For over a decade, the HOPE Outdoor Gallery off Lamar was a haven for Austin’s artistic community, an exhibition space without walls or curators. Now, six years after that location closed, the new purpose-built HOPE Outdoor Gallery near the airport will open later this month.
The unique space will include outdoor spray can work from over 30 street artists including Miles Starkey, Emily Ding, Kimie Flores, and … well, you. The whole point of the outdoor gallery has always been to make it free and accessible to budding and established artists, a laboratory space for experimentation that has helped hone the skills that became careers.
As recounted in our October cover story, the process has been a lengthy one, but on Nov. 28 the 8-acre site at 741 Dalton Ln. will finally host a special Thanksgiving weekend kickoff. After that, its regular winter opening hours will be Wednesday to Sunday, 10am-6pm.
The old location actually reused the unfinished foundations for an abandoned condo project. Sponsored by the Nouns DAO Community, the new site was designed to fit the needs of the community complete with a 6,000 square foot event space, outdoor parks, bathrooms, offices, a gift shop and an art supply store, and of course endless paintable walls. Not only that, but the first 50 guests through the door every day will receive a special limited-edition print designed and signed by an old friend of the project, street art legend Shepard Fairey, until stocks run out.
RSVP for the opening weekend here and read more about the history and future of the project in our Oct. 10 cover story, “A New HOPE.”
