Award-winning Houston muralist GONZO247 believes everyone has an inner artist — and the new 40-foot community mural he painted with Rice students and alumni is one way to bring out that artistic energy.
The new Rice-inspired public art project also served as a centerpiece of Owl Together Week — a virtual celebration that combined the annual homecoming and family weekends into one, big, mostly online event — and demonstrated the endurance of that creative spirit in spite of the pandemic.
Over the last week, volunteers from the Rice community signed up for slots to paint alongside GONZO247, three at a time, each person painting within one 10-foot section under a row of live oaks. Together, they completed a vibrant mural outside the Provisional Campus Facilities (PCFs) that was unveiled Nov. 1.
The final piece includes images of the Sallyport and Sammy the Owl among other Rice-related items, and is the work of dozens of Rice community members. The reveal included a virtual talk by GONZO247, real name Mario Figueroa Jr., the mural artist and founder of Aerosol Warfare Studios.
“I think deep down inside, every human being has this need to create and do something with that energy,” he said.
“If you just give them an opportunity, if you just give someone a space or a tool or something creative to do, most people will take you up on that offer,” he said. “And the idea with this mural is that we’re here to have fun. We're here to put something together collaboratively.”
GONZO247 created the mural using ideas and input solicited via social media by the Alumni Relations office and submitted by the Rice community during a weeklong window in late September. Not surprisingly, Beer Bike, Valhalla and Willy’s Pub were also among the images students and alumni said best represented Rice.
Jones College senior Jefferson Ren has long followed the city’s active street art scene; he even wrote a paper about it for a course on the sociology of Houston. And as a big fan of GONZO247’s work, Ren was one of the first students to sign up for a mural painting slot.
“Gonzo is probably too humble to admit it, but I feel like he's really been like a pioneer in the Houston mural scene,” said Ren, who worked on a section of the mural featuring the Sallyport. Although GONZO247 has designed iconic murals for downtown Houston, NRG Stadium, the George R. Brown Convention Center and the Saint Arnold brewery, this is his first mural at Rice.
“Having this is definitely a huge added benefit that makes me really happy about the campus,” Ren said. “I think it'll be like a really great addition to the city.”
The slots to paint alongside GONZO247 went quickly as Rice students leapt at an excuse to spend time pursuing something creative, and outdoors to boot.
Frances Gallego is pursuing a Master of Business Administration degree at the Jones Graduate School of Business but she’s also an artist on the side, working mostly with wood and epoxy. Graffiti and street art are an important part of the culture in her hometown of Bogotá, Colombia, so Gallego was excited for the opportunity to add some color to the Rice campus too and signed up for a slot right away.
GONZO247, she said, “is a big part of Houston and making art a part of our everyday lives, and I wanted to add to that.”
Plus, Gallego said, “he's so nice and so encouraging. It doesn't matter what you're doing on the painting, he's like, ‘You're doing a great job!’”
Even Rice President David Leebron and his family pulled on some gloves and picked up the paintbrushes one sunny afternoon.
“We’ve got a gorgeous day, perfect temperature, nice breeze blowing,” Leebron said. “It's just a day where you can turn your thoughts away from both the cares of the world and maybe even the cares of your classes, and do something a little bit creative and a little bit spontaneous.”
This and other Rice Public Art installations that have already taken place, he said, are a great way to reflect the spirit of the campus and enliven it with novel projects — including one new, striking community mural in GONZO247’s signature tones of cheerful yellow and bright turquoise.
“This was a great idea,” Leebron said. “I can't take any credit for it, but it was a great idea.”