“Hola Friend, Hi Amigo”
This mural is by Will Hatch Crosby and was made to represent the cultural diversity in East Austin. He is an austinite who after exploring New York City for 10 years came back to Texas to make murals. This mural was made in dedication to growing up in East Austin and represents the prevalent hispanic and white cultures now in East Austin. While the blending of cultures can be interpreted as good, the mural conveys gentrification for its modern and “hipster” style. The combination of languages could also show a whiter/richer population appropriating the Mexican American culture.
Selena
The Selena mural was painted by Federico Archuleta, the same artist as Lover/Fighter Crayons. Archuleta is a graffiti artist that uses stencils and bright pop-art to make unique Mexican-American inspired art. His artwork is influenced by the combination of his Tejano identity. In “Chapter 15: Recognizing Old and New Realities,” of Texas Crossroads of North America, the authors state“In this era, Tejano music became more widespread and prevalent. The biggest Tejana sensation in this period was a young woman from South Texas, Selena Quintanilla Perez, who became the “queen of Tejano music.”(480).” The mural shows the iconic Queen of Tex-Mex, Selena. She retains an everlasting image of confidence and pride by representing her cultural background. The mural is a symbol of opportunity to thrive in the Texan music industry despite coming from a minority culture. This demonstrates the birth of the Tejano music industry and culture. The mural is tied to the gentrification of East Austin because it represents the cultural pride, and resistance of the Mexican-American community.
Vegetarians of the World
This mural is a collaboration between Austin local Luis Angulu (@uloang on instagram), Nanu Berks (@nanu_berks on instagram) and Austin CEO Rex Sterling Hamilton. “Vegetarians of the World” is displayed on the wall next to a Mr.Natural’s, a vegan and vegetarian restaurant, grocery store, and bakery chain in Austin, Texas. The mural depicts famous figures throughout history, including Gandhi and Buddha, as well as more modern and contemporary figures like César Chávez, Uma Thurman and Prince. The artists wanted to depict people who were vegetarian to demonstrate that the vegetarian diet is not just another fad diet, rather it is more of a lifestyle in which people choose to live.Many people view gentrification as just an issue of buying homes in older neighborhoods and "flipping" them, driving up the price of property taxes which in turn pushes marginalized people into more marginalized areas. This mural can serve as a representation of certain areas of Austin that bridge the contemporary lifestyle of Austin locals with people of the past, showing that though time may have changed, some ways of lifestyle may still persist.
Lou’s Bodega Aztec
Originally this mural was part of the decor for a previous local business: Leal’s Tire Shop est. 1975. Its lease was given to Lou’s and has since been relocated to E 7th street. The reason for the relocation is unclear; however, individuals part of “Leal’s” family are the owners of the property. With the new eatery up and running Lou’s Bodega’s kept the original Aztec themed mural with a few new changes. The continued usage of the imagery for commercialization and economic gain rather than respect has caused much strife. A major point of contention is that many see this anglo northern takeover of the iconography for profit as another form of whitewashing. By using the same iconic Aztec imagery of warriors, bright colors and general style Lambert, the owner, effectively utilized the southern Chicano identity for her own ’New York’ brand. Another point of protest is the appropriation of the term Bodega. Many of those spearheading this protest see the use of this term as another form of Hispanic appropriation from the New York owner. Further insult to injury was Lambert’s attempt to pay homage to Leal’s by utilizing tires for the flowerbeds and landscaping. It is considered to be a showcase of gentrification and cultural appropriation which is being protested by a group called “Defend our Hoodz”
La Loteria
The original mural was painted in 1989 by Felipe Garza who was a member of the Eastside community. It was painted over during a SXSW “Impossible Walls Project” by Australian artist Rone which depicted a portrait of a local girl from the area. The project was done with consent from the building's owner who saw it as a way to revitalize the space with a chance to showcase local artists by changing the mural every year. There was a backlash as the neighborhood was not informed. The mural was rejected as it did not embrace the Eastside culture and was another form of the gentrification of the community. The city of Austin issued an apology while vowing to help in its restoration. The nonprofit Arte Texas and local artists (Joe Arellano, Gabriel Estrada, Raymond Garza, Mando Martinez, and original Lotería artist Felipe Garza) set work in restoring the lost landmark. It is based on the game La Loteria which is a traditional game of chance similar to bingo except it utilizes images instead of numbers. The game itself dates back to the fifteenth century and is part of Hispanic and Latino culture. With the restoration brought some new additions to the playing cards as a nod to the new generation and current political events. Felipe depicts in two cards a bulldozer clutching a pinata which corresponds with the demolition of Jumpolin. There is a card that represents el Soldado; however, in the mural's depiction, it is a current soldier next to a fence that depicts current US-MX border issues. Among the traditional and political cards, there also is a nod to the current and future generation. There is a card called la quinceanera that depicts a young woman in a wheelchair. This represents a young artist who was supposed to help with the restoration but was unable to attend, as well as future artists of the area.
Lover-Fighter Crayons
This mural decorates a brick wall outside of Print Press, which is a workspace in East Austin that “aims to preserve the existing building infrastructure while promoting the cultural arts.” The mural, which depicts crayons wrapped around a heart, seems to complement Print Press as a creative space, while the words “lover” and “fighter” speak to the depth of what can be accomplished through creativity. The artist responsible for the mural is Federico Archuleta, a graffiti stencil artist with many well-known art pieces throughout Austin, including the famous “Til Death Do Us Part” mural of two skulls kissing that can be found on the side of the Mexic-Arte Museum downtown.
