Corpus Christi’s Public Art Is Being Scrubbed Away

Could you imagine if someone rolled through downtown and told our artists to paint over the murals or wipe the sidewalk art clean? People would lose it. That’s basically what’s happening in Corpus Christi right now.

TxDOT told the city that they have to remove 25 pieces of public art. Corpus Christi’s streets are lit up by local artwork, including bright electrical box murals and painted crosswalks. However, because of a new rule from TxDOT’s "Safe Roads" Initiative, they don’t meet “standard road design.”

 TxDOT’s Safe Roads Initiative bans non-standard pavement markings, including the painted crosswalks and murals. Cities with this type of artwork have 30 days to comply or risk losing their funding.

So now Corpus Christi is forced to remove the murals and artwork that make the city unique. Years of work and creativity are about to be scrubbed off like it never mattered.

These weren’t just any random pieces of art; many of them were community projects. One of them, Windows to the Coastal Bend, is basically a love letter to South Texas. Now, it’s sitting under review, waiting to see if it can be spared.

Victoria’s been doing the same thing, piece by piece, bringing color back into public spaces. All it takes is one statewide rule or one technicality, and all that progress could be forced to revert back into the bleak, boring space we worked so hard to transform.

If you want to see what Corpus is losing, check out the photos and tag #GoDowntownCC while they’re still up.