Murals & the Morals

By Wren Knight

How Austin street art is made and managed, and the ways it affects city culture

Murals aren’t exactly subtle, especially in Austin. These creations are a representation of the culture throughout the city. Beyond that, their addition to Austin’s artistic community is one of the most accessible wherever you are.

Sometimes murals are small commissions by a business, like in the case of Samantha Kool and her building where she had a mural done in order to protect it from tagging and to add to the artistic presence in the area. Others are huge, intricate works that have a greater meaning or lesson within the layers of paint.

Regardless, they are sure to spice up any walk through downtown

Austin, explained local muralist Bill Tavis.

“One thing that drew me to murals is just the size of it. You get a lot of visual impact, and then also just the physicality of actually doing it,” Tavis said.

“It’s one thing to sit at the computer or to sit at an easel. But it’s another thing to actually stand in front of a wall and climb up on a ladder and reach.”

Tavis explained that it’s common for artists to be forced to do murals for free or for a reduced price to get practice and experience in the field.

Because of this, it’s difficult for artists to make a living off of murals alone.

Despite the difficulty of getting settled originally, mural artists are committed to achieving

“It’s like that’s a good way for anybody to build a portfolio. But the unfortunate thing about Austin is that there are enough hungry artists willing to do that, that once you have a portfolio and you’re ready to get paid now, all these other people, they wanna do it for free” the best possible product for the community, utilizing many different approaches depending on the project and location. This happened when Tavis painted a mural on a retaining wall along Wood Hollow Drive.

Making a mural isn’t just about the paint. Although some are practical, almost all murals have a greater meaning behind them. A great example of this is an organization called Raasin in the Sun (RITS), a multicultural art nonprofit organization centered around art that has put many murals into action while also taking part in lots of activism.

Renee Chen, a coordinator and member of the RITS creative team said “we’re committed to representing people and people’s creative works that is inclusive to all different types of people, and especially for women and people of color.”

Chen and RITS work with many artists, as well as with the community to remain a dedicated, sustainable presense in the area. Organizations like this are the foundation for many Austin murals, including a large piece on Bolm Road that features 14 installations made to represent the area’s culture.

However, this isn’t the only way that murals come to be. A lot of the murals you see on businesses or non-city owned properties are commissioned by locals like Kool. “Murals well done on a building are interesting, they dress it up, they give it a story. They make it unique, and all of those things are good to me,” said Kool.

In addition to her appreciation of murals, she was pushed to commission a mural by the near constant tagging done to her building. Kool was forced to get the graffiti cleaned very to keep her tenants happy, but after many cleanings, she decided to take the artistic path. Since the mural was completed, Kool has had no further issues with tagging on her building.

Tagging isn’t just an issue for private commissions or blank buildings. Tavis’ wildflower mural on Wood Hollow also suffered from it. “That one gets tagged pretty often, like every few months, and I think it’s just that- that kind of second level flat part is like a hang out spot for kids, and they’re just being stupid,” said Tavis.

Even for projects that focus on positivity inevitably face tagging and defacement. It depends on the location, but despite the respect for murals, incidents happen. Even when facing issues like this, RITS remains optimistic.

“That’s our real purpose, to create spaces where these artists can come and paint and show off their art in a place that is supporting them,” said Chen, “and if you’re a promising artist, we’d like to create a space for you and help give you access to different resources to better help you out there instead of tagging on someone’s wall”

Kool explained that unfortunately, paying for the cover ups is usually out of pocket, but Tavis’ opinion is that it is important to cover up defacement quickly. “It sends a message to anybody else that might be thinking about defacing it that no, this wall is not open.”

Although this negative feedback is very noticable, much of the city has an appreciation for murals and their artistry. Throughout the making of a mural, there’s lots of interaction between the artist and passerby Tavis finds it affirming, especially while suffering through Texas heat in September.

“It was real difficult, but getting that feedback from everybody in the neighborhood, and just knowing how much they appreciated it definitely helped give me motivation to just push through it,” said Tavis.

The fact that murals bring positivity to communities is undeniable.

Art has the potential to bring people together and cause genuine improvement in a region. In addition, the community can be a part of that art and leave a legacy behind with it. Murals and the messages of art bring hope to the city, and as Chen said:

“We want to see the power of giving back to our communities, the power and the value of taking care of our neighbors, our planet, and the importance of sustainable living for all of us.”