A group of local artists are painting a $100,000 mural honoring the San Antonio Spurs on the Houston Street Garage.
The 95-foot mural, titled “Por Vida,” is being painted on an east-facing wall on the corner of the garage, looking toward Navarro Street.
It will be up for at least five years, with opportunities to extend that time.
The mural features two hands holding a Spurs prayer candle with a Spurs jersey, championship ring at the bottom, and “Por Vida” in classic script at the top. A golden basketball shines brightly at top of the center jersey, with hands, cacti and the City of San Antonio’s logo inside. Red roses, a blue sky with clouds, and the year “1973,” adorn the candle, symbolizing the year the Chaparrals relocated to San Antonio and were renamed the San Antonio Spurs.
The mural was commissioned by Centro San Antonio’s Art Everywhere Project, and its $100,000 price tag covers supplies for the project and the artist’s fee. The mural was funded by grant dollars. Centro has funded more than 150 projects under the program, placing colorful art on privately owned open spaces that business owners donate across downtown.
Other large products of Centro’s art program include the “Gao Brothers Sculpture,” the “SA is Amor” mural on Broadway, and the “Never Completely Revealed, Never Completely Obscured” artwork on the Travis Park Plaza Garage.
Centro’s Arts Everywhere murals are temporary, and are usually on display between three and five years minimum, with the opportunity to seek approval for more time.
“This year, with Victor Wembanyama coming to town and being a part of the Spurs family, there’s been a lot of excitement. But really, it’s the Spurs in general,” said Andi Rodriguez, vice president of cultural placemaking for Centro, about what the mural set out to celebrate.
“What they give to our community is just so beautiful and it’s something that really connects us,” she added. “There’s something we can all agree on: Our love and our commitment to the Spurs and how they inspire us, how we are just filled with joy, and it’s an honor to have them be a part of our community.”
More than 100 artists across Bexar County applied to the open call for this artwork, and a lone finalist was selected in late October after a two-tier selection process. Contemporary artist Andy Benavides’ Spurs mural idea hit the nail on the head for Centro — which had long wanted to honor the team in some way — and ended up winning.
On Nov. 3, the arts committee approved the design, and work started the following week.
Andy and Yvette Benavides founded Supporting Multiple Arts Resources Together in 2005. The nonprofit organization educates elementary school children in contemporary art at Briscoe Elementary School, creating art experiences that support students’ emotional health.
Benavides is known for his desire to share mural opportunities with other artists. The mural is anticipated to be completed by Dec. 1, weather permitting, but one local artist at the mural on Friday said the mural could be completed sooner due to the extra hands working on the project.
“He is very much about the power of art,” Rodriguez said. “We all are. I was really pleased that during the adjudication process that he was selected. So that was really exciting.”
On Friday, widely respected street artist Nik Soupe stood at the top of a boom lift on Navarro Street painting a golden basketball, surrounded by spray paint bottles. He looked down to greet the people watching.
The Spurs mural temporarily relocates Kat Cadena’s “And Yet We Bloom” mural painted in late 2020, which is moving to La Zona at 337 W. Commerce Street and will relocate to a permanent location later.
Benavides did not attend the meeting, but passed along a statement on the mural: “This Spurs mural is an opportunity for a team of professional artists to collaborate and to mentor the next generation. When we talk Spurs in our city, and in fact everywhere in the world, it’s obvious that their fan base runs deep.
“The proposed project has inspired reflection and memory, and demonstrates the relevance of the Spurs. It reflects not only my family history, but numerous family histories and the loyalty of so many that consider the Spurs their family.”
In his statement, Benavides recognized former Spurs basketball player George Gervin in 1973, and called him a “superhero” for setting the pace and standard for what a team should be.
“As mom would have said, Go Spurs, Familia Por Vida.”
This story has been updated to correctly state that the mural was funded by grant dollars.
