Cultural Affairs Office
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City of Houston Selects Local Artist to Commission Murals at Denver Harbor Multi-Service Center
Artist Seeks Input from Denver Harbor Residents to Incorporate Into Mural Design
Houston Artist David Maldonado
April 11, 2022 -- The City of Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (MOCA) and the Houston Health Department (HHD) are pleased to announce a forthcoming Civic Art commission for the Denver Harbor Multi-Service Center. The City of Houston has selected and approved local artist David Maldonado’s mural concept for the entrance of the renovated facility, which is scheduled to be completed in July 2022.
Operated by the Houston Health Department, the Multi-Service Center provides social services, including educational and technology resources, access to healthy nutrition, senior services, and more.
“The Denver Harbor community is significant to our city, and so is its history,” said The Mayor. “The many partners involved in the development of this project agree that a community-centric artwork, which allows the story of Denver Harbor to be told, is essential for the success of these murals. We look forward to seeing Artist David Maldonado engage with the residents of Denver Harbor and debut an original artwork that truly represents the community.”
The selection panel, led by Houston Arts Alliance (HAA), was comprised of Arts professionals as well as City and community representatives who reviewed and scored artist qualifications. Panelists included Denver Harbor resident and host of All Real Radio Deniz Lopez, visual artists Venessa Monokian and Blake Bermel, aka Mez Data, community representative and Denver Harbor business owner Rene Porras, and Houston Health Department representative Roy Villarreal.
David Maldonado is a Houston-based visual artist on the rise. Recently, he was tapped to develop the logo for Bravo’s Houston season of Top Chef, representing the City of Houston through his artwork nation-wide. Stylistically, David’s artwork is inspired by Mexican-American folk art, storytelling, street culture, and the Mexican muralist movement. He has developed a distinctive artistic style that speaks to diverse people and ties together patterns, textiles, graphic, and organic elements.
In the artist’s words, “For the large-scale mural at the entrance, my overall vision is to incorporate imagery that symbolizes and reflects the many different resources that the Multi-Service Center offers within. For example, floral patterns can represent the community garden. The center’s program areas of health and fitness, education, financial well-being, and community gatherings all offer major themes to be explored. This creative process will extend to the two smaller murals and to the bench at the entrance as well.”
David and his team are excited to share their concept for the artwork with the Denver Harbor community and are currently asking for feedback from the area’s residents to incorporate into the mural design. Two community meetings have been scheduled at the Denver Harbor Multi-Service Center on Thursday April 14 at 11:00AM and Saturday April 16 at 10:00AM for community feedback and to meet the artist.
The Denver Harbor Multi-Service Center commissioned murals are made possible through the City of Houston's Civic Art Program, managed by The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, which provides exciting opportunities for Houstonians and visitors to engage with art in public spaces. Under contract and in partnership with MOCA, Houston Arts Alliance administers these city-funded public opportunities to acquire and conserve the City of Houston's public artworks.
About The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs
The City of Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs guides the City’s cultural investments with policies and initiatives that expand access to arts and cultural programs in the community, attract visitors and leverage private investment. Learn more at www.houstontx.gov/culturalaffairs and follow us on Facebook & Instagram @HoustonMOCA.
About Houston Arts Alliance
Houston Arts Alliance (HAA) is a local arts and culture organization whose principal work is to implement the City of Houston’s vision, values, and goals for its arts grantmaking and civic art investments. HAA also executes privately funded special projects to meet the needs of the arts community, such as disaster preparation, research on the state of the arts in Houston, and temporary public art projects that energize neighborhoods. To learn more about HAA, visit www.houstonartsalliance.com and follow us on Facebook & Instagram @HoustonArtsAlliance.
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