The Wall of Welcome is Almost Finished!

Thanks to the mostly mild weather Austin's been enjoying, our neighborhood's pride-and-joy in progress, The Crestview Wall of Welcome, is almost finished! The dedication is scheduled for March 29th, 2008, with festivities and happiness guaranteed. And I promise it's more than worth seeing; it's beautiful, nostalgic, creative, and very Austintacious.

Everybody who ever loved their neighborhood (any neighborhood)ought to see it, as well as anyone from anywhere who appreciates mosiac art and/or is nostalgic about the '50's...

The Wall is found in North Central Austin on the west side of Woodrow Avenue, between St. John's and Piedmont, along the east side of the little Crestview Shopping center. Look for the little Minimax...See map.

The Neighborhood Wall of Welcome

Recently I took my camera (and the dogs, because they needed the exercise) down to The Wall for some fresh pictures, but between untangling the dogs' ongoing leash-tangling project canine macrame?,

I didn't get nearly all the pictures I wanted, some are crooked, and they're in no particular order, so I'll definitely go back soon to take more. Without the dogs next time; sorry guys.

Please bear in mind that the pictures below are just a fraction of what's on The Wall. There are countless intricate, tiny, amazing little pieces of personal art and memories. Click on each image to enlarge. BTW, the out-of-place-looking round wooden circles hold places that will be filled with (I think) text with neighborhood history and stories...

Sweet Jean Hancock, Queen of the Violet Crown, as far as I'm concerned was busily, happily at work, bless her heart. Hi Jean! Remember, click to enlarge image)

http://www.violetcrownfestival.com/pdf/wallofwelcome_process.pdf

Better yet, come on over to Crestview to see it, and bring your family, your cameras, and take your time...I can't stress how much there is to see...

The dedication is later this month, March 29th. More on that later...

And many, many thanks again and always to artist Jean Hancock and her volunteers. Visit these other sites for more information...

http://violetcrownfestival.com/pdf/wallofwelcome_tiles.pdf

http://mosaicartsource.wordpress.com/2007/04/18/mosaic-wall-wall-of-welcome-mosaic-artist-jean-graham-austin-texas/

UPDATE: Good news! The National Weather Service is forecasting great weather for this Saturday's Wall of Welcome dedication ceremonies; specifically, "partly sunny, with a high near 70."

(But if things change between now and then, the rain date is the next Saturday, April 5th.)

Yesterday I got a few pictures...they were busy working on those long-awaited discs with text. Click on the pictures and you can read a little of it.

(Click on any image for a larger view)

Another beautiful weekend in the neighborhood...got a few more pictures of the Wall of Welcome...

Don't forget to visit the Wall at the Violet Crown Fall Arts Festival, Saturday, October 11th, 2008, from 10am to 4 pm at the Crestview Shopping Center.

(There are walls, and there are walls...)

The Wall of Welcome will be formally, festively dedicated on Saturday, March 29th, starting at 10:00am. The 7100 block of Woodrow Avenue in front of the Wall from St. John's to Piedmont Avenue, will be closed to automotive traffic for the festivities, and parking will be limited, so neighbors are encouraged to walk or take the bus if possible.

Below, a copy of the announcement from Violet Crown Community Works:

There will be a "Domino-the-Pig Promenade" (no word on whether the real Domino will be there "in porcine", or just represented somehow), a neighborhood history display, music, and comments by "neighborhood luminaries". And mostly, people admiring the Wall, hearing and telling stories about the neighborhood.

The ceremonies and celebrating are scheduled from 10:00am to 2pm. That's two weeks from yesterday as I post this, the Saturday after Easter, so the final push is on to get things finished. The grout (isn't that what you call the stuff between the pieces of tile?) looks great and Jean had a whole squad of volunteers working to finish that part up; they were really, really close to completing it a few hours ago.

Rain is forecast for tomorrow and especially the next day, so you gotta make art while the sun shines!

Below are a few pictures to show the work-in-progress, with a few of the workers and admirers.

(Yep, that's a kid on a unicycle. I love this neighborhood!)