Harlingen artist Jesse James Lopez speaks during the unveiling of his mural, “Welcome to Brownsville,” located on East 13th Street in downtown Brownsville. “I wanted to kind of put everything on the wall, and I think I did just that,” Lopez said. “... I couldn’t be more happy for all the support, because it’s just been a crazy ride.” Eduardo Cortez/ THE RIDER
“Welcome to Brownsville,” a mural curated by Jesse James Lopez and located at 1268 E. Elizabeth St., was unveiled last Wednesday after months of development following the downtown mural contest in June.
The 22-year-old artist, who has never done something to this scale before, had the help of nine designated volunteers while painting the 23-foot-tall mural.
This being the third mural commissioned by the City of Brownsville to revitalize downtown, Lopez said it was a pleasure bringing color to the plain and busy street.
Lopez said the whole community contributed to the mural.
“Random people that would pass by, I would give them the brush and just let them paint a little bit because it’s community involvement, and I think that’s really important,” he said.
The mural incorporates Brownsville staples such as the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Gladys Porter Zoo, a mariachi band, SpaceX and South Padre Island.
Alma Ponce, grandmother to the artist and a retired Brownsville Independent School District teacher, said everything about the mural portrays Brownsville, starting with the charros.
“That’s exactly what Brownsville is all about,” Ponce said. “The cathedral–I got married in Immaculate Conception, and my kids were all baptized in Immaculate Conception. So, that is important to me.”
Brownsville District 1 City Commissioner Bryan Martinez praised Lopez’s work and said that many aspects of the mural take from the identity of the city’s community.
“Very good job, Jesse, in including everything that is in our community,” Martinez said in Spanish during the unveiling. “Something that I appreciate a lot is that we see our identity as a frontier community here in Brownsville and our culture that is only found here in Brownsville.”
Brownsville District 3 City Commissioner Roy De los Santos was on the reviewing committee in the process of choosing the mural in June.
De los Santos said both private and public partnerships contributed to the mural and that public input inspired the piece.
“It was a pleasure to see everything that was out there and that all of this talent was local and was homegrown,” he said.
City Manager Helen Ramirez said Lopez’s mural represents the collaboration between Brownsville and its twin city Matamoros, Tamaulipas, making the city great.
“Thank you for making our downtown even more beautiful,” Ramirez said to Lopez during the unveiling.
Amanda Davé, vice chair of the Brownsville Beautification Committee, said the reasons for choosing the mural are to accomplish cultural expression, show pride in heritage and the power of community, and to have public art.
Davé said the art piece is in line with the beautification of the city, and the committee is looking forward to supporting similar projects in the future.
The mural, which was funded by the Musk Foundation and the Brownsville Beautification Committee, was a collaboration involving the City of Brownsville, Brownsville Museum of Fine Art, Consulate of Mexico in Brownsville, UTRGV and Revival of Cultural Arts.
