MEDIA ADVISORY

SAN FRANCISCO – “The Identity of Mission Street” is the overarching theme for the continuing Art on Muni Poster Series, an initiative of San Francisco Planning’s Mission Street Public Life Plan. Artwork representing the cultural identity and vitality of Mission Street from two Bay Area artists will be displayed on San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Muni lines and the 16th Street BART Plaza panels this September through early November 2015. This will be the second exhibition from the Mission Street Public Life Plan. The first exhibition highlighted Bay Area artists Rhonda Weppler, Nina Wright, and Laurie Halsey-Brown from May through August 2015.

As part of the second round of exhibition, the following artists will have their work on display for approximately three months each:

• Si. Existimos, by artist Jessica Sabogal, will debut in early September through early November on some SFMTA Muni buses. Sabogal’s project will be a record of the trans-migratory nature of Mission Street. She will be photographing community members and turning each picture into a multi-layer stencil portrait. Below each portrait, the subject’s name, work, location on Mission Street, job title, and place of birth is stated. Additionally, Jessica will partner with Galería de la Raza to compile a short 2 minute film of the materials collected that will be projected in the gallery’s window at night. To further bring visibility to the campaign, the projections will run next to Galería’s historical billboard, where she will create the final image for Si. Existimos. 

• Artist Vic De La Rosa will debut his artwork in early September through the end of November on 16th Street BART Plaza. For this project, De La Rosa will create portraits of the citizens and commuters that are connected by Muni on Mission Street. The compositions will incorporate his interpretations of the Latino motifs and history that have become touchstones for the visual culture of the Mission. The compositions will be produced in a hand and machine textile techniques using the sarape riding blanket form as a nod to the Mission’s most recent cultural history.

The Art on Muni Poster Series is a partnership with San Francisco Planning’s Mission Street Public Life Plan and funded in part by the Environmental Justice Planning grant from the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) 2012-2013. The Mission Street Public Life Plan looks at how Mission Street is currently used and explores new ideas and opportunities that can express the needs and identity of its residents.

For information on the Mission Street Public Life Plan visit http://missionpublic.sfplanning.org.

###

Media Contact: Gina Simi
415.575.9119 | gina.simi@sfgov.org