Old Bakery & Artisan Emporium
Learn More About the Mural Selection Process
Austin Parks Foundation, the City of Austin Parks & Recreation Department and the Old Bakery & Artisan Emporium are partnering with the Downtown Austin Alliance to transform Old Bakery Park. This Community Activated Parks Project will include an active community engagement process to explore ideas about how to revitalize this downtown greenspace through a new Writing on the Walls mural that tells the story of this area of Austin.
About The Old Bakery
The Old Bakery & Artisan Emporium is a historic building located in downtown Austin at the north-west corner of Congress Avenue and 10th Street. The space is home to a shop filled with unique, handmade items from local artists and craftspeople. The art gallery features works by local artists who are 50+ years old, and the Visitor Center tells Austin’s immigrant history through the Lundberg-Maerki Historical Collection. Just south of the building is the Old Bakery Park, a City of Austin public plaza that was transformed with seating, shade and plantings in 2014 by a partnership of the Downtown Austin Alliance, Austin Parks Foundation and City of Austin. The Downtown Austin Alliance’s expertise in community engagement, public space management and mural curation makes us a valuable partner in helping transform Old Bakery Park.
The Old Bakery’s History
The Old Bakery is home to a rich history of local entrepreneurship, immigration, and social change. To learn more, interact with the timeline by clicking on the circular markers.
Expand to full screen using the three dots in the upper right-hand corner to navigate to the computer icon.
Engagement & Vision
Over 1,000 community members engaged with the curation of the mural’s vision through online surveys, pop-up events, and intentional conversations. The input throughout the process was recorded and transcribed to inform the project’s Engagement & Vision Report, a comprehensive overview of the project’s process and outcomes for an authentic and co-created mural.
Check out the full Engagement & Vision report below.
Additional mural themes can be found here.
Muralist Selected
Ruben Esquivel is a dynamic force in Austin’s arts community, born and raised in the heart of Texas as a proud 5th generation Austinite of Latino and Indigenous descent.
In 2021, Ruben founded East End Eclectic, a platform dedicated to fostering collaboration and providing opportunities for emerging artists. His commitment to fair compensation and representation is evident in every project undertaken by East End Eclectic.
Ruben’s work is a journey through cultures, a celebration of resilience, and an exploration of the narratives that shape our collective identity. As he continues to leave his mark on Austin’s artistic landscape, Ruben’s art invites us to reflect, connect, and envision a future rich with diversity and creativity.
Learn more about Ruben’s work and about East End Eclectic.
Get Involved
With Old Bakery being an Austin-owned building, the mural visioning process, conducted over the course of 18-months, engaged with a wide range of Austinites to inform the stories and themes that would be told through art. While public engagement for the visioning is complete, there are still opportunities to stay involved:
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Writing on the Walls
The Old Bakery Park project is a part of the Downtown Austin Alliance’s Writing on the Walls program. Click here to learn more about the program or to donate.
Past Engagement Events
The Old Bakery engagement team hosted engagement events during the Downtown Austin Alliance’s Holiday Stroll and Art & Parks tour kickoff events, held community table conversations with community stakeholders and conducted outreach during the Old Bakery’s MidSummer celebration.