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In a collaboration between the Bayou Region Arts Council, the Houma Downtown Development Corporation and local artists Hans Geist and Kassie Voisin, downtown Houma has new murals appearing under foot!
Crosswalk murals are being added to the corners of Main Street and Church Street, and Main Street and Goode Street, on both sides of the Courthouse Square. The collaborative paintings by Geist and Voisin began on Saturday in the brisk temperatures with the hopes of being completed this weekend before the Bayou Arts Fest on November 19. The long term plans includes two more crosswalk murals along Main Street in the coming month.
“Genie Ardion had contacted me from the [Bayou Region] Arts Council and she said they were interested in doing more to help with the revitalization of downtown. She shared they were interested in doing some crosswalks and asked us to come us with some ideas for, and see if we could make it happen,” explained Geist of how the idea come to be.
The first two designs lend themselves to life on the bayou, with one celebrating the Bicentennial of Terrebonne Parish and the other celebrating the bounty of our waterways, depicting crabs, crawfish and more.
Geist has been responsible for painting many of the large scale murals on the buildings in the downtown area. “It’s just been an honor and a privilege really to be able to have a part in it and to use our skills to just bring some life and color back to downtown Houma and hopefully make it more inviting to people to maybe invest, and try to improve more in the downtown area,” he shared.
“I think when people see local businesses pouring back into downtown, into our city, it sparks inspiration for other people to jump in and say, ‘Well, if they did this, I can do this’,” explained Voisin on what it means to be a part of the efforts to beautify downtown Houma. “And that’s really where my heart is, is just trying to inspire every single person to do something – you know, use your gift in some way, even if it’s just cleaning up or showing up to support the festivals. Every single person can do something. And I think us being back downtown and, you know, putting our efforts in, does that.”
