Meet Avalon Hogans | Writer, Artist, and Civic Leader

We had the good fortune of connecting with Avalon Hogans and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Avalon, what do you want people to remember about you?
I want to be remembered as a writer, artist, and civic leader who inspires discourse with their work. I use Black history, womanist ideals, and model writers from the Black Arts Movement (US 1965-1975) to bolster most of my poetry and creative writing. I find inspiration from my friends and fellow local artists to support my creative directing style as I organize and curate events to support and give a platform to Black creatives at Rice University and the Houston area. I want my legacy to reflect my work as rhythmic, vivid, and attached to a large audience and larger cause.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My journey as a creative began in high school as I attended the High School for Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA) in Downtown Houston. I studied creative writing at the school but also had access to formal training in photography, acting, visual arts and more. HSPVA inspired me as a young artist to pursue my creative dreams. In my senior year there, I was awarded the title of Houston Youth Poet Laureate by the City of Houston. Being a Poet Laureate, I’ve had incredible opportunities to write and perform original poetry across the city and state. I’ve collaborated with organizations such as NASA, Houston Rockets, League of Women’s Voters, and more. Although I’m a commissioned writer, most of my writing surrounds themes of identity/self, race, and social change. As a sophomore now at Rice University, my artistic practices and collaborations have expanded beyond spoken word performance as I’ve written libretto (Mami Wata: Uncovering Heritage Through Opera, debuted April 2023), directed fashion shows and cultural showcases (Out of Bounds, debuted January 2024 and Soul Night, debuted February 2024), and have had my work displayed at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (THIS WAY: A Houston Group Show, on view from December 2023 – March 2024).
Over these past years, something I’ve struggled with was finding my voice in my work. As I was commissioned to write work for specific events, I found myself writing things that would fulfill my partner’s mission but felt forced and inauthentic to myself. As a 2024 Freedmen’s Town Student Fellow at the Contemporary Arts Museum, I’m tasked to write works that describe my personal experience with researching, living, and retelling Freedmen’s Town, as it is the oldest Black historical district in Houston. Writing my own story, I am reassured that my voice is fulfilling enough.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If a friend of mine were visiting Houston for the first time, I’d like to take them to brunch at Snooze, The Breakfast Klub, or Le Peep. I’d also love to take them to my favorite art spaces in the city, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Lawndale Art Center, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Sanman Studios, and The Reading Room at POST. Additionally, I’d take them Rice University so they can see the beautiful campus I go to school at.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to shoutout my mentors Mich Stevenson and Charonda Johnson from the Contemporary Arts Museum and Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy. Both Mich and Charonda have encouraged me to use my art to tell my story and spread awareness about Freedmen’s Town. They’re both talented individuals in the realms of curation, storytelling, and historical preservation who I look up to and learn from.

Website: avalonhogans.com

Instagram: @avalonhogans

Image Credits
Jean Paul Fuentes, Rice University, Zeisha Bennett, Andre Humphrey