The City of Austin Parks & Recreation Department's Old Bakery & Artisan Emporium is partnering with the Downtown Austin Alliance Foundation to transform Old Bakery Park. This Community Activated Parks Project will include an active community engagement process to explore ideas about how to revitalize this downtown greenspace through a new Writing on the Walls mural that tells the story of this area of Austin. District 9

Current Community Engagement Opportunity

Community Survey | Encuesta Comunitaria

Image of Old Bakery and Artisan Emporium showing outline of area where future mural will go

Background

The Old Bakery & Artisan Emporium is a historic building located in downtown Austin at the north-west corner of Congress Avenue and 10th Street. The space is home to a shop filled with unique, handmade items from local artists and craftspeople. The art gallery features works by local artists who are 50+ years old, and the Visitor Center tells Austin’s immigrant history through the Lundberg-Maerki Historical Collection. Just south of the building is the Old Bakery Park, a City of Austin public plaza that was transformed with seating, shade and plantings in 2014 by a partnership of the Downtown Austin Alliance, Austin Parks Foundation and City of Austin. 

Project Description

The City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department is partnering with Downtown Austin, the Old Bakery & Artisan Emporium and Austin Parks Foundation to add a new mural to the south facing wall and to energize the public plaza with new programming and activations for the community.

The goals for this project include:

  • Build momentum for a series of murals and mural tours that will transform the space for the years to come
  • Add new activities that inspire people of all ages
  • Amplify peoples’ stories and experiences
  • Use modern storytelling to express the important issues of our time

Anticipated Schedule

  • Spring 2023: Outreach, Engagement Begins
  • Summer 2023: Idea Gathering, Listening, Reflection 
  • Fall 2023: Call for Mural Artists 
  • Winter 2023: Artist Selection 
  • Spring 2024: Implementation 

Community Engagement

As a historically significant space in downtown Austin, we need everyone's ideas for what could be on a new two-story mural.  

The project kicked off with a preliminary survey to educate the community about the history of the land, the building and the museum that exists today. The survey culminated in the first engagement event at the Downtown Austin Alliance’s annual Holiday Stroll event, where community members learned about Austin murals through a Downtown Mural coloring book and could create their own art with local artist Riches Art, which was projected on the wall in real time to inspire the next mural. 

Now, the project team is returning to the community with a second survey to gather input on mural concepts and priorities as well as potential enhancements for the park space.

Community Survey | Encuesta Comunitaria

Funding and Resources

This Old Bakery Park enhancement is part of the Community Activated Parks Project (CAPP). The CAPP program streamlines the proposal process for neighbors, community groups, and partners seeking to initiate improvements on city-owned parkland.

Contact Information

For more information, please contact Herlinda Zamora.