Arts District Houston

Arts and cultural districts are becoming increasingly prevalent nationwide. Houston, the fourth-largest U.S. city known for its creativity and ingenuity, is among the cities leading the way with this trend. Houston is now home to seven cultural districts, and Arts District is one of them. Arts District Houston is an impressive growing community of artists, with 300+ studio spaces for art creators, theaters, historic sites, urban art, immersive art experiences, and creative businesses set along the Washington Avenue Corridor in two of the city's oldest neighborhoods, the First and Sixth Wards. Explore it and experience the artistic energy that flows throughout the businesses, restaurants, studios, and re-imagined industrial spaces within the District.

Jasmine Zelaya Arts District

Historic Sites

You may have visited and not even realized it: this district contains Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern, an 87,500-square-foot former 1920s underground drinking water facility now repurposed as a multipurpose space for performances, art exhibits, and tours. The chamber's hypnotic beauty is reminiscent of Istanbul’s Basilica Cistern. Its 17-second echo will impress you!

Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern

This is a perfect place to practice meditation, as singing bowls and wind chimes encourage mindfulness and connectivity in this unique acoustic space. Meditation sessions are offered weekly.

Glenwood Cemetery

Historic Glenwood Cemetery, founded in 1871, is a beautiful and meticulously landscaped final resting place for Houstonians. Among the ornate headstones are those of over twenty mayors, past governors, oil tycoons, and Howard Hughes—the famous aviator, engineer, and movie director. An active preservation society maintains the history and integrity of this space, and it shows on any given visit.

Sawyer Yards

Sawyer Yards, a thriving creative community, is a set of former industrial spaces now converted to host and showcase artistic businesses, art galleries, artist's studios, lofts, fitness concepts, restaurants, and more. It is home to one of the largest art communities in the US and is the heart of the Arts District Houston.

Since late 2017, FotoFest, located at 2000 Edwards Street at Sawyer Yards, has served as the managing partner of Arts District Houston. They focus on artists of all disciplines and at all stages of their careers with career advancement programs, workshops, sponsorship opportunities, artist summits, and more. It features a yearly visual festival and year-round programming designed to advance photography and visual art. FotoFest also organizes Literacy Through Photography, a K-12 organization that centers on introducing a younger generation to the importance and vitality of photography. Fresh Arts aims to support the local ecosystem of artists and position creatives for entrepreneurial success. Their vision states that Houston is a place where artists can make a living as artists.

4th Wall Theatre Company

4th Wall Theatre Company is a professional equity theatre founded in 2011. Located inside the artist-driven Spring Street Studios in the 1^st Ward Arts District, it has been home to more than 30 full productions and features eclectic programming. They are known for thought-provoking and sometimes provocative plays.

MECA (Multicultural Education and Counseling Through the Arts), located at 1900 Kane Street, can be found in this area as well. MECA is a community-based non-profit BIPOC organization focused on advancing a wide variety of programs serving underrepresented families through arts and cultural programming, promoting academic excellence, support services, and community building. MECA provides arts education via three programs: the Out of School Time Arts and Residency, the In-School, and the Sunburst Summer Arts Programs. MECA’s largest performance event of the year is its annual Día de los Muertos festival in November, which presents two jam-packed days of performances across multiple stages to audiences of more than 10,000 visitors. MECA’s art-filled campus is located at the nationally recognized historic Dow School in the heart of Houston’s Old Sixth Ward.

On the whole, Arts District Houston seeks to support and uplift artists and their work and also retain these artists to contribute to Houston's continually evolving tapestry of cultural identity.

Getting Here & Getting Around

Although much of the district is walkable, you will probably want to have some mode of transportation to explore all that the district has to offer. There is free parking available throughout the district. Uber and Lyft are great ways to get where you need to go.

New to the District and don’t know where to start? Stop by the ADHou Welcome Center, located at Winter Street Studios (2101 Winter Street, Houston, TX 77007) for suggestions of things, area maps and a walking guide.

Awards

Listed among the country’s top 5 cultural districts in USA Today 10 Best Readers' Choice 2021 travel awards (#4). Readers chose the winners from a selection of 20 of the nation’s top arts districts, nominated by 10 Best expert panel with original, unbiased, and experiential travel content of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.