Discovery Green Honors Essential Workers

Press release from Discovery Green:

July 1, 2020

HOUSTON, TX — This week, Discovery Green, the 12-acre park in the heart of downtown Houston, announced its newest public art installation, Hands of Heroes, a mural honoring essential workers. Painted by Houston artist Anat Ronen, the mural can be found at the Jack C. Alexander Plaza, in front of The Grove restaurant.

Ronen began the mural days after 60,000 Houstonians gathered at Discovery Green and marched to City Hall to demand justice for George Floyd. Her completed work represents the diversity of Houston and the many heroes in our community— those who are fighting for equality, working 12 hour shifts at the hospital or restocking grocery store shelves. The artist also drew inspiration from The Synchronicity Wall, a Discovery Green public art installation by Margo Sawyer.

“We can’t say thank you enough to the essential workers who are putting their lives on the line every day,” said Barry Mandel, president and park director. “That includes the essential work being done to fight for equality. This mural beautifully encapsulates our city’s diversity and strength.”

Houstonians are invited to pose in front of the mural and post photos to social media using the hashtags #HoustonStrong, #DiscoveryGreen and #TheGrove. The Grove, an urban dining concept from the Schiller Del Grande Restaurant Group located on the southern end of Discovery Green, is treating customers to a free appetizer with a purchase of equal or greater value when they show their post to restaurant staff. For every 1,000 checkins at the mural, The Grove will throw a complimentary happy hour for essential workers. Logistics will be determined based on safety regulations in place at the time of the event.

A digital press kit with high-res images is available at bit.ly/2VxpNTX.

ABOUT DISCOVERY GREEN
Discovery Green is a highly acclaimed 12-acre park created by a public-private partnership between the City of Houston and the nonprofit Discovery Green Conservancy in downtown Houston, Texas. Since opening in April 2008, the park has welcomed more than 13.5 million visitors. Discovery Green features sprawling lawns, a one-acre lake, an interactive fountain, a playground, public art installations, gardens and an allée of century-old live oaks. The Discovery Green Conservancy works with hundreds of programming partners to present more than 700 artistic, musical, educational, family-friendly and health-focused events each year, most of which are presented free to the public. The park also features two on-site restaurants, the award-winning destination restaurant The Grove and the fast-casual Lake House Café, providing visitors with an array of dining options. As a nonprofit organization, the Conservancy raises all the funds needed for the programming that Houstonians enjoy through contributions from park users, foundations and sponsors. For more information, please visit www.discoverygreen.com.

This press release was produced by Discovery Green. The views expressed here are the author's own.