The 23rd Street Mural was painted 50 years ago on the side of the UT Co-op. It is Austin’s very first mural. The people and places in the ‘Austintatious Mural’ reflect the cultural scene of our town in 1973. It’s where the spirit of Austin was born and oh, do they have a story to tell.
23rd Street Mural Experience
A new kind of documentary
This documentary project is not a typical film. It will be an interactive exhibit that lives on the web free for everyone to explore. As you roll over key characters, you’ll watch short films that transport you back in time to learn about that person and the influence they had shaping the personality of our city.
For example, how did the armadillo become an icon for Austin’s counterculture? How did mescaline become the go to drug of Austin? What sandwich vendor beat the University of Texas in court to make food trucks legal? And at what Austin club did Muddy Waters discover Johnny Winter – that led Johnny Winter to help the world re-discover Muddy Waters? Each vignette gives us a glimpse ‘through the fog’ into the era when the spirit of Austin was born. And taken together this experience tells the story of how Austin became Austin. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 23rd Street Mural, we want to unlock and share the secrets it holds for everyone to enjoy.
Any support is appreciated and will be recognized on the site’s Donation Wall. The Austin Film Society is a fiscal sponsor of this project and any donations made to The 23rd Street Mural Experience are 100% tax deductible. Follow this link to the AFS page! Thank you for your support.

Austin Brand Sponsorship Opportunties
We are looking for Austin companies and brands that owe some of their success to the people that made Austin awesome in the first place. If you own, work at, or work for an amazing Austin company please consider supporting this project. This is a way to preserve and recognize the culture pioneers of our city before it’s forgotten. Your sponsorship is tax deductible and you’ll be showcased right on the Sponsorship Wall that will live on the website in perpetuity. Planet K has already been a generous supporter, not only of this project, but the renovations on the mural itself! Show everyone you care about telling the story of Austin in this very unique way. Reach out to Mike or Michelle for more information or just Follow this link to the AFS page! Thank you.