Family & Community Day:
Big Walls Big Dreams
Sunday, November 20th, 2022 | 11:00am – 3:00pm
Join us for a free, all-ages event featuring a new mural by Houston artist DUAL, part of UP Art Studio’s city-wide Big Walls, Big Dreams Festival. Meet the artist and explore his colorful creations. Join Break Free Worldwide for a breakdance performance and workshop, leave your mark on a collaborative Art Wall, move to the music and take your own DJ skills for a spin. Create a unique gyotaku print with The Printing Museum’s teaching artists and make art-inspired crafts to take home. Purchase a picnic lunch from the Allseason Eats Food Truck and enjoy a complimentary snack courtesy of UH Dining Services.
Event Location:
Outside near the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work at
DUAL stands for the conflict between “street art” and “fine” art, between freeway burners and gallery exhibitions, between mass recognition and total anonymity. He has been recognized not only for his work with silkscreen and spray paint, but also for his work with lithography and acrylics. Though his obsession with “making marks” stems from his background in graffiti, he has translated that into a passion for creating art. His “art” includes everything from large-scale murals, to paintings on canvas, to meticulously made tape collages, to the forgotten art of sign painting. Dual’s work has evolved from gestural character studies, to more hard edge abstraction with an added exploration of color – creating quite the dichotomy between the “street” artist and the “fine” artist. In addition to being a constant presence on the street and a fixture in the Houston art scene since 2005, DUAL has also pursued a formal arts education and his work has seen more than its fair share of gallery walls. DUAL has been featured in a number of exhibitions by some of the top names in the Houston art scene.
Performances & Workshops:
Pro Breakdance Performance: Get out on the dance floor! Move to the beat and learn new moves from Break Free Worldwide breakers. Open to all ages and experience levels. Be sure to check out the dance floor between 12:00pm-1:00pm for a pro breakers performance.
DJ Workshop: Enjoy DJ spinning and mixing throughout the event. Interested in giving the turntables a try? Stop at the DJ station from 1:00pm-2:00pm to join a hands-on workshop with Break Free Worldwide. Open to all ages and experience levels.
BRAIN Center: Learn more about the connection between art and the brain. Try on some simple, non-invasive brain scan headbands and sign up for upcoming art and neuroscience tours at UH.
Art Making Activities:
Art Wall: Make your mark using real spray paint under the guidance of a teaching artist from Break Free Worldwide. Use the same materials and methods as DUAL and other mural artists to add your own style to this collaborative Art Wall.
Gyotaku Fish Prints: Gyotaku (meaning “fish impression”) is a form of nature printing where each print is one-of-a-kind. It was originally used by Japanese fishermen to record their catch. Join The Printing Museum’s teaching artists to learn about this fun form of printing and make your own unique fish prints using tempera paint and silicone fish molds (sorry, no fresh fish!).
Chromo Color Spinners: Create colorful, dynamic spinners inspired by Carlos Cruz-Diez’s Double Physichromie (2009). Compare how colors interact when they are still and when they are in motion. See this and other art-inspired projects you can complete at home at: https://publicartuhs.org/public-art-studio.
Refreshments:
Purchase a picnic lunch from the Allseason Eats food truck, then find a spot to eat and practice drawing with the materials provided! Grab a complimentary snack courtesy of UH Dining Services.
Parking & Transportation:
Free parking vouchers are available for the Elgin Street Garage only. The Elgin Street Garage is located at 4224 Elgin Street; please follow signs for the Visitor Entrance. For information about all visitor parking options at the University of Houston, please visit: https://uh.edu/af-university-services/parking/parking-on-campus/visitor.
There is a free, standard bicycle rack adjacent to the mural. BCycle Stations are located nearby at the Blaffer Art Museum and at Student Center South. For a map of all BCycle stations, please see www.houstonbcycle.com.
The closest METRO stop is UH South/University Oaks on the Purple Line. Multiple bus lines also serve the University of Houston campus. For a transit map, please visit: www.ridemetro.org.
Presented in Partnership with:
