Beloved Snoopy Character Arrives at UHD
By Sheryl E. Taylor
Over the past year, Peanuts® and art fans have been experiencing Snoopy-inspired surprises in Houston’s expanding public parks, Downtown business community, along the city’s bayou greenways and on its history-making NASA campus at Space Center Houston.
The Houston Arts Alliance (HAA), along with Houston Parks Board, has selected the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) as one of the city’s destinations for an art installation by the Peanuts Global Artist Collective.
With the hopes of greeting students returning from Spring Break, but now amid the COVID-19 outbreak, Houstonians can still enjoy a new abstract art installation of the Peanuts’ Snoopy character, which was revealed last week.
Located on the East side of the Jesse H. Jones Student Life Center, the artwork is the creation of Assume Vivid Astro Focus (AVAF)—founded by Brazilian born artist Eli Sudbrack.
“The Peanuts Global Artist Collective represents so many things that we love here in Houston: Charles Schulz’s beloved Snoopy, creativity, and of course, doing things in a big way!” said John Abodeely, CEO of the Houston Arts Alliance. “So, we at HAA knew we had to bring this world-class, ingenious project here to Houston.”
Curated by the leading art curators at Culture Corps, the Collective features the work of seven elite contemporary artists. Two of them—AVAF and Kenny Scharf—have brought public art re-imaginings of Charles M. Schulz’s beloved, iconic characters throughout Houston. These larger than-life installations have been on view at some of the city’s most popular and visited landmarks.
“We are delighted to be a part of bringing the Peanuts Global Artist Collective to Houston and hope the opening of this art installation at the University of Houston-Downtown campus will bring light to our community during this difficult time,” said Beth White, President and CEO of the Houston Parks Board. “We truly believe in the restorative power of nature and this is a unique way to reconnect with the outdoors while experiencing art along our beloved Bayou Greenways.”
The Collective, presented by Peanuts Worldwide, launched in 2018 with an ambitious public art initiative spanning Paris, Seoul, China, New York, San Francisco, London, Japan, Thailand, Berlin, Tokyo, Mexico City and now, Houston.
“We’re excited to be a chosen destination in Houston for a Peanuts Global Art Collective installation,” said Elisa Olsen, executive director, University Relations at UHD. “This is so fitting. UHD prides itself on connecting in different ways to the communities it serves from education to public service to art.
”The UHD Community, Houston residents and visitors are encouraged to participate in the project by taking pictures in front of the murals—as thousands of others around the world—and post to their own Insta account using the hashtags #SnoopyGlobalArt and #PeanutsHTX."
The University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) is the second-largest university in Houston and has served the educational needs of the nation’s fourth-largest city since 1974. As one of four distinct public universities in the University of Houston System, UHD is a comprehensive, four-year university led by President Loren J. Blanchard. Annually, UHD educates approximately 14,000 students, boasts more than 66,000 alumni, and offers 45 bachelor’s degrees, 12 master’s degrees, and 19 online programs within four colleges: Marilyn Davies College of Business, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Public Service, and College of Sciences and Technology. UHD has one of the lowest tuition rates in Texas.
U.S. News and World Report ranked UHD among the nation’s Best Online Bachelor’s Programs for Applied Administration and Best Online Master’s Programs in Criminal Justice, as well as a Top Performer in Social Mobility. The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse ranked UHD one of the best colleges in the U.S. for its 2024 rankings, with notable distinctions: No. 1 for diversity (tied) and No. 3 for student experience. The University is designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, a Minority-Serving Institution, and a Military Friendly School. For more information on the University of Houston-Downtown, visit uhd.edu.
