Local Houston artist channels energy and movement in unique apparel line as part of the 'Driving Change' campaign between Houston Dynamo FC & 76® for Hispanic Heritage Month.
September 15 marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month. And with Houston being home to one of the largest Hispanic populations in the United States, the Dynamo understand how important it is to celebrate the heritage that is so important to many of its fans and players.
In the efforts to positively impact the Houston community through art and culture, Houston Dynamo FC & 76® have partnered together on the new innovative 'Driving Change' campaign for Hispanic Heritage Month.
As part of the campaign, the Dynamo have commissioned Houston-based visual artist Daniel Anguilu to produce a work of art inspired by his Mexican heritage that will be displayed on team apparel throughout the month. For this piece, which features a hummingbird, sun and flower, Anguilu says he hopes to depict traditional elements of Mexican symbolism while also speaking to the culture of the organization.
"With the Dynamo, I was looking for an image that had different elements of what I consider to be home, within my understanding of this tradition of drawing and symbols from native culture," Anguilu said. “However, I also wanted it to be related to what the Dynamo represents to me. All this energy and movement."
Anguilu was very deliberate in choosing the images for this piece. The hummingbird, he says, represents a desire to stay active and be constantly moving, much like the players on a successful soccer team must do. The sun is meant as a symbol of togetherness, as all people, regardless of their heritage, live under the same sun. The plant is a representation of growth, as the Hispanic population in America has grown and the country has grown along with it.
The kit is inspired by a blend of Mayan and Hispanic culture, with a touch of street art.
"My work is part of the ancestral tradition of creating art that reflects the research of our human relationships with energy, my work is a fusion of my culture and a contemporary approach to making art,” Anguilu said. “I'm influenced by the information of ancient symbols and their appreciation of beauty that has helped me create a style that connects the ancient and the contemporary as one identity, in my collaboration with the Houston Dynamo I'm creating artwork that contemplates the symbols associated with energy and strength."
The image will be featured on an Adidas bandana that will come free with the purchase of any Dynamo jersey purchased during Hispanic Heritage Month. Additionally, the design will appear on the team’s training kits this month, sponsored by 76®.
While the Mexico City native is more used to working on large-scale mural pieces, the style he uses is distinctly his own, and is one that he has been cultivating since he first started making art as a child. As he grew up, his style naturally became enmeshed with his cultural heritage.
"I started painting graffiti at an early age. Whether it was with permission or without permission,” Anguilu said. “Since then, I've learned to paint in public by painting murals around the city. I also started to trace back some of the stories from my family and who we are as a people. I really wanted to represent the native part of who we are because I believe that some of those teachings can help us grow."
Being a part of Hispanic Heritage Month is particularly meaningful to Anguilu, as he believes that his work, so much of which is rooted in traditional Mexican images, can resonate even more with his audience during this time.
"Hispanic Heritage month is a teaching moment for me,” Anguilu said. “I share my work all year round, all around the city on the walls that I paint, but in this specific time it gives me a platform to really show what it means and to maybe spark that curiosity in people so that they can connect to the work that much more."
As for the soccer side of things, Anguilu knows firsthand how important soccer is to his culture as well.
"I grew up around it. My brothers have played soccer all their lives, so I've always been around soccer. It's a part of our culture."
The campaign will commence with a silent auction taking place online from October 1st through October 15th, where Dynamo FC fans can bid on autographed training worn HHM kits worn by their favorite players. This is the only place fans will be able to purchase the training top, with all proceeds going to benefit Hispanic education in the Houston-area.
For more information visit Houstondynamofc.com/drivingchange.
