24 th and Capp Street Mural
Presentation of additional design elements to be included into the mural at 24th and Capp Streets. Consideration of possible motion to approve additional HOMEY design elements for a mural at 24th and Capp Streets.
Summary of action taken (if any): The Visual Arts Committee, following the presentation, discussion and public comment, continued this item for a future Visual Arts Committee meeting. No action was taken at this meeting.
Arts Commission—Introduction and Overview; History of Project and Process
Due to the large number of members of the public who wished to comment on this item, Commissioner Przyblyski explained the Visual Arts Committee process and the rules regarding public comment.
Public Art Program Director Jill Manton provided a brief overview of the history of the mural project at 24 th and Capp Streets. This mural was created by “Homies Organizing the Mission to Empower Youth” (“HOMEY”). Eric Norberg is the lead artist. It is the Arts Commission’s understanding that the City’s Department of Parking and Traffic (“DPT”) would fund the mural through the City Administrator’s Community Challenge Grant Program, formerly known as the Anti-Graffiti Neighborhood Beautification Fund. The new mural is intended to replace the former mural which was damaged during a winter storm. The legal mechanism for the funding of the mural would be a grant from the City Administrator’s Community Challenge Grant Program.*
*File note: Following this meeting, the Arts Commission staff learned from Lanita Henriquez of the Community Challenge Grant Program that the Grant would be to the “International Child Resource Institute” (ICRI) as Grantee and fiscal sponsor of HOMEY (as the subgrantee). As of this hearing onAugust 15,2007, there was no written and signed grant agreement in place between the City and ICRI or HOMEY.
Prior Review and Approval of Original Design Proposal by Visual Arts Committee
The preliminary design proposal was reviewed by the Visual Arts Committee on June 20, 2007, at which time Nancy Hernandez, the HOMEY Education and Outreach Coordinator, and some of the youth participants presented the design proposal and described the premise of the mural project, which was to be based upon the concept of solidarity and different cultures working together. Although the design proposal was in sketch format, Ms. Manton stated that Nancy Hernandez described the additional kinds of imagery the mural would contain.
Proposed Review of Additional Imagery and Content Not Included in Original Design Proposal
Staff has requested that the mural design return to the Visual Arts Committee because the mural now includes additional imagery and content that was not part of the original design proposal submitted to, and approved by, the Visual Arts Committee on June 20, 2007. Ms. Manton reported that staff became aware of the new content after being contacted by a staff member at the Anti-Defamation League who had received a call from a community member who expressed concerns and objections to the section of the mural depicting the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. Ms. Manton explained that the Committee’s options at this meeting were to:
Approve the addition to the design as presented by HOMEY and the artist Eric Norberg;
Reject the addition to the mural design;
Continue the matter to a future meeting for further consideration and to allow HOMEY and artist to develop an alternate proposal based on any concerns raised at the meeting.
Presentation by HOMEY—Mural Development Process
Nancy Hernandez began by showing a PowerPoint presentation of the process of developing the ideas for and ultimately creating the mural. Ms. Hernandez stated that the youth began by walking around the Mission neighborhood, and talking about images that they found appealing. The youth brainstormed about themes for the mural, and came up with: solidarity, blending ancient and modern, indigenous not illegal, walls and borders, fences don’t fix problems, revolutions throughout history and old ‘skool’ transformations. After coming up with imagery to represent these themes, they transferred the images onto transparencies, created a grid on the wall and used projectors to project the images onto the wall which enabled them to trace the design directly onto the wall. When this stage was completed, an inaugural barbecue was held, and members of the community were invited to join in the mural painting process. Ms. Hernandez said that she was very grateful to the Mission community for all of their work on this mural. In addition, Ms. Hernandez explained that the inclusion of the community in the creation of the mural was purposeful; the parking lot where the mural is located has long been a target of graffiti, and she believes that if the community participates in the creation of the mural, they will feel a sense of ownership, and the parking lot will lose its status as a target for graffiti.
Ms. Hernandez stated that the revised mural design would be presented by HOMEY youth, with different members each explaining a portion of the mural.
Carlos Noche introduced the first panel of the mural by explaining how the mural depicts a boy on the #14 bus, posed as if he were getting ready to write in the area framed by the bus window. Martin Sobrino explained the following panel, which depicts an image of a design workshop amongst the youth, set against a backdrop of sepia-toned Mexican revolutionaries. Jennifer Lopez spoke of the third panel. This shows the worker immigration rights protest march held on May 1, 2007, and includes a reproduction of a silk-screened sign that was carried in the protest march. Ms. Hernandez explained that the next panels include Aztec and Mayan symbols that have great meaning for indigenous people. She spoke of the history of conflict between the Aztecs in the north of Mexico, and the Mayans in the south. This has continued to incite gang conflict in the Mission District between the Norteños and the Sudeños. The mural portrays these two peoples joining together in spite of the wall that stands between them. The mural also includes an image of the Virgen de Guadalupe, as a tribute to the mural that previously existed in this same place, as well as symbols of hope, peace and indigenous roots. The mural includes large colorful candles, which are traditionally lit to honor the deceased during Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Each of the candles pictured has the name of a youth killed in the Mission by gang violence. This is directly followed by an image of the Bay Bridge, representing solidarity between Oakland and San Francisco.
Israel Gomez explained that the next image shows a man in an old-school zoot suit and car, with images of black and brown unity in the background. All of these images represent the idea of breaking down borders.
Eric Norberg explained that the next panel shows a portion of the Israeli/Palestine border wall. Palestinians are breaking through the wall, with the break in the shape of the State of Israel. This image was intended to represent the solidarity between oppressed people in the world breaking down borders.
Mike Litvak spoke about the final panel. This panel pictures seven men behind jail bars, with the words
LIBERTAD PARA LOS SIETE DE LA RAZA below it.
Los Siete de la Raza was the label given to seven young Mission District men who were approached by two policemen on May 1, 1969. The young men were moving out of their home, but the policemen were under the impression that they were burglarizing the home, and an altercation broke out. The incident left one policeman deceased, and resulted in a year-and-a-half-long trial. The seven men were acquitted, but this mass arrest and trial became the symbolic beginning of the political movement for Latinos in the Mission and the greater Bay Area, and is considered a monumental step in bringing the Mission community together. Ms. Hernandez completed the presentation by stating that many passers-by on 24 th Street enjoyed seeing the youth working so hard on the mural.
At this time, Commissioner Przyblyski asked for public comment.
Public Comment
Evan Bissell stated that he was attending the meeting as a show of solidarity with the artists. He stated that constructing a mural is a time-consuming process, and that it is often difficult to conceive of every design detail beforehand. He said that what is important is the voice of the artists, and the voice is coming through in this mural.
Marvin Goodman, from the Board of Rabbis, Northern California, speaking as an individual, stated that he enjoyed learning about the mural process from HOMEY. He stated that the mural is supposed to be a unifying feature in the community. For Mr. Goodman, the image representing Palestine and Israel is not unifying, it is difficult and uncomfortable to look at, as for him it calls to mind terrorism. He said that this may be an opportunity for education, to learn that this sort of imagery is hurtful to Jews and that this sort of imagery erects a dividing wall between Jews and the mural artists.
Casey Berman stated that he was raised in Noe Valley and the Mission, where he currently resides. Mr. Berman thanked the HOMEY representatives for explaining the different portions of the mural; he often passes by this mural and enjoys understanding it on a deeper level, and he would like to be invited to the HOMEY’s closing barbecue. Mr. Berman feels very connected to the Latino/a community, as his spouse is Mexican, and teaches third and fourth grade, Latino/a, non-English-speaking children. Mr. Berman stated his opinion that the visual cues in the portion of the mural being questioned, which depicts Palestinians crashing through the Israel-Palestine border through an opening in the shape of the state of Israel, mean self determination for everyone except the Jews and the Israelis. Mr. Berman stated that for him, as for many of the Jewish faith, Israel is the center of gravity in spite of its geographical distance from San Francisco. Mr. Berman stated that this causes a wall to exist between himself and HOMEY, and he would like to work with HOMEY to remove this barrier between them. Mr. Berman lived in Israel with a number of people, Jews and Christians and Bedouins, among others. He continued by explaining that 97% of the Israeli/Palestinian border is comprised of a chainlink fence, and that the cement wall represented in the mural only represents 3% of the wall. Prior to the erection of the wall, many lives were lost to suicide bombers, including personal family and friends. He said that no one, including Israelis, like the wall, but it is considered necessary to save lives.
Abigail Michelson Porth, with the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), stated that she was moved by the HOMEY presentation. She stated that it was educational for her, but that, like Casey Berman, she has concerns regarding the selected segment, and would like to be able to engage in a constructive dialogue about it. Ms. Porth stated that public art should be enjoyed by an entire community, it should not threaten, frighten, or hurt people. Ms. Porth stated that San Francisco and the Mission District are home to a thriving Jewish community, and that this is not represented in the mural. She said that Israel is a pluralistic democracy where all who live there, Arabs, Jews, Christians and Bedouins, have equal rights. She repeated that 97% percent of the wall is chain link, and that the concrete in the mural represents only 3% of the wall. She stated that the situation is too complex to be captured in a single image which shows only the Palestinians. She said that for Jews living in Israel this wall is a terrible reality that was erected in order to save lives, making the images of people breaking through this same wall a frightening image to Jews living in the Mission.
Jessica Trubowitch, with the JCRC,stated that the mural, while very well done, seemed to include every community in the Mission except for the Jews. Therefore, the entire community was not represented. Ms. Trubowitch stated that a mural as powerful as this one has the power to unite the community, but that it can also create barriers. In this case, she said, it isolates members of the Jewish community. While the break in the wall is in the shape of the state of Israel, she said that the inclusion of the Palestinian people along with the lack of Israeli people seems to negate the peaceful, two-state system. She continued that because the majority of the world’s Jews live in Israel, when Israel appears threatened, the Jewish community feels threatened. Ms. Trubowitch stated that this image is particularly threatening because the wall that is shown being shattered has saved many lives. She said that this mural is meant to bring the community together, but instead this image only reinforces racial and ethnic barriers.
Nancy Appel, of the Anti-Defamation League (“ADL”), stated that the ADL is dedicated to fighting anti-Jewish bias, as well as other forms of extremism and bigotry. Ms. Appel offered her personal thank-you to HOMEY for their presentation, and stated that it educated her as to various aspects of the mural. Ms. Appel went on to state that on a personal level, when she views images of what looks like angry faces, she feels unsafe and unwelcome in the Mission District. She has lived in San Francisco for twelve years, and while she supports the City funding mural projects, as a Jewish resident of San Francisco, she does not feel that she should feel such a level of threat in terms of her Judaism. Ms. Appel repeated that this was an exemplary mural project, but for this section in question, which she believes creates an unnecessary barrier.
Lily Haskew, Program Director for the Arab Resource and Organizing Center (“AROC”), stated that the portion of the mural in question represents a vibrant community of people. Ms. Haskew stated that many of the Arabs and Palestinians in San Francisco are here because they were forced from their land by the State of Israel. She stated that while this wall is being portrayed as something that provides safety, it has been built on indigenous land in Palestine, uprooting olive trees, hospitals, and families. In this way, she said, it is truly a barrier for the Palestinian people. AROC works with Latino/a organizations that are struggling for rights, and she believes this image represents the work AROC does in the Mission in connection with Latino/a brothers and sisters and is a tangible representation of work done in unity.
Gilbert Mathews stated that he found it difficult to see the parallel between the Mexican-American border wall and the Israeli-Palestine border wall, as the second was built to protect against terrorism, while the first was built for very different reasons. Mr. Mathews repeated that only 3% of the Israel/Palestine wall is concrete. Mr. Mathews explained that this does not come from an anti-Arab position, noting that after 9/11 the ADL was one of the first organizations to work for the civil rights of Arabs, but siad that the images on the portion of the mural being discussed present only one side of the situation.
Giulio Sorro stated that as a high school teacher, he is aware of a long history of Jewish people standing up for civil rights. He is opposed to the idea of Latinos and African Americans being portrayed as a minority, as they are in fact a majority in the world. Mr. Sorro spoke at length regarding the mural, saying that the United Nations has passed sanctions against Israel. He felt that the parallel made by the Palestinian imagery is very important, and that to take it away would be akin to taking the green grass from Ireland and would be akin to ethnic cleansing. Mr. Sorro does not feel a connection between the Latino/a community and the ADL.
Mike McGovern, one of the HOMEY artists, stated that he lives in the Mission and is himself Jewish. Mr. McGovern explained that he does not view this as a Jewish issue, as the artists have included a number of different countries in the mural.
Carlos Barahona, a HOMEY artist, expressed that he felt offended at the request to change the images in the mural. He questioned the ADL’s lack of presence in the Latino/s and African American community in the past, particularly in terms of immigration and deportation. Mr. Barahona stated that the mural shows his side of the story and his background, and asked that the others understand what it is to be in his shoes, to see his side of the story.
Rene Quiñonez, the Director of HOMEY, stated that he was raised in the Mission District. He acknowledged that the Israeli/Palestinian struggle is a complex issue that many are not fully educated about. However, Mr. Quiñonez stated that the mural depicts the experience of many Palestinian immigrants in San Francisco. Mr. Quiñonez expressed his regret that there is not an existing cultural exchange between the HOMEY community and the Jewish community, and that this may be the chance to create such. He stated the youths in HOMEY have taken a political stance, and that the important point is that they have put their hands onto this mural and as such have manifested a cultural exchange within the community. Therefore, he said, it would be sad to ask them to alter what has already been painted. The theme for the mural is breaking down borders, that no matter what the barrier, it needs to be destroyed because barriers divide people. Mr. Quiñonez stated that it is his hope that this becomes a learning experience for all involved, and that the Jewish community in particular becomes more involved.
Another member of the public stated that she is Palestinian, and that six members of her family have been killed by the Israeli Defense Forces, and her father has had land taken from him in order to build the Israel/Palestine wall. She said that the youth who painted the mural were able to share their own stories through their identification with the mural, and so for her it is very much about solidarity.
Andrea O’Leary questioned what the Commissioners’ role was in this process and what the solution to this might look like.
Commissioner Discussion/Further Comments from HOMEY—Continuation of Item
Following the close of public comment, Commissioner Przyblyski stated that the Visual Arts Committee meeting is not set to function as a debate, but that it is abundantly clear that these groups want to talk to each other. Because of the many guidelines which the Committee needs to follow in its meetings, discussion can be challenging, so that even though a meaningful dialogue can and should take place, this many not be the ideal place for it.
Commissioner Hunter stated that this is the most interesting and in-depth Visual Arts Committee meeting that he has attended since being on the Commission. He said that everyone who spoke, spoke with respect, and this provides us with the means to have a meaningful dialogue. Commissioner Hunter stated that he looks forward to these groups talking and building solidarity together.
Commissioner Rinder agreed, stating that this is an engaging topic that he could speak about at great length, but for the sake of efficiency he would limit himself. The Commission has heard many comments, including feelings of being threatened or hurt by this imagery. In light of HOMEY’s intended theme of solidarity and different cultures working together, Commissioner Rinder asked the HOMEY representatives whether any of the feedback they received about this mural during this meeting has caused the artists to question or reconsider whether the imagery they selected for the mural has succeeded in carrying out their their stated intent to break down borders between people or whether it has, instead, gone against the intent of building bridges between diverse cultures and communities.
Ms. Hernandez stated that she is grateful to hear the interpretations of the mural. HOMEY has been asking people walking up and down 24 th Street for their interpretations as well. She can understand why some viewers would find some imagery uncomfortable, while other viewers find this same imagery comforting. Ms. Hernandez stated that on the very corner that the mural currently occupies, many lives have been lost to gang violence, not six thousand miles away, but right there on that block. Ms. Hernandez continued, saying that HOMEY is sending a symbolic flare gun over the world so that this problem can be rectified. She said that they painted images of many people, Latino/a people from the Mission, African American people from the Fillmore, Palestinian people from the Middle East, to send a flare gun across San Francisco, to Mexico and to the Middle East. This is the intent of HOMEY. This is why they do what they do.
Commissioner Rinder then commented that in the section depicting the Mayan and Aztec people, in the North and South of Mexico, they seem to conquer the border between them as they are depicted bridging the wall that divides them. Commissioner Rinder asked the HOMEY representatives why this same narrative is not occurring on the portion of the mural in question.
Eric Norberg, the lead artist on this mural for HOMEY, stated that the HOMEY youth first looked at the US-Mexican border, which led them to discuss the symbolic meaning of the fence surrounding the lot where the mural is located, and this eventually led to a discussion of Palestine. He said that the Palestinian wall is a prototype for many walls and borders around the world. By symbolizing it in this way, they are showing that this wall is no different from walls in other parts of the world.
Commissioner Rinder asked Adine Varah, San Francisco Deputy City Attorney, to clarify the scope of the Arts Commission’s role with respect to the mural—whether it involved funding* or design approval. Ms. Varah clarified that the Visual Arts Committee is only considering design approval. Section 5.103 of the City Charter provides that the Arts Commission
shall “approve the design of all works of art before they are acquired, transferred or sold by the City and County, or are placed upon or removed from City and County property, or are altered in any way.”
*File note: As noted above, the Arts Commission is not the funding agency for the mural.
Commissioner Przyblyski stated that anyone in the arts understands that these sorts of public art pieces are meant to spark dialogue and they have often incited conflict between artists and viewers, Diego Rivera being a well-known example. Commissioner Przyblyski continued by explaining that the Arts Commission is not a commission on Middle East foreign policy. The questions that Commissioner Rinder asked are typical of those asked by a teacher conducting an art class, that of intent versus outcome. This Commission would never tell an artist exactly what to paint and how, as it is understood that this is the unique role of the individual artist. However, the Commission does want to point out that the handling of the Mayan and Aztec people bridging a wall is a very different concept than Palestinians breaking through a wall, and that this would be true no matter what images were used as symbols.
Commissioner Przyblyski went on to say that she visited this mural and believes that on the whole, it is artistically very impressive, particularly in terms of the many shifts in perspective and its rich thematics. In comparison, she said, the section being discussed is aesthetically flat and, judging by the comments made today, the intended concept of breaking down barriers and unifying communities has not been realized in this section.
Commissioner Przyblyski stated that a firm desire to continue this dialogue, to have an open exchange of ideas, exists among all of the groups. The Commission would prefer to give these groups the opportunity to dialogue and explore different options before moving to the question of design approval, and it can offer the opportunity to engage in a continued dialogue, by continuing the item. The Mayor’s Office has expressed the hope that this issue be resolved in a positive manner, that the artists feel recognized and that the community feels validated. Commissioner Przyblyski asked that Arts Commission staff assist in facilitating this dialogue.
Commissioner Przyblyski added that the HOMEY youth are very impressive emerging artists, and that all the public comment was passionate and deeply felt. She concluded that there is a lot of room here for a positive solution.
Commissioner Rinder stated that the HOMEY youth showed evidence of artistic excellence, of the ability to communicate expression and emotion in impressive ways, so it seems that they have the skill and ability to express the idea of this wall in a way that will not divide communities.
Commissioner Hunter agreed that the mural itself has unintentionally become a kind of wall, and that this wall needs to be broken down in order for the artists to achieve what they wish to achieve.
The commissioners unanimously agreed that ongoing dialogue will have a positive result.
The proposed motion to approve additional HOMEY design elements for a mural at 24 th and Capp Streets has been continued to a future Visual Arts Committee meeting.
