Art fans and anyone who loves good Instagram or in for (literally) a big event. A new outdoor exhibition casts downtown structures as canvases for vivid murals meant to inspire social change block by block.
Appropriately dubbed Big Art. Bigger Change., the mural exhibit/art walk officially opens on Saturday, October 15 downtown. Fans can follow and check out nine murals that run along a mile stretch in downtown, from Lamar Street to Main Street.
These murals are part of an initiative from global nonprofit Street Art for Mankind (SAM) and Central Houston, Inc. The themes of the nine works by 10 artists were determined by a committee of Houston arts leaders and address topics such as green energy, climate change, innovation, human rights, social equity, and education for all, and more.
Participating artists include:
- Sonny Sundancer
- Emily Ding
- Carlos Alberto GH
- Cristian Blanxer / Bimbo Adenugba
- Victor Ash
- Lula Goce
- Case Maclaim
- Ana Marietta
- Belin
“We worked with TotalEnergies and Street Art for Mankind to create a large-scale art walk as part of our mission to reinforce the pedestrian experience in Downtown Houston,” noted Central Houston’s president and CEO Kris Larson, in a statement. “The overall health of any city’s urban core is often linked to pedestrian vibrancy, and this campaign will give people yet another reason to venture outside and explore the neighborhood, block by block.”
That means downtown strollers can map out the murals and follow along, hitting landmarks like the Four Seasons Hotel at Austin Street or the iconic Cotton Exchange at Franklin Street. To make the tracking easier, each mural will also be featured on SAM’s free “Behind the Wall” app; the clever app also serves as an audio guide (much like a gallery show) in which artists explain the mural themes.
Those who’re inspired and want to take action can also connect with area organizations participating in the show via the app.
This show arrives downtown after Houston was selected as one of six cities to join the Zero Hunger campaign launched last year by World Food Program USA in partnership with Street Art for Mankind.
But it's also partly the brainchild of Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis. The longtime Houston politico came across a #ZeroHungerMurals painted on the back of the Hampton Inn downtown by renowned artist Dragon76, and was inspired to create a downtown art walk.
“Our universal mission is to use the power of art to trigger conversations that lead to social change,” said SAM co-founders Audrey and Thibault Decker, “and we hope Houstonians and visitors alike will appreciate the spectacular artistic merit of the downtown murals, all of which are inclusive and positive pieces that we hope will bring the community together around an inspired vision for Houston.”
For more information on the artists and their murals, visit the official show site.
