For the past two years, the City of Houston has continued to transform into an open-air gallery for BIG ART. BIGGER CHANGE for the “biggest” art event of the year.The exhibition saw the creation of a series of large-scale art pieces in Downtown, Houston in an effort to initiate conversation leading to social change and solidify Houston as “The New Street Art Destination.”
Presently, the series is in its fourth season with a new series of 10 more massive and captivating murals in support of Street Art for Mankind, currently going up in Houston.
With funding provided by Houston Downtown Management District (Downtown District) and the City of Houston, and its corporate partner TotalEnergies, CHI has hosted the massive Downtown art walk with production partner Street Art for Mankind (SAM).
Inspired by #ZeroHungerMurals by Dragon76 on the back-facing facade of Hampton Inn in Downtown, Harris County Commissioner, Rodney Ellis would soon conceive of the idea for Big Art. Bigger Change. an art project that seeks to unite communities through “multiple large-scale murals spanning from Hilton Americas Houston Hotel to the Historic District”.
“We hope that you will get a chance to discover live, in the streets of Houston, this inspiring and uplifting outdoor museum made of 29 large pieces of Art, tackling all 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the @United Nations,” Street Art For Mankind wrote in an Instagram post.
BIG ART. BIGGER CHANGE. Season 5 features 10 large-scale works of art from local artists, each inspired by the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The artists, and the locations of the new series, are as follows:
- Amy Sol – 1319 Prairie Street
- Onur – 1070 Dallas Street
- Beau Graff – 901 Commerce Street
- Insane51 – 8686 Kirby Dr
- Edosa Ogiugo – 2731 El Camino St
- John Biggers – 15107 Cullen Blvd
- Miss Audri – 15109 Cullen Blvd
Previous seasons artists and murals include:
- Aches – Back of Houston Ballet Bdg., Cross. Louisiana & Congress St.
- Adry del Rocio – Republic Bdg., Cross. Fannin & Preston St.
- Aleksei Bordusov – back of the Icon Hotel, 220 Main St.
- Zú Art Collective – back of the New Hope Bdg. Cross. Congress & La branch St.
- Ernest Zacharevic – 407 Fannin St, Cross. Fanning and Preston St.
- Art of Gii – Zydeco Diner, Cross. Louisiana & Pease St.
- Hera Herakut – Travis Garage Bdg, Cross. Polk & Travis St.
- Alexandre Hopare Monteiro – Houston House Bdg. Cross. Louisiana & Pease St.
- Saman and Sasan Oskouei – Public Works Bdg., Cross. Louisiana & Rusk St.
- Louis Michel – Public Works Bdg., Cross. Smith & Rusk St.
- Moh Awudu – UHD Bdg., Cross. Fannin & Commerce St.
- Mr Cenz – The De George at union Station Bdg., Cross. Austin & Prairie St.
- MrD1987 – La Fisheria Bdg,, Cross. Milam & Franklin St
- Nomad Clan – the Constable Bdg. Precinct 1, Cross. Austin & Preston St.
- Smug – the back of the SAM Houston Hotel, Cross. San Jacinto & Prairie St
- Vesod – the Hyatt Bdg., Cross. Polk & Louisiana St.
- Vinie – 1213 Prairie St.
- W3r3on3 – Market street Bdg. Cross. Walker & Main St.
- Emmanuel Jarus – New Hope Bdg., Cross. Preston & Austin St.
The themes of the pieces address goals for sustainable development with regard to climate change, green energy, and innovation, as well as human rights, education for all, and social equity.
For a more immersive experience, visitors can get an in-depth understanding of each mural through SAM’s “Behind the Wall” app, which features explanations of the works from artists and community leaders.