This may have been the 11th official Borderland Jam, but artists have been painting in that same spot since the mid-1990s.
Back then, they’d show up with backpacks full of spray cans, searching for walls where their work would get the most visibility.
They found it at the Frontier Foods & Cold Storage warehouse, 1601 E. Fourth Ave., in Segundo Barrio. After school, they kept coming back, day after day. With permission, they gradually gained access to more space, expanding their art as writers put their names up on one wall at a time.
“There was probably a period, maybe 2001 to like 5 or 6, that the city anti-graffiti program would come and erase all of it,” Myker Yrrobali, El Paso artist and tattoo artist, said. “We had permission from the owners, but they were still trying to keep no graffiti in El Paso. So there was like a small period where there was nothing on the wall.”
For several years after, crews continued to gather to paint and breakdance. The permits on the walls remained in place. In 2013, Cyk One, an El Paso artist and longtime Borderland Jam organizer, brought artists together to plan the first event, giving it its name.
The first official event was held in 2014. Since then, the jam has grown, even though it doesn’t happen every year because of the work it takes and COVID. Still, it continues. Artists from around the world make their way to El Paso each time a jam is organized.
Early on, in the 90’s walls weren’t covered from top to bottom; artists painted only as high as they could reach, on tiptoe or with a roller. Now, lifts are common, and artists reach the very top. With sprayers, ladders and standing on paint buckets, every available wall is filled with art from top to bottom.
Artists collaborate and learn from one another, with crews working together on walls, shaping years of creativity and talent.
“It’s good to have everyone here sharing and just meeting each other,” Martin “Blast” Zubia, El Paso artist and Borderland Jam organizer said. “Every year, we meet someone new. Every year, we bump into someone else. Also, sadly, every year we don’t see someone you know, for various reasons. So just sharing this with everyone is beautiful. It’s awesome. It gets us all together.”
El Paso artists like Myker Yrrobali, Martin “Blast” Zubia, Cyk 1 and Mud Buny, who was born in Washington and is now based in El Paso, are among those contributing to the growth of the scene, each bringing their own style and experience to the jam.
This year, over 100 street artists painted new walls from April 17-19. Through high winds, rain and heat, they pushed to finish new work for the community to enjoy until the next jam, when new art on the walls will bloom again.
For many, Borderland Jam is more than an event; it’s a space to create, connect and keep the culture moving forward.
Gaby Velasquez may be reached at gavelasquez@elpasotimes.com; @gabyavelasquez on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Borderland Jam in El Paso evolves from ’90s roots to global event
Reporting by Gaby Velasquez, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
