From community reports
Toby McCraw is among a select group of Houston-area teachers featured. Aldine ISD art teacher Toby McCraw and students from Impact Leadership Academy at Wilson are showcasing their creative voices at the Threat of Joy teacher exhibition at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH). The exhibition, organized by CAMH’s Teacher Advisory Group, opened to the public on Friday, May 9, and features work from 15 Houston-area art educators and their students. It will run until May 25.
On View: Saturday, May 10–Sunday, May 25, 2025
Special Location: Eldorado Ballroom 2310 Elgin Street
McCraw, a member of the museum’s advisory group, called the opportunity a personal and professional milestone.
“It’s an incredible honor,” McCraw said. “To be selected among so many passionate educators is such a pinnacle moment for me. Professionally, it validates our work in Aldine to uplift students’ voices through creativity. In a world where young people need space to feel seen and heard, self-expression is more than art — it’s essential.”
Now in its fourth year, the exhibition explores joy as a powerful force of resilience. McCraw’s featured piece, Music Saved My Life, was created with students using graphite pencil, gold leaf, digital photographic prints, and Legos. The mixed-media work pays tribute to Houston’s historic Eldorado Ballroom and explores music as a source of healing and identity.
“The Eldorado is sacred ground for joy and culture in Houston,” McCraw explained. “I wanted my students to understand that joy can be a radical act, especially in the face of adversity or doubt. That truth is woven into the exhibition’s theme.”
Students at Impact Leadership Academy embraced that message through personal reflections on how music shaped their lives.
“It started with conversations about how music is healing and serves as a space where we meet each other without words,” McCraw said. “The students listened to music and allowed their ideas to emerge on the canvas without hesitation. The music was in control — and each student’s interpretation reflected how it had personally ‘saved’ them.”
The project challenged McCraw to balance a unified vision with the individuality of each student’s voice.
“At first, we thought everything had to match, but the beauty was in the variation,” he said. “Their interpretations and what music meant to each made the pieces deeper. Seeing them explain their work to museum visitors was indescribable.”
Throughout the process, McCraw fostered a studio environment where vulnerability, expression, and creative freedom were encouraged.
“We take pride in that our art room is not a classroom, but a studio. It’s a safe space — created for and by the students — where there’s no judgment and no mistakes,” he said. “They weren’t just making art. They were telling stories of survival, celebration, and self-worth. That level of honesty is something I’ll carry with me.”
Student contributions were central to the installation.
“I put my all into this project to invoke meaning not for me, but for someone else who may be searching for inspiration,” shared student Pedro Reyna.
Classmate Anthony Raudales added, “I am showing the evolution of music—not just the way we listen to music but how music itself has adapted throughout the years.”
The show highlights the diverse creative voices of educators and students alike and features paintings, textiles, animations, and interactive installations.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to support our talented educators and connect with new art teachers from surrounding districts,” said Kaileigh Newman, Aldine ISD’s visual arts director. “I encourage everyone to visit the exhibition to celebrate their creativity and accomplishments.”
McCraw hopes visitors walk away from the exhibit with a powerful reminder: that joy matters.
“I hope they feel that joy is worth protecting. Even in adversity, creativity can be an act of hope. Joy will always be a threat in a world of duality — and student voices deserve to be part of that conversation.”
The Threat of Joy exhibition continues at CAMH. It includes work by art teachers and students from Houston, including representatives from Spring Branch ISD, Houston ISD, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, Alvin ISD, Magnolia ISD, and others.
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