PRECITA EYES MURALISTS
  • Home
  • About
    • Mission Statement
    • Interviews
    • Staff
    • Consultants
    • Contact >
      • Mural License Agreements
    • Membership
    • Sponsors
    • FAQs
    • Volunteer
    • Video
  • Education
    • Urban Youth Arts
    • Mural Arts
    • Toddler Kids
    • Instant Murals
    • Birthday Party
    • Calendar
  • Tours
    • History Mural Tour
    • Classic Mural Tour
    • Special Tour Events
    • School Field Trips
    • Private Tours
  • Events
    • 45th Anniversary Gala
    • 2022 Urban YouthArts Festival
    • Community Spirit and Legacy of Precita Eyes
    • The Gift of Xochitquetzal Mural Dedication
    • 40th Anniversary Gala Event
    • 2021 Urban Youth Arts Festival
    • 2020 Urban Youth Arts Festival
    • 2019 Urban Youth Arts Festival
    • 2018 Urban Youth Arts Festival
  • Mural Arts
    • Request a Mural
    • Murals 2021-2022 >
      • Community Spirit and Legacy of Precita Eyes
    • Murals >
      • Laguna Honda Hospital Mural
      • Murals 2019-2020
      • MURALS: 2017-18
      • Murals: 2013-2016
      • Murals: 2012-2006
      • Murals 1976-2005
    • Mosaics
    • Youth Murals
    • Children's Murals
    • Special Projects
    • Instant Murals
    • Restorations >
      • The Primal Sea-Garfield
  • Newsletter
    • Hope for the World Cure Newsletter
    • Hope for the World Cure Deface
    • Laguna Honda Hospital Mural-7-20
    • NEW MURAL AT USF
    • SF General NURSES
    • SF General NURSES-Spanish
    • Susan2021UYAF
    • Conversation
    • Susan and Luz Cervantes Video
    • Community Spirit & Legacy of Precita Eyes-Video
    • News
    • Precita Eyes in the News
    • Laguna Honda Hospital Mural
  • Store
    • Store
    • Online Store
  • Home
  • About
    • Mission Statement
    • Interviews
    • Staff
    • Consultants
    • Contact >
      • Mural License Agreements
    • Membership
    • Sponsors
    • FAQs
    • Volunteer
    • Video
  • Education
    • Urban Youth Arts
    • Mural Arts
    • Toddler Kids
    • Instant Murals
    • Birthday Party
    • Calendar
  • Tours
    • History Mural Tour
    • Classic Mural Tour
    • Special Tour Events
    • School Field Trips
    • Private Tours
  • Events
    • 45th Anniversary Gala
    • 2022 Urban YouthArts Festival
    • Community Spirit and Legacy of Precita Eyes
    • The Gift of Xochitquetzal Mural Dedication
    • 40th Anniversary Gala Event
    • 2021 Urban Youth Arts Festival
    • 2020 Urban Youth Arts Festival
    • 2019 Urban Youth Arts Festival
    • 2018 Urban Youth Arts Festival
  • Mural Arts
    • Request a Mural
    • Murals 2021-2022 >
      • Community Spirit and Legacy of Precita Eyes
    • Murals >
      • Laguna Honda Hospital Mural
      • Murals 2019-2020
      • MURALS: 2017-18
      • Murals: 2013-2016
      • Murals: 2012-2006
      • Murals 1976-2005
    • Mosaics
    • Youth Murals
    • Children's Murals
    • Special Projects
    • Instant Murals
    • Restorations >
      • The Primal Sea-Garfield
  • Newsletter
    • Hope for the World Cure Newsletter
    • Hope for the World Cure Deface
    • Laguna Honda Hospital Mural-7-20
    • NEW MURAL AT USF
    • SF General NURSES
    • SF General NURSES-Spanish
    • Susan2021UYAF
    • Conversation
    • Susan and Luz Cervantes Video
    • Community Spirit & Legacy of Precita Eyes-Video
    • News
    • Precita Eyes in the News
    • Laguna Honda Hospital Mural
  • Store
    • Store
    • Online Store
Picture
News
​Flags of the Americas Return to 24th
Picture
Picture
Take a walk down 24th between Mission and Potrero and look up. The Flags of the Americas are back, each one a colorful homage to the national identity and symbols of the continent.
Attached to street poles along the 12-block stretch of the Calle 24 Latino Cultural Corridor, the mini-murals have been preserved and restored, thanks to work undertaken by Precita Eyes and funded by a Special Project Grant from the Mayor's Office. 

The original metal banners were painted in the 1980s and stood sentry over the street for 30 years. But sun, wind, and rain took their toll, deteriorating the artwork and fading the lettering. So much so, that many people had never noticed they were there. 
Picture
Top row shows the deterioration of 30 years in the elements. Bottom row shows national symbols in their newly restored glory. 

That was the case with Precita Eyes conservation technician Yano Rivera. 

“It's hard to do when you aren't familiar with the original,” he explains, because the goal is to mimic as much as possible. Instead, he relied on respect and intuition. 

“Uncertainty slows you down,” Rivera notes. Piecing together details from both sides, studying unfaded areas, and examining the silhouettes of disintegrated brushstrokes are the most labor-intensive part of the project. 

Then there's the process itself: washing away grime; scraping away the old vinyl lettering; creating a layer of varnish over the remaining original paint; mixing new paint to match the original colors; and repainting the original artwork. An acryloid coating with UV protection ensures vibrant colors and graffiti protection for years to come. 

The restoration project began in May 2016. All 27 flags have been restored and almost all are back on the street.

The flag restoration project is a “cultural, visual representation” that celebrates the Mission district's Latino identity, according to Joaquin Torres of the SF Office of Economic and Workforce Development office, as reported in Mission Local.


Other Precita Eyes restoration projects: 
Picture
SAVING FACE: Detail from the restoration of  "500 Years of Resistance," St. Peter’s Parish at 24th St. and Florida. The mural was created in the mid-1990s by Salvadoran muralist Isaias Mata, and restored by the artist in 2012.

* Mission Health Center (2016): Created in the 1970s by Michael Rios and Graciela Carrillo, the murals are located at 240 Shotwell St.

* "Sí Se Puede" (2014):  Created in 1995 at the Cesar Chavez Elementary School (825 Shotwell St.). 

More information here. 

Precita Eyes Mural Arts & Visitors Center
2981 24th St., San Francisco CA, 94110  •  415.285.2287  •  General Info: info@precitaeyes.org
Proudly powered by Weebly