TxDot says electrical box murals don’t fall under mandate, are safe to stay.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — When a new state mandate surfaced, local artists feared the worst.
“When I found out about this mandate that was going through i was honestly heartbroken.”, said Villareal.
Victoria Villareal is the artist behind not one, but two of the electric art boxes turned into colorful landmarks in downtown Corpus Christi. she’s passionate about creativity — and about everything that makes corpus unique.
“My second box is actually based off Whataburger. it’s based off my first memory when i moved here — it’s just one of my favorite memories, fighting off seagulls while trying to eat our French fries.”, said Villareal.
Under TxDot’s directive, the Downtown Management District and local artists were disheartened to learn that not only decorative crosswalks, but 25 of those vibrant electrical box murals could be removed.
“I believe we are taking away from our culture versus adding to it by removing these boxes.”, said Villareal.
Thanks to strong community advocacy — those murals aren’t going anywhere.
“I did get word back from chairman Hunter and representative Villalobos that our murals are saved.”, said Arlene Medrano, Executive Director of the DMD.
According to Medrano, the boxes are not included in the state mandate. She says this victory is just the beginning in the effort to protect downtown’s cultural identity — and the creative investments of local artists.
“We are so grateful there is so much interest in downtown art and art in general in our city. that everyone recognizes they aren’t just painting on electrical boxes — they are the storytelling of our people. and they are very meaningful to our artists, residents, and visitors.”, said Medrano.