Arts in Context

Austin artist uses Japanese heritage to design dazzling works of wearable art

One of Echo Higuchi's creations.

Photo courtesy of Echo Higuchi

Editor's note: CultureMap is proud to present the latest installment in our partnership with KLRU's documentary series Arts In Context. The series explores the process of creation and what it's like to be a working artist in the Austin area. You can watch more stories at klru.org/artsincontext.

Echo Higuchi always had her sights set on being a fashion designer, but life has a funny way of making dreams come true. The Japanese daughter of two artists found herself performing as a fire dancer, but when she needed a new costume it was her chance to begin creating wearable art.

"For me, this is natural," she says. "I make things every day. I come up with different ideas, and I love friends who always give me ideas. Everything is all about collaboration."

Part of Higuchi's name even mirrors the Chinese symbol for art, so it was natural that she would build a career out of creative construction.

"We put the best of our ability into one project, to make beautiful pieces," Higuchi says. "I feel so happy that people are wearing my art and using it to do their art."

KLRU-TV, Austin PBS is dedicated to telling stories that entertain, inspire, and change our lives. KLRU highlights what makes Austin unique — whether music, arts, or public issues — by creating and distributing award-winning original content. KLRU produces several series including Austin City Limits, Arts In Context, Central Texas Gardener, Decibel, and Overheard with Evan Smith. As a nonprofit educational organization, KLRU also prepares children to succeed in school and creates lifelong learning opportunities for all.

The Return of Hope

Austin's famous graffiti park opens next week after 6 years

Hope Outdoor Gallery founder Andi Scull

Photo courtesy of Hope Outdoor Gallery

Gallery founder Andi Scull sits in the new space.

An Austin landmark that seemed like it'd been lost to time is ready to make its comeback in a new location. Hope Outdoor Gallery, now located at 741 Dalton Ln. will open to the public Friday, November 28. Hope is free to visit.

There will also be a soft opening day on Wednesday, November 26, that is now invite-only.

The gallery on Castle Hill was famous for its urban-yet-organic feel, presenting graffiti in its natural form on somewhat messy external walls rather than bringing it inside to be hung against stark white backgrounds. It also offered some positive sensory overload through overlapping colors, textures, and a lot of text to take in.

In 2016, Hope announced that it was looking for a location that offered better foot traffic and was less expensive to maintain. The original location wasn't even meant to hold up long-term, since the gallery was meant to be temporary before public sentiment enshrined it as one of Austin's collective favorite art installations.

The team broke ground on the Dalton Lane site in 2019, when the original spot was sold to a luxury condo developer, but immediately faced delays due to construction logistics and the COVID-19 pandemic. Technically, Austinites who thought to look for more information were always assured the gallery would come back, but some found it hard to believe throughout years of delays.

Hope Outdoor Gallery sign The minimalist sign is a nice foil to the colorful chaos below.Photo courtesy of Hope Outdoor Gallery

The current version features the work of more than 30 street artists, some on concrete that was brought over from the last location. Whereas the original location felt like a tiered set of ruins, this one is laid out more like a park, including an interesting central circle wall. The property also has 6,000 square feet of gallery event space, a coffee bar with snacks and "adult beverages," and a retail gift shop and art supply store. Space can also be rented for private events.

Some of the art will even be visible by plane, thanks to a five-foot sign by Ben Dixon of Impossible Graphics that says "hope."

Support for the new gallery and its opening comes from a few sources. On an individual level, people were able to support the construction by "buying" a brick, which the owner's name would be engraved in. The Nouns DAO Community, an NFT network for fundraising, is also a major sponsor.

For the opening itself, street art campaign Obey Giant will release a limited edition, signed poster by Shepard Fairey, the artist behind the campaign, the gallery's logo, and the famous Obama "Hope" poster. The gallery will gift 50 free prints to the first visitors each day while supplies last.

Local transportation management association Movability will also launch a new rewards program for people who carpool to the gallery. Carpoolers will also get priority parking.

For its first weekend, the gallery will be open all weekend from 10 am to 6 pm daily. The rest of the winter will have the same hours from Wednesdays to Sundays. All ages are welcome.

The artists who contributed, as listed in a press release, include:

Miles Starkey, Emily Ding, Kimie Flores, Bradford Maxfield, Daddy Otis, Matt Tru, Wiley Ross, J Muzacz, ATX Sire, Mason Lackey, Joemark Asevedo, Phoebe Joynt, John McKenzie, Billy Tavis, Nico Cathcart, Lena Ugren, Taylor Barnes, Daniel Toledo, Cameron Moberg, Natalie Shugalio, Jason Abrams, Patrick McGregor, Allison Bamcat, Brittany Johnson, Kristen Sandlan, Kaitlin Zeismer, John Van Horn, Lemon, Megan Kind, and more.

graffiti murals galleries openings

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