AUSTIN, Texas — A new Willie Nelson mural on an East Seventh Street building in Downtown Austin is almost complete thanks to the help of unhoused neighbors.
Back in February, local artist Wiley Ross’ mural of Willie Nelson and Janis Joplin was torn down, as the owners of 407 E. Seventh St. prepared to turn the lot into a new development. Ross created the mural back in early 2016 for the Heart of Texas Rockfest.
“When I heard that this was being torn down, I was like, ‘Oh man,’ like, ‘That sucks.’ But then, I think it’s a blessing in disguise,” Ross said.
After working out a deal with the building’s owners, Ross was able to create a new Willie Nelson mural on the building next door. He started the mural a little over a week ago. But this time, he’s had some extra help from the unhoused neighbors nearby.
Ross paid several people experiencing homelessness, including a man named Eddie, $20 an hour to help with the project and clean out the workspace.
“He [Eddie] is one of the hardest workers I’ve ever met in my life,” Ross said. “Without him, I’d still be way behind on this.”
Ross said Eddie also helped him by sleeping on the lift to protect it and the mural during the night.
Throughout this process, Ross said he’s gotten to know many people living on the streets in the area.
“It’s been great. We’ve employed like, five of them so far,” Ross said. “It’s been a very community effort.”
Eddie said during these last several days, Ross has become a friend to them, with many of the unhoused population waiting for him to get there every day. The mural has also become a community space, which is exactly what Ross wanted it to be.
“It’s where everybody comes to chill,” Eddie said. “When you leave this place here, you never know what you’re going to run into. And here, everybody is chill here … brings a lot of people together.”
During the painting process, several of Ross’ friends, including some musicians, have even brought bags with essential supplies for the people who live in the area.
In the future, Ross is hoping he’ll be able to get Eddie and some of his new friends a house. But for now, the mural is where they can come to feel at home.
Ross is putting the finishing touches on the mural now and expects to be 100% done in the next few days.