ATX – STREET ART

There are more than 100 murals in the City of Austin, and it feels like nearly every block has some giant expression of creativity blasted against its walls for the world to see.  Historically, most murals appear suddenly in places you wouldn’t expect: on a downtown high-rise, against the back side of a coffee shop, in an abandoned alleyway behind a dumpster.  It’s part of Austin’s murals’ mystique and glory.  No descriptions, no special lighting, and no rules against touching.

Murals are an interesting and beautiful artifact in many cities, both large and small.  We have seen them not only in downtown Philadelphia and Detroit, but on the buildings in remote small towns like Marfa, Texas and on the South Side of Bethlehem, PA.  Artists of all sorts are drawn to these larger-than-life blank canvases.  Skillful artists are moved to engage townies and the casual visitor in an emotional way by drawing attention to the structure they have transformed with their colorful images.  This self-expression is sometimes referred to as “street culture” because of the diversity of style and content these works embrace.  Some images commemorate the history of the city; others are whimsical or “in your face;” some pay homage to celebrities past and present.  As we explored Austin, we recalled the subways of New York City and the pop art and graffiti-like work of Keith Haring.

We started by googling a list of Austin murals, and as we began our search we soon discovered that some pieces no longer existed, the mural had been changed or had been replaced with something new.  What a great day spent looking at and photographing some amazing pieces of art!  Here’s what we found.

And if you think this was pretty cool, wait until we blog about the Hope Outdoor Gallery!

Barbara and Brian