Social movements throughout U.S. history have used the arts to secure civil rights and individual freedoms. The ACLU of Texas works with cultural leaders and institutions to advance our strategic advocacy through the arts.
Learn more about our artist-in-residence program and other arts-based work below.
Artist-in-Residence Program
Kill Joy advocates for border and immigrants' rights with giant puppets | Credit: Christian Toledo
The artist-in-residence program at the ACLU of Texas provides Texas artists working in any medium with funding and institutional support to lead an arts-based project that advances our strategic advocacy goals in one or more of our issue areas. The artist-in-residence develops their project with input from community stakeholders and direction from the ACLU of Texas. The project can take place anywhere in Texas.
Learn about the work of our current and past artists-in-residence:
- KB Brookins — Smart Justice (2025 - 2026)
- Vincent Valdez — Multi-Issue (2025 - 2026)
- Kill Joy — Border and Immigrants’ Rights (2024 - 2025)
- Mathieu JN Baptiste — Voting Rights (2022 - 2023)
Applications have closed for the 2025 residency.
Join our mailing list to follow our advocacy through the arts.
Other Arts-Based Work
Below is a selection of our other arts-based work.
Executive Director Oni K. Blair at the opening of Vincent Valdez' first museum survey | Credit: ACLU of Texas
Know Your Rights Posters
Open Call for Art (2025)
Statewide
Escalating anti-immigrant policies are ripping Texas families apart. Four Texas artists — Rayito Almaraz, Dallana Camargo, René Cárdenas, and Lindsay Oncken — were selected through an online call for art to make their bilingual Know Your Rights posters available to download from our website and distribute for free. Each poster includes a link to English and/or Spanish information about navigating encounters with immigration enforcement.
“Freedom To Be” Quilt
ACLU (2025)
Washington, DC
While state politicians continue to attack LGBTQIA+ communities in Texas and across the country, trans Texans designed 6-by-6-foot panels for the “Freedom to Be” quilt that was unveiled on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Inspired by the legacy of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, the monument was a living testament to trans resilience and joy.
Vincent Valdez, “Just a Dream…”
Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (2024-25)
Houston
Vincent Valdez, one of the most important American painters working today, explores collective amnesia and overlooked political histories in the San Antonio artist’s first major museum survey. The ACLU of Texas partnered with the museum on programming for the exhibit and Executive Director Oni K. Blair was featured in the audio guide. Valdez is one of two 2025-2026 artists-in-residence with the ACLU of Texas.
Lucha Por Tu Voto
El Cimi and UP Art Studio (2024)
Houston
Houston’s Latine population is the fourth-largest in the country, yet the state’s voter suppression efforts disproportionately impact voters of color and voters whose primary language is not English. The ACLU of Texas partnered with UP Art Studio and Chicano artist El Cimi to paint a voting rights mural featuring local lucha libre legend Blackstar Reynosa, then launch a street art campaign with posters and stickers inspired by the mural. The collaboration earned extensive coverage by English and Spanish media ahead of the general election.
“Is It Real? Contemporary Artists Address Reproductive Freedom”
Hignite Projects (2024)
Dallas
Curated by Emily Edwards and Sara Hignite, the exhibit centers Southern voices on the critical issue of reproductive rights, with a majority of participating artists representing marginalized communities. The ACLU of Texas served on the advisory board and hosted programming for the exhibit, which was covered by the press.
Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, “Barracoon”
Houston Public Library and Kindred Stories (2024)
Houston
The ACLU of Texas partnered with the Houston Public Library and Black-owned bookstore Kindred Stories to host a conversation about race, history, and inclusive education with bestselling author Dr. Ibram X. Kendi. ACLU of Texas staff also facilitated a presentation on students’ rights following the talk.
Stephen Mills, “Light / The Holocaust & Humanity Project”
Ballet Austin (2023)
Austin
Stephen Mills shares the story of Holocaust survivor Naomi Warren (1920-2016) through dance, while making relevant connections to the present. The ACLU of Texas educated audiences about how book bans erase history and threaten students’ education in Texas. Additionally, Executive Director Oni K. Blair spoke on a panel about free speech and antisemitism at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library.
Dr. Ibram X. Kendi and Nic Stone, “How To Be a (Young) Anti-Racist”
Houston Public Library and Kindred Stories (2023)
Houston
The ACLU of Texas partnered with the Houston Public Library and Black-owned bookstore Kindred Stories to host a conversation about race, civic engagement, and inclusive education with bestselling authors Dr. Ibram X. Kendi and Nic Stone.
Lisa Loomer, “Roe”
Stages Houston (2023)
Houston
Acclaimed playwright Lisa Loomer’s play cuts through the pithy headlines and explosive rhetoric to illuminate the human stories behind Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case that legalized abortion. The ACLU of Texas educated audiences about how the reversal of Roe has impacted people in Texas.
Nikole Hannah-Jones, “The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story”
The Progressive Forum (2022)
Houston
The ACLU of Texas partnered with The Progressive Forum to host a conversation about race and inclusive education with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Nikole Hannah-Jones.
In addition to our arts-based work, we defend the free speech of artists.
- Photographer Sally Mann: The ACLU of Texas and partners advocated for the return of Sally Mann's artwork after the Fort Worth Police Department seized several photographs that were on display at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. Artistic expression should not be subject to the whim and punishment of government officials' personal taste.
- Drag ban: The ACLU of Texas and co-counsel litigated to block Texas’ drag ban, which threatened a wide range of free expression from drag performances and touring Broadway musicals to karaoke nights and professional cheerleading routines. It also disproportionately targeted trans and nonbinary people of color, who helped birth drag performance in the first place.