Created and curated by Dr. Lindsay Gary, The New Red Book exhibit highlights historic and cultural sites and neighborhoods through the lens of place, documenting stories of resilience, achievement, and cultural innovation across centuries.  

The installation features Dr. Lindsay Gary’s original Black Houston mural, a comprehensive timeline tracing Black history from Africa to the Middle Passage, through emancipation and Juneteenth, and into the major cultural milestones of the 20th and 21st centuries. Visitors encounter historic neighborhoods like Freedmen’s Town and Third Ward, trailblazers such as Jack Yates and Lauren Anderson, and the vibrant cultural life that continues to shape Houston today.  

Through maps, photographs, artwork, archival materials, video installations, and interactive elements, The New Red Book tells a fuller story of Houston’s past and affirms Black history as central to the city’s identity.    

Dr. Lindsay Gary (PhD, MFA, MA, MPA) is an award-winning professor-scholar, conceptual diaspor Artist, Afrocentric entrepreneur, cultural curator and critic, whose mission is to educate, connect, and empower the African Diaspora. 

A modern-day djali (griot), she embodies the roles of cultural disruptor, visionary thought leader, and legacy worker, committed to uplifting Afrocentric knowledge systems and reimagining the future through culture, care, and critique.   

Inspired by her acclaimed book The New Red Book: A Guide to 50 of Houston’s Black Historical and Cultural Sites, The New Red Book exhibit celebrates the enduring legacy and contributions of African Americans in Houston. The title pays tribute to the original Red Book of Houston (1915), a rare compendium that captured the success of Houston’s Black community during an era of social and political upheaval.