UP Art Studio
UP Art Studio is a Houston-based public art and creative placemaking consulting firm founded in 2012 that curates mural programs, public art master plans, and digital mapping platforms for municipal agencies, corporate clients, and real estate developers across Texas and select U.S. cities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersHouston, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What UP Art Studio does
UP Art Studio is a Houston-based public art and creative placemaking consulting firm founded in 2012 by Noah Quiles and Elia Quiles, operating as a privately held Texas LLC. The firm curates and manages mural programs, public art master plans, and creative placemaking projects for municipal agencies, corporate sponsors, and real estate developers across multiple U.S. cities, with a particular concentration in Texas.
The firm's core products include the Mini Murals program (300+ traffic-cabinet murals installed across Texas), the Big Walls Big Dreams annual mural festival (operating in Miami since 2013 and expanded to Houston in 2021), the Houston Mural Map (an interactive digital mapping platform launched July 2020), augmented reality murals (debuted November 2021), and full-scope Public Art Master Plans for municipalities such as Laredo. The technology substrate is a digital mapping/cataloging platform coupled with AR overlays on physical murals; neither component is described as proprietary AI/ML. The firm holds City of Houston WBE (Women Business Enterprise) and MBE (Minority Business Enterprise) certifications, which provide preferential access to municipal procurement.
The business model is project-based professional services: consulting fees for master planning, commissions for mural execution, and sponsorship/revenue arrangements around festivals and the digital map. Geographic reach spans Houston, Austin, Laredo, San Antonio, Victoria, League City, Miami, and Detroit, with named private clients including Karbach Brewing and Steve Gibson and public-sector clients including cities, TIRZs, and management districts. There is no disclosed outside funding, no M&A activity, and no parent company.
UP Art Studio firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- UP Art Studio
- Legal name
- UP Art Studio, LLC
- Website
- https://upartstudio.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- UP Art Studio is a Houston-based public art and creative placemaking consulting firm founded in 2012 that curates mural programs, public art master plans, and digital mapping platforms for municipal agencies, corporate clients, and real estate developers across Texas and select U.S. cities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
UP Art Studio industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Art Consulting
- NAICS
- Painting and Wall Covering Contractors (23832)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Architectural & Decorative Painting (Interior/Exterior) (IMAIAKAA)
Keywords
Where UP Art Studio is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Houston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
UP Art Studio business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Public Art Consulting Services: UP Art Studio provides comprehensive consulting services including visioning, project curation, artist selection, creative services, fundraising support, project planning and management, community engagement, and event production. Revenue is generated through consulting fees and project management contracts with public and private sector clients.
- Mural and Public Art Commissions: The firm earns fees by curating, managing, and producing mural installations including the Mini Murals program (traffic cabinet murals), Big Walls Big Dreams large-scale murals, and specialty projects for clients such as Karbach Brewing. Projects range from small-scale neighborhood installations to citywide programs.
- Public Art Master Planning: UP Art Studio creates comprehensive public art master plans for municipalities, management districts, and cities. Examples include the Laredo Public Art Master Plan (LAMP) adopted by Laredo City Council and plans for the Energy Corridor District, generating one-time planning fees.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
UP Art Studio product offering
Product offeringCore offering
UP Art Studio is a public art and creative placemaking consulting firm that curates, manages, and produces mural installations, public art master plans, and community engagement programs for public agencies, private sector clients, and real estate developers. The firm commissions artists to paint murals on traffic signal control cabinets, building facades, and public infrastructure, while also providing end-to-end consulting services including visioning, artist selection, project management, and event production. Signature programs include the Mini Murals initiative, the Big Walls Big Dreams mural festival, and the Houston Mural Map digital platform.
Product overview
UP Art Studio is a public art and creative placemaking consulting firm founded in Houston in 2012. The company operates as a single unified consulting practice rather than a platform architecture. Their core offerings include the award-winning Mini Murals Program (commissioning small-scale murals on utility cabinets, over 300 completed), the Big Walls Big Dreams mural festival series (active since 2013), and the Houston Mural Map interactive digital platform. The firm also delivers public art master plans for municipalities, creative placemaking consulting services, and civic art installations including AR-enhanced murals. Services span the full project lifecycle from visioning and artist curation through installation and community engagement, serving public agencies, private sector clients, and real estate developers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Mini Murals: Award-winning civic art program that commissions artists to paint small-scale murals on traffic signal control cabinets and utility cabinets. Over 300 Mini Murals commissioned in past 5 years.
- Big Walls Big Dreams
- Houston Mural Map
- Mural Maps
Products and services
- Mini Murals Program Award-winning civic art program that commissions artists to paint small-scale murals on traffic signal control cabinets and other utility cabinets in the right of way in diverse neighborhoods of Texas cities. The program has commissioned over 300 murals across Texas cities over five years and serves public agencies seeking community beautification and artist engagement.
- Big Walls Big Dreams Mural Festival A mural festival series curated and produced by UP Art Studio, occurring annually in Miami during Art Basel Week since 2013 and expanding to Houston in 2021. The event connects local, national, and international artists with walls to paint, enabling rapid multi-site mural installations through coordinated artist crews and community engagement.
- Houston Mural Map Interactive digital map website launched in July 2020 that serves as the go-to resource for discovering, visiting, and learning about murals in Greater Houston. Features hundreds of colorful street installations, artist details, and DIY driving tour capabilities, with crowd-sourced ongoing updates.
- Public Art Master Plans Comprehensive public art master planning services for municipalities, cities, and management districts. UP Art Studio creates strategic plans for public art integration in communities, including examples such as the Laredo Public Art Master Plan (LAMP) and plans for the Energy Corridor District in Houston.
- Creative Placemaking Consulting Strategic consulting services including visioning, project curation, artist and artwork selection, creative services, fundraising, project planning and management, project delivery and installation, PR, media and marketing, community engagement, and event planning and production, serving public agencies, private sector clients, and real estate developers.
- Augmented Reality Murals Murals featuring augmented reality technology that overlays digital content when viewed through mobile devices. Houston's first public AR mural was created at Aldine Branch Library in partnership with North Houston District, with additional AR features implemented during Big Walls Big Dreams Miami.
- Mini Murals Artist Registry Ongoing artist registry program where artists can apply to join and receive notifications of Calls for Renderings for specific funded Mini Murals commissions. Accepts diverse artists with lived experience in project areas, supporting the firm's commissioned mural pipeline across Texas cities.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 300 Mini Murals installed across Texas cities in 5 years, with ongoing expansion programs
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use UP Art Studio
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
UP Art Studio technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
UP Art Studio partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Houston Downtown DistrictcoreCommissioned Men's Final Four Basketballs installation during March sporting event. UP Art Studio and artist Robin Munro installed 8 basketball-themed installations with QR codes on sidewalks downtown.
- Steve GibsoncoreCommissioned large-scale mural on exterior of Silver Street Studios at Sawyer Yards, with The Deal Co donating equipment lifts for the project.
- Asakura RobinsoncoreLeading the Montrose Livable Centers Study for Montrose TIRZ 27, with UP Art Studio team involved in creating a plan for the future of Montrose grounded in district identity and history.
- Laredo City CouncilcoreAdopted the Laredo Public Art Master Plan (LAMP) produced by UP Art Studio, signaling overwhelming support from local officials and community for public art expansion.
- KaBOOM!minorPlay Everywhere Challenge Grant funder for 'Growing A Brighter Tomorrow' mural project at Matrix Theater Company in Southwest Detroit, including adjacent painted playscape.
- Houston Arts AlliancecoreFunded the Houston Mural Map website launch through City of Houston Let Creativity Happen Digital Grant, with Fresh Arts as fiscal sponsor.
- Austin Transportation DepartmentcoreSponsored the Austin Mini Murals program, engaging UP Art Studio to create one installation in each of the city's 10 City Council districts.
- Lopez NegreteminorLed the census campaign team that included UP Art Studio's murals for the #YEStoCensus2020 campaign in diverse, underserved Houston and Harris County neighborhoods.
- TIRZ 9coreTri-party agreement partner with TIRZ 25 and Five Corners Management District for the 5 Corners community civic art program, including painting and lighting of underpass and columns.
- Gillman SubaruminorSponsored UP Art Studio's participation in Houston's 35th Annual Art Car Parade representing the Bayou Preservation Association.
- League CitycorePublic art plan client with UP Art Studio completing murals as part of League City's public art plan, including the League City Public Pool multi-wall mural by artist Pilot.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
UP Art Studio competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Mural Arts Philadelphia: The largest public art program in the United States, dedicated to creating and interpreting murals through community engagement. Directly comparable to UP Art Studio's mural commissioning, public art master planning, and community-led GTM model, though at a significantly larger scale.
- Forecast Public Art: Public art consulting and advocacy organization (formerly Minneapolis-based) that supports artists and communities through public art consulting, publications, and programs. Comparable in its consulting-centric public art services.
- LAND Studio: Cleveland-based nonprofit that integrates public art, parks, and real estate redevelopment. Closely comparable to UP Art Studio's creative placemaking consulting, public art master planning, and project management services for cities and management districts.
- Public Art Saint Paul: Saint Paul-based public art organization that commissions, curates, and manages public art installations across the city. Directly comparable consulting and project delivery model for municipal public art clients.
- Pow! Wow!: Hawaii-originated international mural festival that curates and produces large-scale murals across multiple cities. Comparable to UP Art Studio's Big Walls Big Dreams as a curated mural festival with international artist participation and multi-city expansion.
- Living Walls: Atlanta-based mural festival and public art nonprofit that curates and produces large-scale murals by local and international artists. Direct peer to UP Art Studio's Big Walls Big Dreams festival model and artist-curation expertise.
- ArtBridge: New York-based public art nonprofit that partners with real estate developers and city agencies to install large-scale murals on construction scaffolding and public infrastructure. Comparable to UP Art Studio's developer and civic-clients segment and traffic-cabinet-style infrastructure activation.
- WALL\THERAPY: Rochester, NY-based mural festival that commissions international artists to paint large-scale murals in underserved neighborhoods. Direct peer in the festival-curation and community-engagement model that UP Art Studio has built with Big Walls Big Dreams.
Broad incumbents
- The Trust for Public Land: National nonprofit that funds and advocates for parks and public spaces, including public art components. Not a direct competitor but a funder/incumbent that shapes municipal public art budgets and RFPs that UP Art Studio's clients manage.
- Project for Public Spaces: National nonprofit focused on placemaking and public space programming, with overlap into public art consulting. Broader incumbent that competes for creative placemaking and master planning engagements.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
UP Art Studio social profiles
Digital presenceUP Art Studio financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
UP Art Studio leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
UP Art Studio funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
UP Art Studio M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about UP Art Studio
What does UP Art Studio do?
UP Art Studio is a public art and creative placemaking consulting firm that curates, manages, and produces mural installations, public art master plans, and community engagement programs for public agencies, private sector clients, and real estate developers. The firm commissions artists to paint murals on traffic signal control cabinets, building facades, and public infrastructure, while also providing end-to-end consulting services including visioning, artist selection, project management, and event production. Signature programs include the Mini Murals initiative, the Big Walls Big Dreams mural festival, and the Houston Mural Map digital platform.
Is UP Art Studio a public or private company?
UP Art Studio is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was UP Art Studio founded?
UP Art Studio was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is UP Art Studio based?
UP Art Studio is headquartered in Houston, United States, in the North America region.
How does UP Art Studio make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Public Art Consulting Services are the primary driver. The others are mural and Public Art Commissions and public Art Master Planning.
Who are UP Art Studio's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Mural Arts Philadelphia, Forecast Public Art, LAND Studio, Public Art Saint Paul, Pow! Wow!, Living Walls, ArtBridge and WALL\THERAPY. Broad incumbents are The Trust for Public Land and Project for Public Spaces.
Does UP Art Studio have an API?
No public API is recorded for UP Art Studio.
What industry is UP Art Studio in?
UP Art Studio's product category is Public Art Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAIAKAA, Architectural & Decorative Painting (Interior/Exterior). Its NAICS code is 23832.