For 15 years, Houston artist Daniel Anguilu has worked to show how his Harrisburg Arts Museum – a local graffiti mecca that showcases local and international art – is an institution in the East End.
While it’s not typically what you would think of when the word “museum” comes to mind, the space offers permanent and rotating exhibitions, which is why Anguilu decided to call the space the Harrisburg Arts Museum, he said.
Dozens of artists paint murals during a community paint jam at the Harrisburg Art Museum in Houston on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle)
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Over the weekend, the space welcomed more than 40 contributing artists and supporters to the “The Ham Paint Jam.” Several artists painted along the walls of the warehouse at 4300 Harrisburg Blvd. as community members stopped to watch the artists work.
Artist Poison paints as part of a group of muralists contributing to the Harrisburg Art Museum in Houston on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle)
The inspiration for the museum came from a conversation Anguilu had with his friend about the possibility of artists having a place to perfect their craft.
“Most people that are painting here today, our friendship goes back more than 20 years,” Anguilu said Sunday. “It’s a cultural thing that exists here. And I wanted to explore it more … like if you name it a museum … I think it’s more like me saying we’re serious about what we’re doing.”
Community members and artists gather during a community event at the Harrisburg Art Museum in Houston on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle)
Houston graffiti artist Empyre said he has collaborated with Anguilu over the years in helping make the museum’s presence known in the community.
Artist Poison paints as part of a group of muralists contributing to the Harrisburg Art Museum in Houston on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle)
And with fewer spaces for artists to express themselves in the area, the museum is more frequently visited by graffiti artists in the area, Empyre said. Earlier this year, two buildings that made up Graffiti Park – a site along Leeland Street east of downtown and maintained by Anguilu, Empyre and artist Gelson Lemus, who is known as W3r3on3 – were torn down as part of the Texas Department of Transportation’s I-45 North Houston Highway Improvement Project.
“We had a lot more walls (before),” Empyre said, referring to areas where graffiti artists and muralists could showcase their work and noting that, like Graffiti Park, are being torn down.
Artist Soder paints a mural as family watches during a paint jam at the Harrisburg Art Museum in Houston on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle)
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For most of the artists at the event Sunday, it was a chance to come and hang out with old friends.
“A lot of us met in high school,” Empyre said. “We’ve known each other since and try to paint every Thanksgiving. That’s kind of why we did this around this time.”
And everyone is looking for new art, the local artist said.
Artists paint murals as people watch during a community event and paint jam at the Harrisburg Art Museum in Houston on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle)
“People want to see new art all of the time,” Empyre said. “I mean, we’re trying to preserve some of it, but we’re also trying to add.”
Artist Skeez181 paints as part of a group of muralists contributing to the Harrisburg Art Museum in Houston on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle)
This article originally published at Ham Paint Jam brings more than 40 artists to Houston’s Harrisburg Arts Museum.