Street Art Salutations

Pearl draws on San Antonio street artists for dynamic heritage-inspired mural

Artist Shek Vega pores over items in the Pearl archives for mural inspiration.

Photo by Karissa Rangel

With designs on creating a transformational space that elevates the pedestrian experience, Pearl is partnering with a local artist-run nonprofit that’s on a mission to build the largest outdoor gallery in Texas.

In collaboration with San Antonio Street Art Initiative — which bills itself as the No. 1 source for mural art and artist advocacy and has completed 60 murals in the San Antonio area in the past two years — Pearl will undergo an artistic makeover on the east side of the development’s property.

Five of the region’s most talented street artists will restyle the underpass between Broadway Street and Avenue A at Pearl into a spirited mural that references the Pearl brand’s history in San Antonio. The initiative is underway and the mural project is expected to be completed by early November.

“The team at Pearl is honored to partner with San Antonio Street Art Initiative for this project,” says Mesha Millsap, Pearl’s chief operating officer. “They are the ideal partners to help create a transformational space between Broadway and the heart of Pearl.”

Local artists whose work will be featured in the mural project include:

Shek Vega, the project manager and SASAI board president and a veteran of the street-art scene. He is known for his signature filigree and has helped create more than 100 pieces of public art.
SCOTCH, a stencil artist who creates larger-than-life murals, employing his signature multiple stratum look to create unique works.
Eva Sanchez, a painter and draftswoman who has had her work featured at multiple San Antonio galleries. She excels at utilizing still life and food as a way to talk about cultural identity.
Matt Tumlinson, a multifaceted artist whose work has been showcased in fine-art galleries throughout the country.
Nik Soupè, a longtime street artist and staple in the San Antonio live-painting scene who is also half of the mural duo Los Otros.

The artists will gain inspiration for the project from items unearthed from Pearl’s archives, as well as the overall San Antonio community.

“San Antonio Street Art Initiative has grouped together some of its strongest homegrown artists to aid in the completion of this Pearl project,” Vega says. “This is a great opportunity to be a part of something that means so much to San Antonio.”

For more information about happenings at Pearl, visit the website.

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BOUND TO HAPPEN

San Antonio poet books prestigious Texas literary award

Photo courtesy of Texas Book Festival.

Naomi Shihab Nye is this year's recipient of the Texas Writers Award.

Naomi Shihab Nye has built an enviable curriculum vitae throughout her literary career. She served as the Young People’s Poet Laureate for the U.S. Poetry Foundation and the poetry editor for The New York Times Magazine and the Texas Observer, before inspiring a new generation of voices as a writer-in-residence at Texas State University. Her work garnered lifetime achievement awards from the Texas Institute of Letters, the Arab American Museum, and the National Book Critics Circle.

The Palestinian-American poet and educator can now add another honor to the list. On October 1, the Texas Book Festival (TBF) named her the 2024 Texas Writer Award recipient. The prize, formerly the Bookend Award, recognizes writers who have profoundly impacted Texas literature.

“Naomi Shihab Nye is not only a profoundly gifted and accomplished writer, but also a dedicated educator and cherished figure in the Texas literary community,” said TBF Literary Director Hannah Gabel via a release. “We’re thrilled to celebrate her remarkable body of work.”

Nye, a resident of San Antonio, is known for a genre-hopping bibliography that includes poetry, fiction, and children’s literature. Her best-known works include Everything Comes Next, The Tiny Journalist, Voices in the Air, Sitti’s Secrets, and Habibi. A native of Jerusalem who moved to Texas in 1967, Nye has frequently returned to her identity in her work.

As part of the Texas Writer Award, TBF will bestow Nye with an aptly Texas gift: a pair of custom handmade boots from El Paso’s Rocketbuster. Attendees will also get a chance to congratulate her first-hand during festival sessions for her two 2024 releases: an editorial work, I Know About a Thousand Things: The Writings of Ann Alejandro of Uvalde, Texas, and poetry collection Grace Notes.

This year’s festival takes place November 16-17, with signings, readings, and panels in and around the State Capitol. Admission is free, save for two ticketed appearances from headliners Matthew McConaughey and Malcolm Gladwell.

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