Partnership promotes community engagement

By Juliette Coulter

Grant Halliburton Foundation and Center for BrainHealth, part of The University of Texas at Dallas, are partnering to present Journey: The Art and Legacy of Grant Halliburton, an exhibition on view September 8-25 at Center for BrainHealth, 2200 W. Mockingbird Ln. in Dallas.

Presented during Grant Halliburton Foundation’s 20th anniversary year and National Suicide Prevention Month, the exhibition connects Grant’s creative legacy with two decades of work in North Texas to strengthen youth mental health and prevent suicide. A series of public programs throughout September will extend the conversation through mental health education, brain science and community engagement.

“Twenty years of impact began with the Halliburton family’s decision to turn unimaginable loss into action,” said Kevin Hall, president of Grant Halliburton Foundation. “This exhibition gives our community the opportunity to know Grant not only as the name of our Foundation, but as a gifted artist whose life continues to inspire this mission and save lives. We’re grateful to partner again with Center for BrainHealth to share the Foundation’s story, reflect on how far we’ve come and invite more people into the work still ahead.”

The exhibition also invites visitors to consider the connections between creativity and proactive brain health, expanding the organizations’ partnership through art, public programming and community conversation. 

“Our partnership with Grant Halliburton Foundation reflects a shared commitment to helping people build stronger, healthier minds and lives,” said Laura Bloom Gordon, chief marketing officer of Center for BrainHealth. “Through this exhibition, we have an opportunity to connect art, mental wellness and brain health in a deeply meaningful way. With a variety of events all month, we hope to inspire conversations that strengthen resilience, connection and hope. This partnership builds on our collaboration through the Mental Wellness Collective and promotes community engagement in service of a common goal: helping more people understand and strengthen their brain health.”

The Mental Wellness Collective brings together North Texas mental health, brain health and youth-serving organizations to strengthen youth mental health and resilience.

Journey features more than 50 of Grant’s original paintings, charcoal works, drawings and sketches, along with selections from his personal writings and poetry and a Listening Lounge featuring music he wrote and recorded with his high school bandmates. The exhibition will span three floors of Center for BrainHealth’s Brain Performance Institute building. A preview on the first floor will welcome visitors and introduce the exhibition, with most of the collection and accompanying elements displayed on the second and third floors.

Together, the works and interpretive elements will trace the connection between Grant’s creative legacy and the mission that grew in his memory. Grant Halliburton Foundation partnered with Business Council for the Arts (BCA) to thoughtfully curate the exhibition and bring Grant’s art, story and legacy to life. Amy McCloskey, a Foundation co-founder and Grant’s sister, collaborated closely with BCA throughout the curation process, contributing a personal understanding of Grant and his work. 

The Foundation’s earliest efforts were rooted in art and creativity. In May 2006, Grant’s work was presented at the ArtCentre of Plano in Journey: The Art, Music, and Words of Grant Halliburton. That same year, the Foundation awarded its first art scholarship to a graduating student at Plano West Senior High School, where Grant attended. The 2026 exhibition returns to that creative beginning while showing how the mission has grown.

“Twenty years ago, our family was searching for a way to help other families avoid the loss we experienced,” McCloskey said. “Grant’s artwork offers a glimpse of the creativity, humor and depth he brought to the world. Presenting Journey again during our 20th anniversary year brings us back to where the Foundation began and reminds us why this work remains so important.”

Since 2006, Grant Halliburton Foundation has reached more than 375,000 students, educators, parents and professionals through mental health education, suicide prevention training and community resources. Since launching in 2021, the Foundation’s Here For Texas Mental Health Navigation Line has helped more than 5,100 people find providers and resources, answered more than 4,600 calls and provided more than 12,800 follow-ups to individuals and families.

The September collaboration comes amid an urgent need for continued prevention and early intervention. The CDC’s most recent final mortality data, released in 2026, identify suicide as the second-leading cause of death among people ages 10-24 in the United States.

For personalized guidance finding mental health and substance use providers and resources, call the Foundation’s free Here For Texas Mental Health Navigation Line at 972-525-8181, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Navigation Line is not a crisis service. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You can also text HOME to 741741 to connect with a Crisis Text Line volunteer. Both services are free, confidential and available 24/7. 

Visit granthalliburton.org/journey for more.