San Antonio’s East Side: A Love Letter to Street Art & The D.R.E.A.M. District
By Brian Benavidez, Founder of Mural Ride Bike Tours
Published March 20, 2025
A City Shaped by Creativity
San Antonio doesn’t just have history—it has soul.
You hear it in the jazz that once echoed through St. Paul Square, the Key Hole Club, and the Carver Auditorium. You see it in the murals that color our walls today, each stroke telling a story of the past while carving out the city’s future.
The East Side has long been home to some of San Antonio’s most defining cultural movements—first in music, now in street art. Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and B.B. King once played here, their performances filling the air with something bigger than sound—a sense of place, identity, and possibility.
Today, that same spirit is alive again—not on a stage, but on the streets, in the form of towering murals and vibrant graffiti, giving the East Side a new voice.
A Personal Love Affair with Street Art
I remember the first time I saw a Los Otros mural. It was the Adriana Lima piece, standing bold and powerful in black and white. At the time, I didn’t even know it was Adriana Lima—and it didn’t matter.
The black-and-white portrait by Nik Soupé pulled me in with its striking realism, while Shek Vega’s signature filigree pattern wrapped the piece in intricate, swirling linework that gave it movement and depth. Behind it all, vibrant stencils with a Latin flair added an energy that felt uniquely San Antonio—an element that Chris Montoya painted with perfection during the early years of Los Otros. For over a decade, Shek Vega has been designing and shaping the identity of Los Otros murals, crafting a visual language that has become synonymous with San Antonio street art. Los Otros’ work is instantly recognizable—not just because of its bold imagery, but because of the intention behind every brushstroke, every line, every layer. It’s not just about painting walls; it’s about telling stories that stand the test of time.
I stood there, mesmerized, knowing one thing: I needed to see more.
That moment wasn’t just an introduction to street art—it was a calling. A realization that murals, like music, have the power to stop people in their tracks, make them feel something, and invite them to explore a city in a way no guidebook ever could.
San Antonio’s Next Big Moment
When I visit places like Miami’s Wynwood Walls, Cincinnati’s Blink Festival, and Jackson’s Bright Walls, I see what happens when a city fully embraces public art.
In Jackson, I spoke with local business owners who told me about how their downtown area grew quiet as big-box retailers started pulling foot traffic away. But then Bright Walls changed everything. It brought the people back. It turned empty storefronts into opportunities. It gave their city a new, undeniable energy.
San Antonio is at that same crossroads.
Right now, we have something special on the East Side and in the D.R.E.A.M. District—but what happens next depends on us.
The Artists Leading the Way
The movement is already here. You can see it in the work of Shek Vega and Burgundy Woods, who have been champions of San Antonio’s street art scene for years—organizing, directing, and painting pieces that shape the visual language of the city.
You can also see it in the distinctive photorealism of Nik Soupé, whose portrait work has made him a pioneer in the mural world. His influence extends far beyond his own murals—he’s mentored a new wave of artists who follow in his detailed, expressive style.
And the East Side continues to evolve, thanks to rising voices like Ashleigh Valentine, Manola & Maria Ramirez, and Marco Vargas—artists who are telling new stories and giving fresh color to San Antonio’s cultural identity.
But the question is: Will we support them?
Cycling in San Antonio can be fun and artistic!
What Will It Take?
Every great art city has one thing in common: a community that shows up.
We have a choice. We can admire murals from a distance, or we can invest in them. We can appreciate the art, or we can fund the artists. We can talk about what San Antonio could be, or we can make it happen.
This isn’t just about murals—it’s about a cultural shift. One where the East Side becomes a landmark for street art lovers the way Wynwood is for Miami or Blink is for Cincinnati. One where murals aren’t just celebrated, but protected, funded, and expanded.
Let’s Write the Next Chapter
San Antonio has always been a city with untold stories waiting to be written.
The East Side, the D.R.E.A.M. District, the artists shaping it today—this is one of those stories. But it won’t be written by outside investors or developers. It will be written by us.
Want to see the art for yourself?
Book a Mural Ride tour and explore the East Side through San Antonio’s murals, culture, and creative soul.
So here’s my challenge to you:
✅ Support these artists—follow them, commission them, show up for them.
✅ Invest in this movement—because murals don’t just appear overnight.
✅ Be part of something bigger—because this is how a city reinvents itself.
The future of San Antonio’s creative culture is unwritten.
Let’s paint it together.
