COLORFUL CREATIONS: San Marcos welcomes new art installation during dedication ceremony

Eight new murals were recently mounted on a black backdrop as part of a new art installation lining the walls of an abandoned building near the corner of North LBJ Drive and East MLK Drive. 

A crowd gathered Friday to celebrate the dedication of the new Downtown Outdoor Gallery. The City of San Marcos’ Mural Arts and Main Street programs partnered together to bring the new artwork to downtown. 

“We are so excited to have this mural gallery wall go up,” Main Street Downtown Coordinator Josie Falletta said. “It really does accomplish all of the purposes of our program, which is to have a vibrant downtown, to celebrate arts and culture, and to make it a space where our local businesses can not only survive but thrive. And, having people walking on the sidewalks and admiring art just really accomplishes everything that we are here to do.” 

Local artists Sydney Bonnin, David Rey Perez, Rene Perez, Hannah Purvis, Christopher Al Rodriguez, Lisa McPike Smith, Furly Travis and Darin Wood created the new artwork featured downtown. Some of the murals, which were designed on 8 feet by 4 feet panels, depict the San Marcos River, others include a sunset, palm trees, a peacock, singing birds and vibrant colors. 

While admiring the new art, Wood said he loves the community aspect of the mural. 

“This is going to be here for some time to come,” Wood said during Friday’s ceremony. “So, I’m glad to be a part of this. I’m glad you’re all here to witness it.” 

The Downtown Outdoor Gallery is a Mural Arts Program initiative. The mural arts program began in 2014 and since then 19 large murals and 20 mini murals have been installed. San Marcos Convention and Visitor Bureau Innovation Manager Charlotte Wattigny challenged everyone to look for all murals placed across the city. 

“They’re tucked away in the alleys and walls, and there’s even a few hidden in neighborhoods,” Wattigny said. “They were painted by first-time muralists, local favorites and a few were even done by nationally-known artists. The mural program’s main goals are to make San Marcos look beautiful and mitigate graffiti. But also we want to introduce the public to different styles of art, and this is a good example of that.” 

Artist Rene Perez said he’s thankful for the city’s Mural Arts Program. 

“This program that the city has going on, it’s been really special and I’m really thankful for it,” Perez said. “It’s gone so far, and I would encourage private building owners and businesses to kind of jump on board too and reach out to artists and say, ‘Hey, maybe you could think of something here,’ because I think once you start getting into the private sector, you’ll see a lot of really cool stuff going on too.”

The Downtown Outdoor Gallery is located at 111 E. MLK Dr. The city said in the event the building where the murals have been installed is sold or rented, the art panels can be removed and displayed elsewhere in the city.

“We’re really fortunate to live in a city with such a vibrant art scene and to have so many artists here of all stripes and working in all media,” city Arts Coordinator Trey Hatt said.