Loop38 explores human creativity, perseverance, and all that binds us all together. Works by George Lewis and Chen Yi look inward, considering humanity's inherent creativity and life force, while Carolyn Chen's work looks outward, contemplating our relationship with the environment. Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton joins the musicians of Loop38 to present the world premiere of a work […]
Since 1986, the Rothko Chapel has been given the Óscar Romero Award in recognition of courageous, grassroots human rights advocacy. This award is named in honor of Saint Óscar Romero of San Salvador, who was assassinated in March 1980 while conducting Catholic Mass in a local hospital chapel. He is recognized internationally for his vocal opposition against […]
The 2023 Rothko Chapel Óscar Romero Award recognizes individuals and organizations exercising courageous, grassroots, human rights advocacy to further civil rights in the United States. At a time when many […]
The Rothko Chapel and the Bernard and Audre Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice at the University of Texas at Austin present the eighth annual Sissy Farenthold Lecture featuring […]
In partnership with the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) and The Gordon Parks Foundation, the 2023 Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Observance explores the role of the media in civil rights movements past and present. Inspired by the MFAH’s current exhibition Gordon Parks: Stokely Carmichael and Black Power, panelists share their work […]
Show support and stand in solidarity with the millions of people living with and impacted by HIV. Attendees are invited to bring a small memento, photo, or item (please no food or drinks) to place on a community altar in remembrance of those who have passed on, and items in celebration of those living with HIV and hope for the […]
Show support and stand in solidarity with the millions of people living with and impacted by HIV. Attendees are invited to bring a small memento, photo, or item (please no food or […]
Join the Rothko Chapel for a timely conversation on the rights of immigrants in the US and Texas with Charles Kamasaki, Senior Cabinet Advisor of UnidosUS and Norma Pimentel, Executive Director of Catholic […]
Join the Rothko Chapel for a dialogue between Tink Tinker and Dina Gilio-Whitaker, moderated by Suzanne Benally, exploring the concept of rights for the American Indian people. Juxtaposed to western […]
Join the Rothko Chapel for a virtual conversation on the state of LGBTQIA+ rights in the US with Alphonso David, President of Human Rights Campaign and Adri Perez, Policy & […]
Join the Rothko Chapel for the first virtual lecture in our Beyond the Rhetoric: Civil Rights & Our Shared Responsibility summer lecture series featuring the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber […]
Join the Rothko Chapel for a Zoom laughter meditation led by Stephen Findley. This interactive, family-friendly offering will focus on the power of laughter and humor to encourage healing and […]
Join the Rothko Chapel for a livestream meditation in celebration of Pride month in the Unitarian Universalist tradition led by Rev. Dr. Colin Bossen and Mark Vogel of First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston. This family-friendly offering will include songs of social justice, readings and interactive meditations. Register to receive the livestream link.
Join the Rothko Chapel for a livestream meditation in the Islamic tradition led by Mohamed Hussein and organized by the Minaret Foundation. Comparing elements of sound in different Quran recitation styles, this contemplative practice will showcase thematic recitations where tunes and melodies match the stories being read, allowing the audience to get lost in the […]
Join the Rothko Chapel for a livestream meditation in the Zarathushti (Zoroastrian) tradition, organized by Kaemerz Dotiwala and led by representatives of the Zoroastrian Association of Houston. This session will be focused on The Gathas, seventeen hymns composed by poet-prophet Zarathushtra around 1200 BCE that form the core of Zarathushti liturgy. Register to receive the livestream […]
The Rothko Chapel continues its 50th Anniversary celebrations with a livestream jazz performance inspired by the work of Mark Rothko. In honor of Rothko’s Latvian heritage, Latvian jazz ensemble the Māris Briežkalns Quintet commissioned ten Latvian composers to each create an original jazz composition, arranged and performed by the Quintet. Each composition is created to […]
Join the Rothko Chapel for a livestream meditation in the Hindu tradition, led by Dr. Hansa Medley and representatives of International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) of Houston. In this traditional Vedic or Hindu meditation we will vibrate sacred sound in the form of mantras accompanied by musical instruments. Register to receive the livestream link.
Join the Rothko Chapel for a livestream meditation in the Baha'i tradition, led by members of the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Houston. According to Baha'i writings, music is "a ladder for our souls." Join us for an immersive meditative experience of the soul of the Baha'i community, with uplifting and contemplative music from […]
Rothko Chapel in collaboration with Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services (t.e.j.a.s.) will host a bus tour of toxic sites in and around the greater Houston community on Saturday, February 8, 2020 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The tour will be led by Juan Parras and Yvette Arellano of t.e.j.a.s. and will explore the East End of Houston, a neighborhood which borders Houston’s Ship Channel and is comprised of mostly Latino residents. This frontline community is situated next to some of the largest refineries and chemical plants in the city. Air pollution from nearby plastics-producing plants floats over schools, offices, and, homes. The goal of the tour is to show participants the structural reality of these massive industrial complexes and to offer a first-hand understanding of environmental justice issues the community faces.
Rothko Chapel Presents, Offsite Program: "Toxic Tour" of Houston with t.e.j.a.s.
Juan Parras and Yvette Arellano of Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services (t.e.j.a.s.) will lead a tour addressing toxic sites in and around the greater Houston community.
t.e.j.a.s. originated the toxic tour over 20 years ago in Houston as an educational tool for individuals within and outside of the community to gain a further understanding of environmental justice issues. Pictures cannot easily convey the surreal site of this massive industrial complex, nor the thick polluted air. Join us on a tour through the East End of Houston, where some of the largest refineries and chemical plants surround neighborhoods and spew toxins into the air. Thousands of people live, work, and attend schools in the shadow of these facilities.
In commemoration of World AIDS Day, the Rothko Chapel will host a morning observance to show support and solidarity with the millions of people living with and impacted by HIV/AIDS. This program is offered in partnership with The oH Project: Oral Histories of HIV/AIDS in Houston, Harris County, and Southeast Texas.
The morning program will include live music, personal testimonials, and guided reflection. Gregory Hamilton, a community educator and advocate working at ASP Cares Pharmacy will share information on the state of the battle against HIV in Houston and Texas. Isis Torrente, member of the Latino HIV Task Force, Greater Houston chapter of the Positive Women's Network, and Ryan White Planning Council will speak on her experience within the HIV community in Houston. Moments of reflection will be led by Reverend Diane McGehee, Senior Pastor of Bering Memorial UMC, and music will be performed throughout by John Edward Ross on acoustic guitar.
The arts play an important connecting role in society in ways that other sectors cannot. Artists can move through a variety of environments using music, performance, visual arts and other media to address difficult topics, challenge cultural stigmas, bring diverse people together, and provoke new ways of thinking that can lead to powerful social and political changes. In a time of censorship, political bullying, and polarization between people, where do the arts stand today, locally and nationally? What is the role of the arts as commentator and catalyst for social justice? And what is the responsibility of cultural institutions and patrons for preserving the arts as a voice for the public?
In partnership with Houston Grand Opera and in conjunction with their initiative Seeking the Human Spirit, join the Rothko Chapel for a conversation exploring arts and activism in society today from the perspectives of the artist, cultural institution and funder.
The conversation participants include Peter Sellars, renowned opera and theater director and professor at UCLA; Debbie McNulty, Director of Mayor Turner's Office of Cultural Affairs; and Patrick Summers, Artistic and Music Director of Houston Grand Opera; moderated by the Rothko Chapel’s Executive Director David Leslie.
Rothko Chapel's bi-annual Óscar Romero Award--named after Archbishop Óscar Romero of San Salvador who was assassinated on March 24, 1980, because of his vocal opposition to the violent oppression of his fellow citizens--has been given every two years since 1987 in recognition of courageous, grassroots human rights advocacy. Building upon the topic of ending mass incarceration addressed at our 2017 Spring Symposium, the Chapel will honor two recipients, one internationally and the other locally selected, for this year's recognition.
ORA Pre-Program: Silencing Opposition: Human Rights Violations in Burundi
Conversation with Former Ambassador Robert Krueger and Tony Tate, The Fund for Global Human Rights
About the presenters:
Robert Krueger is a former US Representative and US Senator from Texas, and served as US Ambassador on three occasions: to Mexico, Burundi, and Botswana; and additionally as US Special Representative to the Southern African Development Community
2017 Rothko Chapel Óscar Romero Award Pre-Program
Double jeopardy: Women and the Criminal Justice System
Conversation and Book Signing with Julie Bindel
Women of sex trafficking face the dual realities of being victims while also being prosecuted as offenders. Join Julie Bindel in conversation with Houston activists and advocates as they explore this topic from both local and global perspectives.
Concert, Ensemble Pi
For this interdisciplinary performance, Ensemble Pi presents music, text, and theater works that focus on the rise of mass incarceration, the racial disparities it reveals, and the emotional toll it takes on inmates and their families. The concert opens with Rzewski’s minimalist masterpiece, Coming Together, composed in the wake of the 1971 prison riots in upstate New York and powerfully expressing the frustration of life behind bars and anger about injustice.
Sometimes making a little change can be a big challenge.
Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss says the first step is learning to love who and where you are now – before moving forward and heading to where you want to be.
The Rabbi will be leading a guided, silent and reflective meditation at noon on Wednesday, Sept. 7 at the Rothko Chapel at 3900 Yupon. Suggested donation is $10.
