For Abilene’s future, the writing’s on the wall. Or in this case, the paint.
The Key City welcomed its latest mural July 3 with a ribbon cutting and free Cokes. Presented on the north-facing wall on a warehouse located at 113 Cherry St., the 100-foot-long western scene rises 25 feet to the building’s roof.
Artist Caleb Crisp was contracted by Texas Monthly Studio on behalf of Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages to paint the mural to celebrate the 250th birthday of the nation and to honor Texas towns.
The scene depicts a cowboy astride his horse on a ridge, holding a bottle of Coke in his left hand. Buffalo can be seen running across the arid plain and in the distance, a modern city rises before the sun.
Crisp said Jake Messa and a graffiti artist who only goes by Julian assisted him on the project.
“It’s past, present and future Abilene,” Crisp said. “Kind of like both the blue collar aspect of (Abilene), but also the future we’re going into with this new AI plant and all the other cool things that are being added.”
Erin Kubatzky, the director of operations for Texas Monthly Studio, explained how Abilene came to be one of three cities selected to receive a mural.
Known for their “old-school murals” across the state, Kubatzky said the Coke bottler approached them to sponsor a statewide mural contest for America 250.
“Ten different towns were asked to vote on who would receive three new custom murals,” he said. “The winners were Abilene, Bryant and Tyler.”
And what was it that elevated the Key City to such distinguished heights?
“Popular vote,” Kubatzky said. “Abilene really showed up. They promoted it on a bunch of their social channels, and they were by far one of the top three cities.”
The murals will be featured in the August issue of Texas Monthly, as well as on their interactive Star Spangled Texas mural map.
“It was really fun to embody the Abilene population with the frontier spirit,” Kubatzky said. “That speaks to both the past and also the future that Abilene is growing.”
Wesley Gosdin, the sales center manager for Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages’ Abilene Distribution Center, was handing out tall-boy-style 16-ounce cans of Coke to the 50 or so people who came to watch the Abilene Redcoats cut the ribbon on the mural. The aluminum on each one was festooned with patriotic imagery to celebrate America 250.
“One interesting note about the 16 ounce cans, we’re the only facility in the company that produces them,” Gosdin said. “So if you buy a 16-ounce can of Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite or Coke Zero, it came from Abilene.”
Gosdin said with Frontier Texas just north of the mural on the other side of the railroad tracks, the mural’s theme fits in well with its locale. Motorists driving south on Treadaway Boulevard can catch a glimps of the mural as they pass under the rail line’s bridge.
“This mural really shows the uniqueness and pride in our community,” Gosdin said. “It’s something that visitors can see, and it’s really cool.”
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Abilene celebrates new mural honoring area history
Reporting by Ronald W. Erdrich, Abilene Reporter-News / Abilene Reporter-News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Ronald W. Erdrich, Abilene Reporter-News | USA TODAY Network
