I was one of six artists selected to paint a pillar in Rosewood Neighborhood Park as part of a trail beautification project called “The Pillars Project: Our History, Our Trail”. Working with the city and non-profits, we were given amazing documentary material about the history of East Austin to inform our designs, which I combined with my own experience growing up on the Eastside to create this piece.

The turbulent cycles of segregation and desegregation, as well as other discriminatory city policies, have made life hard for many residents of East Austin over the years. But there has always been a strong sense of community and resilience in this area as well, which I was fortunate to experience first hand as a child. My mural references some of the foundational elements of a strong community such as education, music, and athletics. The text wrapping around the pillar says “Paradise is having what you need”, which is inspired by a quote from a long-time East Austin resident, Margaret Wright, who described her neighborhood around East 12th street as “paradise” when she was a child in the 50’s and 60’s. The abstracted flames are referencing an old city policy of burning trash on the Eastside which was one of many ways the city put Eastside resident’s health and well-being at risk with questionable zoning laws. The protest sign symbolizes the civil rights activism that formed to resist these discriminatory practices.

Huge thank you to Raasin in the Sun and Public City who did an amazing job facilitating this challenging project!!