More than 200 artists from around the world came to El Paso to take part in a graffiti art festival known as the Borderland Jam, which pays tribute to a traditional border art form.
This story was co-published with El Paso Matters as part of our joint Equitable Cities Reporting Fellowship For Borderland Narratives.
With each spray from the nozzle of their aerosol paint cans, the hundreds of street artists that took over a South El Paso warehouse transformed cinder block walls into communal public art pieces over the course of one weekend.
Nine years ago, a group of local graffiti artists formally organized Borderland Jam, a public three-day graffiti art show and festival with roots going back to the ‘90s, to showcase their work. Each year, more and more artists from around the world join the collaborative.
During this year’s festival, held President’s Day weekend, over 200 hundred artists repainted the walls spanning four city blocks, giving new life to this urban landscape.
Read more at Next City.