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Ezine Spring 2019
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Ta b l e o f Table of contents
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austin tex-mex
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the live music venues of austin 4 | Area 512 — Ezine Spring 2019
Meet the editors
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Nacho average food industry
contents 16 Texas barbecue’s roots
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Making street art
Austin is going loco for Local rap
A cut above the rest
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MEET THE EDITORS Ethan Liu Ethan Liu is a student at LASA High who enjoys playing the piano, playing tennis, and listening to music. He moved to Austin in the summer of 2015 and has loved the city ever since. His favorite movie is Cars.
NICK INGRAM Nick is a student at LASA high school. He enjoys listening to music and spending time with his friends in his free time. He hopes to do well at LASA but also wants to manage his schoolwork and free time. He is currently taking German at LASA. 6 | Area 512 — Ezine Spring 2019
ADITYA SANGANA Aditya is a student at LASA high school. He likes to play soccer and listen to music. He plays competitive soccer for a high-level team. He is also on the robotics team, does Science Olympiad, Model UN, and FBLA. He wants to do well in LASA, succeed in his extracurriculars. He loves Austin.
SUHAS GILLIPELLI Suhas Gillipelli is also a student at LASA. Suhas is able to delegate work efficiently, and has a good eye for design. He can be courteous and respectful, but can be very forceful in tone when people don’t work when they should. Suhas likes art and sculpture preferring wood carving, and running on chilly mornings. Suhas has a passion for engineering and art (usually design related interests). When he grows up, Suhas would like to be a 3D animator or graphic designer. Area 512 — Ezine Spring 2019 | 7
Austin
TEX-MEX By: Aditya Sangana
The unique stories and locations oft Austin’s most iconic restaurants.
$$$ - Matt’s El Rancho
Matt’s El Rancho one of the first Tex-Mex restaurants in Austin has served our community for over 65 years. This restaurant like El Patio opened its doors in the 1950’s. It is a large part of the Austin culture and maintains the same menu as it did in 1952.
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Photo Courtesy of: Matt’s El Rancho
Photo Courtesy of: Maudie’s Hacienda
$$ - Maudie’s Tex-Mex Maudie’s thought not as old as El Patio or Matt’s El Rancho is still considered a major contributor to the Austin culture. It is about 25 years old and has served our community with the finest quality. It is a chain restaurant that is considered a family staple in Austin.
Photo Courtesy of: El Patio
$ - El Patio El patio has served the city of Austin for over 65 years. This restaurant first opened its doors to the Austin community in 1954 and was opened by Paul C. Joseph and is considered one of the pioneers for Tex-Mex food in Austin. This restaurant is a monument in Austin as it still continues to serve the way they did 65 years ago.
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NACHO AVERAGE FOOD INDUSTRY BY:ADITYA SANGANA
Austin’s food scene is becoming more popular and is becoming one of our largest growing industries in Austin, Tex-Mex pioneers a new identity for our city.
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amilies laughing and chatting at the tables across the room. Soft music in the background while kids and adults stuff themselves with authentic food. A safe, family-friendly environment with rustic architecture is the TexMex restaurants in Austin. Known as the ultimate comfort food, Tex-Mex drives the food industry in Austin. An essential industry in Austin embedded deep into our culture. From old to new restaurants the food is what it comes down to, as that it is a large part of Austin’s unique culture. El Patio is one of the oldest restaurants in Austin and has helped pioneer this large industry.
normally have created these friendships help create new bonds and new experiences, that’s why everybody wants to go out and eat,” said John Henson, manager of El Patio, while reflecting on why the Tex-Mex industry is so great.
chain that is nationally recognized was once only a small food truck in this big city. “Food trucks are such a vital part of the Tex-Mex industry as people who eat from food trucks will most likely be getting more authentic cuisine than one could get at a restaurant, providing cheaper meals with the same quality and sometimes even better taste,” Henson said.
“The reason I want to come in everyday is the excitement of who I am going to meet today.”
“You get to see a lot of people and you get to build a lot of friendships that...you wouldn’t 10 | Area 512 — Ezine Spring 2019
-John Henson
The Tex-Mex industry doesn’t entirely consist of just restaurants. Food trucks being a big part of Austin, Tex-Mex food trucks are especially popular in this city. Torchy’s Tacos, for example, a
El Patio, a restaurant that was started in 1954, has lasted in this city since then. It’s unchanged but is still running as a strong business. They specialize in Tex-Mex food showcasing how integrated Tex-Mex is in Austin’s culture. This restaurant has grown throughout the years and has a made quite a name for itself and the Tex-Mex industry and helped set the
El Patio is a Tex-Mex restaurant that has served Austin for 65+ years. Photo Courtesy of Aditya Sangana
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Tex-Mex scene in Austin. It helped establish that no matter the location, size or looks, it comes down to the food, as the food is what makes our city unique and diverse. Over the years the Tex-Mex industry has grown so much, being driven by a community that considers it to be their pride and themselves to be the capital of unique food. With this industry gaining such a respectable name and having success after success how has the Tex-Mex industry affected Austin itself? “Through Tex-Mex, we are able to give back to the community by providing them with Mexican food, also making Austin unique,” Manager at Maudie’s Hacienda, Marisol Ortega said. 1. Beef Queso Tex-Mex Taco Pie- Courtesy of Marty 2. Fresh Avacodo and Chicken Taco BowlCourtesy of Michelle 3. Cheesy Chipotle Chicken Taco- Courtesy of Kraft Recipes
Food helps provide a medium where people can understand others with different backgrounds better. As we have a diverse community, much of Austin consists of people of Hispanic origin and with this food, the community can help them feel at home and welcome here in Austin. But for others, food may not be that important and it may just be a part of the experience, though the food is still important. Anjali Sharma, a food critic in Austin, tells us about what most people think of food.”Food is just something that we require in our lives, we don’t think about food until we are hungry.” Sharma said. Sharma views food as just a part
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of the experience and not the experience as a whole. This shows how integrated food is in Austin’s culture and it is interesting that even though the food is such a big part of our community, with multiple food locations it isn’t something that is thought of often. People are happy with the growing Tex-Mex industry in Austin as it helps Austin become a more diverse city with more to offer. Tex-Mex serves Austin as an industry for tourism. It attracts people who aren’t from Austin as it provides a bigger variety and better quality of Tex-Mex. Sharma talks about how Austin has more to offer in Tex-Mex than where she used to live, Denver Colorado.
“We love it, our family and myself. People can come to Austin just for Tex-Mex food as it is such a unique part of Austin. We are really impressed with the TexMex culture that is available in Austin. Since when we were living in Denver, I and my family have been really big fans of, Mexican food. But in Denver, we did not really find many varieties of Mexican food restaurants. When we came to Austin, we realized there are a lot more choices available... It’s more flavorful, I’m a lot more into the sites available to eat,” Sharma said. Not only that, but the customer service that Tex-Mex restaurants provide is quite remarkable. The restaurants are very customer friendly as the people who work at these restaurants love working in this industry.
“I enjoy being around people,” Henson said. “I’m a people person. I can spend time with staff and the guests that come in on daily.We have three to 400 people coming in a day and you get to meet different people that are strangers and you can make them happy.”
it something that is here to stay. So when you come down to Austin make sure to enjoy one of Austin’s Tex-Mex restaurants and you will have gained a joyful, new experience.
Chipotle Tex-Mex Salad Bowl - Courtesy of ifoodreal
People love working in this industry as they get to make random people happy by giving back to the Austin community. Not only is the service great, but the food itself is amazing. Through Tex-Mex, people get to experience authentic Mexican food while getting a healthy meal as Tex-Mex consists of a lot of vegetables. Cooking Tex-Mex is as important as the ingredients that go into making it mouthwatering. Sharma talks about how she loves TexMex because of its health benefits.“So ingredients are the first most important thing and then the recipes which make it really tasty. When you eat, you are eating healthy with taste that’s why they are never really when they leave.” Austin is a city largely defined by its food, and when it comes to Tex-Mex it’s deemed as unique and creative. The Tex-Mex industry in Austin helps make a place that is welcome for everyone and make people feel at home. Tex-Mex in Austin isn’t just temporary is Area 512 — Ezine Spring 2019 | 13
The Live Music Venues Of Austin By: Nick Ingram
The Moody Theater
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The Moody Theater in downtown Austin has hosted musicians of all genres. It hosts about 100 shows a year and is 3 levels.
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The Saxon Pub
The Saxon Pub is a venue on South Lamar that has hosted thousands of different shows. It has free weekday shows, and a listening room with an intimate atmosphere.
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The Continental Club
The Continental Club is a rock, country, and jazz club located in downtown Austin. It has been open since 1955 and has achieved legendary status for its shows.
Austin is filled with places to see live music. Each venue is unique, and offers a signature Austin experience. Below you will see some popular places to see live music in Austin, and what they have to offer.
The North Door
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The North Door venue in Austin hosts a variety of different events, and is located on the East side of Austin. The North Door often holds events during SXSW festival.
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Stay Gold
Stay Gold is a new venue on Cesar Chavez. It is based around its food and mostly has rock and country bands play.
Emo’s Austin
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Emo’s Austin located on East Riverside Drive in Austin is a popular live music venue that was founded in 1989 in Houston.
Information Provided By: Emo’s Austin FAQ Page About ACL Live at the Moody Theater Page About the Continental Club About North Door
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Austin is going loco for local Rap5
By Nick Ingram
Rap music is finally starting to gain popularity in Austin thanks to festivals like JMBLYA and new artists paving the way.
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n the rapidly growing city of Austin, one genre of music is finally starting to emerge. That genre is rap. According to USA Today rap is currently the most popular genre of music, but Austin is yet to be a large part of the rap scene. Luckily with its increasing popularity, that is finally starting to change. Raps growing popularity has swept through the nation along with making the genre the largest. Since 2017, rap has taken over the music scene without
much competition. Some of the cities that often come up when talking about rap are usually Los Angeles, New York, Miami and Houston, but never Austin. Austin is notorious for the variety of new music that has come out of it, but it’s not yet notorious for rap. Though Austin may not be notorious for rap music, it’s certainly starting to gain traction due to the popularity of the genre. Music festivals such as JMBLYA that focus on rap have also helped in its popularization,
Vince Staples performed at ACL 2018 in Austin, Texas. Photo Courtesy of Nick Ingram
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and have drawn in huge crowds. A large variety of unique venues have helped the genre grow. Artists like The Teeta, Quin NFN and Whookilledkenny have been pioneering Austin rap, and help it grow. These artists seem to feel like Austin has not been used by rap yet, and that there is lots of opportunity for growth and expansion.
“You don’t find too many places that have been untapped in America,” Local Austin rapper The Teeta said when asked about why Austin is unique. Austin is special, because not only has Austin not been utilized by rap, but it’s also one of the fastest growing cities in the country. “It’s the birthplace for a lot of new and upcoming artists,“ rap expert Duren Wilson said. This seems to be another thing that is special about Austin because
Local Austin rapper The Teeta started making music at age 17. Photo courtesy of Jesse Rodriguez
the rappers in Austin are from Austin, but in a city like L.A. most of the artists just move there to push their career. Artists from Austin can be given opportunities to further their career thanks to many events and festivals, especially SXSW. “Austin has ACL and SXSW which bring in so many artists,” Wilson said. Often when an artist goes on tour, they go to Houston and/ or Dallas with the occasional visit to Austin
or San Antonio, but the festivals force artists to branch out and come to Austin. These festivals are part of the reason Austin gets its title of “Live Music Capital of the World.” However not everyone believes that Austin deserves this title. Ewan Kerley, who has helped set up for shows, said that a lot of good old artists come to Austin, but that the title does not connect to the newer generations anymore. Venues can vary greatly
Ewan Kerley is an Austinite native who loves rap. Photo Courtesy of Nick Salas
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Vince Staples performing at Emo’s in Austin Texas Photo Courtesy of Nick Ingram
between genres and generations. The fans seem to enjoy smaller more condensed venues. “Most of the time you’re going to prefer that smaller venue, and it’s going to be more connected with the fans,” Wilson said. Most big artists perform at the Austin 360 Amphitheatre simply because it has more seats and will sell more tickets, but that’s not necessarily what the fans want. The performers seem to care more about the setup of the venue rather than the size. “Scratchouse is tight, I like that LED
Emo’s live music venue in Austin, Texas Photo Courtesy of Tim Griffin
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screen that they got,” The Teeta said. The artists seem to enjoy venues that have unique features, whether it’s the sound system at Empire’s, or the LED screen at Scratchouse. The local rappers of Austin often get chances to shine through doing group shows at more moderately sized venues like these. Though most people support Austin rap, some people are skeptical about it. “A lot of it is trash,” Kerley said about local Austin rap music compared to mainstream rap music. People dislike the genre because it can be too raw or harsh, but others seem to think that it will soon blow up in popularity. “Having such small venues, it doesn’t get a lot of attention,” Wilson said. Wilson thinks that Austin rap is underrated, and that it just hasn’t gotten its respect yet. Some of the artists have also been hoping that Austin rap will soon skyrocket in popularity. “You gotta be willing to take a chance,”
The Teeta said. The risk of not gaining popularity scares a lot of people away from pursuing their dreams, but it hasn’t scared the Austin rappers who continue to put in work towards their music. Rap is changing the culture of Austin because it’s very clear that Austin’s culture is heavily impacted by music. “Music is almost everything to Austin culture,” Wilson said. Without the many festivals and events that have taken place in Austin thanks to music, there’s no telling what the city would be like. “It makes Austin really popular,” Kerley said in response to how music has affected Austin’s culture. The growth of Austin truly does have to in part be due to the music aspect of
the city. Fans in Austin are desperately hoping that Austin will start gaining attention, so that their favorite artists will perform here. “Kanye, Lil Uzi Vert and A$AP Rocky, they have some of the best live performances,” Kerley said. If rap music becomes more popular in Austin, bigger artists may start coming more often. Energy is an important thing for artists to bring to stage, and it’s important for them to get back from the crowd. “Love,” The Teeta said when asked what he felt from the crowd. The love that the crowd gives out makes the artists motivated to push themselves further. The fans must truly be feeling the love and energy in the crowd to be this patient as the genre expands.
People in Austin want rap to be big here so that more can have their own shot at fame, and so they can watch people that they’ve been supporting for years become successful. Rap music in Austin will continue to grow with the help of the artists and the fans. The Teeta’s anticipated album Teeta World released on March 8, and fans hope it will help the scene in Austin gain popularity.
Local Austin rapper Whokilledkenny will be performing at JMBLYA festival in May Photo courtesy of Rae Davis
The Austin 360 Ampitheatre at the Circuit of the Americas Photo Courtesy of the Austin 360 Ampitheatre
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TEXAS BARBEQUe’s ROOTS There are four styles of BBQ that encapsulate the flavor of each region of Texas. This spread covers all four and how they differ from each other.
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eAST TEXAS STYle
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CEntral TEXAS STYle
By Ethan Liu
East Texan and Central Texan styles are the most well-known out of the four. East Texan BBQ originated from the South and has more in common with it than other styles of Texas BBQ. It features equal parts beef and pork and is generally served chopped instead of sliced. It is served on a bun with liberal amounts of BBQ sauce and hot sauce. The sauce is sweet and tomato-based. The meat is smoked using hickory wood and is cooked until very tender.
In Central Texas Style BBQ, little to no sauce is used. Instead, the meat is rubbed with a dry spice mix and cooked indirectly with pecan or oak wood. Beef brisket and pork sausage are common meats used. Sauces and sides come second to the meat, which is the main focus. This style was influenced by German and Czech immigrants who ran meat markets and introduced coarsely ground beef sausages.
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West TEXAS STYle
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West Texas Style BBQ, also known as “cowboy style” or “Hill Country Style”, utilizes direct-heat cooking under mesquite wood instead of indirect-heat cooking (smoking). The meat, usually thin meats such as half-chickens, ribs, and sausage, is cooked over mesquite coals and has a different and unique flavor as a result. The meat captures the smoke from fat hitting the coals instead of wood smoe. Faster times mean less room for error and less tender meat, so pitmasters tend to avoid this style.
South TEXAS STYle The least well-known style on the list, South Texas BBQ has thick sauces with a consistency similar to molasses. As a result, the meat is very moist. Deeper South in Texas, you can find barbacoaanimal head. Traditionally beef, the head is placed in a stone-lined pit under a large mesquite-wood fire, covered with maguey (agave) leaves, and left to smoke overnight, or until very tender.
Information courtesy of: Thrillist Austin Way Smoked BBQ Source
A cut above the rest
If you’re taking a trip to the capital of Texas, here are some necessary barbecue spots that capture the flavor of the city. By Ethan Liu
Donn’s BBQ uses wood to smoke all of their meats. Photo courtesy of Ethan Liu
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here’s no doubt that Austin is a diverse, colorful city. After all, its slogan is “Keep Austin Weird”. When finding a place to eat, it is almost impossible to get bored with the countless options available, ranging from breakfast tacos to Korean BBQ. Standing out from all of these, however, are three barbecue joints - Donn’s BBQ & Catering, Iron Works BBQ, and SLAB BBQ & Beer. Donn’s Barbeque has three locations in Austin. Photo courtesy of Ethan Liu
These three local destinations are all owned by Austinites that care about their city, and they each have their own unique flair that sets them apart from each other. Each restaurant also has a rich backstory of how the restaurant came to be and has seen Austin change and its culture evolve from a small, bohemian town in the middle of nowhere to a bustling city with a growing technology scene. Anyone visiting Austin or even just passing by on a road trip should take some time to experience these unique barbecue spots. Donn’s, owned by Denise Guerrero and her husband, is a classic momand-pop shop that feels welcoming and homey.
“I want to say that when you come into one of the doors, we treat you like family,” Denise Guerrero, owner of Donn’s BBQ & Catering, said. “When people come in, we treat them with dignity. We don’t try to belittle them or anything. It’s all about customer service and the quality of our food.” She believes that this is how Donn’s is different than other barbecue spots. Donn’s BBQ has been open for over 30 years. Guerrero says that the business’ success is probably due to the fact that Donn’s cares so much about their customers. She and her husband know many of their customers by a first name basis. Some customers have been coming back to Donn’s for over 20 years. That type of dedication can only stem from a quality and genuine restaurant.
Donn’s uses only the highest quality meats, specifically Angus beef. This is another reason that customers keep coming back to Donn’s after every visit. We tell our employees, ‘Would you serve this to your own mother or father?’” Guerrero said. Authenticity and quality are very important in the eyes of Donn’s owners - they’re what draws a customer back for the second or third or even hundredth time. Donn’s most popular meat is the brisket. “Oh, it’s the brisket,” Guerrero said. “Everybody here in knows in Texas, beef is king, so it’s the brisket. The meat’s so tender that it just falls off the bone.” Beef brisket is a main focus of Central Texas style barbecue. This style of barbecue envelops Austin
Iron Works BBQ is located in downtown Austin and is a popular tourist attraction. Photo courtesy of Iron Works BBQ Instagram
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and shines a spotlight on the meat by putting sauces and sides second. Good beef brisket is smoked with real wood for multiple hours, is very tender, moist and flavorful, and has a beautiful black crust on the outside.
Mark Avalos (left) and Jason Hernandez (right) are two coowners of SLAB BBQ. Photo courtesy of Ethan Liu
SLAB BBQ & Beer was founded by four Austinites and hip-hop lovers that sought to turn traditional barbecue on its head. SLAB specializes in sandwiches specifically and takes inspiration from barbecue styles all across America. “SLAB is not a traditional Texas barbecue set,” Jason Hernandez, co-owner of SLAB BBQ & Beer, said. “We do cook with very Texasinfluenced styles and even our ingredients; we smoke everything fresh every single day in the back. The big difference is that we take inspiration from North Carolina, we take inspiration from Saint Louis, we take inspiration from being Latinos in Central Texas… we’re not trying to hide it and just really show those influences within the food.” Instead of taking inspiration solely from traditional Texas barbecue, SLAB has influences from all over the map of America. Their four awardwinning sauces, Backyard Red, Dank White, Gold Rush and Spicy Hot,
are influenced by Memphis and Texas, mayo-based sauces from Alabama, mustard-based sauces from South Carolina and garlic and sriracha sauces from the Far East, respectively.
he grew up with — more on the side of hip hop than country music. SLAB takes another detour from traditional Texas barbecue by specializing in sandwiches only rather than plated barbecue, or meat by the pound.
“As a dish and as an individual sandwich, we make sandwiches versus your traditional barbecue restaurant, what’s going to be what’s called plated barbecue — two meats, three sides,” Hernandez said.
Iron Works Barbecue is a historic former iron working shop that has been transformed into a barbecue restaurant. What makes this destination unique is its extensive traditional Texas decor and history.
SLAB is run by Mark Avalos, Raf Robinson, Chip Osbourne, Chip Gourley, and Jason Hernandez. The founders wanted something different than traditional Texas barbecue. Avalos wanted his barbecue joint to represent the side of Austin that
“The [Iron Works BBQ] building itself was built in 1934 by the Weigel family who were actual iron workers, and they immigrated here from Germany to make the better of their lives,” Aaron Morris, manager at Iron Works BBQ, said. “They opened this
From left to right: SLAB 2-pounder, SLAB sliders, SLAB nachos, and SLAB Brown Chicken Brown Cow. Photos courtesy of SLAB BBQ Instagram
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building up the 1935, and then they went to retire in 1977. My family, my aunt in particular, bought the building and turned it into the Iron Works Barbecue restaurant.” Iron Works has been operating ever since, and it has never had a decline in quality or commitment. “A couple of years ago, there was a big inflation in a brisket, and we never changed the size of our plates to kind of skimp on price,” Morris said. “We always kept the same amount of meat going on the plate and we didn’t jack up our prices super high. We just hunkered down and waited it out.” This is a prime example of how Iron Works sticks to its core values — to provide great quality food at an affordable price to the community. Morris said that even though the restaurant lost some money from the brisket inflation, the money lost was negligible compared to the continued trust in Iron Works BBQ from customers. They knew that they were still getting the same great quality meat. Iron Works BBQ opened in 1978 and has been serving barbecue ever since. Photo courtesy of Iron Works BBQ Instagram
“We went for being mostly local people that need to grab lunch to mostly tourists now,” Morris said on how Iron Works has changed over time. “So it’s really different. It’s a lot of people from out of town now. You used to see 90% people that just lived in the neighborhood eat here and now it’s 90% people from all over the world. People from Dallas, from New York, from London, people
Barbecue drives Austin, and it just so happens that it’s a city that really engulfs it in and embodies it.
-Jason Hernandez
from Australia. We see all kinds of people every single day. It’s wild.” Being located downtown, Iron Works BBQ is a popular tourist destination because of its classic Texas barbecue style. As a result, Morris sees huge flows of tourists during special events such as Austin City Limits, Circuit of the Americas, and SXSW as a result of Austin growing from a small town to a large city.
Works’ core values of reliability and commitment, or SLAB’s twist on traditional barbeque to personify the Austin that the owners know, each restaurant represents Austin and fills customers up with quality barbecue. “I think for the most part, people are extremely receptive,” Hernandez said on how people respond to the prevalent hip-hop influence of SLAB. “Some people just don’t like hip hop. That’s the real truth of it. And they just won’t come back and I have to apologize. But this is who we are. This is kind of a life… barbecue drives Austin, and it just so happens that it’s a city that really engulfs it in and embodies it.” The philosophy that Hernandez applies to hip-hop can be applied to any aspect of culture. Whatever it is, some people are going to like it and some are going to hate it. Austin has people from many different backgrounds, and barbecue is one way to tie all of these people together. Ironworks has unique decorations hung on the walls. Photo courtesy of IWB Instagram
However, Morris is not antigentrification by any means. He welcomes people to Austin and acknowledges that “stuff changes and grows, and sometimes you have to grow and adapt with it.” Each of these restaurants bring something new and exciting to the table. Whether it’s Donn’s authenticity and homeyness, Iron Area 512 — Ezine Spring 2019 | 25
By Suhas Gillipelli
Austin is a perfect representation of the American meltingpot. Many people want to be a part of the prominent artistic traditions of the city, but no one knows how to start. Well get your spray cans and dirty clothes, but we’re about to start your artistic journey.
As advised by prominent street artist Lucas Aoki, you should always make a sketch of what you want to make on a piece of paper, then start out making a non-permanent outline on your surface with a black paint. Art will take a bit of planning.
Street art is supposed to do either one or both of these things, according to professional artist Miles Starkey: communicate a message, and express yourself. Choose designs that you know will be right for the purpose of your art.
While working on a big mural, muralist Dan Terry says you’ll go through multiple cans of spray paint. Choose wisely, because it wouldn’t be nice if you spent a lot of time and money on a piece that doesn’t look good!
This is the most fun part. Go to town, and make sure you are painting as your plan dictates. Once you’ve painted one part of your piece, go over your basic outline with a strong black to accent your nice colors.
Spray The Memo By Suhas Gillipelli
The role of street art in culture is becoming more and more important.
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he HOPE Outdoor Gallery, most commonly referred to as Graffiti Park, was closed in early January of 2019 in preparation of its demolition and then relocation later in the year. With being such an important cultural landmark, people are saddened to see the spot go; and with its demolition, the question arises: why do we have street art- what makes it important? Graffiti Park closed down on January 2 of 2019 in preparation for demolition. This event has brought a lot of dismay to Austin residents (even with the news of a planned construction of a new park), and has brought up some controversy, being
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that the spot has attained great cultural value over its years of constant painting. Austin combines hundreds of backgrounds from all over the world; there are bound to be some people who want to share their life in the form of art. Graffiti Park acts as a place for anyone to share their life and spread their culture. This is why the park is so important and causing dismay- it is important to maintain Austin’s cultural identity, and Graffiti Park contains so much of that mix of culture that Austin represents. Street art is important to Austin culture because it “brings together a community
through active effort” and “communicating a shared message,” says Miles Starkey, Artists Project Manager for the HOPE Campaign. Austin culture is about bringing together people to express themselves and their identity, and street art is a tool to do this. Street art is a platform where people can just express themselves. In the street art community, tagging is the most basic form of graffiti, the writing of the artist’s name in a personalized signature. “Tagging and… instagram is important… because you’re putting yourself out
there” says Starkey. Tagging shows that even when you’re not exactly an
Photo courtesy of Houston Chronicle artist, you can still express yourself through street art.
Street art can be defined by many as just having fun. It’s a way to better a space by spraying on some art, and it adds beauty to a bland and boring wall blatantly sitting there. The HOPE Campaign, the organization that owns Graffiti Park, stands just for that; Graffiti Park adds to the inherent beauty of Austin and what makes it great. However, making an area beautiful is not the only purpose of
Street Art. During many Middle Eastern conflicts, including the ongoing IsraelPalestine conflict, graffiti is used as a way to spread a message of a people’s suffering and lay out their own societal problems. Not only street art, but art in its essence, acts as an outlet for people to relay their own view. “It isn’t really art if it doesn’t have a meaning” says Dan Terry, a popular muralist in Austin.
Graffiti in Palestine commemorating Lei’la Khaled, a Palestinian activist in Bethlehem, PA. Khaled is a symbol of Palestinian nationalism. Area 512 — Ezine Spring 2019 | 29
People all over the world have done street art for centuries, even with records of graffiti in ancient Rome. Those people thought that they had something to say, and even if they didn’t draw pretty pictures on a stone wall or even done fancy lettering, people put their own thoughts on a wall for others to see. They wanted people to listen.
to cover up defacement, or whatever else an artist deems worthy of showing the people of Austin. However which way you define art, street art carries the individual identities of the people who make it. Places such as Graffiti Park are places where those identities can come together to form shared culture. Street art culture is a widespread
And that ties back to Austin. People want to shout and scream their message, whether it be about societal oppression, a mural of a Giant Space Head from ‘Get Schwifty’, a painting of watermelon
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ideology throughout Austin, but it is not just an idea- it’s a lifestyle. “Street art helped me when I was in a dark place.” says popular street artist Lucas Aoki. Street art is a way of ife and even a saving through, as Lucas Aoki says that art and painting
Photo courtesy of Minty Street Art
got him to a better place in life. Aoki says that Austin has a street art culture like no other, and it is unique to itself. Austin treats its art as a monument and homage to its own
culture, with some Mexican restaurants adapting street art to their businesses around town, and others representing their artist’s style and legacy. Street art in Austin lets people express their own individual cultures and backgrounds, from the Middle East all the way the South America. Austin’s HOPE Campaign has multiple programs for artists of all aspects to get their voice heard in the growing community. Austin’s graffiti culture has become so prominent
that job opportunities and organizations have devoted their effort to increase the amount of people whose voices are heard. The community of street art is based upon the support of your peers- and shows the immense connectedness people can have. Austin, in its nature, express itself. The city is known for being the ‘Live Music Capital of the World’ and renowned for other arts, such as the great impression of Mexican culture in music and food, the barbeque you absolutely cannot find anywhere else, and Austin’s own and original street art you can’t find many places else. In Austin, self expression is a part of your own identity- it’s time to use your voice and speak through your spray can.
Photo courtesy of Mexic Arte Museum
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“There is a free begin to feel th you get to Austi -Willie Ne
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edom you he closer in, Texas.” elson
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