In celebration of Community First Health Plans 25th Anniversary, Community First has partnered with the San Antonio Street Art Initiative (SASAI) to paint a one-of-a-kind mural on the exterior wall of the EZ Wash Laundromat at 1519 W Southcross San Antonio, TX 78215 in the Southside of San Antonio. Titled We Love Our Southside, it is the first mural of the South Side Mural Project to place unique and culturally relevant murals in high traffic, urban areas and the SASAI mission to create The Largest Outdoor Gallery in Texas™.
“Because of Community First’s generous support, the Southside will now have its own mural representation of southside culture not currently represented in our part of town.” says Shek Vega, Founder & President of San Antonio Street Art Initiative, “All participating artists live or are from the Southside and we hope to incentivize more artists to participate in mural installations in the future. We love our Southside, and we get to celebrate the community one colorful mural at a time.”
SASAI and Community First solicited the help of 40 community leaders, business owners, influencers, and longtime residents, via Zoom, to share why the Southside is so special to them and the imagery that best represented their experiences. Through the community feedback, SASAI’s President Shek Vega designed the mural, then invited four Southside artists to execute the initial mural design, each bringing in their own unique aesthetic. Eva Sanchez, Joe De La Cruz, Shek Vega and Nik Soup of Los Otros, joined forces to paint We Love Our Southside.
“Artists have the talent to inspire others to follow their dreams while sharing a vision that is amazingly colorful and full of life. It is a true gift and talent that only a few possess.” says, Theresa Scepanski, President and Chief Executive Officer Community First Health Plans, “This project is special, not only for the artists, but for the community as a whole. Growing up on the southside, I’m excited to see the continued development of the neighborhood, and I’m proud that Community First Health Plans can contribute to the success of this project.”
SASAI and Community First will host a ribbon cutting ceremony to commemorate the We Love our Southside mural on Monday, December 21, 2020 at 10 AM. Members of the media are invited to attend the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony virtually or in-person (all in-person attendees must adhere to social distancing guidelines as outlined by the CDC). The We Love our Southside mural was completed on December 7, 2020.
SASAI hopes to have more murals designed and executed by early 2021. Artists who want to be considered to be a part of this incentive program should apply at sanantoniostreetart.org.