By Edmond Ortiz
The city plans to formally dedicate a new mural designed to celebrate San Antonio’s East Side and its people.
A public dedication ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m. Jan. 16 where the city’s arts and culture department will help to fully reveal a 300-foot-long mural, called “Heirlooms: East Side Pride,” on the Nolan Street railroad underpass between Cherry and Chestnut streets.
District 2 City Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez’s office secured funding in 2025 to commission a mural along the roadway wall.
The city chose Kaldric Deshon Dow, a local artist known for his large-scale collage work, following a community-driven search process to identify artists and select a design proposal.
Pedestrians and motorists passing by the Nolan Street underpass could often see Dow working on the mural, itself a series of collages that feature the names of East Side roads, such as Houston, Commerce, Pecan Valley and Burnet. The large collages also highlight community members, and their work and achievements.
McKee-Rodriguez expressed excitement for Dow’s mural on his official Facebook page on Jan. 6.
“I’m in awe of (Dow) and his creativity, talent and eye. Thank you for creating this inspiring, larger than life artwork and bringing it to its forever home in District 2,” he added.
