Tonight is the First Friday Art Trail for the month of August, less than two weeks after Lubbock City Council voted to cut funding for The Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts' event.
The decision not to include the First Friday Art Trail (FFAT) in the Cultural Arts Grant Program, has spurred reaction within Lubbock, across the state, and beyond.
Earlier this week, the national advocacy group the Human Rights Campaign sent a letter to the council, asking that it reconsider the decision to pull funding.
The request is apparently one of many letters, emails, and phone calls received by the mayor and council since last Tuesday. On Friday, Mayor Mark McBrayer gave a written statement, thanking Lubbock citizens for reaching out and asking that the council have a chance to work toward a solution that better supports the arts and the entire community.
McBrayer said in his statement that a common concern was that LHUCA and Civic Lubbock, Inc., which helped compile the list of recommended grant recipients, were not informed about the vote and were not given a chance to respond.
Nick Harpster is the public relations and advocacy coordinator for LubbockPRIDE. He said he heard that “something might be happening” and scrambled to have representatives at the meeting.
“We were able to have a few people witness it in person,” he said. “But you know, even several council members have said that they were caught off guard by the whole action.”
District 1 Representative and mayor pro-tem Christy Martinez-Garcia, who voted against the funding cut, referred to the idea that queer art in these spaces is sexualized as “misinformation.”
Harpster echoed this sentiment, specifically as it appeared in Mayor McBrayer’s statement: “He always brings up the sexualization of things, which is completely distant from what drag really is. I would like to – I mean, have you ever been to a drag show? It'd be interesting to know where they're getting this information from. Who's doing these complaints and who is basically pulling their strings?”
Another local artist and community member, who asked to remain anonymous, said he believes most of the council was acting in good faith, with a goal of cutting spending. But there was clear confusion from the council over what events were part of the FFAT versus Lubbock Pride Festival, which was a private event. And that which was hosted by LHUCA versus CASP, the Charles Adams Studio Project.
“Queering West Texas” was specifically mentioned by District 3 representative David Glasheen in last Tuesday’s meeting as a “pro-LGBT workshop” targeting children.
That workshop was curated by Shelby Poor and Bazil Bradford, a graduate student at Texas Tech University School of Art. Bradford said the workshop was funded by themself and Poor, not by LHUCA. The first cycle of the workshop was a community event held at the June FFAT and Bradford said it did not contain queer themes.
The second cycle of the workshop took place at Lubbock Pride Fest and simply asked attendants to answer three questions on a notecard:
“What role should an ally fill? What beliefs should allies hold? And how can allies best advocate for queer and other marginalized communities?”
Bradford pointed out the irony in this work being the example used in the meeting.
“The prompts are what Lubbock needs to be thinking about right now, especially in the wake of the Lubbock city council," they said. “What should an ally be? And how should an ally advocate?”
The anonymous artist said this kind of confusion likely comes from hearing about events secondhand and indicates that city council isn’t involved enough in the cultural activities happening in Lubbock.
He said that drag isn’t just at Pride Fest or First Friday, “Drag is everywhere in Lubbock.”
From ballet performances like The Nutcracker, to stage shows like Hairspray and Tootsie, he said drag is still being funded by the city at Ballet Lubbock and Buddy Holly Hall.
"Obviously, drag is like any other art form,” he said. “Some forms are appropriate for children, family friendly. Some can be only for adults.”
The artist said the grant should be about “promoting tourism and stimulating the economy,” not “policing morality.” He said anything beyond that “feels like government overreach.”
Another point of misunderstanding, according to LubbockPRIDE’s Nick Harpster, was over Senate Bill 12. The so-called drag ban bill would have restricted “sexually oriented performances'' on public property or in the presence of a minor, with language that specifically targeted drag performances. However, SB 12 was ruled as unconstitutional by a federal judge last year.
Some Lubbockites, Harpster included, said the council’s decision felt more like an attack on the queer community, a population he said needs to be protected, than merely a budget issue.
Bazil Bradford said it was an indicator that arts organizations need to stand up for the artists behind them.
“I think arts were the victim and queer people were used as a weapon to defund the arts,” they said.
Many artists, members of the queer community, and allies across Lubbock fear that LHUCA may change its programming to exclude LGBTQ+ artists, in order to reach an agreement with Lubbock City Council.
Bradford was also critical of LHUCA’s statement in response to the council’s decision. They said the organization refuted its part in queer programming, but did not take consideration of the artists who have been affected.
KTTZ reached out to LHUCA’s executive director Lindsey Maestri about concerns over artistic censorship.
Maestri responded in an email correspondence: “LHUCA works in service of our mission to cultivate and celebrate all the arts by inspiring creativity and engaging with the community. We pride ourselves on bringing a wide variety of artistic voices to our audience, and we work with highly qualified staff and committee members to ensure our programs achieve this.”
She also said LHUCA has had productive conversations with council to reach a better understanding.
One silver lining, according to Harpster, is how this decision has brought together various communities, organizations, and allies.
“Lubbock is known for the Arts,” he explained. “That's a very soft spot to touch. You don't want to mess with that here. And I think that's been shown.”
LHUCA is accepting donations for the First Friday Art Trail, which takes place tonight from 6 to 9 P.M. in Downtown Lubbock.