Public Art Project

Keep McAllen Beautiful has embarked on a program to give public art a stronger presence in the city and to give experienced artists a chance to get exposure on their work. 

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Located throughout McAllen are over 200 irrigation pipes, which come in all shapes and sizes, and are part of the city’s rich agricultural history. To this day, some of those concrete pillars continue to regulate flow of irrigation-water to help maintain farmlands. A few of those pipes stand vigilantly along the City of McAllen’s Hike and Bike Trails and have long been eyed as a promising place for public murals, and thanks to local artists, some have now been transformed into beautiful works of art.


Take a walk or run along McAllen’s trails on 2nd Street or Bicentennial Blvd and ones’ eyes and heart will be delighted.


In 2019, a Call For Artists was placed and after a thorough application process, several artists submitted design concepts to use these pipes as their canvas. Keep McAllen Beautiful’s Public Art Committee then met to review applications and selected artists based on their work and submissions depicting local history, culture, and/or native habitat. Students, teachers, and retirees were amongst the artists selected.


Call For Artist now open. Submission deadline TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2026. Download the submission page and email to kmb@mcallen.net with your portfolio. For questions, please call or email the office. Acceptance notification will be emailed on Friday, November 13, 2026.

DOWNLOAD SUBMISSION FORM HERE

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Located throughout McAllen are over 200 irrigation pipes, which come in all shapes and sizes, and are part of the city’s rich agricultural history. To this day, some of those concrete pillars continue to regulate flow of irrigation-water to help maintain farmlands. A few of those pipes stand vigilantly along the City of McAllen’s Hike and Bike Trails and have long been eyed as a promising place for public murals, and thanks to local artists, some have now been transformed into beautiful works of art.


Take a walk or run along McAllen’s trails on 2nd Street or Bicentennial Blvd and ones’ eyes and heart will be delighted.


In 2019, a Call For Artists was placed and after a thorough application process, several artists submitted design concepts to use these pipes as their canvas. Keep McAllen Beautiful’s Public Art Committee then met to review applications and selected artists based on their work and submissions depicting local history, culture, and/or native habitat. Students, teachers, and retirees were amongst the artists selected.


Call For Artist now open. Submission deadline TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2026. Download the submission page and email to kmb@mcallen.net with your portfolio. For questions, please call or email the office. Acceptance notification will be emailed on Friday, November 13, 2026.

DOWNLOAD SUBMISSION FORM HERE

PROJECT GALLERY

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EXPLORE THE ART AROUND MCALLEN!

Use the interactive map below to find different public art projects throughout McAllen. You can even click on the project to learn more about that specific project, artist and get a 360º view of the project!

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