By Isabel Neumann
Photography By Isabel Neumann
Reporting Texas
Fergie Fergus, one of the muralists involved in the Art for All project, shows a vision board at Austin Central Library. Isabel Neumann/Reporting Texas
A new public-art initiative aims to beautify Austin while providing employment for the city’s growing unhoused population.
The ART for ALL initiative, launched by the nonprofit Raasin in the Sun, connects artists with unhoused people to paint colorful murals on the interior of the Austin Central Library parking garage in 2026, combining social impact with creativity.
“The goal is to turn the library garage site into a city-funded program for unhoused people,” said Tiffany Kowalski, director of project and artist management for Raasin in the Sun.
Raasin in the Sun was founded in 2015 by community organizer and artist Raasin McIntosh, a former University of Texas track athlete who competed in the 2012 London Olympics before shifting into community arts and environmental work after her athletic career. The nonprofit focuses on creative placemaking, environmental stewardship and neighborhood revitalization, often partnering with schools, small businesses and city departments. Past projects include large-scale murals, anti-litter campaigns, community cleanups and collaborations with youth arts programs across Austin.
McIntosh said the idea for ART for ALL grew out of the organization’s longstanding relationship with Mural Arts Philadelphia, whose “Color Me Back” program pairs artists with people experiencing homelessness.
“Mural Arts Philadelphia called me up and said, ‘Hey, we’re coming down to Austin for SXSW to do a panel on Color Me Back,’” she said. “The city of Austin was there, and they had been following our journey with Mural Arts. They asked, ‘Can we do something like this for Austin?’ I said, ‘We 100 percent can. We just have to center it around our needs and vision.’ ”
Several weeks ago, Mural Arts Philadelphia staff attended a public engagement workshop in Austin to hear what people would like to see in the murals on the library garage, a high-visibility location downtown.
The organization says the final installation will serve as a “canvas of community stories,” reflecting the experiences of both the artists and the unhoused residents who help create it.
Unhoused residents will receive $250 in cash for up to eight hours of painting and site preparation under the direction of professional artists, who will receive upwards of $6,000, depending on the size and location of their assigned mural space.
Kowalski said the organization anticipates that 80 to 100 unhoused residents may show up on program days to enter the lottery for approximately 20 available slots, varying by day depending on what needs to be done. Over the course of the residency, organizers expect to give more than $250,000 to more than 100 unhoused participants.
Kowalski said the original artist budget was reduced so that more of the program’s funding could support unhoused workers.
“It’s truly economic development for people facing housing insecurity,” Kowalski said. “In other jobs there might be blockages — needing an ID, needing documents. With us, they can show up, work, and get paid the same day.”
Funding for the program’s first year comes entirely from the city through a post-COVID economic development pool from the American Rescue Plan Act, which Kowalski said was a “use it or lose it” fund designated for community-impact projects. Long-term sustainability will depend on continued support from the city and donors.
On Oct. 18, Raisin in the Sun held a community workshop where artists gathered in the library to sketch concepts and walk the site. The session served as an early-stage planning meeting for the murals that will fill the garage next year.
At the workshop, Austin muralist Fergie Fergus, an artist in the organization’s Blue House residency program on East 12th Street, said her military background shaped her approach to collaborative art-making.
“It makes me hold more compassion for my art and for other artists,” Fergus said. “My discipline from the Navy helps me keep going and prove to myself that my imagination and dream can come true.”
The launch of ART for ALL comes as homelessness continues to rise in Austin and Travis County. The Ending Community Homelessness Coalition reported that more than 3,2000 people were experiencing homelessness at the time of its one-night count in January 2025, a nearly 36% increase from the previous count. ECHO estimates that more than 6,600 people experience homelessness in Austin over the course of a year.
ART for ALL hopes that its payments to homeless people can help people secure temporary housing or save for transportation.
“As long as people show up and do the work, they’ll get paid,” Kowalski said. “For some, that can be the first step toward getting back on their feet.”