{"id":54803,"date":"2023-02-08T21:13:19","date_gmt":"2023-02-09T05:13:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eltecolote.org\/content\/?p=54803"},"modified":"2023-02-08T22:42:00","modified_gmt":"2023-02-09T06:42:00","slug":"mission-murals-and-the-women-who-continue-to-inspire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eltecolote.org\/content\/en\/mission-murals-and-the-women-who-continue-to-inspire\/","title":{"rendered":"Mission murals and the women who continue to inspire"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cAs children, we used to just play around the plants, and learn how to make bouquets and flower arrangements and things like that \u2026 really appreciating the beauty of nature,\u201d Susan Kelk Cervantes, founder and director of Precita Eyes Muralists, says.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cervantes was influenced to become an artist from a young age and was later inspired to contribute to other art pieces all over San Francisco by one of the original Mujeres Muralistas.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was just amazed to see women artists getting up on scaffoldings and painting,\u201d Cervantes said. \u201cI would go and watch them and take pictures of them, and give them food \u2026 I was in awe and very excited about their work.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n

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Las Mujeres Muralistas: (from left) Graciela Carrillo, Consuelo Mendez, Irene Perez and Patricia Rodriguez. Courtesy: El Tecolote archives<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

In the 70s, a group of young, female artists broke out of gender stereotypes and single-handedly pioneered the art mural movement in San Francisco \u2014 they were known as Las Mujeres Muralistas <\/em>(The Women Muralists). They motivated and encouraged womxn to create art pieces that demonstrated their ability to be successful artists. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cervantes worked alongside \u00a0Graciela Carrillo \u2014 a core member of Las Mujeres Muralistas \u2014 <\/em>to create a mural known as Para El Mercado (Paco\u2019s Tacos)<\/em><\/a> that was located on 24th and South Van Ness in the 70s but has since been blocked by a building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cervantes mentioned that her involvement in art began in high school. She took various art class electives and was awarded a scholarship to attend any art school in the country \u2014 she chose to attend San Francisco Art Institute. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cervantes met her husband, Luis, in college, and they both studied art and lived together in various areas of the city, one of them being Precita Park. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Susan Cervantes, co-founder and executive director of Precita Eyes Muralists, poses for a portrait in front of the Precita Eyes Center. Courtesy: El Tecolote archives<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Cervantes taught at the Precita Valley Community Center and helped to develop and direct the first multicultural mural that was the face of the center in 1974.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe original Precita Eyes came from the painting class I was teaching \u2026 turned into a mural painting class,\u201d Cervantes told El Tecolote. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe had about 70 people who came and participated \u2026 Some of them artists, some not artists,\u201d Cervantes said. About eight of the artists contributed to the group\u2019s first mural. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c \u2026 We did our first mural together called Masks of God\/Soul of Man \u2026 <\/em>each person, they derived a mask from a different culture, from their own culture,\u201d Cervantes said. \u201cIt was our first mural together \u2026 So we said, no one person designed it, we all did it together. So how should we sign the mural?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cervantes told El Tecolote <\/em>they decided to sign it \u201cPrecita Eyes Muralists.\u201d \u2018Precita\u2019<\/em> represented where the mural originated, \u2018eyes\u2019<\/em> how they visualized the piece, and \u2018muralists\u2019<\/em> the name of what they did. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since then, Cervantes has created over 400 murals in San Francisco, one of them being the Maestrapeace Mural <\/em>located on the Women\u2019s Building on 3543 18th St.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Susan Cervantes, artist and founder of Precita Eyes Muralists Association. Photo: Ella Ramrayka Rogers\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Pioneras inspire future generations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Mission District is filled with these vibrant murals painted by many Latine\/Latina\/Latino individuals who have captured the history of their heritage and the heritage of those indigenous to this land. SF muralists have worked to preserve the culture and paint a message with their art pieces.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following in the footsteps of his mother, Mexican-American artist Alex Sodari<\/a> seeks to be seen through his art and bring attention to the Chicano community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaking art has always been about telling stories for me and even more like fine art applications,\u201d Sodari said. \u201cI\u2019m always trying to think of what\u2019s the story?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2022, he painted a mural outside of The Sycamore on Mission St., showing two Olmec heads on each side and an Aztec jaguar vessel and candles \u2014 to continue beautifying the area and eliminate previous graffiti. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Alex Sodari\u2019s 2022 mural outside of The Sycamore on Mission Street. Photo: Royvi Hernandez<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cI felt really privileged to have the space be made available for me. I wanted to honor the Chicano community [and] pick something that people would respect,\u201d Sodari said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sodari\u2019s art career began with comics and illustrations and has expanded to murals, not just in the Mission District, but throughout the Bay Area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt kind of took me a while to get to the level where I could paint murals,\u201d he said. \u201cMurals are a pretty inaccessible form of art for most people in terms of materials and the techniques, in addition to finding the walls or surface.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sodari said the Mission District is the most active neighborhood for art and music and is a nexus for culture in the city. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cArtists will get pushed out of the city but they still come back to the Mission to share their work and build community,\u201d he said. \u201c[the Mission] is where it\u2019s happening and it has a lot of history to back it up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Artist Lucia Ippolito standing in front of the \u201cWomen of the Resistance\u201d Mural in Balmy Alley during the Paseo Artistico on Oct.13, 2018. Photo: Brianna Kalajian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Lucia Ippolito is another monumental muralist who has contributed more than just her time to art. She has committed herself to creating masterpieces that have enhanced the Mission neighborhood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI really wanted to do something about gentrification and the impacts of it on my neighborhood,\u201d Lucia Ippolito told El Tecolote. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ippolito created a mural in Balmy Alley known as the Mission Makeover. It was a collaborative piece meant to incite reflection on the removal of communities of color and the impacts of neo-colonialism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c \u2026 It\u2019s not just political and speaks to people in the community, but it\u2019s funny and there\u2019s satire in it and so people connect with it on different levels,\u201d said Ippolito.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ippolito told El Tecolote<\/em> that it is her duty to create artwork that speaks to the community and pushes for more introspection. As we resist, artwork like Ippolito\u2019s will remind us to protect the culture that built the neighborhood and work to keep it alive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ippolito is currently collaborating with other artists to bring a Valentine\u2019s Day-themed block party event to Balmy Alley \u2014 Lover\u2019s Lane. <\/em>The event is on Saturday, Feb. 11 from 12-6 p.m. and will feature artists, vendors and games with food and music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inspired by his mother, Esther Garcia, and her passion for art, Salvadoran artist Josu\u00e9 Rojas<\/a>, uses art to remind people of both the good and the bad that occurs all around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A post shared by Josue Rojas (@josue.rojas.art)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>