Writing on the Walls
Celebrating art, diversity and public spaces in our city
"The Beauty of Liberty and Equality"
Austin's largest mural by Sandra Chevrier & Shepard Fairey
"It's Okay Not to Be Okay"
A mural by emerging local artist Sadé Lawson
Writing on the Walls is an annual series of collaborative public art installations and events. At the inaugural event in March 2020, local, national, and international artists simultaneously created two new landmarks in downtown Austin.
Canadian artist Sandra Chevrier collaborated with American street artist and graphic designer Shepard Fairey on an iconic 12-story mural that was painted on the west side of The LINE. The design fuses both of their styles and incorporates iconography that evokes the power of women and the history of women’s rights in this country. Austin-based emerging Artist Sadé Lawson created a bold, large scale mural on South Lamar exemplifying her fresh and unique style exploring identity and mental health.
More than murals, Writing on the Walls is a week-long celebration of art, diversity and public spaces in our community. More than 25 other local artists also took part in Writing on the Walls events, which included panel discussions, workshops, a spray party, public art demonstrations and documentary movie screenings. Artists also visited local schools as part of the Artist in Schools program.
The Foundation continued our Writing on the Walls series of collaborative public art installations and events in fall 2020 when local developer Manifold Real Estate and Hsu Architecture invited us to partner on four murals at their Bouldin Creek project. The Foundation commissioned local artists Jana Swec, Tyler Hobbs, Soophie Roach and Soledad Fernandez-Whitechurch to complete the project.
The Artists
Sandra Chevrier
A Candian pop urban artist known for her captivating portraits of women
Shepard Fairey
An internationally renowned street artist who has painted more than 100 large-scale public murals
Sadé Lawson
An emerging Austin-based artist who explores the complexities of identity and mental illness through her work
The Murals
"The Beauty of Liberty and Equality"
Austin's largest mural by Canadian artist Sandra Chevrier and American street artist and graphic designer Shepard Fairey on the side of The LINE on Congress Avenue. The mural has already become a new Austin landmark embraced and celebrated by locals and visitors.
“This project is the result of months of collaboration with partners in Austin and internationally. The events and art installations will spark curiosity, interest and community engagement throughout downtown Austin. We invite Austinites and visitors to take these opportunities to connect with downtown, local artists and each other. ”
— Molly Alexander, Executive director of the Downtown Austin Alliance Foundation
Works in Progress
See the artists at work and the murals come to life in this time lapse video!
Events & Activations
The Foundation partnered with local artists and nonprofits to host events and activations throughout the week, including workshops, film screenings, artist demonstrations and live mural painting.
Sponsors
Writing on the Walls was made possible through the generous support of individuals, companies and partners. Thank you to these companies for making Writing on the Walls possible.
Partners
