As Houston works its way toward becoming the third-largest major city in the U.S. in the next decade, the city has never been more full of opportunities for discovery, especially within arts and cultural spaces. On September 19, 2025, Houston will become an additional home for Untitled Art, marking the leading contemporary art fair’s debut edition in the city. Untitled Art Houston—which is headed up by director Michael Slenske and executive director Clara Andrade—aims to support a more expansive arts ecosystem and connect with new audiences. Beyond the main event, here are some of the gems, both old and new, that reveal the magic of the city and its distinct arts landscape:
Although it’s not quite located in the heart of the city, the central nature of Houston’s Rothko Chapel exceeds geography. Founded by the art-collecting couple Dominique and John de Menil, the non-denominational chapel is home to 14 shadowy murals by Mark Rothko. As evidenced by the no-photo policy, visiting this blissful octagonal structure is not about being seen, but rather about being witnessed. Coalescing art and spirituality, the chapel (which made an appearance in Solange’s When I Get Home visuals) brings about a sacred and universal interconnectedness between all who enter its doors.
Tomashi Jackson’s artwork speaks to the current moment with striking precision and care. The artist’s research-driven practice—which spans painting, printmaking, video, photography, fiber, and sculpture—mines histories of “land, labor, and law.” Across The Universe, Jackson’s mid-career survey on view at Contemporary Arts Museum Houston through March 29, 2026, presents work produced by the Houston-born artist over nearly ten years. Works like Interstate Love Song (Friends of Clayton County Transit) (Pitts Road Station Opposition), and A Pnyx for Crystal Mason in Fort Worth, TX exemplify Jackson’s keen sense of materiality, making use of elements ranging from acrylic paint and marble dust to American election flyers and Greek ballot papers. Explorations of color theory and relativity also figure heavily into Jackson’s practice, evidenced through her distinctive use of electric pinks, reds, and blues.
Tomashi Jackson, Guns and Butter (Nia in the Morehouse Creed), 2022
Amid its robust legacy of historic institutions, Houston’s cultural fabric is constantly being strengthened and shaped by a new generation of artists and cultural workers. Take, for example, The Reading Room, an independent reference library founded by Houston native and writer Amarie Gipson. With a growing collection of more than 700 books, the library provides more expansive access to Black art and culture—and also offers curated programs ranging from artist talks to film screenings and workshops. Under Gipson’s stewardship, The Reading Room opens the door for new models for cultural institutions. Guests can find their next favorite title by perusing a rotating selection from the collection at the library’s semi-permanent home inside Sanman Studios. The Reading Room is also hosted at the Moody Center for the Arts for a pop-up through August 16, 2025.
The Museum of Fine Arts Houston boasts a complex of art buildings so vast, it’s connected by a network of underground art-clad tunnels—site-specific light installation commissions by James Turrell, Carlos Cruz-Diez, and Olafur Eliasson stand out.
In addition to its sprawling permanent collection, the institution recently opened Floating World: A.A. Murakami, marking the Tokyo and London-based artist duo A.A. Murakami’s debut U.S. museum exhibition. A dazzling retrospective of renowned Art Deco painter of the same name, Tamara de Lempicka remains on view through July 6, 2025. MFAH also consists of two house museums, including the Rienzi house museum of European decorative arts.
The Menil Collection provides an anchoring presence within Houston’s arts ecosystem. The museum was founded by French-born philanthropists and patrons John and Dominique de Menil, and is situated on a huge campus of art buildings—including the Menil Drawing Institute, the Cy Twombly Gallery, and the Dan Flavin Installation at Richmond Hall. While the collection is always expanding, its core consists of art objects acquired by the de Menils, who left an indelible mark on the cultural landscape of the city.
The museum recently opened The Space Between Looking and Loving: Francesca Fuchs and the de Menil House, a tender presentation of new works by the German artist alongside selections from the museum’s collection and archives. The exhibition is Fuchs’ response to a surprising connection between her own family and the de Menils, and reflects on the quietude of objects in domestic spaces, particularly those within the de Menil house in Houston.
Installation view of The Space Between Looking and Loving: Francesca Fuchs and the de Menil House
In Houston’s Fourth Ward, the streets of Freedmen’s Town stand proudly as one of the few remaining neighborhoods established by formerly enslaved Black people across the United States (not without a lengthy struggle between the city and a group of individuals working to conserve the area). Nestled within the district is the historic Bethel Baptist Chapel Church, a stunning Late Gothic Revival building constructed in 1923. The structure, which was once home to one of the earliest congregations in Freedmen’s town, has since been transformed into a park featuring stained glass in yellow and blue, and its original, striking facade. Once comprising some 90 city blocks, a now 40-block stretch of the neighborhood has been designated as a National Historic District by the National Park Service.
Bethel Park in Freedman’s Town
