Aside from the plethora of Daniel Anguilu murals blanketing downtown and midtown (and elsewhere), Houston has had tons of mural activity recently. The Houston Chronicle reported on Gonzo247’s latest mural in Houston’s Rice Village and cw39.com documented the “gentrification monsters” mural by Ackzilla (“Ack”), located near the Station Museum.
On Saturday, August 6, at 10:30am, there will be a dedication of “Rail to the Sea,” a mural project created for the City of Houston by Leadership Houston Class XXXIV, with support from the Washington Avenue Arts District. The Houston Arts Alliance was also involved to commission local artist/writer/scuba diver Janavi M. Folmsbee for the project. Council Member David Robinson will accept the dedication on behalf of the City. Food and beverages will be served; free tickets are available here.
The Washington Avenue Arts District is also curating an 800-foot mural/fine art wall along the South side of the new Art Alley outdoor gallery area in the heart of the Sawyer Yards Creative Campus. This first iteration of the project will be completed by ten local artists selected through an open call process. Each artist will be given between forty to eighty feet of wall space. The project is not limited to traditional muralists; it will also allow for alternative artistic applications, such as vinyl, sculpture or other means of display. Project guidelines will push artists to work together to ultimately create one cohesive final piece. To achieve this, artists will be required to integrate their pieces with the two works on either side of their own, resulting in a collaborative art installation that flows continuously for the entire length of the wall. The deadline to submit is Wednesday, August 17, at 11:59pm. Installation begins September 6. For more info and to fill out the application form, go here. (There is no entry fee and artists receive a $1,000 stipend.)
