Welcome to Austin

Lott Pocket Park is the future site of "Welcome to Austin," Color Squad's latest public art piece which focuses on the themes of community and home. The mural is the result of a school-year long process that began with community building and engagement last fall. Research followed that initial step, before the squad's teen artists created zines, and finally began the design of the mural.

The park where the piece will sit was once the site of a high school for African American students, called various names over the years, including Robertson Hill High School, Anderson High School, and Olive Street School. At the height of its use as a public park, East Austin was almost entirely African American.

Today, the park is in the midst of a revitalization begun in 2006 with more than half a million dollars in funding from Parkland Dedication, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and Urban Parks and Recreation Recovery Grant. Welcome to Austin is just the latest beautification piece.