Rotating Graffiti Art

Second comings: Revamped Mary's mural reaches climax, but it will only be up fora month

The Joanna crew poses before the new Mary's mural.
Photo by Cameron Blaylock
The painting process was just as much a party as it was an act of creation.
Photo by Cameron Blaylock
The Mary's mural in progress.
Photo by Cameron Blaylock

When art collective The Joanna began repainting the iconic tableau of gay life on the side of the bar formerly known as Mary's, longtime Houstonians, art insiders and young gay scenesters alike rejoiced.

But as the project celebrates completion, it's become apparent that the mural's triumphant return will be erased within a month to make way for a rotating series of graffiti art under the watchful gaze of the property owners, Anvil's Kevin Floyd and Bobby Heugel.

"I think we'll redo it, absolutely," said The Joanna's Cody Ledvina. "If it comes down, we have plans of doing it at another bar."

At present, Ledvina's unable to disclose the name of the watering hole that would host the Mary's mural in a third incarnation, but promises, "It's a bar that a lot of folks go to."

"If it comes down, we have plans of doing it at another bar."

Meanwhile, a lot of folks have checked in at The Joanna's week-long painting process along Westheimer Road.

"We've had people from the community come by and tell us the stories of hanging out with some of the original people in the mural, a lot of which have passed away," Ledvina said. "We've encountered the typical Montrose weirdo experience, people demanding beers and fearing for our lives every once in awhile. But otherwise, we had a good 20 people helping out at a time and helping paint."

Passersby also express their support by honking.

The mural was completed Thursday night, in time for Saturday's Houston Pride Parade. The site of Montrose gay bar (which carried the full name Mary's, Naturally) was acquired by Anvil's Bobby Heugel to be used as a parking lot for the upcoming Hay Merchant and Chris Shepherd's Underbelly, but Heugal has guaranteed that the historic building will remain standing.

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”