Moving
into Our Next Ten Years
The PSP – Texas Office turns ten years old this year. We are
receiving an unprecedented number of inquiries about our programs and services,
and we will highlight new partnerships as they develop. Until then, here are
four projects about which we are very
excited.
Carmelite
Monastery in Stanton, Texas: Mentioned in a previous newsletter, this
is a partnership with the Martin
County Convent, Inc. in their efforts to preserve this existing 1884 adobe
structure. At the very moment this newsletter is released, PSP is conducting a
community discovery study to help local stakeholders define a clearer vision
for the future use of the site. The restoration has already begun as evidenced
in these two recent photos.
Art in
Sacred Places (AisP): PSP encourages space sharing as a vital way
for sacred places to serve their communities. Too often, large spaces like
fellowship halls, classrooms, and kitchens go dormant and underutilized during
the week.
A unique program under this heading is AiSP. In 2015, with a
grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, PSP conducted a study in three
major cities - Detroit, Baltimore, and Austin. The purpose was to see how
sacred places could help meet the space needs of artists - especially emerging dance
and theater groups struggling to get established.
Austin was a perfect candidate. Long known for a music scene
that rivals Nashville, it has shown through events like South by Southwest that
its creative community extends to all
media: film, theater, dance, visual arts, and literature. This thriving art
scene contributes nearly a quarter of a billion in revenue to the local economy
each year. However, the skyrocketing growth and increased real estate prices in
Austin have made it extremely difficult for emerging artists to find
rental/retail space for their activities. The PSP study showed that sacred
places in Austin can be instrumental in meeting this need.
Now, with new grant
money from both the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the City of Austin’s
Department of Economic Development, PSP will move to the next phase. With the help of the
Austin Creative Alliance, a Partner’s consultant will further develop the congregational
and artist database already in place, hold focus groups and training workshops,
facilitate the partnership process, and identify a way to establish a shared
administrative co-op facility for artists.
Stay tuned for
updates on this far-reaching and meaningful movement!
Leadership Fort Worth (LFW): PSP understands and values the power of great partnerships that
benefit our communities. That’s why we are excited that LFW has chosen to focus their attention this year on Partners
collaborative work with Early Childhood Intervention of North Texas. Together,
we will facilitate space matches that place this critical programming for
developmentally delayed children in welcoming historic sacred places throughout
Fort Worth.
LFW is one of
the oldest community leadership programs in the nation. It brings together a
diverse group of Fort Worth decision makers who want to broaden their
perspectives and use their resources to address identified needs in our
community. It is an honor to partner with them!
The Texas Sacred Places Project: This online
archive has long been cheered and supported by a multitude of Texas
universities, architects and preservation organizations across the state. The
project is now entering phase two, a resource center for rural congregations to
access Partner’s programs and connect with advocates and resources throughout
Texas.