Steve was born and raised in Abilene, Texas, moving to Houston to attend Rice University and UofH Law School. Mark was born and raised in Appleton, Wisconsin but fled the cold and snow for Texas as fast as he could. As long time residents of Houston’s Old Sixth Ward historic neighborhood they joined with other neighbors to mitigate the gentrification by creating affordable housing opportunities for residents who had been renting in the area for generations. AVENUE (formerly Old Sixth Ward CDC) was born of those efforts. 

Mark and Steve have been active in affordable housing, historic preservation, art, LGBT rights and alcoholism recovery efforts for years.  Their private and charitable investment projects have earned several Good Brick Awards from Historic Houston for their efforts. 

Over the years Steve has worked as an attorney for Texaco, was a Houston Municipal Court Judge and State District Court Judge, and worked briefly with Avenue on several multi-family developments. Mark has been a consultant with a variety of small businesses and managed rental properties in Houston and Galveston. They currently reside in Nacogdoches, Texas.

How did you get involved with Art on the Avenue?

I’ve been involved with Art on the Avenue since the first event in the mid 1990’s. It was organized by myself, Steve Kirkland, Christine Maguire, and Dawn Bell. It was held in the Old Sixth Ward at the former Silver Street Grocery Store building. We didn’t sell a single piece of art but we sure had a fun party. It spilled out into the street so we decided we better find a bigger venue the next year. It started because Mary [Lawler] decreed that we needed to have a fundraiser. We decided to do something that would help support local artists. 

For our second year we moved to David Addicks studio on Summer Street, which he graciously allowed us to use. We more than doubled the number of artists participating and, while I don’t recall just how much was sold, I do know we sold a number of artwork pieces that year. 

Our third year was held at Winter Street Studios, where it has been ever since with the exception of one year where the building was shut down. That year it was held at an art gallery building on Washington Avenue that was where the Big Brothers Big Sisters building is now.

What is your favorite AOA moment?

There are countless memorable moments from over the years, but I’d have to say my favorite time is art delivery day when 200 plus artists come by to drop off their work and we get to see the wide variety of exceptional work for the first time. Every artist’s work is grounded in their personal experiences and chatting with the artists about their work is a great way to get to know a little about them.

What inspires you about AOA? 

Probably the idea that we are open to all artists no matter their level of skill and their status within the art community. It's inspiring to see works from all levels of artists hanging in the same show. I am also greatly inspired by the way Houston’s community of artists have come together to support AVENUE and that some of those artists have also been able to benefit from AVENUE’s programs.