FORT WORTH — Growing up, Juan Velázquez dreamt of becoming an artist, even as people told him it could never work out.
For years, Velázquez found other ways to support himself, including a job in the telecommunications industry and a stint in the U.S. Army. Four years ago, laid off during the pandemic, he decided to focus on his art.
Velázquez, 35, unveiled his newest creation Wednesday in Fort Worth, surrounded by Latino community leaders and dozens of school-age children. The mural — an homage to Latino and Latina ballplayers commissioned by the Texas Rangers and Major League Baseball — is meant to motivate and inspire children and adults alike.
“This is for everyone who believes in themselves, who has a dream,” Velázquez said. “Go out there and get it. Life is short.”
The unveiling is among numerous community events planned ahead of the All-Star Game next week at Globe Life Field in Arlington.
The mural stretches across a wall outside the Artes de la Rosa Cultural Center, minutes from the Fort Worth Stockyards. The once-white expanse is now a wash of sky blue and grass green, visible from nearby North Main Street.
A spray-painted illustration depicts ballplayers’ development from children playing T-ball to professionals in the major league. A young girl swings a bat. Nearby, a boy wearing a Texas Rangers cap and baseball glove stares ahead, lost in a daydream.
Star Latino baseball players, including Yovani Gallardo, are shown near an illustration of the Fort Worth skyline and a stadium background.
Gallardo, who is from Fort Worth, called his inclusion an “honor and privilege.” Like Velázquez, he said he grew up sometimes hearing he would never make it as a professional ballplayer.
“Anything can happen if you put your mind and the work into it,” Gallardo told the crowd.
Latinos have long played an integral role in Major League Baseball, which is among the most diverse professional sports. Some 2,000 players of Hispanic descent have been featured on major league rosters, according to the MLB. Latinos now make up roughly 30% of the league’s talent, and that number grows each season.
The Texas Rangers are a partner of Artes de la Rosa Cultural Center, which was founded in 2000 to preserve, protect and promote the works of Latino artists in North Texas. It is the only Latino cultural center in Fort Worth or Tarrant County.
Catalina Villegas, director of diversity, equity and inclusion for Major League Baseball, said the mural aims to inspire inclusion and representation. William Girón, executive director of the center, said the piece is a “great example of diversity, equity and inclusion in this great city.”
Velázquez has created more than 150 murals throughout the region. Many of the murals have centered on local and Central Texas community figures, including Texas native Willie Nelson in a Hillsboro display.
One of Velázquez’s most popular murals features former Texas Rangers infielder Rougned Odor punching now-retired Blue Jays All-Star José Bautista in the face. The Arlington mural was based on an image of a brawl between the two players at the Rangers’ old home at Globe Life Park in 2016.
Ray Casas, director of community impact for the Texas Rangers and a Fort Worth native, said Velázquez’s latest work is more than a piece of art.
“It’s a mirror for kids in this neighborhood to look at and see representation, because representation is important,” Casas said. “Access is important, and opportunity is important.”
