South Congress wall art preserves cultural identity in a modernizing Austin

By Ari Hickman and David Moon, JCamp 2024 — Austin

Wall and street art have played a vital role in preserving Austin’s unique identity as a hub of creativity and “weirdness,” even as the city embraces a modernized future.

For an apparel vendor based in Austin, Texas, the city’s rich history of wall art is not just a cultural display but how she makes her living.

The vendor’s display of T-shirts bearing phrases like “I love you so much,” a testament to the city’s renowned murals, reflects how wall art has become ingrained into Austin’s business scene, cultural history, and unique identity.

Over the years, Austin has accumulated many nicknames — from the City of Legends to the Live Music Capital of the World — that serve as a testament to the liveliness and “weirdness” that Austin has long embraced. The city bears a colorful history defined by figures such as country artist Willie Nelson and events like the annual Austin City Limits Music Festival. As high-tech start-ups like Dell and Tesla have established roots in Austin, though, the lively city has earned a new nickname: Silicon Hills. Despite the benefits and opportunities that modernization brings, it also clashes with Austin’s identity that it has worked so hard to preserve. One area where this key element of Austin’s history and culture continues to thrive is on its walls.

The city is home to dozens of murals and multiple other displays of street art, and nowhere are these colorful attractions more plentiful than in South Congress. The busy avenue is bordered by a diverse collection of shops, eateries, vendors, and live music venues whose walls have become the canvas of several different artists over the past couple of decades. The most well-known mural, displayed on the side of Jo’s Coffee Shop, consists of just five words: “I love you so much.” Locals and tourists alike are acquainted with the story of how the legendary mural wound up on the cafe’s walls.

“It has a wonderful story of love — a couple having an argument, and then one of them spray-painting that on the wall during the night so they could make an apology….That is iconic now,” said the local apparel vendor. The same five words in the same loopy script adorn some of her t-shirts.

A local apparel vendor explains the story behind the “I love you so much mural,” noting that its reputation has “become synonymous with Austin now.” Photo by David Moon.

The “I love you so much” mural has become a top tourist destination in Austin, often attracting lines of people waiting to get their picture taken. For many, the mural represents a tribute to all types of love.

“I feel like the mural is kind of like an institution in Austin,” said a Houston tourist. “I just like the message. I think it’s a very nice, positive message that everyone can get behind and understand.”

Other wall art — from the colorful “Willie For President” mural to the vibrant “SoCo” display welcoming visitors to the neighborhood — reflect the community’s history, diversity, and dedication to preserving Austin’s weirdness.

“It helps to keep the real Austin, the flavor of Austin, grounded as corporations come in. People are flooding in from other states that have different ideas. So, it helps keep Austin what it truly is and always has been — which is weird, which is inclusive, which is a variety of folks, which is flavor,” said the vendor.

Wall and street art across Austin, such as the renowned “Willie For President” mural, reflect both elements of the city’s unique history and its vibrant creativity. Photo by David Moon.

Austin’s “flavor” continues to be threatened by the growth of major technology companies, including software giant Dell Technologies and automotive and clean energy manufacturer Tesla. The Austin-American Statesman reports that the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Metropolitan Statistical Area topped the list of fastest-growing metro areas in the U.S. for twelve years before dropping to second after Jacksonville, Florida, in 2024. The city known for being Willie Nelson’s home has adopted a crown of skyscrapers not unlike that gracing Silicon Valley.

Though many may see potential in Austin’s bustling job market and growing tech industry, wall art also plays a vital role in sustaining existing businesses in the area. South Congress’ reputation for its murals draws thousands of visitors and tourists to the colorful neighborhood every year, helping keep the businesses and shops that continue to call SoCo home alive.

“Austin has always kind of been a weird place, and I guess the wall art really helps bring business to these areas,” said Richard “Chard” Garza, an employee at Monkey See Monkey Do, a toy store in South Congress.

This is the reality that the apparel vendor faces. Despite the line of skyscrapers straddling the horizon and the urban traffic darting down South Congress Avenue, it is the murals that her t-shirts reference, and it is this art that allows the surrounding community to continue breathing life into Austin.