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One of the city’s biggest murals was revealed at a dedication on Friday on Nolan Street on the East Side.
The 600-foot-long mural called "Heirlooms: Eastside Pride" was designed and created by San Antonio Artist Kaldric Dow.
“My body of work is collage, but also it's centered around activism," said Dow. "And I chose to focus on the '60s and '70s, so there's imagery from Ebony and Jet magazines — afros, leather jackets and the aesthetics from that time period.”
The mural is on Nolan Street between Cherry and Chestnut Streets. For Dow, the mural represents a clear concept: Dignity.
“All of my artwork, even before the collages, my focus was 'dignity,' like showing us in a light that shows us as strong and empowered. So that was always a focus,” he said.
The look is vivid — a strong mix of black-and-white and color elements. Each section is divided with East Side Street names.
Kaldric Dow’s research had an unexpected payoff: when he realized that back in the '60s, businesses started finally noticing Black citizens as consumers.
Suddenly, companies started marketing to Black clientele people. Dow said his research was quite revealing.
“I'm going through Ebony and Jet, and you see which companies are advertising to the Black community. And you kind of get to see that along with the culture and the portraits and everything.”
Dow's work was commissioned by the City of San Antonio Department of Arts & Culture in partnership with City Council District 2 to celebrate the history and pride of the local community.
