| ::VBB's mission
is to cross borders, sustain dialogue and
incite social justice
through art::
“VBB is a place to be, a place to hear, a much-needed sanctuary for artists' expressions, for the evolution of consciousness-a sanctuary for the collective.”
Poet Loueva
Smith
Voices Breaking Boundaries (VBB) is a multidisciplinary arts organization that began in 2000 after writer and artist Sehba Sarwar wrote a poem protesting political events in her home country, Pakistan. Together, with five women poets and writers including Marcela Descalzi and Jacsun Shah—who are still involved with the organization—VBB began producing readings and performances at a local bookstore. In April 2001, following a successful South Asian Film Festival hosted at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston in conjunction with Himal South Asian, VBB incorporated as a 501(c)(3).
Today, VBB creates 8-10 multidisciplinary arts productions a year that tackle current socio-political issues and bring together people from all walks of life, including immigrants, local communities, as well as all ages ranging from babies and their parents, to teens and seniors. Now that VBB has completed its 5-Year Plan, VBB is shifting all its productions toward its living room art (LRA) series format that draws hundreds of community members and have been partially funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Andy Warhol Foundation for Visual Arts. VBB's living room art productions reach into Houston's low-income neighborhoods to explore local and international histories. To achieve its goals, VBB partners with organizations such as Arte Público Press, Houston Institute for Culture, Project Row Houses and many more. VBB’s Advisory Board draws figures such as Tariq Ali, Bapsi Sidhwa and Sissy Farenthold. VBB's success in tackling issues attracts world-class artists such as rock star icon Patti Smith, who in 2010 donated a performance to support VBB's goals.
Click here to read Sehba Sarwar's essay published in Good (ed. Toni Beauchamp; illustrated by Mel Chin) and learn more about how VBB started. |
