Texas A&M University and Secret Walls once again joined forces to bring together art and the Aggie Spirit in an unlikely place: Austin, Texas. The two closed out the annual South by Southwest (SXSW) festival by combining the power of art with the power of selfless service as would-be artists came together to create a magical mural that would be fitted inside one of BUILD’s newest Texas Aggie Medical Clinics (TAMCs).
“Texas A&M invited South by Southwest attendees to contribute to a mural of hope and unity for the walls of the TAMC that will eventually provide access to health care to communities that lack health facilities,” said Chris Permetti ’27, chief financial officer of BUILD. “Each mural represents the location the TAMC will serve, bringing patients a sense of comfort and community.”
Each year, student BUILD participants assemble multiple TAMCs, transforming shipping containers into fully functional health centers that are shipped to communities in need in Texas and around the world. Every TAMC stands as a testament to the university’s Core Values of Excellence, Integrity, Leadership, Loyalty, Respect and Selfless Service.
Photos by Abbey Toronjo/Texas A&M University Division of Marketing & Communications
Through BUILD, Aggies expand their horizons and develop practical skills in teamwork, engineering, project management and compassionate outreach. The process is hands-on and collaborative, inviting all students in the Texas A&M community to contribute their talents and dedication, regardless of academic discipline or experience.
Secret Walls is widely known for its competitive live art events and is also working with universities across the United States to help them tell their own unique stories through large-scale murals.
The organization partnered with Texas A&M’s College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts last October to transform a bland wall in the retail space and recreation area of the Polo Road Garage into an artistic interpretation of the Aggie Spirit.
The mural measured 160 square feet, reflecting the university’s role as a powerful force for good dedicated to making a positive impact in Texas, across the nation and around the world. Thirty-two students across 15 majors and six colleges at Texas A&M volunteered to help paint the mural on Oct. 3 and 4.
Photos by Abbey Toronjo/Texas A&M University Division of Marketing & Communications
Houston artist David E. Maldonado designed that mural and the one volunteers just produced at SXSW. He gave the excited artists in Austin a quick workshop on the project before they picked up their paintbrushes and tackled the colorful collaboration.
“The process for David and the team is to go back and forth and make sure that the art fits not just the moment and where we are at South by Southwest but the initiative of BUILD and making sure that the mural resonates with where it’s ultimately going, who’s going to be inspired by it,” said Kevin Collins, CEO of Secret Walls.
“We showed the power of community and standing together to create something for good, a tangible example of Texas A&M’s message of building a brighter, safer world in action during the busiest week of the year,” said Permetti.
Photos by Abbey Toronjo/Texas A&M University Division of Marketing & Communications
The completed mural will be installed later in one of BUILD’s TAMCs, providing a very Aggie backdrop for a clinic that embodies what it means to be a force for good.
