Austin PBS Takes to the Streets for Muraling Austin

"Paradise Found" by Austin artist Zuzu, one of the works featured in upcoming Austin PBS series Muraling Austin, debuting at the end of March (Photo by Alan Lessig)

Austin's public art doesn't live on plinths or in galleries: instead, it's found on the walls. The city's monumental murals are now making it to airtime with a new series from Austin PBS, Muraling Austin, premiering on March 24.

The series has been produced in collaboration with Austin PBS by Nelda Studios, the new multimedia company founded by Karl and Nelda Buckman (the philanthropists behind the new Buckman Center at the School of Design & Creative Technologies in the College of Fine Arts at UT Austin. Each of the three episodes will spotlight large-scale works in Austin, and the cultural infrastructure that has made them such a constant part of Austin's daily life.

“We are excited to launch a series that celebrates the phenomenal public art in Austin,” said Nelda Buckman, founder of Nelda Studios and Executive Producer of Muraling Austin. “ As supporters of Austin’s creative community, we were drawn to the incredible and moving stories behind these murals and the artists who created them. There’s no better partner for this project than Austin PBS, a highly respected community voice that has reflected the pulse of Austin for over 60 years.”

"The Pillars Project: Our History Our Trail" (Photo by Alan Lessig)

Opening episode “Pride of Place,” (March 24) examines Austin's most inspiring murals, including “The Beauty of Liberty and Equality” (the collaboration between Shepard Fairey and Sandra Chevrier, celebrating the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage, on the side of the Line Hotel); the Bolm Road fence murals, the city's longest artwork, celebrating the Govalle community; "The Pillars Project: Our History Our Trail" on Pleasant Valley; and Ruben Esquivel's "Protectors of the Red Bluff."

"Reconnect Yourself" (Photo by Alan Lessig)

“Women Rising" (March 31) explores works that feature expressions of female empowerment and celebrate the achievements of women. The episode will center on three works, two of them ("Reconnect Yourself" by NIZ and "It’s Okay Not to Be Okay" by Sadé Channell Lawson) being instantly recognizable to anyone who has driven down the South Lamar underpass. The third will be Uloang's East Sixth portrait of iconic Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, "Viva la Vida."

"Where the Wildflowers Grow" (Photo by Alan Lessig)

“Big, Bright & Bold" (April 7) rounds out the season with a celebration of contemporary mural artists and their works: "Paradise Found," Zuzu's tropical idyll for the W Austin; Soledad Fernandez-Whitechurch's "Virtual Hike," found on the Bouldin Commons office complex; and "Where the Wildflowers Grow" by DAAS.