Quilted Legacies

Quilted legacies was inspired by the stories of members of the Conley Guerro’s Senior Activity Center’s creative writing class, and their time growing up in East Austin. This mural represents a map of the Rosewood neighborhood of Austin, with each city block being represented by a square of fabric of a quilt. 

Within the fabric of the quilt, there are vignettes that represent people and places that used to make up the neighborhood, such as the Rosewood neighborhood pool, where kids used to swim until their fingers were pruney. Or a scene from the Harlem Theatre, which was “the place to be” on the weekend, with everyone in the neighborhood waiting in line to get their popcorn or a famous Harlem Theatre chilli burger. 

One of the portraits included in the mural is that of Mr. Willie H. Walls, who was the manager of the Harlem Theatre and a World Geography teacher during the week. Another portrait features Ulysses “Doc” Young, who owned and operated Hillside Drugstore, serving the neighborhood with various remedies and medicines. 

“Those are the things that made us who we are now, they are the fabric and the quilt of our lives.” -Ms. Bunny

Please enjoy the audio pieces below to learn more about these histories.