As the nation reflects on the crisis of homelessness this November, Midtown Houston stands out with a bold and human-centered response — one that doesn’t just talk about the unhoused, but with them.
This National Homelessness Awareness Month, we shine a spotlight on the HueMan: Shelter Project — a groundbreaking public art initiative transforming how our city perceives and engages with homelessness. Launched through a $1 million grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies, HueMan: Shelter employs Houston-based artists and individuals with lived experience of homelessness to co-create site-specific public artworks throughout Midtown.
Each installation — from a vibrant large-scale mural, to three beautifully reimagined intricate METRO bus shelters, to immersive installations at two Midtown underpasses — tells a story.
At the heart of HueMan: Shelter is collaboration. Artists worked hand-in-hand with participants enrolled in Career and Recovery Resources’ UpRise Enterprise program, a workforce initiative offering paid, transitional employment to those currently or formerly unhoused. These aren’t just art assistants — they’re co-creators, shaping the narratives, designs, and installations alongside professional artists.
This partnership model reflects the ethos behind HueMan: Shelter: to disrupt outdated perceptions of homelessness and replace them with stories of resilience, beauty, and shared humanity.
Learn more about HueMan:Shelter and its mission here. Meet the artist and explore their installations here.
This November the iconic Midtown Sign will be wrapped to create the most distinctive and important public art we have ever seen. The sign will have one letter devoted to design elements from each of the six pieces of art created for HueMan:Shelter. This large-scale public art piece titled “We Are HueMan” honors not only the HueMan:Shelter Project but kicks off National Homeless Awareness Month.
This November, as cities across the U.S. raise awareness around homelessness, HueMan: Shelter asks us not just to raise awareness, but to raise compassion.
We encourage you to visit the art installations. Stand under the interactive underpass murals. Pause at the Midtown sign- wrap at Bagby park. Listen to the stories embedded in every line, color, and form.
Houston is not only addressing homelessness through policy and programs — it’s doing so through connection, creativity, and courage. HueMan: Shelter is proof that public art isn’t just about beautifying a city. It’s about transforming it from the inside out.
Midtown Houston has long been a catalyst in supporting art in every form. Our community is a designated State of Texas Cultural Arts and Entertainment District (2012) and is celebrated for its many attractions, including picturesque park spaces, long-standing cultural arts organizations, impactful public art, and national award-winning projects. This installation is a project of the Midtown Cultural Arts and Entertainment District in association with the Midtown Management District, with generous funding provided by the Houston Endowment.
We invite you to visit “We are HueMan” now on view at Bagby Park (415 Gray St, Houston, TX 77002) through December 1st, 2025.
