"Presente: A Tribute to the Mission Community Mural"
© 2015 Precita Eyes Muralists

15’ x 32’, acrylic on stucco
Mural Director:  Fred Alvarado and Max Marttila with the Urban Youth Arts Program
Funding: Funded by California Arts Council 
Location: Folsom and 24th (Philz Coffee)

Description

This mural, part of our Walls of Respect project is about our respect and admiration for some of our local mission heroes that our local youth participants identified. These heroes include local teachers, organization founders and long standing businesses that we feel represent the pride and history of the 24th St. corridor and  Mission District. The framework of this mural is composed of newspaper articles, more specifically those of the local paper El Tecolote. Featured up top are the founders of the 45 year old publication as well as a portrait of Alfonso Textudor, a local poet and Tecolote journalist who recently passed. Scattered throughout the mural are drums that represent Loco Bloco the arts-music, dance, drumming, stilt-walking and theater organization that has been educating youth for the past couple decades. Martha Estrella is shown underneath the word “teachers”, a popular educator from Everett Middle School who has also taught art, dance classes and more. Susan Cervantes, founder of Precita Eyes Muralists is also highlighted as an artist, teacher and role model for many local and international muralists and activists. Another artist depicted in a paper column is Michael V. Rios, original Mission muralist and designer, popular for his Santana banners, CD covers and murals.   Businesses depicted below include Mission Skate Shop and La Palma Mexica-tessen. The background of our mural ends with a crowd of people walking up Bernal Heights, in mourning of those who were taken away from us too soon, Alex Nieto and Amilcar Lopez, whose faces are shown in the grass of the hill. 
We chose to use text reminiscent of comic books to help contextualize our main concepts. These words are Presente (keep us in mind, we are here), Respect, Family, Teachers and the “cosmic race”. Other text included in the mural will be small factoids about our highlighted heroes.

 ​