As the largest retailer in America, embracing diversity and fostering a culture of inclusion is at the core of Walmart’s brand philosophy “Live Better.” Making good on that promise begins with reflecting the diverse communities we serve and ensuring that we can offer a better life for all.
To maintain and win a key growing demographic customer base, Walmart must connect with Hispanic Gen Z and Millennials who are shaping and remixing today’s culture by reflecting their culture, fostering trust, and supporting inclusivity and representation through enriching their passions to build long-term trust and loyalty. We needed to demonstrate that Walmart is not only a brand that cares for them, but “gets them” too to drive authentic engagement and reappraisal.
In summary, our goal was to accomplish the following:
Sundays hold deep significance for Hispanics as a day for family, spirituality & community. Modern Hispanics are reimagining their Sunday rituals, putting their own spin on traditions and making it a day for inspiration and engaging in their creative passions.
To find the creative “makers” and Walmart shoppers who are innovative and could spark inspiration, we needed to collaborate with a partner that incubated creative talent and had deepened local community connections to create a bespoke initiative.
BEYOND THE STREETS is a global, art-driven cultural and educational platform. They celebrate mark-makers and rule-breakers, and their curation illustrates the best of contemporary and emerging artists, with a focus on graffiti and street art creators.
Known for their massive-scale exhibitions, immersive educational experiences, and engaging pop-up events, they push the very idea of art beyond any preconceived boundary, making them an ideal partner for supercharging creativity and highlighting modern takes on tradition.
Walmart leveraged BEYOND THE STREETS’ access to premiere and emerging Artist Talent to create a platform for Walmart and the next generation of Hispanic creators to tell their stories, build impactufl community experiences, and showcase unique ways they are remixing culture through their art. To tie to the larger insight, our initiative had key themes and timing that centered around Sunday inspiration leading up to a “Cultura Art Fair” powered by Walmart and held on a Sunday in Chicago to celebrate modern Hispanic artistry.
Together Walmart and BEYOND THE STREETS developed an emerging artist initiative. In recognizing the vibrant and deep-rooted Hispanic arts community in Chicago, we strategically selected this market to celebrate and cultivate emerging talent, drawing inspiration from its rich artistic heritage.
Anchoring the initiative, Walmart worked with BEYOND THE STREETS to secure two prominent Chicago Artists, Sentrock and Vanessa “Nez” Garza, known for their dynamic work to serve as our program ambassadors, collaborators, and mentors to a curated group of five Emerging Artists: Ramiro Huizar, ELLOO, FEDZ, Diske Uno, and TUBS.
Each of our five Emerging Artists received their own custom video profile with content produced by BEYOND THE STREETS highlighting how they spend their Domingo (Sunday), how they serve their community, how they’re remixing culture, and the story of how they will emerge from hopeful to living their dream as a working Artist.
Our two Mentors and Walmart hosted a Sunday roundtable discussion at Sentrock Studios with five Artists about how to level-up their creativity, business acumen, and networking skills to fully realize their potential with video content captured to share online and help other aspiring artists. We hosted an intimate community workshop with 20x GenZennial Artist-Hopefuls having our mentors and emerging Artists teaching them hands-on skills of the trade.
The program culminated with a Walmart “Cultura Art Fair;” an exciting public Sunday event celebrating the works of our Artists. With live mural paintings by each of the Emerging Artists, games, art sales, and giveaways, Walmart provided the resources and platform for our class of 2024 to celebrate artistry and community impact.
The partnership between Walmart and BEYOND THE STREETS captured the vibrant spirit of the artist community. We received an outpouring of positive feedback from attendees at the Cultura Art Fair, which became more than just an event, it was a hub for artists to form genuine connections and celebrate their shared love for creativity.
By focusing on the thriving Hispanic arts scene in Chicago, we brought the program to life in a way that resonated locally while also making it easily accessible online for a wider reach. This initiative highlighted Walmart as more than just a resource for art supplies, it demonstrated that Walmart genuinely understands and supports artists and is as an advocate for Hispanic creative talent and ingenuity.
