E. César Chávez: the Bridge between Gentrification and Art

The street art scene of Austin, TX plays right into the famous “Keep Austin Weird” slogan donned by the residents. Some pieces have become landmarks of the city, while others exist for only a limited amount of time before being scrubbed or covered by another artist. This tour focuses on street art in East Austin, particularly Vegetarians of the World, Lover/Fighter Crayons, Lou’s Bodega Aztec, Selena, “Hola Friend, Hi Amigo,” and the La Lotería mural on Cesar Chavez.

These murals are representative of the ever-growing tension in the city regarding gentrification and cultural appropriation. Gentrification is the process of displacing low-income families and small businesses and replacing them with upper middle class families and sites that draw up the market value. When I-35 was built it became the dividing line for East and West Austin. East Austin was predominantly low-income Hispanic and Black American, and West Austin was upper middle class Caucasians. In the early 2000s the city began to peak the interest of various companies, out of state residents, and travelers, and population growth led to an increase in cost of living. Shortly after people began to recognize the value of living in low cost areas. Investors in the city were quick to cash in on the rising property values, and in result property taxes increased therefore causing residents on the East side of I-35 to foreclose and be driven from their homes and the area they have lived for most of their life. Some residents today cite that the art left behind in East Austin is starting to be used for economic gain rather than its original intended purpose of promoting culture through the art medium.

The Selena, La Lotería, and “Hola Friend, Hi Amigo” murals are rich displays of the Hispanic culture that has traditionally characterized East Austin. Lou’s Bodega Aztec is a prominent display of Aztec art, but is also a site of contest because the business has been accused of using cultural appropriation in order to appear more authentic and draw in customers. Vegetarians of the World is a perfect representation of an attempt to bridge two worlds, both the popular culture of today and the traditional culture of East Austin, and Lover/Fighter Crayons is a message that art can promote love and understanding between communities, but they can also promote tension.