Get in on it
Your cheat sheet to Houston's alt art weekend: Artcrawl, Via Colori & bikes
It's a great weekend for street art lovers in Houston.Photo by Brian Wagner
Whether you're into Artcrawl or Via Colori — or both — the streets will be fullof art.Photo by Asem Sheshtawy
Motherdog Studios is ground zero for Artcrawl.Photo by John Runnels
This weekend presents an unprecedented level of access to fringe art currents with the Via Colori street painting festival and Artcrawl. While you can savor the alternative aesthetics on foot, this selection is anything but pedestrian.
On Saturday and Sunday, the streets of downtown will transform into a massive unconventional art gallery and canvas as part of Via Colori, presented by AOL (yes, it still exists). The affair benefits the Center for Hearing and Speech's programs for hearing-impaired children.
During the free-to-the-public fest, more than 15,000 attendees will witness artists signing, kneeling and lying down, equipped with pastels to bring the asphalt to life. A medley of 250 artists, 16 live bands and more than 15 interactive activities will turn the typically desolate weekend downtown landscape into a not-to-be-missed art event at Sam Houston Park, which runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
A massive 1,800-square-foot street painting mural, the brainchild of the Via Colori 2009 featured artist, Melanie Stimmell Van Latum, will be produced before and during the festival. Entitled The Art of Sound, the work will depict a hearing-impaired child's journey to hearing capability. Van Latum will be assisted by seven other professional artists, along with 59 student artists from KIPP Academy. Now that's Via Colori amore.
Swing a bit to the east for the edgier Artcrawl, a once a year peak into the studios of Houston's underground artists. With Commerce and Nance streets as its locus and the remainder of the warehouse district as the stomping grounds, the Artcrawl is your chance to be initiated to the city's lesser known art incubators, such as the all-female creative complex Canal Street Studios and trés cool collective El Rincon Social.
Other standout spots include the tortilla factory-turned-studio, Atelier Jacquinet and historic architecture marvels like the Elder Street Artist Lofts and Fifth Ward Hotel. The free art party starts at 10 a.m. on Saturday with Motherdog Studios as HQ, and continues until 9 p.m.
Kick it up an indie notch by trekking between the studios on your bicycle. Headed up by FotoFest and Pedal Houston, the Bike Scramble takes place from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The tour allows for photo-ops and participants' images will be posted on the FotoFest website.
FotoFest has curated an insiders' route, which includes a tour of Telephone Road's Tlaquepaque Market and a lunch at Villa Arcos. Register and sign the required waiver here.
