San Antonio's public art, especially its vibrant murals and street art, reflect what we're thinking and feeling as a city. They capture our dreams and aspirations, our pop-culture fixations and they offer glimpses of residents' daily lives.

The Current's Best of San Antonio, or BOSA, issue provides a similar snapshot of what San Antonians are thinking. Every year, we invite residents — not to mention expats — of our colorful, ever-evolving city to vote on the restaurants, nightlife spots, businesses, landmarks and people that best embody San Antonio. At least at this moment in time.

Because of that parallel, we included the creations of artists whose work graces San Antonio walls, underpasses and public spaces to guide you through this year's BOSA issue.

Perhaps the imagery can serve as a reminder that, as with art, the beauty of an individual BOSA win is sometimes in the eye of the beholder. We may agree with our fellow San Antonians' choices, or we may be left scratching our heads. Either way, their selections provide a sense of where the city is culturally — and sometimes where we're headed.

Our aim this year was to provide the purest glimpse of what San Antonio is thinking, so we opted to let the votes speak for themselves. As with 2021's issue, 100% of the winners were chosen by Current readers. You know what you like, after all, and we offer plenty of criticism — whether it's around the arts, food or other subjects — during the rest of the year.

So, thank you for helping tell the story of our city with your votes. Thumbing through this issue may not bring the same level of satisfaction as finishing a wall-size mural on the side of a downtown building — but at least you won't wind up with paint all over your shoes.