Theaster Gates: The Gift and The Renege

"As Houston’s mother ward, Freedmen’s Town is a community first built by newly freed Black people, who formed a vibrant community anchored by handmade and laid brick streets. Those same brick streets today serve as the enduring reminder of the possibility of Black places. The Gift and The Renege points to the historical battle the residents of Freedmen’s Town have waged to protect their history and heritage. The exhibition uplifts the radical imagination necessary to realize the historic bricks' full preservation and sacred return to their rightful home in the streets of Freedmen’s Town. Gates is deeply committed to supporting the preservation and growth of overlooked Black neighborhoods. His work takes the form of a kind of urban alchemy that both reframes longstanding tensions between municipal policy and a community’s desire for self-determination and offers a powerful reminder of the necessity of persistence and creativity." - Extended Description of the Exhibition