Visioning Workshop Held for Rebirth in Action Initiative

Community, Culture, and Collaboration Come Together in Freedmen’s Town

Following its recent commission as lead architect for Phase Two of Rebirth in Action: Telling the Story of Freedom, HINESAD, alongside Studio Zewde, artist Theaster Gates, and the client team—Mt. Horeb Missionary Baptist Church, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH), and the Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy (HFTC)—gathered for a daylong stakeholder charrette to shape the conceptual vision for this transformative project.

The workshop focused on the evolving design narrative presented by architect Daimian Hines, landscape architect Sara Zewde, and artist Theaster Gates. Together, the team and community members explored how art, architecture, and landscape could honor the cultural legacy of Freedmen’s Town while creating a new civic and spiritual destination rooted in equity, memory, and belonging.

Reverend Sam Smith of Mt. Horeb shared reflections on the land’s sacred history and the importance of legacy in shaping the future. The charrette offered space for honest dialogue, collective imagination, and shared excitement around what this project can become.

This milestone marks the beginning of a deeply collaborative design process—one grounded in listening, guided by story, and driven by community vision.