Non-profit features original artworks to give visual interest and enhance memorable experiences
“Food insecurity and hunger are serious topics, but we also want to make sure people have fun, memorable experiences while they are at the Houston Food Bank helping their community, and we felt like local art was a great way to do this,” says Brian Greene, president/CEO of Houston Food Bank. “We are so fortunate to have so many great artists and creatives in Houston, and we love seeing the reaction of volunteers and guests when they experience the pieces at our facility.”
Throughout the space, visitors will see signs in locations that are great visual backdrops, and
are designated with small signs that say “Instagram moment.” These are ideal places to take photos to record their time at the Food Bank and to post on social media. Houston Food Bank likes to refer to selfies taken while volunteering as “helpies” and encourages people to post them with #helpie.
“The hands-on aspect of creating art and the hands-on nature of volunteering at Houston Food Bank is a commonality that we celebrate by having both side-by-side at the food bank,” says Greene.
The first mural was created by Daniel Anguilu in Fall 2019 and is in the Repack Room, a large space used for sorting and packing and for meetings and events. The piece features Anguilu’s signature bold color palette with black outlines and spans two walls and soars 30 feet high. Anguilu started painting graffiti at an early age, mostly using freight trains and walls as his canvases, and his art is increasingly visible around his hometown of Houston. He has been invited and traveled to many cities in the US, Mexico, Peru, Spain, and Italy to paint graffiti and to participate in graffiti art exhibits, and Houston Food Bank is so honored to have his work gracing their walls. Anguilu’s style is deeply inspired by his Mexican heritage, and mostly manifests itself as large scale, aerosol murals. He strongly believes in freedom of expression and the need to use this expression to decorate public spaces.
Anguilu description of his mural at the Food Bank: “The sun is our source of energy, rain is the love that falls down on earth to bring life the corn – the gift of our ancestors, thousands of years of working with plants, corn brought us together to create culture. Painting this mural reminds me that I always have my culture as a Mexican to understand water and our relationship to rain, and to create my own definition of a bank and to share art with my community that is smart and big as an elephant. Paz.” http://stationmuseum.com/?page_id=3073
A second mural is currently in progress by Michael C. Rodriguez, an artist and multimedia designer who interweaves fine art, street art, the art of illustration and graphic design while addressing the constructs of 21st century painting, most specifically pop art. His unique style and subjects have earned him a reputation as one of the original voices in Houston’s art scene.
His mural for Houston Food Bank is titled “Houston Gives” and anchors the long entryway from the employee/overflow parking lot behind the warehouse building which leads to the main building. “During my tour at the Houston Food Bank, I was pleasantly surprised about the number of people who are being helped. It was also great to see the amount of people who donate food and volunteer,” says Rodriguez. “I started to brainstorm about possible concepts for the mural and how to illustrate everything I learned on my tour. I had the idea of painting different areas of Houston based on top of different types of food. The food represents visually how integrated HFB is in our city and communities.”
Through his works, Rodriguez also nods to nature, celebrating members of the animal kingdom. Utilizing crisp, linear compositions and compelling characters he creates an experience of bringing the beauty of the past to the present. Some of his accomplishments include mural commissions for the Houston Children’s Museum, Houston Zoo, Houston Texans, Houston Astros, Lululemon, Starbucks, Shake Shack, Rice Village District and JW Marriott. His illustration work has been in national publications such as Variety, Wired, and Juxtapoz; and in local publications, Houston Chronicle, Houstonia, and Houston Modern Luxury. In 2018, Rodriguez’s artwork was used in a Houston-related segment on the NBC show, “Little Big Shots,” and he was commissioned to design the official artwork for the Houston Art Car Parade 2018.
Another piece by Rodriguez is featured on Main Street in the volunteer area. “Teamwork” was painted for the Houston Texans, a dedicated partner of the Houston Food Bank, who gifted the piece to the Food Bank to be displayed for volunteers to enjoy. www.michaelcrodriguez.com.
Houston Artist Sarah Fisher’s “That was Harvey. This is Houston,” created in 2017-2018, is a 120”x192” oil on canvas. The piece was created during Hurricane Harvey and traveled to various places in Houston during and after the storm, including Houston Food Bank. It has now found a permanent home along the Food Bank’s Main Street in the volunteer area. From Fisher: “To commemorate the magnanimity of Houstonians’ resilient and altruistic response to Hurricane Harvey, I painted this monumental, human-scale, eight-panel, oil-on-canvas portrait of my fellow volunteers. This group worked together seamlessly accepting donations outside NRG Center the day after Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and BakerRipley CEO Angela Blanchard opened a shelter there to care for people impacted by the storm. These volunteers exemplify the whole-hearted spirit that emerged all over the city and carried Houston through those dark, anxious days last September.”
Fisher records the human need to be authentically seen. She works with oil, graphite, marker, linocut and mixed media on canvas, paper, fabric and wood, Sarah creates two- and three dimensional portraits, usually from photography she creates on her cell phone. Her subjects
share a strong sense of self — and a willingness to be known. www.sarahfisherart.com/
Myke Venable is fascinated by geometry and designing patterns, and approaches art with a Holistic approach. His philosophy behind art is positive with mindfulness, and his art found its way into people’s home, buildings, and now his piece “Slipstream” is on view at the Food Bank. The 4’x8’ piece is latex paint and acrylic on wood, a trapezium with lines that represent different timelines, in a slipstream shifting into different timelines. “Once you set a timeline you get into the slipstream. Energy.” Philosophy of the art: “Representation of timelines as it relates to slipstreams. Relates to getting into the flow of life and energy. It’s a mindset, focused and effortless. Meditative. Mindfulness. Creating positive art focus through color and shape. Based on Universal Geometry.” https://mykevenable.com/
A piece by Dan Dunn of Paintjam welcomes employees and visitors on the second floor of the main employee/overflow parking lot entrance. Dunn has been speed painting since 2004, appearing on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and the Pregame Super Bowl Show. He has performed all over the world, and sales of his paintings have raised millions of dollars for charities. His star rose in 2007 when his 13-year-old daughter posted his video on YouTube. “The Apple” for Houston Food Bank was painted to music before a live audience at an outdoor fundraising event in October 2017. It was commissioned by Rob Schanen. https://paintjam.com/
Following Hurricane Harvey and the unprecedented flooding caused by the storm, the Houston Food Bank was in turn inundated by a tremendous outpouring of support from donors of food, funds and time. Hearts and hands were opened to us from within our community, across the United States and literally around the world. As an expression of the Houston Food Bank’s gratitude, they asked artist Laura Lopez Cano to create a one-of-a-kind piece of art to commemorate the experience. The painting captures the vibrant compassion of those who contributed to disaster relief, in addition to the Houston Food Bank’s ongoing leadership in the fight against hunger. Cano’s style blends acrylics with oils on large canvases capturing the beauty, strength, elegance and pride of Latinas and all people of color. The piece was reproduced and given as a thank you to donors and supporters for their support during and after Harvey. The original painting hangs in the Houston Food Bank. http://lauralopezcano.com/
One of the Community Rooms features original black & white photography from students of Houston Center for Photography. “Focus on Hunger” is the result of a collaboration between the Houston Food Bank and Houston Center for Photography. The aim of the exhibition is to portray the story and faces of hunger in Houston through a series of photographic works by local artists. The exhibition was created during an intense workshop organized by Houston Center for Photography and led by HCP instructor Lynn Lane. Students of all levels visited events including food fairs and summer camps, which are part of the Food Bank‘s regular programming. Through the documentation of these events, the photographers sought to portray the different individuals that are affected by hunger, including Houston Food Bank clients, staff and volunteers. In the process, students learned how to print and edit their photographs to better convey a story – in this case, the story of the effect of hunger in Houston. Project supported by Joan Morganstern.
At the Food Banks previous headquarters, they had a mural done by Suzanne Sellers in the main lobby that welcomed guests and also served as a photo backdrop. Colorful produce and part of a skyline fill the piece, centered around a box with the Food Bank’s logo. When the Food Bank moved to their current main warehouse/offices in 2011, they brought the mural with them and it is now in the warehouse. http://www.suzannesellers.com/