- [Announcer] Support provided by the Amarillo Area Foundation and the Dr. Kent Roberts and Ilene Roberts Balliett Foundation.

(upbeat music) - [Narrator] Art in all forms often exists beyond the walls of museums.

Here in Amarillo, creativity spills into the open air, turning quiet neighborhoods into hidden galleries where art meets life in surprising ways.

In the 1990s, the Dynamite Museum's Sign Project emerged, an effort by local artists to place thousands of unconventional signs across the city.

These pieces both playful and thought provoking, transformed Amarillo's streets into a landscape of unexpected encounters with art.

Decades later, fewer than a thousand signs remain, reminders of a time when creativity thrived in ordinary spaces.

Today, Amarillo's public art lives on, from large scale sculptures to intimate installations, inviting us to find beauty where we least expect it.

In this third chapter of "In Open Air," we explore the hidden canvases of Amarillo, the signs, sculptures, and installations that reshape our sense of place, and bring art into the everyday.

(upbeat music) - Well, the Dynamite Museum is the actual art group.

The Sign Project is a project of the Dynamite Museum.

And so the Dynamite Museum was a collective artists centered around Stanley Marsh in the '90s, where they started to put up street signs with nonsensical messages on it.

I think the first one is "Road Does Not End," which is a great sign to see on a road, but it looks like a yield sign.

And then you would see dinosaur signs, and they were always done in that black and yellow format of like a street sign.

But as it progressed, the signs got a little bit more interesting, a little bit more wild.

So there would be poetry on the signs, there would be sayings from books.

There was one about art where there's a whole series of statements about art.

There was a series of Native American and indigenous paintings.

And what I realized, it was an artist collective.

And at the time, I was an artist, but I didn't understand art like that.

And so, you know, I thought art was what you saw in comic books and what you saw in museums, and it was illustrative, and I didn't really understand abstract art or conceptual art.

And so it was just fun for me to be part of that.

And as I look back, it definitely influenced me, because first of all, it's scale.

While the signs themselves may not be super big, the entire project is enormous.

There are debatable amounts of signs.

We're just gonna say there's 3,000, and it's the entire size of Amarillo.

So the art project is as big as Amarillo, which is an enormous art project, arguably one of the largest art projects, square footage wise, in the world.

It was a unique experience for me, 'cause it wasn't just about this collaborative group between us as artists, but it was really about making people see Amarillo a little bit differently, and make them realize that it's not exactly what you think it is, which definitely feeds into my mural project, making people think just a little bit differently about where they are and what they're seeing, and who they are as a community.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) - This isn't a statement of gun rights or anything like that.

I'm not a gun activist, I just wanted it to be more of a Texas landmark.

And so you get mixed emotions, you know, some people don't like guns at all, some people love guns, but that's not what it's about.

It's about, you know, our true heritage.

You know, this country was founded on, you know, just, you know, the Western way of life.

You know, shoot rattlesnakes, whatever, you know, guns are very important in the development of Texas.

We're not really on I-40 or on the Loop, so we're off on Cliffside Road, so it's more of a private road, but we have, you know, every week two or three people stop and take pictures of it.

It's pretty impressive, it's 20 feet tall.

I had two tanks, one was a 10 foot diameter.

We used to build tornado shelters out of these.

And I had a couple left over, one was an 8 foot by 16 and that made the chamber of the gun.

And I actually had a smaller tank, which was a 40-inch diameter.

So the bore on the gun is 24 inch, and the barrel on the gun is a 40 inch.

And then to make the stock, I had a 10-foot tank and we actually cut it, rolled it out, and it made all the plate for the sides of the gun.

And then I used some thick four inch square tube for the bracing inside the gun.

So it's like it's not gonna fall down, it's got a lot of interior structure bracing.

And then the hard part was instead of getting, climbing up 20 feet high and building it, you know, off scaffolds or whatever, I built it on its side, so I was only 8 feet high.

But then you've gotta figure the angles of everything, you know, block this up, level this, so that when you stand it up, it's uniform.

So that was a challenge.

And then when we did stand it up, it's in two pieces.

So we had a big excavator, and we brought the stock up first, or the handle of the gun, and steady it, and then the chamber and the barrel bolted onto that with some big one 1-inch diameter bolts.

So it was quite a process standing it up as well.

- When I got to AC, one of the things we were trying to accomplish is attracting more families and younger children to the campus to feel comfortable on campus.

And I had seen, and read about these chalk art festivals that are always family orientated, all over the country.

And I was walking out on the Oeschger Mall one day and I realized that all of those concrete pads are all identical, and there's like 60 of them.

And I thought this might be a perfect place to put together a festival in the summer, because in the summer, the campus isn't very utilized.

And bring families out there, when the weather's kind of nice in the morning, and just let artists go at it, and see what they would accomplish.

We had no concept of what would happen that first year whatsoever, to the point where I thought it might be just kids coming out and just having fun with chalk.

Well, little did I know, that we attracted that first year, 35 pretty incredible artists.

And that started something that we said, "Well this is, we can replicate this every year."

So we did that every year, except with COVID year.

And then one year it was rained out, because if it does rain, we don't reschedule it.

It's just a one-day affair that we do that's kind of fun.

And it's attracted more and more families every year.

And this year, we probably had 500, 600 people out there just to chill, and to enjoy what, you know, the campus, and then the artwork at the same time.

So it's just a matter of making people feel comfortable with artwork.

The other thing that happened every year that was really kind of cool about the whole concept of outdoor art, is it was done in the morning, and in the afternoons it rained, and they were gone.

Now luckily, we were able to capture them, and we have photographs of all of them, but yeah, it was kind of neat that they came and they were gone.

You know, if you didn't catch it, you know, you... And if you did catch it, you caught something special.

And if you didn't, you know, next year.

(tranquil music) I've lived here 20 years, and I think what I've seen is a real commitment to arts in the community, that's self-reliant on the community itself.

So if you want art, make art here, bring out the talent that's in the community and make things happen here.

So yeah, I think that it's very, very, very much behind the art scene right now in the art movements.

And new ideas are always, always kind of incorporated here, because it's small enough to be able to make things happen, and large enough to celebrate them.

You know, it really is.

- When thinking about doing the work for this particular contest, I thought it was really vital to celebrate the area.

I'm not a native Texan, and I'm not from the area, I've lived here for about six and a half years.

And so when I'm approaching a space, I find it really important to understand what the space is, what it's about, and to choose topics that really celebrate the rich history of the area.

So I kind of went through several different topics at first, kind of thinking about something Western themed.

And I had been working on another gallery exhibit that looked at the land and the impact of people throughout the history of the area in sort of shaping it into what it is today.

And so I decided that Quanah Parker was probably the most fitting individual, especially 'cause I wanted to celebrate someone that, it's kind of an interesting thing, as I talk to people in the area about Quanah, I often get this, "Oh, I think my family's related to him."

And so I thought, "Okay, that's an interesting romp to go down."

And so I also, because of the proximity to the canyon lands and this being sort of the larger historical theater for where he lived, and impacted really, the shaping of this place, I thought he was absolutely the most perfect individual to sort of celebrate in a large way on the land at Amarillo College.

Primarily, I'm a sort of a figural artist when I'm using or working in more of a fine arts mode.

And I absolutely love portraiture.

So when looking at a square of that size, 'cause 8 by 8's pretty daunting.

It's like, "Oh, my goodness".

And you have to kind of think of it as each segment's gonna take, you know, about an hour per two foot square to complete.

So I usually look at what image I'm going to choose, first and foremost based on, I worked from a historical photo that I pulled off of an archive site, 'cause I wanted to make sure that I was being really accurate and respectful to the individual.

And then within that, of course, the day of being at a chalk festival, it was beautiful outside.

I put my headphones on, and I get really into the work and I found myself really focusing on the background, which is normally an area I kind of ignore, but I felt like capturing a sense of the vastness of the sky and spaces here was critical.

And I ran a little bit short on time.

And so you'll see that the face is hyper detailed, the background is really smooth, but then you'll see some more artistic choices, which I think are really wonderful, 'cause they celebrated the vibrancy of the event, and they really brought a different sense of life and energy to celebrating Quanah's image.

- [Narrator] Where do we draw the line?

A mural on a building is clearly public, but what about a custom-painted motorcycle blazing down the highway?

It's colors catching the eyes of everyone it passes.

For Amarillo's John Stromberg, that line is an invitation to bring art into motion, transforming metal into a moving masterpiece, extending his work far beyond any gallery wall.

- And Amarillo is a weird little place, you know, it is fun.

You have the worst of everything.

You have the worst weather, you have the worst wind, it's flat, it's, you don't have a whole lot of things to do, but at the same time, that kind of makes you more resilient, makes you try harder.

So that's what I've ended up doing is stay in Amarillo and trying hard (laughs).

In '99, I just started this Lucky's Seven Customs.

I had a dog, his name was Lucky.

I basically named it after him just as a goof.

I wasn't sure that I was gonna continue doing this sort of thing.

I had some other offers that I had planned on doing.

Plus, I was working at the body shop full time.

I didn't know if my custom stuff was going to continue on, and that to the level that it did.

In 2000, it kind of blew up and went, I did a lot, a lot of stuff.

You know, magazines were really, really important, you know, for the custom stuff and especially the bikes there, from the '90s until, oh, internet, you know, the internet come around and pretty much killed, you know, print and paper stuff.

I went to do a "Biker Build-Off" on Discovery Channel in 2004 or so, which was fun.

It's a '92 Kenny Boyce custom build.

It was built by a friend here in town in '92.

It's Harley based, but it's all custom.

I ended up getting it from a friend, oh, about eight years ago, and I redid it to the color, I like, I'm a blue fan.

But yeah, I just, I made it mainly made it to look like it was still in the '90s, you know, rather than update it to what's current now.

I figured that would probably hold a little bit more truer to the bike than updating it.

So yep, that's my bike.

But you know what, Amarillo's a, I mean, you don't get a better sunset, you know, so that's gonna inspire somebody, whether it's for art or anything else.

Like I said, again, you gotta try hard here.

- When you go to a city that lacks color, and lacks like the touch of the public, it's a sterile environment.

It's not like, you're not going around feeling like something fun's gonna happen.

You're like, "This is weird, everything's too clean, it's too sterile."

There's no, it's like a lack of spice.

There's no spice in the food.

The difference between mural art and graffiti art is only the vandalism part.

You're still using the same tools, you're doing the exact same everything.

One's just with permission, one's not with permission.

Having murals in downtown was what we wanted.

And we were the ones who would go do it, if we had permission or not, first.

And then eventually, we grew up a little, and we'll take the right road.

The legal battles just ain't worth it.

But, you know, overall, I'm, I'm overall happy to see color on the walls.

I would much rather see a place that's designed by the people who live in it.

It's like creating awareness without you even knowing it.

Like we are giving you love and consciousness and awareness.

We're forcing it into you without your permission, because guess what?

We're painting it on your stuff.

So (chuckles) I didn't do any of it.

I never did it, I never knew anyone who did.

But no, but, so yeah, overall it's great.

I love seeing all the art.

I wish I was a part of it.

- [Narrator] Since 2022, two Amarillo locals, part of a Latin art collective blending traditional works with graffiti, have expanded public art with annual exhibits.

From the 2023 Bodega Art Show to the 2024 Hangar Art Show, they transform unexpected spaces into vibrant, free events that unite the community through creativity.

- So our vision is to take art where you would never expect it to be.

Art belongs everywhere, not just in galleries or museums.

We had the (indistinct) art show last year, and now this is the Bodega Art Show.

We wanna share positivity.

People don't understand it.

People don't get what our vision, but once they step into the building, then they get it.

But it's gonna take some time to get there.

There is a lot of movement with art and I do appreciate that.

- A little bit stressful, but mainly fun.

We learn from each other, we motivate each other, we push each other.

I mean, for us, it's never been about the money.

I mean, I've, we've done art for, as Jesse said, as long as we can remember.

It's hard for them to sell artwork, they need the exposure.

We don't get a lot of exposure out here in Amarillo.

I was never too aware or into the art galleries till after I got outta high school.

The lack of exposure to it.

I mean, if I would've known back then what I know now, I would've been more, way more involved, at an earlier age.

In regards to art shows, art venues, you're an artist, you get to, you have the freedom to just mix anything, anything that you can find, find a marker, use that marker.

So, I mean, I think by us doing something like this, it's gonna, you know, those other people that might have some similar ideas, at least help 'em realize that you know, that, you know, it can be, it can happen.

It is possible.

(tranquil music) - [Narrator] Nestled in the heart of Amarillo.

Arts in the Sunset stands as a vibrant cultural center, a sanctuary where art and community converge.

Originally a shopping mall, this building has been transformed into a hub for creative expression, home to dozens of artists' studios, galleries, and event spaces.

Walking through its halls feels like stepping into an open invitation to experience art from diverse perspectives and media.

This once retail-centered space now serves as a canvas itself, dedicating to nurturing the creative pulse of Amarillo.

For local artists, Art in the Sunset is more than just a place to work.

It's a place to belong, a community where artists support, inspire, and challenge each other.

It's here that emerging talent finds its footing, and established artists push boundaries, all in a shared pursuit of creativity.

In a city that prides itself on resilience and ingenuity, Arts in the Sunset has become a key destination for those who seek to be part of something larger, a place where artistic dreams are encouraged and celebrated.

- Arts in the Sunset, before it was called Arts in the Sunset, was obviously the first indoor mall in Amarillo.

And when the Crouches bought it, and Ann Crouch decided to make it more of an art facility, she wanted to have a component that had, you know, plants, more natural, more organic things.

So throughout the mall she would have all those little planters that had plants.

And then she decided to create sort of a, a garden, if you will.

It's not your typical garden.

And so she worked with different artists from locally as well as regionally, and would have them bring in pieces, and she purchased some of those pieces, but they still kind of give a feel in the garden of kind of that peaceful, artistic, it's a place you can go and really meditate, and feel relaxed in.

And then she also added the koi pond as another element of the garden.

So you can go and enjoy the koi fish and the goldfish as well.

When we were planning on redoing the building, there was an area of the building that we knew we wanted to keep, but we weren't sure if we wanted it to be indoors or outdoors.

So our architect kind of developed a plan for an outdoor performance space.

And so it was just going to be a stage and a space for us to have concerts.

Little did we know at the time, that the Friends of AJ Swope organization had had plans out downtown to build sort of a plaza in memory of AJ Swope.

And that had kind of fallen through, and so they were looking for a place to be able to really honor him.

And friends of friends knew that we were doing this, and mentioned it, and it was just such a perfect fit.

So AJ being so well known in the community, but specifically being a musician himself, I know his parents and his widow really wanted to honor him in a way that would see a lot of community involvement that he would get to live on through what he was passionate about.

And so, like I said, it's, it was just a perfect fit.

And ever since we opened the plaza last, September, 2023, we have had countless events in that space.

We've held our summer market, we've had concerts, so I definitely think it has hopefully fulfilled what their wishes were for his memory.

- I'm Beth Duke, and I'm executive director of Center City of Amarillo, which is the Texas Main Street Program affiliated with the Texas Historical Commission and the National Main Street Center.

And we are the representatives for Amarillo.

You know, Center City started in 1996 when a group of dedicated volunteers realized if they did not start saving some of our historic buildings and treasures, that downtown would be parking lots.

And these three people organized Center City, wrote the bylaws and wrote design guidelines, and really got Center City started.

Unfortunately, a lot of that was voluntary guidelines and did not have the impact that we had hoped.

But then in 2008, the city of Amarillo adopted a downtown strategic plan.

And from that grew so many of the great things we see today, saving our historic buildings.

We have one of the finest collections of Pueblo Deco architecture of any city.

We have public art, we have beautiful bronze statues, we have a herd of 130 fiberglass horses, and we just keep growing and growing, especially now with the new interest in murals.

In 2016, my board of directors authorized me to apply to become a designated Cultural District of the Texas Commission on the Arts.

And I looked at the map, and there were no Cultural Districts north of Lubbock, Lubbock had one, but nothing north.

So that left 26 counties of the Texas Panhandle, which we know are so rich in culture, and there was no designated cultural district.

So we, at some great expense, we compiled a notebook of all of our cultural assets.

And this was everything from architecture, culinary arts, visual arts, performing arts, and art in public places.

And the application was very thorough, and I'm proud to say, we received it on our first try.

Since that time, we helped Canadian be established as an arts district, but those are the only two cultural arts district designated north of Lubbock.

And we are really working hard to make sure people know that Amarillo is the cultural crossroads of the Panhandle, and Panhandle PBS is a big part of that.

It's really exciting because public art is the one thing that's exciting.

You discover it, it's there for everyone.

And you don't have to buy a ticket.

You don't have to pay to go into a gallery.

And it just, it's wonderful because we have so many things that just add to our quality of life that we may take for granted and drive by them every day.

But what a treasure that we can celebrate public art.

- [Narrator] Art has always been more than paint on a canvas or stone shaped by hands.

It is a mirror reflecting who we are and what we value.

In Amarillo, the story of public art is one of resilience, ingenuity, and connection, from the timeless beauty of Palo Duro Canyon, immortalized by Georgia O'Keeffe's brush, to the bold defiance of Cadillac Ranch, planted as a monument to creativity and descent.

This land has long inspired the daring and the dreamers, but public art in Amarillo isn't just the work of lone visionaries.

It's a movement, a mural rising on the wall, a sign whispering humor from a forgotten corner, a chalk drawing that fades with the rain but endures in memory.

It's the educators who pass on the craft, the festivals that turn parking lots into galleries, and the communities that rally to make it happen.

Here, art finds its place not just in hushed museums, but in fields and alleys, on storefronts and streets.

It is sculpture and graffiti, tradition and rebellion, permanence and ephemera.

It is at once deeply personal and profoundly shared.

Amarillo's public art tells the story of a community that refuses to be defined by boundaries.

It dares to look back at its roots, to celebrate the land and the culture that gave it shape, and it looks forward, embracing new voices and new visions, proving that creativity, like the wind on the High Plains, can never be contained.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) ♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪ ♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪ ♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪ ♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪ ♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪ ♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪ ♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪ ♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪ ♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪ ♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪ ♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪ ♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪ - [Announcer] Support provided by the Amarillo Area Foundation and the Dr. Kent Roberts and Ilene Roberts Balliett Foundation.