Downtown Austin Graffiti Park Relocation Postponed

AUSTIN, TX — The relocation of the graffiti art park in downtown Austin has been postponed until next year, officials said. .

The HOPE Outdoor Gallery was expected to be relocated last month near the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport but will remain open on Baylor Street through October, officials said in an update sent to Patch. Plans call for eventually relocating the park at Carson Creek Ranch, a 58-acre ranch on the banks of the Colorado River in Southeast Austin.

Now, plans call for the park to be relocated in spring 2019, according to park officials. The postponement is attributable to various factors, including construction timeline updates, delays caused by contractor bids, cost changes and permitting requirements, according to reports.

HOPE Outdoor Gallery officials said in their press advisory this week that that construction plans have begun for the new location of the art park at Carson Creek Ranch, a scenic 58-acre ranch nestled on the banks of the Colorado River near the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA). The project is also announcing an updated construction timeline, details on fundraising efforts, and additional project partners.

The HOPE Outdoor Gallery is managed by HOPE Events, the 501(c)3 nonprofit behind the Sunday HOPE Farmers Market at Plaza Saltillo in East Austin. In November 2017, the organization first announced that the art park would open a new permanent home to provide for the ever-growing visitor traffic by local art lovers and travelers and expanded opportunities for artists, exhibitions, and arts education. The new park is now projected to open in Spring 2019, officials wrote.

The timeline for the relocation currently has the existing location of the HOPE Outdoor Gallery at 11th and Baylor Street in downtown Austin to remain as-is until October 2018, according to the update. It was previously announced that the Baylor Street location would begin relocation in June 2018. "After three years of thoughtful negotiations, the land ownership has been transferred to Mid City Development, a locally owned real estate development firm specializing in urban, high-quality, multi-family projects," officials said in thier advisory.

"To ensure the legacy of the community art park, Mid City is working with HOPE to create a program to allow for the art park to be forever recognized on Baylor Street," officials added. "The program includes public art spaces programmed by HOPE within the Baylor Street redevelopment along with a custom art program designed by HOPE involving Mid City properties. Mid City is also working with HOPE to preserve a memorial piece of the concrete walls from Baylor Street to be brought to Carson Creek Ranch."

Jason Modzeleski, marketing manager of Mid City Development., said he was gratified to be associated with the project: “Mid City Development is honored to be a part of the collaboration in the future plans of the HOPE Outdoor Gallery. We look forward to celebrating the realization of their exciting plans for a bigger and more immersive art park. As a fellow community-minded Austin company, we greatly appreciate the unique experience and charity work that HOPE provides our community. The entire team at MCD is proud and excited to be involved on multiple levels in the continuing support and partnership with our friends at HOPE to help ensure their success into the future."

The new HOPE Outdoor Gallery location is being funded through a combination of private funding and public contributions. HOPE has raised funds partially through a Donor Brick program, where friends and supporters can make their mark on the new park by donating an engraved brick to be included as part of a memorial wall installation commemorating the art park’s roots. The organization has sold hundreds of bricks since enacting the fundraiser in November 2017. Those interested in participating in this program can visit http://hopeoutdoorgallery.donationbricks.com/.

Officials also described various changes that have been made to the park plans, which now include a larger event space and food and beverage program at the park. To accommodate these plans, longtime Austin hospitality entrepreneur C.K. Chin (Wu Chow, Swift’s Attic, Chintertainment) has joined the project to consult and manage the program, officials said. Chin brings his 20 years of hospitality expertise and devotion to the Austin arts community to enhance the offerings for the park. Further announcements will be made closer to the opening with additional details of the art programs and hospitality offerings at the HOPE Outdoor Gallery, officials said.
“I’ve always felt that hospitality had a natural affinity towards altruism, and while music has always been Austin’s namesake, culinary arts has cemented its place into the city’s ever-expanding tapestry,” Chin said in a prepared statement. “It’s incredible to be asked to be a part of a project where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It’s a way to do what I’ve been practicing for 20 years while simultaneously supporting Austin’s exploding art culture and the next generation of burgeoning artists.”

Additionally, HOPE officials announced that specialty events producer Gina Whittington (The Whitt Experience) will be joining the project and consulting on the event space development as well as event management and production. She brings almost two decades of event production expertise, and the project allows her to get back to her roots with creating experiences in an artistic venue.

“Events should make one feel included and part of a community, and they should leave inspired and wanting to extend that feeling of community in their world. Being a HOPE Board Member over the past 5 years has opened my eyes (and heart) to the direct impact our artists and partners have had on Austin," Whittington, owner of the Whitt Experience, said. "I am honored to be an integral part of bringing the new park to life through the thoughtfulness of the experience shared.”

Chin and Whittington join a team of Austin companies and creatives with a united vision for HOPE, which also now includes award-winning Austin landscape architecture design firm dwg, according to the advisory. "Owned by Daniel Woodroffe, dwg. brings their unparalleled vision for beautiful and useful landscapes to the project to ensure a transformation of the property’s ranch land to a welcoming park," officials said. "These companies and individuals have contributed their time and skills to the project because each of them believe in the importance of creating a long-term Austin art institution and creative space."

The HOPE Outdoor Gallery Project Team includes:

● Project Management: HOPE Events (Andi Scull Cheatham).
● Architectural Design: Chioco Design LLC (Jamie Chioco & Ben Dimmitt).
● Relocation Campaign: Preacher (Rob Baird).
● Construction: Formed, Inc. (Antonio Madrid).
● Legal: Vela Wood (Radney Wood).
● Landscape: dwg. (Daniel Woodroffe).
● Food and Beverage Consulting: Chintertainment (C.K. Chin).
● Event Management: The Whitt Experience (Gina Whittington).

The vision for the HOPE Outdoor Gallery includes an expansive network of walls, which, from above, display the word “HOPE”—a visible sign to airplanes flying into ABIA, officials disclosed. "The park will be an amenity for Austin and a one-of-a-kind cultural destination," they added.

Highlights of the HOPE Outdoor Gallery at Carson Creek Ranch:

● Extended wall space for artists.
● Daily public hours.
● Large outdoor park space with parking for guests.
● Art classes for youth and adult visitors.
● The ability to preserve the art created on the property.
● A safe, easily accessible environment for visitors of all ages.
● Ample space for private and public events.

Additional project milestones, fundraising activities and events will be announced in the upcoming months. For more information on the HOPE Outdoor Gallery, please find the project on Facebook under @HOPEOutdoorGallery and visit hopeoutdoorgallery.com.

ABOUT HOPE EVENTS:

HOPE Events is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit production organization that connects creatives with causes through projects and events to help mobilize people to get involved, create, and collaborate on social issues, arts education, and community causes. Launched in December of 2006 with the support of contemporary artist Shepard Fairey, HOPE works to provide platforms
that highlight the skills and talents of the creative class and their interest to have a social & humanitarian impact. HOPE Events is the charity that produces the HOPE (Helping Other People Everywhere) Campaign, HOPE Farmers Market, HOPE Outdoor Gallery, and Hops for HOPE Annual Art Show. For more information, visit http://hopecampaign.org/.

ABOUT MID CITY DEVELOPMENT:
Mid City Development is an Austin founded company that specializes in Urban infill development— focusing on the betterment of our neighborhoods by fulfilling housing and retail needs through community conscious development and construction.

ABOUT CHINTERTAINMENT:

Chintertainment was founded by C.K. Chin in 2001 after college as a graphic design company providing marketing and content for local businesses. For the next 10 years Chin continued to operate some of Austin’s most popular restaurants until opening up Swift’s Attic in 2012 followed by Wu Chow in 2016 to much fanfare. Chintertainment has since grown to a full service hospitality consulting company that focuses on assisting new owners in operations and marketing, allowing Chin the freedom to focus on his love for philanthropic and more altruistic ventures.

ABOUT THE WHITT EXPERIENCE:

The Whitt Experience was founded in 2014 by Gina Whittington. Gina moved to Austin in 2001 and began working in the high-end art/design industry, which solidified her love for all things textural, creative, and experience driven. In 2004, Gina started working for a local event planning firm, and planned hundreds of events as their Creative Director and earned an immense network of clients and vendors. After nine noteworthy years producing referral based corporate events and social events, including weddings, she started The Whitt Experience, an event design/production company and lifestyle blog that is all about savoring the experience of life, from the smallest of details to the largest of events.
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Image via HOPE Outdoor Gallery