The Printing Museum is proud to have selected Lindsay Gary as it’s inaugural Writer-in-Residence for 2021. Museum staff will guide and support the publishing of Gary’s book proposal, tentatively titled “A Guide to Black Houston.”

The printed and virtual guidebook will feature historical and cultural sites central to the experiences of African American Houstonians and to Houston at-large. These include the first schools, cultural institutions, and churches for African Americans. Currently, there are very few projects that share a comprehensive story of the contributions of African Americans to the life of the city.

“I hope to create a guide that is a treasure for both locals and tourists as it will take them on a rich and compelling journey of little-known sites that have been built and sustained by Black Houstonians since the city’s earliest years,” states Gary.

“Lindsay is multi-talented and creative individual,” notes museum executive director Brian Hodge. “Her passion and enthusiasm for telling stories especially about Black Houston history inspired the review committee to build a new program for her proposal.”

Lindsay Gary, MPA, MA is a Houston-based multi-disciplinary artivist, professor-scholar, and social-entrepreneur. Her practice is a combination of art, education, and community-based work, with her mission being to educate, connect, and empower the African Diaspora.

Gary’s recent publications include “Is feminism the answer?” (Broad Street Review) and “How Well Do You Know Houston’s Black Culture?” (Solcieti). She was a Dance Source Houston Artist-in-Residence, culminating in “Eleggua,” a production of her choreography and poetry on film. Gary’s a recipient of the Houston Arts Alliance City’s Initiative Grant and was a part of Project Row Houses’s Round 50 with her installation “Formed in My Grandmother’s Womb,” a combination of photography, collage-making, and paintings.

Gary is also a historian, genealogist, Africologist, educator, ethnographer, and professor. She’s the founder and board president of The Re-Education Project, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educating children through Black history, African culture, social justice, and more. She’s also the founder of Afrikanah Book Club and Sawari Tours, home to Third Ward Walking Tours.

Gary is the founder and artistic director of Dance Afrikana, a dance company connecting and celebrating the African Diaspora. It’s home to Kuumba: A Celebration of Afro-Dance (Kwanzaa), and Houston Black Dance Collective, a liberatory space of unity. It partners with Young Audiences to bring educational performances to youth.

Gary graduated from the University of Houston with a BA in history and minors in dance and business administration, and with an MA in history and MPA in public policy from Texas Southern University. In 2018 she was selected as a Mellon Scholar in African American History and in 2019 obtained her Graduate Certificate in African American Studies. She was awarded the Molefi Kete Asante Founder’s Award in 2020.