Outdoor art gallery promotes Austin art

AUSTIN (KXAN) - It may not be the Mayan Ruins of Chichen Itza, but that doesn't keep tourists from climbing and exploring the beautiful grounds at the art gallery in the Clarksville neighborhood.

Megan and Craig Hall were with their children -- visiting from Atlanta -- when they ran into the outdoor gallery while cruising the Clarksville neighborhood shops.

"It just gives a cool vibe, and she's really into peace this year -- so it reminded me of Isabelle, actually," said Craig, referring to his daughter.

Craig saw the display as an opportunity to sneak in a quick arts appreciation lesson into his son's life.

"Just to experience something that's different, not just the mall or the arcade of video games, you know, something that shows creativity," said Hall.

But in the words of David Byrne: "How did I get here?" The story is better told by the creator of this outdoor gallery.

Andi Scull is the founder of HOPE campaign , an Austin nonprofit dedicated to promote the arts and peace projects.

She started the outdoor art gallery, located at the corner of Baylor and Ninth streets, last year with the cooperation of the land owners and lots of hard work by artists and friends.

"I started HOPE in 2006 in LA with the help of an artist named Shepard Fairey. And basically, we came together to create a way our friends in the artist community could get involved in important issues" Scull said.

The centerpiece is the latest part of the artwork to go up. The giant "love" and giant "peace poster" sequence created by Fairey covers the main wall.

If the artist's name rings a bell, it's because you may already be familiar with his work: the "HOPE" poster featuring the multicolor portrait of President Barack Obama during the 2008 run for the White House.

Scull hopes having Fairey as a featured artist will bring attention to all Austin artists.

"The art scene in Austin is definitely bigger than people understand, and business owners are seeing the opportunity to use the walls to turn it into a beautiful presentation that also highlights the talent that we have in this town," said Scull.