With a lifelong love for the arts, philanthropist Franci Neely is the co-chair of both the Film and the Art of the Islamic Worlds subcommittees for The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. She sits on the boards of The Menil Collection and the Moody Center for the Arts and co-founded the Houston Cinema Arts Society. When Neely isn’t traveling the world, she’s immersed in music, museums, and film and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Here’s how she’s making her hometown of Houston an arts and culture collective for all.
Houston Cinema Arts Festival
Franci Neely has a knack for knowing where performing and visual arts are underrepresented — especially within the Houston community. The Houston Cinema Arts Festival kicks into gear from Nov. 9 through 19. According to its website, the event will
showcase a variety of carefully selected feature films with “a focus on the diverse cultural community of Houston.”
“Franci has always understood that the arts are vital to the soul of this great city. Although we have world-class institutions in the performing and visual arts, cinema art was underrepresented for too long,” says Jamie Townsend, the event coordinator for the Houston Cinema Arts Festival.
“Fifteen years ago, Franci assembled a team to help fill that gap, and the Houston Cinema Arts Festival was born. With Franci’s continued support and guidance over the last few years, the festival has evolved, becoming more accessible, more inclusive, and more reflective of Houston’s diversity.”
Townsend adds that for the second consecutive year, they have contracted Jazmyne Moreno to oversee the programming. The theme this year is “Bring It on Home.”
“Many of the films and programs will focus on the concept of coming home — an appropriate theme for a city so rich in talent, energy, and diversity,” Townsend continues. “We find that our audiences are most enthusiastic when they see Houstonians reflected on the big screen, sharing the stories that matter to our community. We are not trying to be a smaller version of Sundance or Cannes: We are on a mission of discovery and service to the community that could only happen right here in Houston. So this theme feels especially powerful this year.”
Baker Institute
As a long-time supporter and board member of Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, Franci Neely has co-chaired the nonpartisan incubator for political research’s anniversary galas to boost fundraising for the organization. The gala has hosted almost every living former president of the United States. Franci Neely says she will never forget the Baker Institute’s 25th anniversary party with the charismatic former President Barack Obama in attendance. While it wasn’t the only time Neely had the pleasure of being in Obama’s company, she says it was an evening she will never forget. The 30th anniversary gala is happening on Oct. 26. Neely is honored to be co-chair of the event, which will host former Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton, Henry Kissinger, and James A. Baker III.
Moody Center for the Arts
Rice University’s Moody Center for the Arts is another passion project for Franci Neely. The generous benefactor partnered with a handful of other donors to invest in a piece commissioned by Iranian-born sculptor Shirazeh Houshiary. The 2020 sculpture, “Seif,” is made of glass and stainless steel. It’s inspired by the light of the Texas sun peeking through oak trees on the university campus.
“The opaqueness of the work fosters separation and shadow, while its transparency offers connectedness through visibility and light,” Houshiary explained.
Towering at 10 feet tall, the helix of Murano glass bricks was installed in 2021. The university has displayed other works by Houshiary throughout the campus, including the painting “Flare Up,” as part of the Artists and the Rothko Chapel: 50 Years of Inspiration installation.
The Menil Collection
With a perpetual penchant for art, Franci Neely is a staunch supporter of The Menil Collection’s nearly 19,000 works from the prehistoric era to the present day, including Arts of the Ancient World, Arts of Africa, medieval and Byzantine art collections. Neely has attended exhibitions and The Menil Collections galas over the years. Having a strong desire to share art with everyone from all walks of life and backgrounds, Neely notes that admission to The Menil Collection is always free.
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Franci Neely is so enamored with The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, she’s pledged her Womankind photography collection to the institution.
An avid photographer, she’s been chronicling her travels around the world. Her black-and-white collection, which she’s promised to MFAH, exclusively consists of photographs of various aspects of the female experience that she’s been curating for the past two decades. “I’m collecting images from all over the world by male and female photographers,” Franci Neely reveals. “I’m very proud of that collection.”
She adds that Anne Tucker and Malcolm Daniel from the MFAH have helped her curate images.
Houston Grand Opera
A true opera fan, Franci Neely is devoted to expanding opera’s audience since she sees it as a genre everyone can gain something from. She recently acted as an underwriter to help her friend Jake Heggie’s opera, Intelligence, which debuted at the Houston Grand Opera on Oct. 20, based on the true story of an enslaved woman who befriends a daughter in a Confederate household. They ultimately become spies for the Union. Intelligence ran through Nov. 3. “It’s going to be a sensation,” Franci Neely says of the inspiring show.
“There’s a lot of commissioning of new work with very, very current themes, timely themes,” Neely adds. “To my knowledge, that’s attracting young people, diverse audiences, people who don’t necessarily have any track record with the opera.”
Inprint Houston
As a lifelong voracious reader, championing Inprint Houston was an organic fit for bighearted Neely. The organization, which celebrated 40 years of promoting literacy and writing in the Houston community, serves more than 15,000 citizens. The book lover has devoted energy and funds to planning the Inprint Poets & Writers Ball and views literacy as one of life’s “greatest gifts.” Neely says she’s proud of the four decades this organization has spent honoring diverse writers and literature from all demographics.
