Local Artists Keeping McAllen Beautiful
Story by Eryn Reddell Wingert | Photos Courtesy of Creative Explorations
Oneida Trevino of Harlingen knew she wanted to be an artist since childhood. By her senior year in high school, her artwork was on display for a year at the U. S. Capitol, the result of a congressional competition.
“That’s when I was like, ‘OK, maybe this is something I should look into.’” Trevino has taught art through community programs since 2006 and was a fine arts teacher for 16 years. In 2022, she decided to leave the public-school sector to solely focus on bringing art to the community.
That she has. Trevino has personally painted over 20 pipes as part of Keep McAllen Beautiful’s Irrigation Pipe Public Art Project. “It’s been amazing,” she says. “The whole Valley has opened up their eyes to the positive aspects of public art.”
Keep McAllen Beautiful (KMB) is a nonprofit focused on beautification and education for the City of McAllen. Program Director Chris Lash says community feedback is what fuels their efforts to expand public art.
The community’s response after artists transformed the large pipes along the Bicentennial hike-and-bike trail was so positive “we knew we wanted to keep doing art,” says Lash.
There are over 200 pipes throughout the city. Most are remnants of the city’s agricultural origins. KMB put a call out for artists to submit pipe-design ideas for consideration, focusing on themes relevant to the region.
Dozens of pipes have been painted since the project’s inception, depicting native wildlife like cicadas, horned toads and hummingbirds, cultural scenes like folklorico dancers and loteria cards, and even abstracts. “It’s just amazing to me what they are able to execute,” says Lash.
The pipes stand 15- to 18-feet tall. Once a design is approved, artists are assigned a blank pipe and receive supplies and a stipend. The youngest contributing artist, following in her mom’s footsteps, is Sophia Trevino, 15.
Public art is a family affair for the Trevinos, which includes husband Jesse, son Isaiah, 21, and daughter Ava, 10. Together, they have contributed close to 30 pipe designs and, most notably, supported Oneida when she was selected to create a 400-foot “Don’t Mess With Texas” mural.
Trevino credits Jesse. “It was really achieved because of his help,” she says. Together, the family endured early mornings, noisy generators for light, running supplies back and forth, unloading and hauling equipment, honking cars, hot days, long hours, rushing back to Harlingen to teach art class at Creative Explorations RGV, then back at it again at night.
The mural depicts iconic Texas symbols, but also cultural aspects of the Valley, something Trevino incorporates into many of her pipe murals. “I choose things that I’ve seen that others would appreciate.”
Appreciate, indeed. Lash says the feedback for the boom in public art has been immense–artists receiving recognition beyond the region, the city commission expanding support, and positive community response via social media each time a new pipe is revealed.
To see where the pipes are located, visit keepmcallenbeautiful.org for a map and gallery.
