The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas (ACLU of Texas) has named Houston-based painter Vincent Valdez and Austin-based author KB Brookins as the recipients of its artists-in-residence program for 2025–26. Each artist will receive $30,000 to fund individual projects and will collaborate with the ACLU of Texas and community leaders to advocate for civil rights. Valdez plans to paint portraits of local community leaders and create poster packets combining Know Your Rights information with archival research for statewide distribution. Brookins will address pretrial detention in Texas jails through original compositions, workshops, and public presentations, focusing on mass incarceration issues in Harris County. The pair were selected from roughly 200 applicants following a statewide open call, succeeding artist Kill Joy, who led an immigrants' rights tour with large puppets.
This residency matters because it underscores the growing intersection of visual art and civil rights advocacy in Texas, a state where the ACLU has recently fought censorship battles, including on behalf of photographer Sally Mann whose work was removed from a group exhibition at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. By funding artists to create works that inform and mobilize communities around constitutional rights, the program highlights how art can serve as a tool for social change and public education, reaching audiences beyond traditional political discourse.