After painting over the mural in East Austin [Article Here], it seems locals have storm such criticism that it has been decided to repaint the art work!
Chris Rogers’ mural at the corner of 12th and Chicon streets depicted famed black musicians such as Michael Jackson and James Brown, alongside Stevie Ray Vaughan and Salvador Dali. It was painted over by store owner Veronica Ortuño earlier this month. The decision to paint over the mural drew ire because Ortuño did so without consulting members of the community, a decision that generated a larger conversation about gentrification in East Austin.
On Tuesday, Rogers announced on Facebook that he’d spoken with Ortuño about the mural.
“So, I just had a fruitful conversation with Veronica [Ortuño], the owner of the store housing the mural space on 12th and Chicon,” Rogers wrote. “She gave me her word and blessing to repaint the wall that was painted over a week and half ago.”
Rogers said discussions with the community about what this new mural should look like are taking place this week.
People displeased with Ortuño’s decision took to the review pages of her clothing and jewelry shop, Las Cruxes, over the past few weeks to express their dismay. Others wrote in support of her and the work they say she has done to support local artists.
KUT reached out to both Rogers and Ortuño. We will update this story if they respond.
In an interview earlier this month, Rogers said he wasn’t angry about the decision to paint over the mural.
“I was just really disappointed,” he said. “That one had a lot of significance, not just to me, but to that whole area. … Local people would come up and not just congratulate me for doing good work and say hi, but they were thanking me for doing it. A couple of them even said, ‘Thank you for bringing beauty to this area again.’ That was worth it for me.”
SOURCE: KUOW
