CowParade San Antonio 2025 Grazes Through 78209
Healing is a Work of Art
CowParade San Antonio 2025 Grazes Through 78209
By Shelbi Young | Photography by Jorge Tamez
Nestled in the heart of Alamo Heights, local artist Taylor Lane’s bovine beauty, La Disco Vaquera, brings both vibrant creativity and meaningful purpose to the neighborhood. This life-size cow sculpture, proudly grazing in the 78209 zip code, is part of CowParade San Antonio, presented by IBC Foundation, a citywide public art exhibition benefiting CHRISTUS Children’s Foundation. Proceeds from the initiative support pediatric care, the expansion of critical care services and therapy programs that help children and families heal in body and spirit.
CowParade has returned to the Alamo City for the first time since 2003, this time in partnership with CHRISTUS Children’s Foundation. More than 70 hand-painted cows are on display across San Antonio, positioned at iconic locations such as the JW Marriott Hill Country Resort & Spa, the River Walk, SeaWorld and many others in between. Each cow, transformed by a local artist, tells a story of hope, healing and the cultural heartbeat of our city.
For Lane, a single mother and longtime creative, the act of painting this cow was deeply personal. She describes her artistic process as a form of healing. By placing that healing on display, she extends it to the community. Like many CowParade artists, Lane poured countless hours over many days into her piece, thoughtfully crafting each element.
La Disco Vaquera is no exception. A celebration of San Antonio’s vaquero heritage, the piece captures the spirit of South Texas with painted landscapes featuring blooming prickly pear cacti in vibrant oranges and yellows and sprouting sotol plants lit by a glowing sunset. Traditional vaquero boot stitching embellishes the cow’s head and neck, while mirrored tiles adorn the saddle and horns, a sparkling nod to the city’s beloved Fiesta tradition. At the belly of the cow, the black silhouette of a cowgirl is starkly juxtaposed against a dreamy, moody desert mountain backdrop. A deep yellow sun grounds the image, forming a halo over the cowgirl and casting a sunset of warm pinks, reds and orange hues that spill over the mountain range. The entirety of the cow is a masterpiece of balance, unity and contrast. Bright warm-toned cacti pop out from a cool, mint-toned background on the rear of the cow.
Traditionally masculine elements – rope, horseback riding and vaquero stitching – weave through confident fields of femininity, finding harmony amongst light eyelashes painted on the cow, sweet stars painted across its face and side and sparkling disco ball tiles along the horns and saddle. Though the name of the cow is feminine, we cannot fully tell from the silhouette of our lone rider if they are male or female. The piece both appeals to the nostalgia of a classic Texan time we cherish deeply in our culture and celebrates the modernity of a pop-art palette, disco dancing and starting anew. The artwork reminds us to embrace our history – its wonders and its troubles, our strengths and our weaknesses – as we move forward into our future, brave and beautiful. It’s a work best appreciated in person, located at Bank of Texas on Broadway, where the details truly come to life.
These whimsical bovines are more than public art, they are visual stories of resilience, beauty and hope. In partnership with CHRISTUS Children’s Foundation, they serve as colorful beacons for the children and families receiving care at CHRISTUS Children’s.
Now through mid-August, CHRISTUS Children’s is hosting a citywide scavenger hunt, encouraging families to explore and experience the cows across San Antonio. And for those who wish to take a piece of this extraordinary event home, a live auction will be held on September 25, with proceeds benefiting the hospital and its mission to care for children across the South Texas region.
To view the full herd, meet the artists or learn more about the auction, visit christuschildrensfoundation.org/cowparade.
