BEHIND THE MURALS

Blank Spaces primary goal is to invest in the youth of our area by offering greater access to the Creative Arts. The local non-profit provides opportunities for young artists to install large-scale murals, curate and manage a local art gallery while leading efforts to contribute to civic beautification in Amarillo and surrounding communities.

Interns in the program work alongside professional artists to develop all aspects of mural painting including working with clients/property owners, idea generation, design conception, materials, application, budget and preservation. They are taught to collaborate with other artists, neighborhood residents, children from diverse schools and cultural backgrounds and giving back to our community to grow skills and work in “real world” artistic endeavors.

While large-scale murals are a “big” part of the initiative, interns also curate and operate the Blank Spaces Gallery. Every three months they rotate, install and host a gallery opening featuring student artwork from across the Texas Panhandle. Each month the gallery averages 800 visitors both locally and nationwide.

Through this program young artists are receiving the skills, leadership and training support necessary to pursue a wide range of creative-based employment and post-secondary educational opportunities. Blank Spaces promotes the vital and essential need for the Arts in the development and enrichment of a more analytical, well balanced and socially aware young person. By investing in area students, the organization is cultivating the ecology and importance of the Arts in the Texas Panhandle.