Creating Art, Building Community: How Artist INC Shaped Muralist David Maldonado’s Mission

David Maldonado transforms communities around Houston with colorful and empowering murals that have earned him growing recognition and high-profile commissions. But back in the day, he was just a kid who made art. No pretense, no larger plan.

“A lot of kids who make art, you just do it because you’re doing it,” he says. “The concept of making it a profession never came to mind.”

For kids in Pasadena, Texas, just south of Houston, creative pursuits weren’t seen as a career option. But Artist INC helped David fuel his artistic journey—and develop business skills that can turn a person who makes art into a professional artist.

M-AAA Artist INC Houston alumnus David Maldonado. Photography by Mike Lazo

Some artists’ paths include art school. Others travel a self-made route of learning.

After high school, David taught music lessons and continued to make art. He participated in local shows, but didn’t have a career trajectory in mind.

In 2015, 21-year-old David started Pan Dulce HTX (PDHTX), community events named after Mexican sweet breads. These creative popups featured curated live music, live art activation, coffee, and, of course, sweet breads.

“I didn’t know what I was doing,” David says. “I was just really hungry for community and the duality of music and art.”

He learned about building community through these events. After all, you can’t help but collaborate when one person has a microphone and another has a speaker. Although David now laughs about the “Frankenstein” setup, he now sees that he was exploring creativity in a path parallel to that of his friends who had headed to art school.

“I became a student but just in a different school,” David says. “I looked into Instagram and Facebook to see what artists I respected were doing, I checked out interviews with artists that I liked. I looked for any education I could get. I desperately wanted to make art.”

That’s where Artist INC came in.

David was a part of the first Artist INC cohort in Houston. Fresh Arts brought the program to town in 2017. David and another participant were both 22—and the youngest people in the program.

“Some people had dance studios, others were already practicing artists,” David says. “I didn’t have an artist statement. I didn’t have a website … but I was really trying to educate myself and that’s what I was looking for, some kind of education. It was super vital to my career.”

Artist INC provided guidance on the business side of art, including grants, branding, and marketing. And for David, it provided communion.

“Sometimes, as creatives, we are not in any way thinking of marketing ourselves. We sometimes don’t want to talk about the era we live in and learning to adapt to the market. I think that’s what the teaching helped me with: learning to talk to different people,” he says.

“In Artist INC, here were all these other creatives, and we all had similar struggles and were thinking the same things,” David continues. “It provided more space for solidified community and taught the importance of having those business skills and talking to people even when you don’t want to. As artists, we are walking businesses.”

Artist INC meant that David was ready when opportunity knocked.

When the Houston Astros played in the World Series in 2017, Adidas partnered with local artists to create custom cleats. The company contacted David through Instagram, and soon he was painting shoes for Astros shortstop Carlos Correa. In some ways, it was just another project for David. But in others, it was a critical turning point.

“It was a confirmation to my self-esteem as an artist,” he says. “It was a confirmation for somebody who didn’t have an arts education, who was looking toward programs like Artist INC. I was a Mexican kid from the block. My art was my prayer.”

In Pasadena, David became a hometown hero, and people started reaching out about projects. That’s when he began to create murals. This public art is informed by the live paintings he would do during PDHTX popups. And it inherently requires and creates community.

“As a muralist, you’re creating work that exists outside,” he says. “My approach with public art is how it interacts with people. I feel a gravitation toward street art and graffiti, because that’s what I saw growing up. Permissions, locations, and tools have gotten better, but back then, it was on the edge.”

David wants to see art for everyone in the community—and sees Artist INC as an integral part.

M-AAA Artist INC Houston alumnus David Maldonado works with the community on a mural. Photography by Thomas Valdez

“There has to be permission that allows people to be participants in your work,” he says. “This is especially true in communities where that permission isn’t present. Maybe it’s not whether a museum is free or not, but the disparity between the way we are socially with one another.

“Especially in Houston, a lot of the street artists are people of color. Sometimes we feel like we’re not welcome in those spaces, but the streets became the museums. It’s cool to see that evolve, and for us to become part of these conversations.”

These dialogues are important—after all. And within the Houston creative scene, artists are still exploring how to collaborate and evolve the community into a stronger arts city. Houston artists understand the importance of fostering and creating community.

These conversations are easier thanks to Artist INC.

“The business of art is what helps you succeed, for sure,” David says. “I see artists with great potential, but they’re missing community, collaboration, business etiquette, and how to present yourself. That’s what Artist INC taught me.”

Funding to support artists and the arts is challenging right now, and programs like Artist INC hang in the balance. At Mid-America Arts Alliance, we know that arts contribute more than $1.2 trillion to the US economy. And we believe that access to the arts shouldn’t depend on access to philanthropy. Learn about efforts to protect federal funding of the arts and how you can help.