“What in the world?” I thought out loud, as my eyes caught bright patches of color peeking out from behind a cluster of trees.
Intrigued, I park my car, grabbed my Nikon, and walked around a bend to the other side of the thicket, where I was greeted by the abandoned bones of a 3-story building literally crawling with people of all ages, gender, and color. I watched in awe as they climbed, clambered, and spray painted the old walls.
Standing proudly at the skeleton’s core was a sign, accessorized with a dangling crystal chandelier, which announced “Hope Outdoor Gallery.”
Both amazed and bemused, I walked the full parameter to take in the scene. As I gazed upward towards what appeared to be a castle’s turret atop the old structure, I witnessed a young person bringing to life a gorgeous Japanese-inspired serpent of a creature—its long, luminescent green and purple scaly torso elegantly gliding along with both purpose and power.
I strolled further into the labyrinth, weaving in and out and through its small corners and pockets. At each juncture I discovered a new piece of art. When I’d turn back to where I was just moments ago, the art had changed: an engraving, which read “LOVE,” had magically transformed from multi-tie-dye colors to the brilliant color of gold, and a dazzling ocean scene had morphed into a beautiful blue eye of a women, silently watching the art around her shift, change, move, and speak.
This unique art space is the brainchild of a local nonprofit named “HOPE,” which supports social causes through art and creativity. HOPE renovated and launched the space, aka Graffiti Park, in 2011 to the public to be used for spray- and mural-painting.
Once an urban photographer’s dream, now a virtual reality, the park closed on January 2, 2019. The plans are to add a new space for HOPE Gallery at Carson Creek, across from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, in 2020.