if you would like
to help organize fundraisers and submit grants to help this program
grow to serve more youth.


PRODUCE EXCELLENT CITYWIDE ARTS EVENTS

Our public programs promote greater cross-cultural experience and
understanding through regional and international cultural arts and
music. This year we will introduce a program to explore the
connections between Caribbean and Latin American cultures through
carnival traditions and their relationship to the Gulf Coast. In its
first year, Carnival Connection will present artists and experts from
the Dominican Republic.

With the support of the National Endowment for the Arts, Texas
Commission on the Arts, Houston Arts Alliance and others, we present
citywide traditional arts events at prominent Houston venues, such as
Miller Outdoor Theatre, Discovery Green and the Hobby Center for
audiences reaching up to 9,000, as well as more intimate settings like
university theatres and unique art spaces. Please attend one of the
meetings described below or provide your contact information if you
would like to help.


INCREASE CULTURAL EXCHANGE PROGRAMS

Through our community advocacy and public history programs we are
considering initiatives to benefit Houston artists and oral
historians, including expanding gallery activities and digital archive
projects to neighboring states, including New Mexico and Louisiana.
Volunteers are needed to explore the possibilities, and to help
develop and implement plans that will best benefit Houston artists and
Houston Museum of Culture founders activities through assessment of
regional cultural assets. There will be tangible benefits for the
establishment of our permanent youth camp. The meeting described below
will provide more information about the possibilities being considered
and the ways you can be involved.


WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT IN 2011

Through our goals for the upcoming decade, we will make the greatest
possible impact on the Houston area by examining and interpreting our
ways of life, and by developing programs to implement the best, most
effective ideas to improve communities.

To achieve these important goals, we need your support. Please
consider contributing your time or even becoming a museum founder,
event sponsor, scholarship provider or other stakeholder in these
visionary and innovative programs.

Upcoming information meetings:

Houston Museum of Culture Founders
6pm, Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research
Carriage House
5300 Caroline
Houston, Texas 77004


Houston Museum of Culture Founders
3pm, Saturday, January 29, 2011
McGovern-Stella Link Neighborhood Library
7405 Stella Link
Houston, Texas 77025


Camp Dos Cabezas Prospectus Meeting
2pm, Sunday, January 30, 2011
East End Studio Gallery
708-C Telephone Road
Houston, Texas 77023


To volunteer, please provide contact information at this link:
http://www.visionforhouston.org/volunteer.html

This newsletter is on line at:
http://www.houstonculture.org/news