The anniversary project is different.<\/p>\n
Canava\u2019s inspiration for the murals came from the city\u2019s natural spaces, he said. One of the early concepts was a mural of the Entertainment District, but that was later separated from the project.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was really drawn to River Legacy (Park),\u201d Canava said. \u201cEven my house, we just have so many trees. There\u2019s, obviously, a life outside the Entertainment District: the nature, ecosystem, animals. I was really drawn to that and learning a bit more about what existed before Arlington, what is native to the area.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_9807-1024x683.jpg\")
A car passes by a new mural near North Cooper Street on Aug. 13, 2026. (Chris Moss | Arlington Report)<\/p>\n
Each mural will represent a different piece of Arlington\u2019s natural landscape. The piece on North Cooper Street will highlight animals and ground-level plant life representative of the Texas Blackland Prairie<\/a> ecological region, which encompasses portions of east Tarrant County and Arlington.<\/p>\n \u201cEach of them will be the same style: animals, life, etc., but it\u2019ll have a different color palette and a different design,\u201d Canava said. \u201cThe only connective tissue is the concept.\u201d<\/p>\n Council member Mauricio Galante\u2019s district encompasses the location of the North Cooper Street mural.<\/p>\n He notes that the murals aren\u2019t random \u2014 each one sits at a gateway to a different part of town. The murals, along with other 150th anniversary celebrations<\/a>, are funded through the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation, the city\u2019s charitable arm.<\/p>\n Galante decided to try and commission Canava after meeting him during the Arlington Coffee Roasters ribbon-cutting ceremony. Since then, Canava has been working to bring the vision to life.<\/p>\n \u201cHe came out better than expected because he has a soft touch in everything he does. He doesn\u2019t overpower visually, and he doesn\u2019t overexpress the idea,\u201d Galante said. \u201cYou have the forest and the animals, they are beautifully displayed in a way that is not tiring for you to see, and when you drive, it\u2019s not such a distraction.\u201d<\/p>\n The murals also serve as a beautification effort. Galante and Canava said the walls where the murals will go were often tagged with graffiti.<\/p>\n \u201cWe should ask ourselves: What is the Arlington standard?\u201d Galante said. \u201cAre we going to allow those big, concrete walls to be there being graffitied all the time and cleaned up without taking the opportunity to express ourselves and pass on the idea of who we are for the future generations and visitors?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOr are we gonna do something about it? Take the opportunity and invest a little bit in public art and have something that we can be proud of ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n For Canava, that feeling of leaving something for future generations has stuck.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody wants to make their mark or be known or remembered by something,\u201d Canava said.<\/p>\n Chris Moss is a reporter for the Arlington Report. Contact him at chris.moss@arlingtonreport.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_9824-1024x683.jpg\")
A new mural on North Cooper Street in North Arlington is pictured on Aug. 14, 2026. (Chris Moss | Arlington Report)<\/p>\n