Mayor's office posts arts administrator role; Alton Delaney named city curator as mini murals resume

The City of Houston posted an arts administrator position for the mayor's cultural affairs work and named Alton Delaney as a city curator who will split time between the Houston Airport System and the mayor's office, officials told the Arts and Culture Committee on May 21.

The posting for the arts administrator — described by the mayor's office as a staff-analyst–level contract-management role — aims to clear a backlog of outstanding local operating agreements (LOAs), manage civic-art and grant contracts, and serve as a point of contact for Houston's arts community. Steven David, a representative of the mayor's office, said the position will also support data analysis and help speed stalled projects into implementation.

"Do not let the money stop flowing to the arts community," David said, summarizing the mayor's priority. He described the new arts administrator as primarily a contract manager who will "make sure the trains run on time," and also as a data partner to help the city plan strategically.

The mayor's office told the committee it had identified a backlog of LOAs across city departments. David said that, in a comparable period, the Houston Airport System approved 17 LOAs while other city departments had approved none, a disparity he said the office is addressing. He also said the administration has been prioritizing payment of unpaid invoices to artists and gallerists.

David announced that Alton Delaney, who holds dual master's degrees in art and art history and currently works with the airport civic art program, will serve as city curator and assist with the transition and onboarding for the incoming arts administrator. "He is going to make sure that that new arts administrator is gonna have an on ramp," David said.

David also reported that the city had resumed work on its mini murals program and approved a tranche of seven mini murals the day before the committee meeting. He said the administration plans to renegotiate the contract with Up Art Studio, which manages a city mini murals program that has produced hundreds of painted traffic-signal cabinets over the past decade; David said the contract "expires, I believe, July" (the transcript did not specify a precise date).

Taylor Jackson, CEO of the Houston Arts Alliance, which contracts with the city on civic art and grants advice, spoke to the committee about ongoing grant work and civic art acquisitions at the airports. Jackson described the Alliance as a "trusted and collaborative partner" and said the city–Alliance relationship will continue to support community-facing grant and civic-art work.

Members of the committee and several public speakers praised the focus on clearing unpaid invoices and restarting stalled projects. Committee members asked for follow-up on timelines and on how the new arts administrator will liaise with cultural districts and performing-arts organizations.

The mayor's office emphasized the interim nature of current arrangements: staff and the administration repeatedly said the arts administrator post and Delaney's curator role are steps toward rebuilding a fully staffed cultural affairs office.

If anyone in the arts community believes they have outstanding payments, the mayor's office asked them to report those cases to staff so they may be reviewed and addressed.