Rainey Street has never been short on color. The neighborhood’s pulse shifts subtly, then all at once, when Mosaic Fest, one of the city’s most unique mosaic and street-art festivals, arrives and transforms an overlooked back alley into a creative loop buzzing with artists, neighbors and visitors.
What once was a utilitarian pass-through is now an evolving corridor of mosaics, murals and movement. A place to stroll with a coffee, pause mid-run or catch an artist mid-install. A place where Austin’s global art energy meets the local spirit of Rainey.
Festival Finds a New Home on Rainey
Mosaic Fest isn’t new to Austin. It began last year as a small, citywide effort led by J Muzacz, a renowned Austin-based mosaic artist, with installations scattered across town. This year marked a turning point. As J stepped into his role as Artist in Residence at Paseo on Rainey Street, his work began to shape a more cohesive vision—one that connected the festival to a specific place and a larger creative ambition.
As plans took shape, it became clear the moment was bigger than before. With internationally recognized artists like Ememem and Jim Bachor joining the lineup, and growing momentum behind the festival, the opportunity aligned naturally with Paseo’s broader goal of reimagining Rainey Street.
For the first time, Mosaic Fest shifted from scattered installations to a single, shared destination. The newly refreshed alley across from Paseo, long unactivated, became a collective canvas, grounding the festival in one place and giving it a true home.
Just like that, Mosaic Fest found its anchor on Rainey: a partnership rooted in timing, collaboration and the belief that art belongs out in the open.
The Alley: From Back-of-House to Front-Row Art Walk
That alley, tucked behind the bungalows, bars and small businesses of Rainey, had long been overlooked. But with the area undergoing thoughtful updates and improvements, it was beginning to emerge as something more than a service corridor.
“We wanted it to be another access point instead of a back alley where people are just parking or getting rid of things,” says Adrianne Moloney, who works closely with Paseo’s Artist-in-Residence program and in partnership with the Rainey Business Coalition to align artists, residents and businesses. “I wanted to bring it all together.”
When the Mosaic Fest timeline accelerated, everything aligned. Artists staying at Roost Rainey, the hotel located inside Paseo, could simply cross the street each morning and begin painting. Residents and visitors wandered through, watching the work unfold in real time. Business owners stepped outside and saw their walls come alive.
Soon, the alley stopped being a behind-the-scenes space. It became Rainey’s newest creative artery — a place to wander, linger and look.
Creative Freedom, Not Creative Direction
What made the alley transformation powerful was the freedom behind it. Artists weren’t given a theme. They weren’t asked for sketches or approvals.
“The artists had complete creative freedom,” Adrianne explained. “When you start tweaking artists’ work, it becomes commercial and loses its life.”
That freedom created momentum. Artists who initially planned a single piece asked to stay longer. Some, like Felipe Gomez, attempted their first-ever mosaic and created something so intricate and expressive you’d never know it was his debut. Others, like fine-line tattoo artist Valentin, stepped outside their usual medium and ended up producing crowd favorites.
By the end, the alley didn’t feel curated. It felt alive, spontaneous and full of momentum.
A Cultural Shift in Austin With Rainey at the Center
Austin’s relationship with public art has always moved in waves, but Adrianne sees this moment as a turning point.
“There’s another energy happening with art,” she says. “People recognize these artists’ work all over the world. This art is going to change Austin and have a big impact on what’s to come.”
That truth played out in real time during the festival. One afternoon, a couple walking in the alley stopped suddenly in front of a fresh mosaic by Ememem, the internationally known, yet anonymous artist. They had spent years traveling through Europe seeking out their work and recognized his signature style immediately. Their surprise and excitement underscored something powerful: this wasn’t just another Austin mural moment. Rainey was now home to art with a global following.
Moments like that multiplied. Visitors recognized pieces before recognizing the artists. Neighbors who’d never cut through the alley before began adding it to their daily route. Global art felt suddenly hyperlocal, woven into the rhythm of Rainey Street.
The alley, once overlooked, became a community gallery, open 24 hours, no business hours required.
Paseo’s Artist-in-Residence Program Takes the Stage
Mosaic Fest also brought new visibility to Paseo’s Artist-in-Residence (AiR) program. Adrianne asked J if AiR artists could join the festival and soon, Felipe Gomez was out in the alley, working shoulder-to-shoulder with the visiting muralists. Other AiR artists supported in different ways: Sisi Berry performed at the artist farewell party, Steef Crombach came out to cheer on the group and Xavier Alvarado documented the experience through photos and videos.
“It blew up,” Adrianne said. “They don’t often get that much space to create.”
Meanwhile, inside Paseo’s gallery, Austin Studio Tour unfolded at the same time, showcasing work from a mix of artists including Noah Dorr, Felipe Gomez, Steef Crombach, Xavier Alvarado and J Muzacz. Visitors could see pieces framed indoors, then step directly into the alley to watch Felipe and J’s mural work take shape in real time.
The neighborhood became an immersive, open-air studio. Gallery to street. Street to gallery. No barriers and no boundaries.
And, what unfolded in the alley wasn’t just art, it was a collective effort. A community of artists, each bringing their own style and momentum, made the space what it is today.
Meet the Artists of Mosaic Fest
Mosaic Fest brought together a remarkable group of muralists, mosaicists and street artists, each adding their own rhythm, texture and story to the Rainey Street alley. Together, they transformed a once-overlooked corridor into an open-air gallery that now reflects the spirit of Austin and the energy of Rainey.
Spotlight Artists:
Ememem (@ememem.flacking)
Known internationally for turning pavement cracks into poetic “scar repair” mosaics, Ememem calls his work “a poem that everybody can read” and “a memory notebook of the city.” His mosaics appear in Lyon, Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, Turin, Genova, Norway, Melbourne, the UK and Ireland, often locations visitors actively seek out. Even his name echoes the sound of the moped he rides while creating his work.
Jim Bachor (@jimbachor)
A pioneer of modern mosaic street art, Jim Bachor is known for embedding museum-quality mosaics into potholes and urban pavements. His work has been featured on The Kelly Clarkson Show, TEDx, NBC Nightly News, CBS Sunday Morning, Associated Press, Washington Post, People Magazine, Oprah Magazine and more.
Motick (@motick)
A leading force in contemporary graffiti and mosaic art, Motick is known for pushing letterforms beyond paint and into permanent, tactile installations. He has collaborated with Nike more than a dozen times and has built a global following of nearly 200,000 people drawn to his bold, graphic style. During Mosaic Fest, Motick worked alongside Paseo Artist in Residence J Muzacz on a landmark project: the first-ever graffiti letter mosaic on East MLK. Created with the help of a community of volunteers and composed of more than 50,000 tiles, the piece stands as a rare fusion of graffiti culture, craft and collective effort.
Other Participating Artists Included:
- Valentin Reyes: @valentinreyes.art
- Sleep: @sleepisfamous
- Goodluckbuddha: @goodluckbuddha
- Hope Hummingbird: @hope_hummingbird
- DFKTE: @dfkte
- Chous: @chous_chouz
- Artist-in-Residence J Muzacz: @jmuzacz
- Artist-in-Residence Felipe Gomez: @felipegomezart
- Carmen Rangel: @vivalapainter
Their work spans reflective mosaics, intricate tilework, large-scale lettering, soft gradients and bold murals, each piece layering new energy into the alley and shaping how Rainey looks and feels.
Looking Ahead: Rainey’s Creative Future
What comes next for Rainey builds on the momentum Mosaic Fest sparked. Whether the festival returns in its current form or evolves into something new, the potential for ongoing public art activations remains strong. And one thing is clear: Rainey will continue to see new art each year – a consistent creative moment the community can look forward to.
Plans already in motion include completing the alley’s full art loop, hosting classes and community events, expanding art onto poles, boxes and pavement and continuing to merge the trail, alley and Rainey Street into one creative continuum.
To capture just how much unfolded in a matter of days, here’s a behind-the-scenes recap from J Muzacz, the artist who helped bring Mosaic Fest to life on Rainey:
Today, the alley feels different: energized, textured, in motion. Each week brings a new detail, a new color shift, a new fragment of tile that deepens the story unfolding on Rainey Street. What began with Mosaic Fest has become a living corridor of creativity, shaped by the artists who pass through and the community that walks it daily.
It’s Rainey, reimagined — one mosaic tile at a time.
Nirosha Perera
Nirosha is the general manager at Paseo, with eight years of experience in property management. She spent 24 years living in Dubai before moving to the U.S. When she’s not at work, you’ll find her kicking off the day at the gym, exploring new restaurants, or playing fetch with her cat, Shadow.
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