Project Row Houses (PRH) fifty-third Artist Round: The Curious Case of Critical Race – Theory? Curated by Danielle Burns-Wilson, it will open Saturday, March 12, 2022. Round 53 will remain on view Wednesdays through Sundays from noon to 5 pm through June 5, 2022. Created in the 1970s by legal scholars, Critical Race Theory (CRT) developed as a tool for scholarly analysis of the structural racial disparities that endure in our society and engender differential experiences of law and policy across lines of difference. The idea was to get us to think about racism as structural and systemic, as opposed to the more prevalent notion that racism manifests only through the thoughts and deeds of individuals. Today, the term has become political dynamite, blowing up controversies wherever deployed. This is especially true concerning how young people are taught social justice and equity in America. In many states, including Texas, lawmakers have passed legislation restricting how teachers can discuss current events, encourage civic engagement, and teach about America’s history of racism. This Round encourages artists to explore the curious case of how and why CRT, an analytical framework designed for graduate-level discourse, escaped the academy and became a cultural chimera and catch-all for personal assumptions and systems of belief about race, in public meetings, on social media, and among the pundit and political classes. Participating artists include Leah Gipson, David-Jeremiah, Adam W. McKinney, Tammie Rubin, Bradley Ward, ROUX, a collective comprised of Rabéa Ballin, Ann Johnson, Delita Martin, and Lovie Olivia, and a collaboration of members of the UHD Center for Critical Race Studies, Houston Young Lawyers Association, and Kindred Spirits Design Co.

Project Row Houses (PRH) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people and enriching communities through engagement, art, and direct action. PRH was founded in 1993 to be a catalyst for transforming society through celebrating art and African American history and culture. Inspired by the work of German avant-garde artist Joseph Beuys and African-American painter Dr. John Biggers, the seven founders – James Bettison, Bert Long, Jr., Jesse Lott, Rick Lowe, Floyd Newsum, Bert Samples, and George Smith – purchased 22 historic shotgun-style row houses on two blocks in a disinvested neighborhood in Houston’s Historic Third Ward and began using the houses as spaces for thematic art interventions. The site, 39 structures over five city blocks, serves as home to numerous community initiatives, art programs, and neighborhood development activities. Since its inception, PRH has demonstrated that collective community artmaking is a sustainable vehicle for community transformation. Today, PRH serves as a model in Houston and throughout the world. Art programs at PRH are funded in part by the Texas Commission for the Arts and the