Be Well Murals Inspire Us All

by Joan Ivy - February 05, 2021

The Be Well Murals, a joint project with several City departments and the Austin Civilian Conservation Corps (ACCC), is complete. The impressive, temporary murals are on the east and west walls of South Lamar, between 5th Street and Sandra Muraida Way. The initiative seeks to inspire the community to cope with and overcome COVID-19.

“In light of the Covid-19 Pandemic there is an increased concern for the mental health and well-being of our citizens. The purpose of this project is to share positive, uplifting and/or informative messages for physical and mental health during one of the most challenging times in our history. It is our hope that these murals will be the much-needed inspiration for us all,“ states Raasin McIntosh, CEO and Creative Director of Raasin in the Sun (RITS).

The City of Austin Economic Development Department and RITS curated this project, along with the artist selection panel, chose six Austin artists to create the murals. The selected professional artists are passionate about mental health and were personally impacted by the pandemic. This project allowed the artists some of who were economically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic to earn income, serve their community and gain new skills to launch sustainable careers in new fields and become more competitive for future employment, which is the primary goal of ACCC.

The artists:

• Uloang (Luis Angulo)
• Rex Hamilton
• Niz G
• Samara Barks
• Carmen Rangel
• Kimie Flores

The selection panel, consisting of local art and culture leaders:

• Pamela Owens, CEO Six Square
• Jane Hervey, Boss Babes Founding Executive and Creative Director
• Dr. George Vargas, Curator and Director of Programs Mexic-Arte Museum
• Rakhee Jain Desai, Interdisciplinary Artist
• Sheldon Darnell, CEO Austin Black Pride
• Jaime Castillo, Curator; Chair of Art Commission
• Kymberly Keeton, Chief Artistic Officer Novella Media and Art Commission member

Scroll through more images of the Be Well Murals at: www.raasininthesun.org.

This project is a partnership with the City of Austin Economic Development Department, Austin Public Health, Public Works Department and the City of Austin Civilian Conservation Corps. For more information on how to get involved with the ACCC, program applicants and potential community partners are encouraged to explore the ACCC website.