Artwalk is excited to announce we’ll be working with Texas Runs on Water to complete a new mural in Alpine! Texas Runs on Water has worked with local nonprofits statewide to complete murals throughout Texas and we’re ecstatic they have chosen Alpine as a location for this project in Far West Texas! More information will be coming soon.

Dear Kerri,

I am writing to express our interest in partnering with Artwalk Alpine to develop a Texas Runs on Water mural in Alpine this fall. Texas Water Foundation is a statewide, nonpartisan 501(c)3 nonprofit with the mission of leading Texas into a sustainable water future. We work in water policy, leadership and workforce initiatives, and in the development of the first statewide water campaign. Texas Runs on Water is our statewide water campaign that is built on Texans’ strong sense of local pride. The objective is to build awareness, educate, and inspire Texans to value water.

As Texas experiences a widening water availability gap, aging water infrastructure, and significant population changes, we believe that it is crucial that Texans understand water, and reconsider how we value it. Of course, Texas is uniquely diverse, and so are the relationships with water across the state. The campaign is intentionally designed as an umbrella concept that can be localized by region, audience, or water use.

Launched in 2021, the Texas Runs on Water piloted in three locations, gaining millions of views in Houston, the Texas Hill Country, and the Panhandle. We have expanded to include sophisticated market research, grassroots media efforts, statewide expansion, a growing partner network, and now - murals.

Completed in July 2022, our first mural was designed and painted by a local nonprofit, Blank Spaces, in Amarillo. The project served as an opportunity to invite the community to celebrate their own water story, engage local leadership, increase awareness, and develop new partnerships.

With the project’s resounding success, we started receiving new requests from other communities and local water entities to replicate the initiative. We later worked with artist Cruz Ortiz on a San Antonio mural, and with the Hill Country Alliance and a local art-driven nonprofit on a Junction mural. We currently have two additional murals in the works; one in Downtown Austin and the other in Fort Stockton, both slated for a fall 2023 release.

One of our goals is to expand the campaign into West Texas, and celebrate the region’s deep connection to water. It is especially important to us that the mural tell a hopeful and forward-looking story about how water has shaped your community’s identity. The work of Artwalk Alpine with artist Billy Tarrant and a partnership with Sul Ross State University feels like a perfect fit for our West Texas mural vision. Our hope is that a Texas Runs on Water mural would be a meaningful contribution to Alpine, and provide an opportunity for you to join a statewide effort to shape a new conversation about water.

As part of the partnership, we would work with you to incorporate Texas Runs on Water’s trademarked logo and brand specifications, as well as support the fundraising, marketing, and exposure of the mural.

We appreciate your time and interest. Please feel free to reach out if you have any additional questions.

Sarah Schlessinger, CEO of Texas Water Foundation