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San Anto Cultural Arts Plans Mural Party This Weekend

mockup of April Dawn's Mural
April Dawn
mockup of April Dawn's Mural

San Antonio’s West Side is about to get a quick influx of murals from San Anto Cultural Arts, which is starting a sweeping new public art project this weekend.

“We are a non-profit organization on the West Side of San Antonio, and we specialize and deal with public art,” said MidNite Flortiz. They are the organization’s Youth Coordinator.

“We have after-school programs, a community mural program.”

The organization is a cultural hub, encouraging growth in young people through various art endeavors, specializing in community-originated murals. And this weekend’s event is precisely that.

“I’m starting off with nine walls, and it will be on the corner of Zarzamora and Commerce Streets,” Flortiz said. “And we are doing a big, two-day event starting at 10 a.m., going ’til sundown Saturday and Sunday the 24th and 25.”

mockup of mural from Cry
Cry
mockup of mural from Cry

The mural event is the kick-off on what’s planned to be a sweeping mural project.

“Pretty much what it’s going to be is a community beautification initiative. What I want to do is cover the walls with a higher caliber of graffiti-style art, giving artists a voice,” they said.

The choice of this weekend wasn’t by accident.

“This is historically the weekend of Fiesta, so we wanted to give people around this city some place that they can go to. Something they can watch and maybe even participate in,” they said. “If you’re an artist and you want to contribute to this project, they can just show up to the event, and if I have a free and open wall I can throw them on.”

At least 10 different muralists will be painting, and a DJ will provide music. But they said this weekend’s event is only the start of something much larger.

“Throughout the rest of 2021, I’ll be picking up walls, dotting the entire length of West Commerce, and then for 2022 I’ll be aiming for East Commerce,” they said. “It’s going to be a revolving outdoor gallery, so it’s going to be a continuous cycling gallery of street art.”

mockup of mural by Cassidy Fritts
Cassidy Fritts
mockup of mural by Cassidy Fritts

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Jack Morgan can be reached at jack@tpr.org and on Twitter at @JackMorganii