What's next for Austin's graffiti park as HOPE Outdoor Gallery plans its permanent home
AUSTIN (KXAN) -- As Austin-based Cumby Group LLC purchased the 1.2-acre property at the former home of HOPE Outdoor Gallery and graffiti park moved forward in 2019, HOPE Outdoor Gallery announced plans for a new permanent home, according to the HOPE Outdoor Gallery website.
Future plans for HOPE Outdoor Gallery
A 17.7-acre, open-air cultural events center, community art park and technology gallery is expected to open soon in Austin, across from the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, the website said.
Furthermore, there will be ways to feed your mind and soul, the website said. From coffee to cocktails, the new location will have the following:
- Cafe
- Rooftop bar
- Art supply
- Food trucks
- Community walls
- Local vendors
"The new location will allow us to expand upon our rich foundation of art education classes, community events, and more professional development for Austin creative community," the website said.
KXAN reached out to the gallery team for more information. We will update this story if we receive a response.
The history of graffiti park
The original gallery launched in March 2010 at "The Foundation," according to the website. "The Foundation" was a failed condo development from the 1980s that was left underdeveloped until Andi Scull, the HOPE campaign executive producer at the time, turned the failed development into a temporary art installation, the website said.
Contemporary artist Shepard Fairey helped the gallery install its first mural, which would be the first of thousands, according to the website.
Over the next 10 years, the gallery became an Austin destination that brought together artists, families, students, activists and tourists, the website said.
No word on when the park will open, but enjoy a pop-up event for now
The gallery teamed up with the Museum of Graffiti to host a pop-up event through March 28, according to the organization's Instagram post.
According to the gallery's Instagram post, the exhibit is called "The Art of Hip Hop."
The first-ever pop-up exhibit celebrates the 50 years of hip hop by presenting the works of photographers, album cover artists, logo designers and graffiti writers who are responsible for the visual identity of the genre, the post said.
Austinites can stop by the event and get a can of custom Loop Paint made exclusively for the gallery, the post said. Furthermore, the cans are free with the purchase of a brick that goes into building the HOPE park.
Museum of Graffiti said 100% of the proceeds go to benefit summer programs and creative camps at the new gallery, where young Austinites will learn about careers that exist within the creative industries and tech companies in Austin.
The pop-up event is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., located at 809 E. Sixth St., according to the gallery's post.
You can still see a 3D walk-through of the former park
In 2019, Vice President of Interactive Development at SubVRsive Ian Villamin said the company wanted to preserve the park and make it a snapshot in time to share with everyone.
In May 2019, SuBRsive sent crews and deployed a drone to take 10,000 pictures of the gallery.
Then, the company created a 3D walk-through using virtual reality and augmented reality.