Editing San Marcos, Texas (section)

===Public art===
<!-- not art, not proven The intersection of [[Lyndon B. Johnson|LBJ]] Drive and [[Martin Luther King Jr.|MLK]] Drive in San Marcos is thought to be the only place in the nation where streets named after both men meet. --> 
The City of San Marcos and the San Marcos Arts Commission in collaboration with a committee of citizens from the community and Texas State University broke ground in January 2013 on a commemorative sculpture that will sit at the intersection of [[Lyndon B. Johnson|LBJ]] Drive and [[Martin Luther King Jr.|MLK]] Drive. Designed by Aaron P. Hussey of [[Baton Rouge]],  it depicts Johnson and King conversing in the [[Oval Office]].<ref>Thorne, Brett. [http://impactnews.com/austin-metro/san-marcos-buda-kyle/san-marcos-breaks-ground-on-lbj-mlk-memorial/ "San Marcos breaks ground on LBJ-MLK memorial"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131218225921/http://impactnews.com/austin-metro/san-marcos-buda-kyle/san-marcos-breaks-ground-on-lbj-mlk-memorial/ |date=December 18, 2013 }}, ''Community Impact'', 21 January 2013. Retrieved on 2 June 2013.</ref><ref>O'Rourke, Ciara. [http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/sculpture-design-chosen-for-intersection-of-mlk--1/nRnbs/ "Sculpture design chosen for intersection of MLK and LBJ in San Marcos"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131217120656/http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/sculpture-design-chosen-for-intersection-of-mlk--1/nRnbs/ |date=2013-12-17 }}, ''[[Austin American-Statesman]]'', 8 May 2012. Retrieved on 2 June 2013.</ref> It was officially unveiled on [[Martin Luther King Jr. Day]] in 2014.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://haysfreepress.com/2014/01/22/lbj-mlk-memorial-unveiled-in-san-marcos/ |title=LBJ-MLK memorial unveiled in San Marcos |first=Kate |last=Barton |work=News-Dispatch |date=January 22, 2014 |access-date=September 18, 2020}}</ref>

The Walkers' Gallery:  In July 1997, the City of San Marcos Department of Parks and Recreation opened the San Marcos Activity Center. Along with the recreational facilities and meeting rooms, this new building debuted an extensive community art gallery.  The gallery is directed and curated by the San Marcos Area Arts Council, a nonprofit organization, and is sustained through grants from the San Marcos Arts Commission.   Named the Walkers' Gallery because of its placement in the walking corridors of the building, it displays seven diverse exhibits a year, primarily of art by area artists and occasional invitational exhibits.  The public can enter the Activity Center to see the exhibits and attend art receptions at no charge. Artists of all ages and levels may submit their work that can be simply displayed or be for sale.<ref>Submitted May 19, 2021, by director/curator of the Walkers' Gallery</ref>

The downtown area has become home to several graffiti-style murals, including designs depicting [[Jeff Bridges]]' character the Dude from ''[[The Big Lebowski]]''.<ref>White, Tyler. [http://www.mysanantonio.com/entertainment/arts-culture/article/Public-art-painter-creates-large-San-Marcos-mural-6261644.php "Central Texas artist paints large mural of 'The Dude' from 'Big Lebowski' in San Marcos"], 15 May 2015. Retrieved on 16 April 2016.</ref>

In 2016, the San Marcos Arts Commission erected 10 [[mermaid]] statues throughout the city.<ref>Glassford, Rae. [http://star.txstate.edu/2016/04/14/town-soon-to-be-populated-by-7-foot-mermaids/ "Town soon to be populated by 7-foot mermaids"], ''[[The University Star]]'', San Marcos, Texas, 14 April 2016. Retrieved on 16 April 2016.</ref> Mermaids have been part of San Marcos culture since the mid-1900s, when the former Aquarena Springs began underwater performances by women dressed as mermaids. Each mermaid statue is 7&nbsp;ft tall and mounted on a limestone slab to make the final height closer 9&nbsp;ft. Each mermaid is decorated by a different regional artist, and celebrates the art, culture, and natural beauty of the city.