This October, the city will be transformed into an open-air gallery for BIG ART. BIGGER CHANGE. On October 15, the exhibition will see the display of a series of large-scale art pieces in Downtown, Houston in an effort to initiate conversation leading to social change.
Wednesday morning, Central Houston, Inc. (CHI) announced what’ll probably be the “biggest” art event of the year in Houston.
With funding provided by Houston Downtown Management District (Downtown District) and its corporate partner TotalEnergies, CHI will host 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 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,” CHI President and CEO Kris Larson said in a press release.
“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.”
BIG ART. BIGGER CHANGE. will feature nine large-scale works of art from 10 renowned artists, including three native Houstonians.
The artists, and the locations of their works, are as follows:
- Sonny Sundancer – Hilton Americas; 1600 Lamar
- Emily Ding – Four Seasons; Austin St.
- Carlos Alberto GH – Green Street; Southeast corner of Fannin & Dallas
- Christian Blanxer – 1010 Lamar St.; Northeast corner of Fannin & Dallas
- Bimbo Adebugba
- Victor Ash – The Sam Houston; 1117 Prairie St.
- Lula Goce – Replublic Building; 1018 Preston St.
- Case Maclaim – Scanlan; 405 Main St.
- Ana Marietta – Cotton Exchange; Franklin St.
- Belin – Franklin Garage; 805 Franklin 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.