Articles
Aidan Bass and Symba sketch out the “spray” mural in Lilac Alley on Feb. 15, 2025. (Bianca Sieraski)
Precita Eyes
By Bianca Sieraski
Aidan Bass and Symba sketch out the “spray” mural in Lilac Alley on Feb. 15, 2025. (Bianca Sieraski)
The sound of rattling cans and the smell of spray paint filled the air on Lilac Street. The alley is the location of a new “spray" mural produced by an urban art class organized by Precita Eyes Muralists.
Precita Eyes is one of the few mural arts organizations in the United States. They are a community-based non-profit that has painted the Mission since 1977.
Susan Cervantes, the founding director of Precita, was inspired by Las Mujeres Muralista's philosophy of collaborative and accessible community art when starting Precita. She is also influenced by the compassion for nature and life itself depicted by the Indigenous art of the Americas.
Along with this urban art class, many mural workshops, and mural tours, Precita Eyes organizes the Urban Youth Arts Festival. 2025 will mark the 29th year of the festival. Every summer, wood panels are propped up alongside crates of spray paint in Precita Park to bridge connections between artists of all ages in and around the Mission District. The festival encourages individuals to experiment with different mediums, such as mural work and spray painting, in a legal, supportive, and accessible environment. A date has yet to be selected for this year.
The first Urban Youth Arts Festival was hosted indoors in 1996, back when the fine art community did not tolerate graffiti. Cervantes recalls kids being criminalized for simply carrying markers.
Although vandalism is a crime, Cervantes says the art form is becoming more accepted as it hits the mainstream. “I think the Mission, because there was already a mural culture here and our community mural art was already here, it was tolerated.”
Cervantes remembers when street art was rarely visible in San Francisco, thinking back to the ‘70s when “no one even knew what a mural was.”
She described a “cultural genocide” among the youth around this time, correlating a lack of art being taught in the classroom to the suppression of a kid's emotional and creative outlets.
“That to me represented a void, a very terrible void in our education system and our culture,” Cervantes said. “That we would not include art in our lives and particularly in our children's lives.”
Aidan Bass, who leads art classes at Precita, wanted to give kids the opportunity to paint because he never had art classes or anyone to teach him when he was growing up. When asked about why he decided to get involved, Bass said he wanted to do “something that I would want done for me as a kid, for the community.”
By Bianca Sieraski
Aidan Bass and Symba sketch out the “spray” mural in Lilac Alley on Feb. 15, 2025. (Bianca Sieraski)
The sound of rattling cans and the smell of spray paint filled the air on Lilac Street. The alley is the location of a new “spray" mural produced by an urban art class organized by Precita Eyes Muralists.
Precita Eyes is one of the few mural arts organizations in the United States. They are a community-based non-profit that has painted the Mission since 1977.
Susan Cervantes, the founding director of Precita, was inspired by Las Mujeres Muralista's philosophy of collaborative and accessible community art when starting Precita. She is also influenced by the compassion for nature and life itself depicted by the Indigenous art of the Americas.
Along with this urban art class, many mural workshops, and mural tours, Precita Eyes organizes the Urban Youth Arts Festival. 2025 will mark the 29th year of the festival. Every summer, wood panels are propped up alongside crates of spray paint in Precita Park to bridge connections between artists of all ages in and around the Mission District. The festival encourages individuals to experiment with different mediums, such as mural work and spray painting, in a legal, supportive, and accessible environment. A date has yet to be selected for this year.
The first Urban Youth Arts Festival was hosted indoors in 1996, back when the fine art community did not tolerate graffiti. Cervantes recalls kids being criminalized for simply carrying markers.
Although vandalism is a crime, Cervantes says the art form is becoming more accepted as it hits the mainstream. “I think the Mission, because there was already a mural culture here and our community mural art was already here, it was tolerated.”
Cervantes remembers when street art was rarely visible in San Francisco, thinking back to the ‘70s when “no one even knew what a mural was.”
She described a “cultural genocide” among the youth around this time, correlating a lack of art being taught in the classroom to the suppression of a kid's emotional and creative outlets.
“That to me represented a void, a very terrible void in our education system and our culture,” Cervantes said. “That we would not include art in our lives and particularly in our children's lives.”
Aidan Bass, who leads art classes at Precita, wanted to give kids the opportunity to paint because he never had art classes or anyone to teach him when he was growing up. When asked about why he decided to get involved, Bass said he wanted to do “something that I would want done for me as a kid, for the community.”
Symba, who asked to be referenced only by his nickname for privacy, was the only student present for the mural’s production. He heard about the class through his probation officer.
Symba recounts learning the consequences of vandalism the “hard way.” He was required to do community service by painting over graffiti for a year and a half. He liked it despite the circumstances, describing the experience as therapeutic, inspiring, and formative.
“It just made me want to do better for myself because going back in this shit is not cool,” Symba said. “I got to find an outlet to really express myself the way I want to.”
Symba felt inspired by viewing other people’s creations even if he was technically erasing them from existence. “It's like seeing other people's art and shit is like motivational, because I know I could get to that point, no matter how long it takes,” he said.
Behind the McDonalds on 24th Street, there was no shortage of support for the art from onlookers. Seeing young artists spray paint in broad daylight intrigued pedestrians and old-school graffiti writers who wanted to get in on the fun.
Cervantes believes that the sheer amount of urban art found on the streets of Mexico and Latin America is why murals and graffiti are so widely accepted in the Mission District today. The influence of the Mission’s culture and its art are seen as a positive reflection of what life should be, according to Cervantes.
“I think art should be visible, should be in your everyday life. If you’re going down the street, you should see people making things or playing music or dancing,” Cervantes said, “[Art] shouldn’t be behind walls so only those who can afford it can go and see it.”
Symba recounts learning the consequences of vandalism the “hard way.” He was required to do community service by painting over graffiti for a year and a half. He liked it despite the circumstances, describing the experience as therapeutic, inspiring, and formative.
“It just made me want to do better for myself because going back in this shit is not cool,” Symba said. “I got to find an outlet to really express myself the way I want to.”
Symba felt inspired by viewing other people’s creations even if he was technically erasing them from existence. “It's like seeing other people's art and shit is like motivational, because I know I could get to that point, no matter how long it takes,” he said.
Behind the McDonalds on 24th Street, there was no shortage of support for the art from onlookers. Seeing young artists spray paint in broad daylight intrigued pedestrians and old-school graffiti writers who wanted to get in on the fun.
Cervantes believes that the sheer amount of urban art found on the streets of Mexico and Latin America is why murals and graffiti are so widely accepted in the Mission District today. The influence of the Mission’s culture and its art are seen as a positive reflection of what life should be, according to Cervantes.
“I think art should be visible, should be in your everyday life. If you’re going down the street, you should see people making things or playing music or dancing,” Cervantes said, “[Art] shouldn’t be behind walls so only those who can afford it can go and see it.”
A drawing is sketched at the Precita Eyes Arts & Visitors Center on Feb. 15, 2025. The class will use the sketch as a reference for the mural. (Bianca Sieraski)