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4 Hands - 1 Purpose

Provide

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INSIDE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON SPECEIAL LIBRARIES

With Christian Kelleher, Director of Exhibitions and External Relations.

RESTORE - SHELTER - PROVIDE - PRESERVE

PROVIDING FOR AN ARTIST NOW TO PRESERVE A PIECE OF TEXAS HISTORY LATER

We believe the best way to create a book about an artist is to a start with creating their archive. An archive, as you may know, is the collection of all the ephemeral personal effects from an artist's life that tell their story. Newspaper articles, reviews, publications, including online research along with interviews with the artist, fiends, associates, and critics digitized and filed chronological order. Archive files are sorted according to date, after that a good look at the artist's journey almost writes itself.

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We would like to ensure that such materials are preserved, providing a historical record of the artist and their work for future reference by appraisers, archivists, and researchers. This is a lengthy and expensive four-step process that's involves photography, scanning, tagging the photos and scanned images, and putting them together in Excel files chronologically. We are recreating a life. There are lots of judgment calls while setting up an Excel file which oftentimes will have more than 1000 entries in a professional performing or visual artist's lifetime. This is essential work as the book closes on a lifetime of accomplishment, but it's often neglected because of the expense. 

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With the help of volunteers, your input into our archive, and our staff we are preserving arts history one artist and one book at a time. 

​3. Provide Program /Renewed Opportunity & Creative Second Act

Creating New Opportunities for Writers, Musicians, Composers, and Visual Artists, with Book and Film Initiatives

Purpose:
To support aging artists as they pursue creative projects they never had the time or resources to complete earlier in life providing visibility, opportunity, and renewed career momentum in their later years by producing books and films.

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Why Provide Matters:
Many artists spent decades balancing work, family, and survival, leaving little time for the projects closest to their heart. As public arts funding shrinks and the cost of living rises, the need for structured support in later-life creativity has never been greater. ARM’s Provide Program aims to fill that gap.

What the Provide Program Does:

  • Supports new creative work by aging writers, musicians, composers, performers, and visual artists.

  • Develops opportunities for visibility — talks, readings, performances, catalog essays, interviews, and public presentations.

  • Builds pathways for future recognition, including book projects, creative memoirs, catalogs, and career retrospectives that bridge past accomplishments with future celebration.

  • Explores access to health-insurance options tailored for older creatives who often cannot secure traditional coverage due to freelance careers and limited employer-provided benefits.

  • Connects artists to ARM’s Preservation Program, ensuring that new creative work is built on a foundation of properly archived materials.

How Provide Is Funded:
The Station Cabaret, ARM’s annual fall fundraising event — an evening of dinner, jazz, creative performances, and “All Saints Night” atmosphere — generates the core support for the Provide Program.

This event gives artists a chance to:

  • Share their story

  • Reclaim visibility

  • Present new work to an engaged community

  • Shine again at a time when many feel unseen

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Goal:
To ensure that artists who have shaped their communities for decades are never forgotten, never isolated, and always supported as they continue to create.

Funded by the "STATION CABERET" dinner and jazz in October. / Project Manager 16 hrs./ month More Info Here.

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WE ACCOMPLISH THIS WITHOUT THE COST OF A PHYSICAL SITE

 

ARCHIVING HELPS US HELP YOU WITH:

  • Store & Move Physical Art & Collectables

  • Organize help during a sudden illness or accident 

  • Document Collections for artists & collectors

  • Placing Artworks

  • Gifting Artworks & Collectables

  • Posting Documents For Community Use

  • Raise Awareness & Recognition For Artists 50+

  • Create a Website

  • Wikipedia Listings

  • Publish Books

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We have an on line staff consisting of a Director (Fulltime), a Secretary for Bookings, Events, and Correspondence (Fulltime), a Treasurer for Bookkeeping and Reports (part time), a Grants Writer overseeing donations, & subscriptions, a Technical Support Director who acts as our Web Master and Archiving, as well as a Wikipedia writer to document our Visual and Performing artists careers. Earmark your donation to our PRESERVE program here.

Monthly subscriptions at any level receive a 50% discount on all event and table and chair reservations.

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•Director (Full Time) 

•Secretary / Bookings / Events / Correspondence (Full Time) 

•Treasurer / Bookkeeping / Reports

•Grants, Donations, & Subscriptions:

•Technical Support: Web Master, Arching & Gifting Over-Watch 

•Research: Gifting Art / Document / Resources & Assets for  Artists  

•Project Manager: PRESERVE 

 

Dan M  Allison

Founder Arts Rescue Mission

artsrescue2025@gmail.com

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Donate Provide

Funded through subscriptions to oversee ARM preservation initiatives.   Project Manager 16 hrs./ month

We are looking for a volunteer or volunteers to put in about 4 hours a week for this program. This will be a paid position as we move forward with our grant writing, and donations. If you are interested please contact us! artsrescue2025@gmail.com or signup here.

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