November 9, 2021
Mural of COVID Loss and Resilience Gifted to the Mission by SF General Nurses
New work at 24th and York captures local responses to the pandemic, honoring the lives lost and the courage of frontline and essential workers.
New work at 24th and York captures local responses to the pandemic, honoring the lives lost and the courage of frontline and essential workers.
The mural ALL THAT YOU TOUCH, YOU CHANGE. ALL THAT YOU CHANGE, CHANGES YOU (a quote from writer Octavia Butler) chronicles the stages of the pandemic. Nurses at San Francisco General Hospital's Richard Fine People's Clinic commissioned the work as a gift to the community they serve. Communities of color like the Mission, where the clinic is located, suffer disproportionally from COVID illness and death.
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Nurses and artists created a snapshot of the pandemic's impact on Mission residents, many of whom attend the clinic. Clockwise from top left: an abuelita sews face masks and a car parade replaces an in-person high school graduation; Dr. Triveni Defries and daughter; Precita Eyes Muralists artists Elaine Chu, Marina Perez-Wong (aka Twin Walls) and Priya Handa; an embrace forms a heart. (Photos: Suzanne Portnoy)
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In this report by KTVU, Mission District mural gifted to community highlights COVID's impact, health workers describe the devastation of COVID, social inequities, and the community actions portrayed in the mural. At right, muralist Marina Perez-Wong.
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Nurses from San Francisco General Hospital created this Gofundme page to help fund their collaboration with Precita Eyes, which found a wall for the mural and organized the design and painting sessions.
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Seed money for the project came from three nurse practitioners who volunteered to work at shelter-in-place hotels at the "scariest" start of the pandemic, said Suzanne Portnoy, one of the organizers. The money was gifted to them by appreciative co-workers, thinking they would treat themselves to a nice meal. But when $700 came in, the nurses decided to create something public and permanent to honor the lives lost and families ravaged by COVID.
The nurses contacted Precita Eyes Muralists, which found the wall along Ricci's Market, next to Juana Alicia's monumental La Llorona, a few blocks from the clinic. Collaborating artists Elaine Chu, Marina Perez-Wong (aka Twin Walls) and Priya Handa interviewed the nurses to "capture COVID in real time," Portnoy noted.
MURAL NARRATIVE
Farmworkers, grocery store clerks, delivery and other essential workers risk their lives to provide us with services. We celebrate them, as we celebrate the nurses and health care workers who help our loved ones in their care.
The nurses are standing on mycelium fungus, which symbolizes networks that connect to healing forces. The cocoons represent the transition of our ancestors; the butterflies symbolize their spirits protecting and guiding us.
At center, hands are planting seeds. During the pandemic, many of us found joy and solace in growing our own food, going back to the basics of life, and talking to the earth.
Abuelita sews masks to protect her family and community. A girl paints boarded-up storefronts with community and artists in solidarity with Black Lives Matter protests.
Class of 2020 high school students hold a car caravan to celebrate their graduation, adapting with grace and resilience to bans on public gatherings.
A hug between grandmother and granddaughter becomes a heart representing family, which is the heart of our community.
See also: LINK TO MURAL PAGE
The nurses contacted Precita Eyes Muralists, which found the wall along Ricci's Market, next to Juana Alicia's monumental La Llorona, a few blocks from the clinic. Collaborating artists Elaine Chu, Marina Perez-Wong (aka Twin Walls) and Priya Handa interviewed the nurses to "capture COVID in real time," Portnoy noted.
MURAL NARRATIVE
Farmworkers, grocery store clerks, delivery and other essential workers risk their lives to provide us with services. We celebrate them, as we celebrate the nurses and health care workers who help our loved ones in their care.
The nurses are standing on mycelium fungus, which symbolizes networks that connect to healing forces. The cocoons represent the transition of our ancestors; the butterflies symbolize their spirits protecting and guiding us.
At center, hands are planting seeds. During the pandemic, many of us found joy and solace in growing our own food, going back to the basics of life, and talking to the earth.
Abuelita sews masks to protect her family and community. A girl paints boarded-up storefronts with community and artists in solidarity with Black Lives Matter protests.
Class of 2020 high school students hold a car caravan to celebrate their graduation, adapting with grace and resilience to bans on public gatherings.
A hug between grandmother and granddaughter becomes a heart representing family, which is the heart of our community.
See also: LINK TO MURAL PAGE