OVERVIEW

“Town Meeting 1978 - 2028" is a multi-year initiative led by queer interdisciplinary artists Nick Vaughan & Jake Margolin to inspire and coordinate programming across Houston in Fall 2028 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of "Town Meeting I" a pivotal 1978 convening of 4,000 LGBTQIA+ Houstonians at the Astro Arena, which galvanized Houston’s emerging LGBTQIA+ rights movement and helped lead to the creation of major institutions including The Montrose Center and The Montrose Clinic (Legacy Health).

"Town Meeting 1978-2028" launched with an exhibition and two-day symposium featuring presentations from over thirty elders, activists, artists, and scholars in June, 2025 at Art League Houston.

Bi-monthly public planning sessions bring together an expanding community of stakeholders to join Nick & Jake in shaping this project. To join these meetings, please sign up for Rendezvous' mailing list.

Rendezvous Center for Art invites arts and queer serving organizations across the Houston region to curate and present programming that explores the rich diversity of queer history, current experience, and future visioning between September 1st and December 31st 2028. Rendezvous will promote this expansive, city-wide season of exhibitions, performances, lectures, panel discussions, screenings though a central website, program and calendar. Following the model of other region-wide initiatives like Pacific Standard Time, Prospect New Orleans, and FotoFest, "Town Meeting 1978-2028" will connect local and national audiences to Houston's wealth of arts and queer serving organizations, and foster impactful engagement with LGBTQ art.

If your arts or queer serving organization is interested in learning more about participating in "Town Meeting 1978-2028" please email Jake Margolin at director (at) rendezvouscenterforart (dot) org.

"Town Meeting 1978-2028" is the first supported project of Rendezvous Center for Art, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) founded by Nick & Jake.

  • Press for "Town Meeting 1978-2028":
    Arts + Culture Texas
    Outsmart
    Glasstire

  • Rendezvous Center for Art gratefully acknowledges the major sponsors of "Town Meeting 1978-2028":

    Beverly McPhail & Kevin Kulish, Sara Rosenbaum & Dan Hawkins, Bobby Bacon Metalart, Dr. Don Bacigalupi & Daniel Feder, Jereann Chaney, The Terrence McNally Foundation, H. Russell Pitman, In memory of Sherwin and Barbara Rubin, Scott & Judy Nyquist, John Bradshaw Jr, Natilee Harren & Michael G Powell, Sharmon J Hilfinger & Luis Trabb Pardo, Nina Rubin, and The Whitehall Hotel, Air Alliance Houston, and La Mexicana.

    Rendezvous Center for Art also gratefully acknowledges the following donors:

    Keliy, Anderson-Staley, Devin Borden, Frank Boyd, Carley, In Memory of (Houston Community Activist) Jimmy Carper, David Chavkin, Rachel Chavkin, Sadie Costello, In Honor of Ken Dixon and Richard Jespers, Faye Driscoll, Saxton Fisher, Bergen St Flats, Jonna Fonda, Geri Forkner, In memory of Ilene Forward, Liz Frankel, Jenn Gardner, Ana and Camilo, Hillerbrand+Magsamen, John Lavelle, Emily Lippolis, Rina & Malcolm Margolin, In Memory of Malcolm Margolin, “a Strong Supporter”, David Miller, Katy, Zach, Alan and Eddie, Catherine & Lascaux Newman, Kevin Nguyen, Rachel Afi Quinn, Janice Rubin and Charles Wiese, Katya Shapiro, Louise Siddons, Kristen Sieh, Sarah Stauder, Roberto Tejada, Nick Thomas & Nicole Pelligrino, Ron Vaughan, Stalina Villarreal, and a donation in memory of Milton and Annette Wiener.

    This project relied gratefully on the JD Doyle Archives, Heart of Leather Foundation and Judy Reeves, and the University of Houston Special Collections at the MD Anderson Library.

    This project is made possible with support from The Idea Fund in 2025. The Idea Fund is a re-granting program administered by DiverseWorks, Aurora Picture Show, and Project Row Houses and funded by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, and numerous individual donors.