Graffiti in Houston

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Graffiti in Houston GulftonGraffiti0.JPG
Graffiti in Houston

Graffiti is a cause of disagreement among residents of Houston, in the U.S. state of Texas. [1] The city has as large graffiti community, according to the Houston Chronicle . [2]

Contents

Events and instances

One of Houston's first graffiti and street art show "Bombs, Burners, Scribbles and Tags" was held at REF Studios in Montrose in 1993. [3] Johnathan Estes' graffiti art showcase was the largest in Greater Houston and among the largest in the nation. [4]

The outdoor gallery Graffiti Park and its Houston Graffiti Building are popular sites for photography. [5] One mural at the park by artist GONZO247(Mario Figueroa) has the text "I Heart Houston" and images of French fries and other fast food. [6] The park is features many murals created by the city's graffiti scene. [7]

The Houston Museum of Natural Science's annual "Trains Over Texas" display has paid tribute to the city's graffiti artists. [8]

A replica of a NASA space shuttle at Space Center Houston was vandalized with graffiti in 2013. [9] Students added pro-Trump graffiti on the campus of Rice University in 2017. [10] The city has seen "yarn graffiti" and works inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic. [11] [12] Houston has also seen a series of "Rowdy" tags. [13]

GONZO247 painted the "Houston Is Inspired" mural, among many others, [14] [15] [16] and started the HUE Mural Festival in 2015. [17] He also announced the creation of the Graffiti and Street Art Museum of Texas. [18]

Removal efforts

Not all of the graffiti has been artistic. In July of 2009, following a report of vandalism in the women's quarters of the Intercontinental Airport Fire Station 54, racist graffiti was left on their door. [19]

The Houston Police Department is responsible for graffiti removal within city limits. [20] Metro removes graffiti when cleaning bus stops. [21] The Greater East End Management District started an abatement program in 2001. [22]

See also

References

  1. Ortiz, Alvaro 'Al' (2017-07-04). "Crew That Takes Care Of Houston's Graffiti Has New And More Efficient Device To Clean Up – Houston Public Media". www.houstonpublicmedia.org. Archived from the original on 2022-05-22. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  2. David, Jamil. "You're not tripping, 'juice boxes' are everywhere in Houston". Chron. Archived from the original on 2025-03-18. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  3. "How Street Art Took Over Houston". Houstonia Magazine. Archived from the original on 2024-09-05. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  4. "R.I.P., Johnathan Estes, ruler of Houston's largest graffiti showcase". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2015-08-14. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  5. Soslow, Robin. "Uncovering the art that brings Houston's Graffiti Park to life". Chron. Archived from the original on 2025-03-18. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  6. Soslow, Robin. "Where to spot Houston's most vibrant murals and street art". Chron. Archived from the original on 2024-09-24. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  7. Borchelt, Nathan (January 9, 2019). "Drinking Our Way Through Houston's Beer, Food and Graffiti Scene". Paste . Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  8. Shey, Brittanie. "'Trains Over Texas' exhibit celebrates Houston's graffiti artists". Chron. Archived from the original on 2024-01-26. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  9. "Space Shuttle Replica Vandalized with Graffiti in Houston". Space. 2013-11-29. Archived from the original on 2024-10-04. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  10. Blakinger, Keri (January 15, 2017). "Students identified as vandals behind pro-Trump graffiti on Rice campus". Chron. Archived from the original on February 5, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  11. Ward, Rebekah F. "Montrose residents 'yarn bomb' mature oak trees, protesting their loss to sidewalk expansion". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2025-04-06. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  12. Hennes, Rebecca. "New coronavirus-inspired art, murals to see around Houston". Chron. Archived from the original on 2024-02-20. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  13. Hennes, Rebecca. "Who is Rowdy? Why Houston residents are tracking this graffiti artist's daring tags". Chron. Archived from the original on 2024-07-11. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  14. Britto, Brittany. "Houston graffiti artist GONZO247 to paint first mural on University of St. Thomas campus". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2025-01-04. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  15. "Iconic downtown H-Town mural getting a 10th anniversary refresh". khou.com. 2023-05-16. Archived from the original on 2023-09-30. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  16. "Houston graffiti artist transforms city's street art". ABC13 Houston. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  17. Bishop, Amy (2016-10-18). "Houston Experiences A Surge In Graffiti This Week – But It's All Legal". Houston Public Media. Archived from the original on 2022-05-23. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  18. Hlavaty, Craig (2015-08-31). "Houston 'graffiti museum' would be the first of its kind in U.S." Chron. Archived from the original on 2022-05-22. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  19. "Firefighters discover racist graffiti in Houston station". The Victoria Advocate. Retrieved 10 May 2025.
  20. "Harris County inmates help remove graffiti through sheriff's ..." Houston Chronicle. February 9, 2018. Archived from the original on February 9, 2018. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  21. Begley, Dug (August 16, 2019). "Cleaner bus stops in Houston area to cost Metro $21.5 million annually". Houston Chronicle.
  22. Mulvaney, By Erin. "Graffiti abatement program helps targeted businesses". Houston Chronicle.