Austin, Texas is filled with public art. From the ubiquitous and iconic dinosaur statues to the whimsical “Whoa Nellie’s Signs,” Austin is home to a tremendous amount of diverse public art that offers something different for every resident. The city even has its own special niche of public art: the Before I Die Wall. These are walls decorated with hand-written notes from people across the world who have set a date by which they hope to kick the bucket. It is located at 206 E Elizabeth St, Austin, TX 78704. The wall debuted in 2015 at DiverseCity, an affordable housing complex in East Austin. Since then, these interactive walls have become fixtures in cities across the country. Austinites have been decorating their own Before I Die Walls since long before DiverseCity opened its doors as affordable housing. These interactive walls not only offer a unique way for neighbors to get to know one another but also provide a space for people across town and around the world to make plans for their final days on Earth — something many of us take for granted until it’s too late.
How did the Before I Die Wall in Austin, TX start?
When the creators of Before I Die Wall first started thinking about creating a wall for people to use as a writing space to plan their final days, they were inspired by a similar project in South Africa. In 2015, a couple created the “Don’t forget to write” wall in Durban where people could write notes to their loved ones before they died. The creators of Before I Die Wall then worked with the City of Austin’s Interdisciplinary Arts Program (IAP) to put the idea into action. The IAP partnered with the Austin Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC), along with the city’s Office of Cultural Affairs and the Public Art Fund. This partnership helped secure funding for the Before I Die Wall, which was installed in DiverseCity’s park at 2811 East Cesar Chavez Street in 2015. DiverseCity was Austin’s first affordable housing community to transform an area into a public art space.
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Where is the Austin, Texas Before I Die Wall?
The Before I Die Wall can be found at DiverseCity Park at 2811 East Cesar Chavez Street in Austin, TX.
The Story of Every Person’s Story on the Wall
Here’s a breakdown of what’s written on the Before I Die Wall in Austin, TX: People write their own stories on the wall. Some people write a few lines of what they want to say while others write a full-blown eulogy. Some people record videos while others write a message. Some people leave behind photos, while others record audio messages. Some people write about the people they’ve lost, while others write about the impact their loved ones had on their lives.
Conclusion
The Before I Die Wall in Austin, TX is a special type of public art that makes use of an interactive space to connect people across the city and the world. It’s a place where Austinites and visitors alike can record their own stories and leave notes for loved ones. Public art like this one, with its capacity to bring people together, is especially important in a city like Austin where the population is increasingly segregated by class and ethnicity. The Before I Die Wall is a unique and important part of Austin’s public art landscape. And if you find yourself in the Lone Star State, you can explore more of Austin’s public art on your own.