Three of the sci-fi themed canned-food CANstruction sculptures now on display at NorthPark Center. [Photos: North Texas Food Bank]

This is one can you don’t want to kick down the road—because one of the coolest exhibits in Dallas is on display for just 11 more days.

We’re talking about the 29th annual CANstruction Dallas, a design-and-build event of giant canned-food structures benefitting North Texas Food Bank (NTFB). Featuring 26 science-fiction-themed sculptures, the event kicked off on August 30 and runs through Sunday, September 14, at NorthPark Center.

The sculptures, sprinkled all around NorthPark, are made entirely out of canned foods and other non-perishable food items. They were designed and built by teams from architecture, design, engineering, and construction companies working to help fight hunger across North Texas.

Voting for your favorites

It’s free to come view the exhibit, and the public is encouraged to vote for the winning sculptures. NorthPark visitors can vote on their favorite structure by donating to that team’s fundraising page at www.ntfb.org/canstruction. Every $5 donation casts a vote and helps the North Texas Food Bank provide access to 15 nutritious meals, NTFB said.

“The CANstruction competition and exhibit is an innovative and creative way for the design, engineering and construction communities to support the North Texas Food Bank’s mission to close the hunger gap in North Texas,” NTFB President and CEO Trisha Cunningham said in a statement. “Last year, the North Texas Food Bank provided nearly 170,000 meals through the money and food donated from the event.”

“We couldn’t do what we do in the fight against hunger without the community’s support,” she added, “and hope you’ll take the opportunity to see the impressive displays that the teams create.”

Over the last 29 years, CANstruction Dallas has provided millions of canned food items for NTFB to distribute to North Texas neighbors experiencing hunger through a feeding network of 500 partner food pantries and other community organizations. NTFB said these food resources remain “critical,” as North Texans continue to experience “economic uncertainty and unprecedented hunger caused by record inflation.”

Last year’s CANstruction event raised over $22,000 and nearly 123,000 pounds of canned goods. That year, cans were built into vignettes of western scenery, including saloons, wild horses, cowboys, and more. You can see the 2024 winners by going here. 

Don’t miss what’s next. Subscribe to Dallas Innovates.

Track Dallas-Fort Worth’s business and innovation landscape with our curated news in your inbox Tuesday-Thursday.

 

R E A D   N E X T

  • North Texas has plenty to see, hear, and watch. Here are our editors’ picks. Plus, you’ll find more selections to “save the date.”

  • Combining cutting-edge research and real-world applications, the UT Dallas professor transforms public health with innovations in detection technology, including “a check engine light” for the human body. In collaboration with EnLiSense, the company she cofounded, Dr. Prasad combines chemistry with software and hardware to bring the technology to life as market-ready devices.

  • Dallas Innovates, in partnership with the Dallas Regional Chamber, once again is recognizing the most innovative leaders in AI in Dallas-Fort Worth. From visionaries and mavericks to transformers and academics, AI 75’s class of 2025 are the AI pacesetters you need to know now.

  • You’ll find deadlines coming up for a new accelerator program; and many more opportunities.

  • The Texas Research Alliance helps businesses, public agencies, and governments engage with North Texas’ robust higher education research infrastructure to advance a wide range of goals. And yes, that includes mobility—which is why the TRA developed the North Texas Center for Mobility Technologies, a collaboration among industry, the North Central Texas Council of Governments, UNT, UTA, SMU, and UTD to develop advanced mobility technologies in North Texas.