On October 16 2021, “AscenDance,” a large-scale mural produced by the Community Rejuvenation Project, in partnership with The Greenlining Institute, finally held its dedication ceremony. The eight-story mural was completed in 2020, but the official celebration was postponed twice due to the pandemic. Although public safety dictated that the event not be the massive block party originally planned, the scaled-down celebration was attended by approximately 75 people — including several elected officials, Oakland Cultural Affairs Department staff, Greenlining staff, and many of the people featured on the mural itself, such as former San Francisco Supervisor and Greenlining Academy alumni Jane Kim and Dance-A-Vision founder and director Carla Service. 

CRP founder and executive Director Desi Mundo prepared a short speech, in which he acknowledged the artists and inspiration for the mural, reiterated the need to support the arts, and reminded attendees that art can be a powerful force in leveraging justice. After thanking lead artists Marina Perez-Wong, Elaine Chu,  Priya Handa, and Lisa Max, and naming funders California Arts Council and Creative Work Fund, Mundo told one of the many stories behind the mural’s origins. 

“This piece was really primarily a victory from fighting with developers. Thank you to the people who are part of the Community Coalition for Equitable Development who are here — Eric (Arnold), Lailan (Huen). We’re very thankful for that effort, that we continue to go after these developments. There were very strong victories that took place that were led by artists. It was not led by the policymakers, it was not led by the mayor’s office. It was led by artists who demanded that we get community benefits for developers moving into these neighborhoods and gentrifying. 

“We actually want to see policies that don’t make us chase around these developments as they go up. The easy way we can do this, one, is to defund the police, and put more money into the arts.”

Mundo then made a plea for transparency surrounding the FBI shooting of Perez-Wong’s cousin, Jonathan Cortez. “I have to say this: Marina’s cousin was just killed by the FBI three weeks ago. And we’re still waiting on answers from City Hall about what OPD’s involvement was. So instead of coming here and dancing, we’d like to actually get that information. I’m pretty offended by that, and I want justice for Jonathan Cortez.  (The family has called for the public release of the full video of the Sept. 13  incident, which took place inside a Fruitvale district convenience store, and for law enforcement to end its alleged harassment of Cortez’ supporters.)

While Mundo’s comments were an off-note to the overall tone of joy, they also serve as a reminder of the continued struggle and resilience of communities of color who face systemic inequity every day, and are frequently the targets of police and government violence. Before making this statement, Mundo looked around for mayor Libby Schaaf, who spoke earlier, but she had already left. 

He went on to acknowledge Papa Zak Diouf of pioneering African dance company Diamano Coura, who recently joined the ancestors, before talking about the importance of supporting culture as a core Oakland value. 

“All of these folks here on the wall are fixtures within the Oakland community. And there’s so many more that we need to acknowledge. That’s why I’m asking for folks to continue to invest in the arts. From a city, state and county wide level, we need more support so that Oakland artists can actually thrive. That’s what this mural is really about, it’s not just about treading water anymore. We actually want to be able to live comfortably.” 

The “AscenDance” mural is in and of itself a testament to cultural equity. The mural honors activists and organizers spanning multiple generations and cultural backgrounds, from Black Panthers, to the American Indian movement, to Brown Berets, to the Chinatown Coalition, to Ohlone peoples. It also features Greenlining’s founding leaders Ortensia Lopez, Bob Gnaizda, George Dean, and John Gamboa. The mural connects this important policy and organizing work to the cultural activities of Malonga and Kiazi Casquelourd, the Dioufs, Halifu Osumare, Theo Williams, Carlos Aceitano, and others. 

The transformative efforts of this dynamic group of folks are placed in deeper context by symbols of barrier to equity, from railroad and BART tracks, to historic redlining maps. The train and subway tracks are represented by a red line, which changes to green, encircles culture-keepers, and ascends up into the heavens, alongside Mundo’s late wife, Jennifer.

Not only does “AscenDance” reflect the values of CRP and the local community, it also upholds what Greenlining is about. The day began with a testimonial from Greenlining President Debra Gore-Mann, 

“This mural’s addition to the Oakland cultural landscape is exactly what our founders had dreamed of,” Gore-Mann said. 

 “Art and culture plays a fundamental role in ensuring that communities of color can build wealth, live in healthy places, build economic opportunity, and are ready to meet the challenges posed by climate change. We see the value of art in changing hearts and minds, creating and keeping culture, and telling stories. Rich stories of our community. 

“This mural we see today depicts Oakland’s rich history of activism, and resistance in the face of historical redlining, and presents today the gentrification that still continues. It connects our historical and practical policies of racism and redlining, drawing red lines around our communities of color, marking them off-limits to investments with a transformative greenlining path to racial equity, paying homage to impactful community leaders, and symbols of cultural thriving that represents the heart and soul of Oakland.”

Greenlining Board of Directors co-chair Tunua Thrash-Ntuk explained the vision of the organization’s founders. “In the mid 1970s, a group of leaders from the African American, Latin American, Asian American and disabled communities came together around a visionary set of ideas. Instead of simply fighting for instututionalized change around discrimination and redlining, we should work proactively to bring investments and demand better opportunities for our community. Instead of redlining, we would create greenlining. 

“Ortensia, thank you for being the woman at the center of this. I wear red today because you remind me that I should always show up in the room, be seen, be heard. They will know we are there. 

“John Gamboa, thank you for teaching me  that no matter how much money, how many concessions they offer to our community,  it is never enough. We will ask for billions and billions and we will ask for more until our communities get what they deserve.”

Besides Schaaf, appearances were made by Assemblywoman Mia Bonta, City Council members Sheng Thao and Nikki Fortunato Bas. Denise Pate, a longtime Oakland Cultural Affairs staffer who’s now at the San Francisco Art Commission, was also present.

Bonta was effusive in her praise. “Look at this amazing mural. Today, with gratitude to the Greenlining Institute and the Community Rejuvenation Project, we get to celebrate the larger than life vibrancy of Oakland’s history, our multiculturalism, our respect for the land on which we stand, and the legacy of resistance and activism that makes Oakland the baddest, finest, most awesome District to be a part of. The most progressive place to be a part of [in] the state of California.

“We have here all our grassroots leaders, all captured in a beautiful, larger than life, eight story mural here. For all those who walk and visit in this corridor for ages to come we will have on full display our local heroes, our culture keepers, our artists, our activists. People like Greenlining’s early leaders and founders, who are standing here today and who I’m so blessed to be able to meet today. Chinese American activists like Lailan Huen, members of the Black Panther PArt, Filipino American organizer Terry Bautista, and native American leaders like Richard Oakes and Morning Star Gali here.” 

Following Bonta, a representative from Barbara Lee’s office made a brief statement: “We commend the artists for their commitment in helping to preserve the rich history of activism and political resistance here in Oakland.”

It was a little odd to see Schaaf praise “social justice warriors” given that many of those warriors’ battles have been against her policies. The mayor, who will be termed out in 2022, compounded the irony by joining a dance circle that jumped up to groove to the sounds of Kiazi Malonga’s group. Suffice to say that rhythm is not her strong suit. 

But while the gentrification that has happened on Schaaf’s watch may lead some to doubt the sincerity of her comments, it was still empowering to hear elected officials publicly recognize culture as a community value. Bonta noted that speaking at the dedication was one of her first official acts after being elected. She’ll be reminded of that, she added, every time she walks down 14th St. or attends an event at Greenlining’s building. 

Gentrification has put artists, and the communities they come from, at high risk of displacement. But it’s also lent an urgency to the need for cultural preservation. Public art such as the “AscenDance” mural, helps make these efforts visible to all. That’s especially important in Oakland’s rapidly changing downtown, a place dotted with new development. While many community organizations don’t own their own building, making permissions for similar murals challenging, “AscenDance” stands as a towering and vibrant reminder of what is possible. 

The post The Ascension of the “AscenDance” Mural appeared first on Community Rejuvenation Project.

In the midst of the strangest summer in modern history–thanks, COVID!–progress is still being made, if you know where to look.

Up in the skies, that is. Eight stories above ground level, one block on 14th St. in downtown Oakland is quietly being transformed into a vibrant artistic statement which resonates with energy, vitality, and fierce, passionate conviction.

If you’ve been following the story of the AscenDance mural, whether through this blog, or as an observer passing by, you’ve seen a once non-descript wall slowly evolve into a ginormous mural.

It’s been a slow but steady process, which began earlier this year, way back in the pre-pandemic good old days, with some community input and feedback sessions. These were followed by more intensive design review sessions.

In May, site prep began. Later that month, after the entire wall had been gridded, sketches and outlines followed. And then, actual painting. The muralists–read more about some of them here and here — worked on the lower section using scaffolds or painting at ground level to bring the design into its first stages of visibility.

The upper section required a more focused, technical approach. Accessing the wall itself was made possible by a swingstage, which required safety harnesses.

Each day, the process repeated itself, and sketches became faces, outlines became colored lines. Shadow details emerged. It was like watching a visual garden grow.

The lower part of the wall was the first to come into view. it tells a story of redlining and inequity connecting communities of color through shared struggle and resilience. At a certain point, the redline–rendered as a BART train track–switches tracks. The line becomes green and extends up the wall, becoming more fluid and abstract, wrapping around various forms of cultural and spiritual expression.

The characters in this section range from indigenous Ohlone tribespeople and contemporary Sogorea Te activists, Chinese American community organizer, an SF supervisor, dancers from the AXIS Dance Company, a historic Black Panther serving free breakfasts, an iconic Brown Beret, early leaders of the Greenlining Institute, native Oakland culture-keepers, and the historic Slim Jenkins nightclub, once a vibrant entertainment hub of West Oakland’s 7th St.

In addition to the redline/train tracks, the point of historical inequity is further reinforced by stark district maps which show actual redlining. Against this backdrop, the characters all pop out, as if to symbolize the resilience it takes to overcome systemic oppression in a collage of resistance and dynamism.

In the past couple of weeks, however,a lot of work has been done on the upper section of the wall, the most challenging aspect of the mural due to its sheer size and the scale of the images. Some of the characters are several stories tall, and not only are these figures writ large, but there is an incredible amount of detail from top to bottom, from trees to hummingbirds, to ribbon dancers.

The most recent development is that the top and bottom of the wall have reached a point of connectivity. There is still a long way to go, but you can see the finish line from here.

The post AscenDance Mural: Progress Report appeared first on Community Rejuvenation Project.

CRP: Where are you from originally?

Priya Handa: I was born in the Bay. I grew up around San Jose and Oakland. I used to come out and see my grandfather a lot in Oakland. And then I was working in San Jose and San Francisco a lot in my upbringing. I grew up around the bay primarily. Both my parents are immigrants. They both migrated from Punjab. 

Punjab, that’s a state in India?

Yeah. It is in-between , it’s where the partition happened. So between Pakistan and India. It’s part of the northern part of India. It has a lot of controversy, experiences with genocide. 

It’s a historic conflict zone.

Yeah. It definitely is. 

So did your parents come as refugees?

Not necessarily as refugees. I think the story is something they don’t really like to share personally. I’ve asked so many times. But I think my own understanding of history, of where they’re from, I think it’s a lot of trauma for them too, especially because during the time we did migrate, we had one of the largest genocides, and at the same time, being Punjabi and being Sikh, we don’t really get recognized by the Indian government, because it’s primarily a Hindu state. 

How did you get interested in art?

I feel like, always. Like, I remember being like one and taking my mom’s lipstick and drawing on the wall. I think that was probably the first time. Growing up with an immigrant family, you don’t really know a lot about American culture. From games to cable and like, what to do outside besides play outside. So drawing was a huge thing for me. I think creating was a huge thing for me.  I grew up watching my mom sew a lot, like she sewed all her clothes.  Indian clothes to American clothes, sofas, couches. And I watched my dad build a lot.  I think watching that made me think really traditional, like, you can do anything by hand. I think that’s why art has always been really great for me, from sketching to painting to whatever format I can get on. 

How did you become a muralist?

Growing up, painting, and then finally taking it more seriously. You know, when you’re a kid you  get to win little contests or you get to submit something and you don’t think too much of it. When I got older, I started selling work and not thinking too much of it, either. But there was a point where I was like, I feel like there’s a divide. There’s a divide between people who show in galleries and people that are able to actually view it. So, wanting my art to be as inclusive as possible and then I growing up, watched throughout California, LA has a big mural culture. The Bay Area has a big mural culture. Murals were the best way, in my opinion, for people to be included. You know, you get to watch the process, if you’re outside, and it allows people from different socioeconomic backgrounds to be able to see and witness it. Whereas like, not even to put down galleries, but it just made it limited. 

To go see gallery art, it’s more intentional. Like, I’m going to see Picasso at the DeYoung. Not like, I’m gonna walk down 14th Street, and just see what’s in front of me. 

Art’s a universal language, whether you know how to speak the same language or not. 

Like Marina Perez-Wong and Elaine Chu, you’ve been involved with Precita Eyes. How did you get involved with them?

I was painting a lot more in Oakland and Berkeley, and a little bit in LA. And then I worked with some of the folks like Nancy (Pili) from Trust Your Struggle and Susan Greene, and I remember there was an ask from some Precita gigs in the Mission and I said, well, maybe I’ll just go and volunteer. Through that, I learned a lot about how to set up for a mural, how to grid, how to kind of project a design. How to do everything but the painting part, which is huge. From that, I think I learned a lot of skills it would have taken me years and years and years to learn on my own. And also how a community mural is done and how to get feedback from the whole community and include them. 

So there’s a lot of technical stuff that comes with doing a mural — it’s not just, painting. 

You’re right. It’s not just painting. There’s a saying, once the paint hits the wall, the mural’s 50% done. Which I think if you grid a mural, or do sketches, or work with community members, you’ll see what that really means. 

Tell me again about your experiences painting internationally in Chiapas and Palestine. What was that like and what did you learn from those experiences?

When I was in Chiapas, I painted with the Zapatista community out there. And of course, there was a lot to learn from that community. Especially for us who live in the US. There’s a lot to learn about autonomy and different forms of education. And so when I was painting out there one of the things that struck me was someone brought donations — crayons, pens, notebooks — and it was like, oh we don’t need this. We teach our kids how to tell from a lightning storm if we’re gonna have rain, or what’s gonna happen. And so the mural actually was used as an educational tool for the students there, as opposed to handing out notebooks. So that was really cool to see the art that resonated with them. And how the mural was used as a tool, as opposed to something that’s just used as decoration, just to fill a space.  It was also cool to see it was something with purpose. 

So it seems like it was practical, but also cultural. 

Yeah, definitely. There was a lot we learned about how they do different things culturally, from agriculture to, one of my favorite things was drawing the stages of the butterflies and what that represented for them. 

What does that represent? 

There’s different things for sure. Like they talked about the stages of the butterfly.  Like from caterpillar to going into the stages of the butterfly. I remember one person telling me, whenever you see a butterfly it means that an ancestor is coming through to visit you. That’s one interpretation I remember learning from someone when we were painting out there. 

What about Palestine? What happened when you were out there?

When we were out there, I went on a delegation actually first. And then towards the end of it, I met up with Susan Greene, who does ArtForces, and she’s the one who I met through the Oakland Solidarity mural for Palestine. So I rolled up into a city that’s in Jerusalem called Silwan. In that city particularly, there were a lot of houses being demolished, and it was a hug thing to like make your presence stated, no matter how many homes were up. So we were painting a mural out there and it was really interesting. You can see the difference there because, here, if you’ve ever seen any solidarity mural, a mural for Palestine, you’re gonna see a lot more blacks and reds and fists, and chains… for them, that’s not what they want to see because that’s their existence. They want to see skies, birds, their grandmother holding bread. They aren’t even able to go like two blocks up, because that’s where the border and the boundaries are for them. Nature and for people to look up at the sky was a huge thing for them. So that was something I learned, that each community has a different way of taking in art, and what it means to them.

And what happened next?

When I was there, one house asked me to paint the Palestinian flag with two peace signs. It was on the main road in Silwan. And there was a point when I was alone, and a settler came up, and, you know, had me at gunpoint and was telling me to stop.  It was a really big trip. 

I kinda tripped out. I didn’t realize until after some reflection. I was like, oh my gosh, am I doing something wrong? Am I putting someone in danger? Because that’s the biggest thing. Like I get to leave but this stays with them and they get to  stay here. So, it was a lot of checking in but one thing I noticed is they really wanted to make sure the mural stayed. They were like, no, we can’t live in fear, we have to have this piece of work go up no matter what.  And so, in response to that, they put out a couch and all the uncles and the neighborhood guys would take shifts sitting on it. And just like shining it up and smoking their cigarettes.

So they were kind of watching over and protecting the mural while it was being painted.

Yeah, definitely. I’m really thankful for that too. 

Amazing. 

What interests you about communicating visually?

Visually? That’s a good question. I know for me, I’m not really great with words, articulating them. I could barely write essays in high school and I still can’t do them that well. Poor guys, my teachers struggled with me. But there’s something about visuals. Some people paint as a hobby, some people paint because of the wonderment of how far you can push something. On how you can change it. And also, it’s a way of documenting. Visuals are a beautiful way of documenting, whether you’re a photographer, a painter, muralist, sketch artist… you get to document in a digital age, the more we can document pieces that are like 2-D and everlasting, and you get to document all the shifts and changes that we’re going through.

It’s a different language, isn’t it?

It is. One thing I learned, too, was, when I was in Chiapas, I wasn’t speaking as much Spanish. But I worked with someone who didn’t speak much English. And then I worked with someone who spoke Tzeltal* (*Note: Chiapas has the highest rate of monolingual non-Spanish speakers in Mexico). We were working on the same wall. And we still managed to do it, you know, like pulling out colors and learning the names in different languages. It kinda shows how that is a universal language that connects us all.

Like the color wheel, that’s completely universal, right?

Yeah. 

What has the experience of painting the AscenDance mural been like for you?

It’s been a trip in a technical way. We were just talking about it too because when you paint… it’s big, so when you paint up there and things will read so differently up close, you think you’re not doing it right, not blending it right. But when you come down, it reads really soft. The same thing with like being on the ground, which I’ve been more on the last two weeks, you kinda get caught up in detail, because the audience is closer to the ground, so they will notice if something’s not blended well. So, on a technical level, it’s been a lot to learn. Or just to be mindful of. I really appreciate that, because that means we get to take this knowledge to the next projects. Yeah, it’s been really cool. And requires patience, for sure. 

This is obviously a really interesting time to be doing a big mural in the middle of downtown Oakland. Not only did COVID hit, but then right after the mural was started, there was all the George Floyd stuff, and Oakland just kinda went wild with protests. You were actually out there on the night of the ”Fuck Your Curfew” rally. What was it like being on the streets that night painting?

I remember that because, we were hitting the curfew, when it was happening. We made a decision, or my household and I made a decision not to be around someone for the sake of being immune-compromised, so it was like, hey, after this time, we go home. But it was a trip because a lot of people were coming out when we were trying to put up the pieces. So that way it was foiled, there were people planning on staying out until five am. It definitely received a lot of attention. Being someone painting but also watching how it was received, I guess a lot of people were really touched by it too. It was really beautiful to see, and see that there’s representation taking place that we don’t see. I also saw artists mobilize real quick. I saw artists put up pieces that would usually take them 4 or 5 days in like, 4-5 hours. So I think it definitely tested a lot of our skills and strengths to see what we can come up with for moments like these.

It was such a beautiful explosion of street art in Oakland. Do you feel like that changed the narrative around the protests?

Yeah. I definitely think it did. I think in so many ways. Because a lot of folks had gotten caught up with the narrative of “oh, all these damn protesters, they’re stopping business, looting, all this stuff.” So for a few days, it was crazy, all these murals were going up. You’re seeing visuals, you’re seeing colors. People are actually stepping outside, keeping social distancing but actually stepping outside and taking in this art.

In Oakland, there’s a whole tradition of political art that is community-centered, going back to Emory Douglas. Which segues to the next question: How do you see murals connecting to social movements?

I think it’s also really interesting that a lot of times, I’ve heard artists say, I’m not political. Or, I don’t take a political stance. But I’ve always felt like that’s kinda not true, because once you say that sentence, you’ve already taken a political stance. So I don’t agree with that at all. So it was really interesting to see artists actually choose a side. Because I think a lot of artists three or four years ago were not making BLM art. But now they’ve been forced to kind of choose a side and now that statement’s been made so it’s like, what’s the follow up?

Right. Art has been used historically as a way of establishing cultural identity. Particularly in Mexico. 

You know, what’s really interesting, speaking of Emory Douglas is, one time when I went to Chiapas, I ran into him. And he was like, Oh, you wanna help paint one of the murals that we’re doing? For the Comparte show or event they had. This was years ago but they had a lot of folks coming in making art. And this was for one of the murals they were doing, it was for solidarity with the Zapatistas. And they had people from Peru and Bolivia, and different parts of Mexico for sure. And he was there because he’s done a lot of work out there with them. And what was really beautiful was seeing him connect the movement of the Black Panther movement with the Zapatista movement. It meant a lot for them. But he was telling us how he took a lot from them too.

I’m noticing that as a movement grows, the way we can connect through people is through art. It’s kind of the common denominator in  a lot of these movements that are international from one state to another. Because if it wasn’t for art, a lot of us would not be up in there.

It was definitely beautiful to see the impact and that connection across the country. It’s definitely a way to get art up and get the word out too, right? I’ve seen folks before this movement putting up stuff for climate change. Taking up space. Art takes up space. If you’re doing mural work or doing murals on the floor, it physically takes up space. Eventually it takes up space in the system. 

It becomes a commentary on the urban landscape. What else is on the urban landscape? We’ve got 37-story new developments going up. We’ve got billboards, commercial ads. And, we’ve got murals. 

Definitely. Thankful for those, for sure.

Is there a philosophy to your art? Any particular aesthetic you favor?

I feel like that answer shifts and changes for me every day. I’m not the best with words but one thing I keep in mind is how the connection also with nature, as we’re having this war on folks, as we’re having this war on black bodies, we’re also experiencing a war on the earth that we just had been neglecting for so long. And we’re still not doing our job. I know for me aesthetically, I love it when the relationship with nature and earth is involved in the work that we’re doing. I definitely love to include the community in pieces as well. Because at the end of the day, we’re just translators as artists. If it’s not for other people, who else is it going to be for? Apart from that, I see it constantly evolving.

Where do you see your art taking you from here?

I definitely enjoy working collectively more than individually. This wall is huge, and I really hope I get to work on large walls going forward. Medium walls, large walls, and I hope to have as much intention behind them as I can, and they tell a story that isn’t told often. There’s so many situations going on all around the world we have from all of our lineages. So I hope that as we move forward and as we reclaim ourselves spiritually, our bodies and everything, the art I create helps tell those stories so they’re not forgotten.

Do you have a website? If someone wanted to commission you for a painting or a mural, what is the best way to contact you?

I took my website down because I was trying to do some edits on it. Lately I just have people who reach out to me on Instagram, which is @eightbirdz. Most of the times I’ve worked on murals it’s with people I’ve worked with before, soo it’s kind of an evolving relationship with that. In terms of pieces, usually it’ll be pieces that I’ve worked on. Sometimes I’ll take commissions, here and there.

The post Meet the Muralist: Priya Handa appeared first on Community Rejuvenation Project.

As the painting process has continued,  personages, personalities, and moods have begun to be revealed. Once-abstract images have taken on definition.  On the mural’s left side, people such as Corrina Gould, Lailan Huen, and Jane Kim are now startlingly present, alongside Black Panthers, Brown Berets, Axis dancers, traditional Ohlone thatched huts, and homeless tents. Themes of activism, multicultural diversity, and  the will to overcome oppression — represented by a ubiquitous redline along which  a locomotive and a BART train run —  are now tangible.

In the lower part’s middle and right sections, the redline diverts into a green  line which connects cultural practitioners from various ethnic traditions, wrapping around the four pioneering activists of The Greenlining Institute and SambaFunk drummer Theo Williams, before circling upward. 

The middle and top sections of the wall are now emblazoned with dynamic images of motion and grace in various stages of illustration. Natural elements, such as trees, water, and sky, present a stark contrast to adjacent buildings, whose concrete, steel, and glass exteriors offer a cold, subdued feeling. 

Down the street and up the block, the aftermath of weeks of turbulence and protests have left many storefronts in the immediate vicinity covered with plywood boards, over which many murals and more than a few tags have been painted — temporarily transforming a business and retail district into an outdoor art gallery. All this in the midst of a pandemic which has made social distancing the norm. In many ways, the whole experience has been surreal. 

At this point in the process, it seemed apt to check in with Lead Artist Desi Mundo and assistants Marina Perez-Wong, Elaine Chu, and Priya Handa and get their thoughts on the mural’s progression. 

“The left side’s definitely got the most progress,” said Mundo. “The majority of the left side’s coming in.” That being said, he noted, there’s still plenty of work remaining.

“I’ve been working on the swingstage. It looks halfway but a lot of it isn’t, because a lot of that’s primer.  That’s the scary part. We’re starting to see it come out, but I would say 75-80% of that needs a second touch.  That’s gonna be challenging. That’s also when the detail comes out.  Slowly but surely. If each person gets and image or two done per day, I think we’ll be finishing on track. …We’re gonna have to go pretty hard, but fortunately, the relief is coming. Dave, aka Dave Kim, is gonna show up. And that’s gonna be another talented  body on the wall. ”  

Attention to detail is a must, he said, even though the sheer size of the concrete canvas makes that a daunting task. “We’re insisting that this be what a wall of this detail and size should be.  It’s gotta be high-caliber. No half-steppin’. We cannot half-step on any inch. We’re still using tiny brushes on this thing. I was using less than a half-inch brush today just to put in tiny details that probably no one can see, but they translate overall over time. Some things really take a long time and we have to give them their attention. It’s just a matter of getting everything in there.”

For example, he said, “You look at Elaine’s train and all of the little components to that, you look at all the feathers on the heron. And the wheelchair.  All of those spaces get that love, and that’s what makes it awesome.”

Perez-Wong likened the mural to a giant puzzle — the artists have to approach it one piece at a time. “I think the mural itself is a bit overwhelming because it’s so big. It’s pretty massive but it feels good. I think we’ve done a lot in a short amount of time. We’re making good progress.”

“It’s exciting to see it all come to life,” Chu added.  “What’s been great is we have such a fun team who love working together, and the energy’s great. We all know what we’re supposed to do, so, we don’t even have to talk, we just do it. We’re all in tune with each other. I guess when you work so closely with a group of artists, you just ended up telepathically working together.”

That telepathic sense includes Perez-Wong occasionally finishing Chu’s sentences, or the two “twins” sometimes speaking in unison. But it also extends to Handa, who’s also been working diligently and in artistic harmony with the other artists — usually without being overly talkative. Occasionally, the artists will retreat to the edge of the parking lot to view their work from a zoomed-out perspective, and exchange comments about what works and what maybe needs a little more work. The most amount of chatter comes at the end of the day, when the artists put away their materials and wheel the scaffolds to a fence to be chained for the night — an exercise which also requires teamwork and focus.

For Handa, this project has been “ a different experience, definitely, because (of) the height of the wall, the depth of content in the wall. and all the narratives that are being tied in. It’s been a really beautiful experience working with folks and understanding the stories, but it’s also been a really great learning experience. Every day there’s like a new challenge; How do we tackle that and how do we make that work?

“In this case, for example, when you’re working with something that’s so big, it reads differently when you’re on the ground. And the audience is on the ground.  They’re not up there. So keeping that in mind, keeping in mind the audience that will be reading this, viewing this and taking this in, how it’s viewed from that point.  And learning how to break that down so, that way, everything is being done optimally.”

The artists are definitely feeling a sense of momentum at this stage in the mural’s production process, she said. “that’s when the rhythm kind of picks up. It’s like in the beginning you’re kinda like okay, how are we doing this, what’s next, things are slow. But then there’s a pojnt where the rhythm just picks up. I always think about, like, man, if i was just painting one canvas piece, it would take like a week. But if it’s on a wall, you’re going faster because there’s a huger component to it.”

What has resonated particularly with her are the stories and narratives the wall is telling, and how they become interconnected through the painting process. “Honoring the folks that have been here before, and are here present(ly). Especially because people that have been coming by the wall relate to the wall, we’ve been seeing folks like Corrina.” (Gould had visited earlier in the day, and marveled at her portrait which she was seeing for the first time.)

Another point of resonance, she added,  is “a member of the Black Panther Party handing out the free breakfast. It’s really kind of important to see because it is a legacy (that relates to) everything that we see every day now.  Especially with BLM and seeing how we put up art real quick, and how we’ve been doing mutual aid. This wall sort of reminds me that we’ve been doing mutual aid way way way before Corona. It’s a way of lifestyle. It’s one of the things that really hits home.” 

The post AscenDance: Coming Into View appeared first on Community Rejuvenation Project.

Marina Perez-Wong and Elaine Chu, aka the Twin Walls Mural Company, have been putting in hours and hours of hard work in their capacity as Assistant Artists for this project, known as the AscenDance mural. Observing them, it’s become evident that their work ethic is impeccable and their dedication to their craft is second to none.

In the first of what will be an ongoing series during the mural’s production, we invite readers to “meet the muralists” and learn about the people behind the painting, what drives them, and how they approach the work.

CRP: How did you become an artist?

Marina Perez-Wong: I learned how to draw before I could speak. My story’s a little different because I had a really rare cancer. My mom says that’s how I was trying to communicate initially, through drawing. That’s why I could draw before I could speak.  And the, during my healing process I think she just realized, that was something that I gravitated towards that was something calming for me. And i could zone out. And she would joke that she would be talking to me, and I wouldn’t hear her. I would just be in my own world. I think that never dies, and I’ve just been like that my whole life. I’ll be working on a painting for ten hours straight. 

Tell me about the evolution of your professional development. What got you to this point?

Well, beyond my mom supporting me in that, I went to San Francisco School of the Arts. I grew up  in the bay. So i went to SOTA, I met my mural partner, actually, there at SOTA. We were both painting together in high school. And we had an art teacher who was a huge support. Marcia Pinon. She put us on our path. We were already kind of inching toward there anyway, but she had us applying to different art colleges, and bringing in people. So I went to CCAC in Oakland, and after that, I was kind of tired of art and I didn’t think I was going to do it, but I volunteered for a friend, who had a Precita Eyes mural. They had always been family, but I never worked with them. And, it just caught. It was the first time that I had worked with youth, these young women, it was the Mission girls,  we were working alongside my friend and his friend. I know they saw the boys and the boys, they’re tough. But then they saw me painting, and they saw me painting really well, and they were like, oh we could do this! So then I was showing them how to work, and that’s the first time I realized I could be a mentor and a professional artist at the same time. I’ve been on that path since then. 

I got hired the next year or so to be at Precita Eyes, to be one of their contracted artists. Yeah, I was doing that. It’s been like, 20 years. Further down the line, about seven years ago, my best friend and I started our own company. We’re a duo. Twin Walls Mural Company. 

What are some of the projects you’ve done with Twin Walls?

Just recently, last week, we installed for “Paint the Void.” A mural inspired by the Navajo and Hopi natives and the buffalos that are in Golden Gate Park. We’ve been really worried about them during the corona epidemic.

Because the buffalo are sacred to the Navajo, right?

Exactly. So, it’s called, “Protectors of the Sacred: A Prayer for Buffalo Nation.” Eventually we’re gonna make prints and we’re gonna sell them and have all the proceeds go to Navajo nation and another group that’s of indigenous women. But prior to that, when we were at the Asian Art Museum, we were working with a project that’s on the corner there, called the Village Artists Corner, and they had pitched us this idea of painting goddesses, so the theme would be “Goddess” and the other portion of that was “Enlightenment.” We chose the goddess Tara, who is multifaceted. There’s supposedly like 21 or 27 versions of her. So, we focused on three that were the central pieces.  The white Tara which is longevity and health. The green Tara which is compassion. And then the one that is the fighter that’s in the center is the blue Tara. She’s compassionate wrath. So, she’s engulfed in flames, she’s Kali, in other cultures, Tara is like the Virgin Mary, or she’s like the mom of all the gods. The blue Tara you have to pass through to get to enlightenment. They’re all Bodhisattvas. On the opposite side of the wall is Buddha sitting underneath the bodhi tree where they were enlightened. 

It was really beautiful to work on that for me. Because it was the first mural after being diagnosed–oh yeah, I’ve got Stage 4 breast cancer–that got me back to painting. It was healing. As have all the murals been since then. 

So with this project, what attracted you to this project and what are you anticipating with your involvement in it? 

For one, I love that it’s the first, well I guess the second, I haven’t painted much in Oakland. And Oakland’s been my other home forever. For at least the last 20 years. And I teach here, you know, normally I teach at Oakland School for the Arts. And, it’s been my community but I haven’t done much work here. And then Desi, I always wanted to work with Desi after I had found out about his work. But i think a lot of it is the subject matter, the people involved that are gonna be created on the wall. And the fact it’s coming from a place of destruction to be recreated anew. It’s a little bit of justice. Where there was injustice. Sticking it to the man.

Whenever you can.  

###

How long have you been doing murals?

Elaine Chu: My first mural was when I was 14. Professionally, I’ve been doing murals for about 10 years.

And how did that come about? Take me through the whole progression. How did you get to this point?

Well, at 14, I interned at Precita Eyes Muralists in San Francisco. That just opened my eyes to the whole mural world. I didn’t even know you could paint that way. I just found a home there and I ended up going to baltimore for school, and I studied painting. But I always came back to the Mission and Precita Eyes, and just always felt like that was my home away from home. Frome there, you know, I learned a lot from Susan Cervantes, who’s the Director and founder of Precita Eyes. She pretty much taught me everything I know.  Just like, the basics, gridding, mixing colors, working that high…

Is there an overall philosophy of muralism that you learned through Precita Eyes?

Yeah. A big one from Susan is, you want to paint what you want to manifest. So, what do you want to see in the world? And, as a muralist, your job is to ask people what they want to see in the world, and in their communities. That’s also something that I’ve learned, is how to do work with community and many many people to get a mural up with everybody’s ideas. 

So, there’s a collective process, it’s not just an individual artist with one vision: here’s what’s going on the wall.

Collective process, yes. Because you’re coming into a community, and you’re helping them to visualize what they want to see.  As an artist, you’re supposed to direct that process. And make sure that everybody feels like their voice is being heard and included. But then, you know,  I’ve learned a lot from painting with different communities. Just like, history of each neighborhood, each community. That’s what’s the amazing part about murals, is that you’re learning yourself about who you’re painting and all the different stories.

So it’s sort of like a two-way dialogue, then?

Yeah.  

Interesting. And is Precita Eyes where you met Marina?

I actually met Marina in high school. We went to school together in San Francisco. We were both in Visual (Arts), and so we grew up together, and then really didn’t start hanging out until about junior year. And then, I went to Baltimore for college, she went to Oakland.  CCAC. But we always kept in touch. After Baltimore, I moved to Philly, and painted there for a while. Kinda bounced around a bit, and then I moved back here. And that’s when we really started painting together.  Realizing that the way we worked meshed really well together, and our styles worked together.  We just generally like hanging out. 

What are some of the highlighted projects that you’ve done with Twin Walls?

I would say, the last three years have been our busiest years. I felt like we’ve really grown.  Just gotten tighter.  And more direct in our symbolism, you know, in our storytelling. One mural that is a highlight is a project we did for Twitter. They wanted local women artists to do a mural about women. That was pretty much all the parameters they gave us. So, you know, first they were like, well, we’re thinking the Women’s March. But we didn’t want to paint the Women’s March.  We wanted to do something more symbolic.  So we asked people, what women should be in this mural that are kinda like hidden figures? Women that people should know. From all over the spectrum. Arts, activism, music, writers. And so, we painted over 120 women in that mural. And, too bad it’s stuck in Twitter, because you can’t really see it.  But we started thinking about, the way we brainstorm is, okay, what symbols represent women? So we started saying like, oh, water is a very feminine element. Water, the uterus, and from there, we came up with like, this ocean enveloping you that’s comprised of all these different women. In the center of the mural is a mother, a baby, and a grandmother. Showing this family unit that’s generational.

Yeah, generational, nurturing…

That’s been kind of a common theme. A lot of our murals are about women that are strong, looking at women but also using a lot of symbolism.

Is it challenging to be a female muralist? Are there a lot of gender dynamics in the muralist community?

Definitely. Luckily, Marina and I have had very strong women teachers. So, you know, we have a bit of an advantage, because we always work really hard, and you work harder than the guys. You just have to.

Well, we’ve seen that with this project so far. (Laughs)

(Laughs) It is challenging, because you have to kind of prove yourself to get started.  Sometimes we’ve had walls where people will come up and say, oh I thought a guy was painting this. Why do people ask that? Or people will come up to you and they’ll ask you if you need help or, do you know how to climb the ladder? Stuff like that they probably wouldn’t ask if there was a guy on the wall. There’s just some challenges there, like you always have to ignore what people say sometimes. 

Hold on to your convictions. But i guess the more you do it, the more people become familiar or comfortable with, ok, anyone could be doing this mural, it doesn’t have to be a guy.

Yeah, and a big goal of ours is to be examples of strong women artists painting big monumental works of art. Because you know, we just like painting big, so… the bigger the better. This wall is the biggest wall we’ve been put on so it’s been a very wonderful opportunity. 

That’s a great segue actually to the next question: How did you approach this project?

Well, we just followed desi’s lead in the design process, and you know, Marina and I are from San francisco. Marina has lived out in Oakland for a while but I just moved out to Oakland. It was really cool to be part of a community, that’s a large community project to learn about all the people that are in this mural. I still don’t know everybody. But whenever I move somewhere, I love to hear the stories and the history and just like, really get to know where I’m living. Oakland is a great place for culture and music and art.

When I jumped onto the project, Marina and Desi had already been working on the wall for a while, about a week or two. It was challenging because of the grid and just the scale of the wall, and all the challenges that come with little nuances of  the wall measurements, and what-not. When I jumped on, they had already established all the groundwork.

Was there something that was particularly attractive to you about this project? Where you said, hey, this is something I wanna do?

Yeah, well, it was something that i didn’t know I wanted to do. Whenever there have been swingstage projects I always shied away from that, like, I don’t know. I don’t think I could do that. And, you know, I had that fear a bit, of jumping on the swingstage. But Marina told me, it wasn’t so bad. So, I was like, alright. I trust her. I went on and I was like, okay! I think the anticipation was more than… it was fine. 

What about the content of the actual mural? What appealed to you about that?

Yeah, just all the different cultures and vibrancy and energy that all these people bring to the mural is very exciting.  This mural has so much movement, as do a lot of Desi’s murals. And that really attracts me. They’re very bold and they feel like they’re alive. I was a little intimidated with the amount of people that are in the mural. Just painting all of them. Like, how will we actually do this? But we’re making it happen. One portrait after the other. 

So was this your first time on a swingstage?

Yes. But it’s fun! I actually enjoy it. I’ve been on sketchier scaffolding. 

It seems like it’s pretty solid, it’s just that you’re way up there.

Yeah. And actually it’s a lot easier because you don’t have to climb up and down the scaffolding and haul stuff up.  Everything’s there. You just go up and down. 

What outcome would you ideally like to see from this mural, with everything that’s happening in Oakland, and also everything that’s happening around the country?

Well, I can already see people are very excited. I hope to bring joy. I think we all need a bit of that. I am so inspired by all the artwork that is popping up in downtown Oakland. It’s amazing! And that energy, we’re feeling that energy too, being right in the midst of it. And I think, probably vice-versa. People are seeing this monumental piece go up, and I think it’s unlike anything else I’ve seen in downtown Oakland. I think it’ll be really historic. Props to Desi and CRP for making this happen. I think this is gonna be one of the best murals in the Bay.

That’s saying a lot. 

TWMC’s portfolio can be viewed here. 

The post Meet the Muralists: Marina Perez-Wong and Elaine Chu appeared first on Community Rejuvenation Project.

The “AscenDance” mural has finally kicked into gear. After several weeks of build-up, the project — located on the side of The Greenlining Institute’s headquarters, at 360 14th St. in downtown Oakland — has moved from gridding to sketching to outlining to images being colored and starting to come alive.

The past two weeks have represented a giant step forward for the eight-story mural, which is beginning to take on a character as the faces of its subjects are given tone and detail.

Coincidentally, that same time period has also been a national flashpoint in the outcry and continuing protests over the murder of George Floyd, which has galvanized the Black Lives Matter cause amid ongoing calls for police reform. In the wake of sustained protests which left a trail of broken windows, vandalized and/or looted properties, rubber bullets, and spent tear gas cartridges followed by boarded-up windows across the 14th St. and Broadway corridors, visual artists descended en mass to the area to paint a serious of murals — turning the district into a de facto outdoor art gallery which has garnered local and even national attention.

“AscenDance” muralists Marina Wong-Perez and Elaine Chu, along with Trust Your Struggle collective member Ce Ce Carpio, were named as being among “five female artists creating protest art” by Elle magazine, while local media from KQED to the SF Chronicle to the East Bay Times all published articles on the street art explosion. CRP alumnus Pancho Pescador also got some media attention, for a portrait he did on the side of Luka’s Taproom. Other local artists like David Burke and Keena Romano joined in the festivities, alongside Trust Your Struggle’s Bounce and numerous other local artists of varying ability. Piecers and taggers have also added to the collection of fresh paint downtown.

The mural site is just one block from 14th and Broadway, ground central for so many of Oakland’s protests and rallies, and just adjacent to the front entrance to the Greenlining building, where a coalition of local organizations teamed up for a rally in support of Black Lives Matter and Black and Brown solidarity. This event featured speakers and live performances; legendary percussionist/singer Sheila E. and legendary activist Angela Davis were reportedly among those in attendance. The CRP muralists painted through the entire event, showing their dedication to their craft and focus.

All this energy being generated will inevitably become part of the mural’s lore; the vibe of the streets has already carried over to the project. Which seems fitting, given the vision behind the mural, and its themes of resilience and resistance. The mural specifically evokes liberation struggles and community-led pushes for equity which date back to the 1960s and the Civil Rights era, and have continued ever since. Whether fighting for police reform, against displacement, for recognition of indigenous and immigrant rights, or for the right to play cultural drums in a rapidly-gentrifying area, Oakland has been the Town that don’t play around.

The “Ascendance” mural was already born out of the struggle for equal rights and justice, but it has been re-christened with a figurative exclamation point in the wake of recent events. With every day, more color and details are added, and the mural’s collective personality comes into sharper focus. 

Follow this blog and @CRPBayArea on FB, Twitter and IG for updates.

The post Downtown Oakland Becomes Ground Zero For Street Art in Wake of George Floyd Protests appeared first on Community Rejuvenation Project.

CRP’s newest mural, at The Greenlining Institute’s downtown Oakland building, looks like it’s going to be a powerful work of public art. On Friday, May 29, the artists had just completed a day which saw the first sketch outlines hit the wall. That night, what started as a peaceful protest in honor of George Lloyd became a violent and chaotic scene. The morning light revealed scores of vandalized storefronts, dozens of scrawled tags, and broken glass everywhere. It was a wild night. Yet the mural was unscathed — a good omen. 

This week, the mural — now called “AscenDance” as inspired by the push for equity and the presence of dancers from many different cultural traditions — will take further shape. Images will appear where there was only blank wall beforehand. But before we get ahead of ourselves, we thought it would be insightful to document the process to-date. 

About two weeks ago, the prep work started on the wall. The first step was plastering the holes, to make the surface smoother. This took some time, as it’s a big wall, and was accomplished through a swingstage and a tall scaffold.

Once the wall was plastered, the gridding began: gridlines of 1’ x 1’ squares were placed across the entire wall, approximately 5600 of these squares in total. This took several days and was done with the hello of several people, in addition to Lead artist Desi Mundo: Assistant artists Marina Perez-Wong and Elaine Chu of twin Walls Mural Company, longtime CRP associate Abakus, volunteers Meg Duff, Annelise Finney, Vivian Ponte-Fritz and Alejandro Velez, who helped with site preparation .

Once the gridding was finished, pencil sketches were outlined on the wall, and then further outlined with fresh paint. Muralist Ce Ce Carpio and Assistant Artist Rachel Wolfe joined the crew for this part of the process. The vibe turned from methodical and laborious to vibrant and joyous, as Wolfe brought her portable Bluetooth speaker and started cranking out jams by Stevie Wonder, Digital Underground, and others.

There’s still quite a long ways to go, and over the next weeks, this blog will feature regular updates on the mural’s progress. In the meantime, enjoy these photos of the AscenDance crew at work!  

The post AscenDance: The Greenlining Mural Moves Forward appeared first on Community Rejuvenation Project.

But before that happens, we thought you might enjoy a sneak preview of what the finished design will look like, as well as a breakdown of the images, people, and symbolism contained within.

Here’s a mock-up of the design:

A front-facing view of the same image:

Here’s a detailed description of the artwork from CRP Founder and Executive Director Desi Mundo, the lead artist for the project:  

“The mural begins [in the lower left-hand corner] with a locomotive on a red track traveling a redlining map of Oakland. The train recalls the history of Chinese and African-American labor that built the tracks, as well as referencing the early Pullman porter jobs that brought the first generation of African Americans to Oakland. Railroads have contradictory meaning throughout the mural. They connect the communities along the route while at the same time dividing them. 

“The track passes a black-crowned night heron (these birds were displaced from the trees across the street from the original ‘Universal Language’ mural). AXIS dancers perform on top of the tracks, representing the struggle, resilience and beauty of the disabled community in collaboration with their able-bodied allies. Carla Service and Lailan Huen speak out on the microphone (originally at the protest to save the ‘Universal Language’ mural), representing the unity formed between the pan-Asian community and the Afro-Diasporic performing arts that took place through the original mural. 

“The track dips off the wall and swings in front of the Slim Jenkins Supper Club, representing historic 7th Street in West Oakland. A Black Panther shouts and puts up the Black Power fist, while another Panther reaches across the tracks to offer food to a homeless encampment. 

“Greenlining alumni and SF Supervisor Jane Kim and aerosol legend Mike Dream (RIP) paint the BART train with the word ‘DREAM’ to transform the train line from redlining to Greenlining. ‘DREAM’ is a message for the future generations to think outside the box and reach one’s maximum potential. Behind the train, Latanya Tigner of Dimensions Dance Theater uses her dance to connect with her ancestors and “get free,” while Khalil Shaheed (RIP) of Oaktown Jazz Workshop plays his horn. 

“The new green train line passes Greenlining‘s founders and early core leadership, Bob Gnaizda, George Dean, Ortensia Lopez, and John Gamboa. They stand in front of a West Oakland victorian home, occupied by a multi-racial family, Arjuna Sayyed and Christina Chung, and their two children, Djumi and Toqhi. A young child in front of Gamboa from the original protest to save the Alice Arts Center reaffirms that “We Will Not Be Moved, ” while “King” Theo Williams of SambaFunk, along with Carlos Aceituno (RIP) of Fogo Na Ropa, drums to call the community in. A coyote from the Ohlone oral traditions stands guard in the corner. Behind Williams, Mama Naomi Diouf, artistic director of Diamono Coura, dances. 

“Just to the right, Kiazi Malonga drums for his father Malonga Casquelourd, whose back and chest arch along a green ribbon which has evolved from the train track, representing culture moving in a spiral. 

“At the center of the mural, a Chinese ribbon dancer spins the ribbons connecting the past to the future. She stands on the back of a young Dr. Halifu Osumare bending forward in an acrobatic dance pose. Behind the ribbon dancer, Mexica Azteca Danzante, Julia Sabory of Danza Xitlalli  offers traditional copal smoke to the universe as part of her dance prayer. As the ribbon moves to the left, it wraps around Miss Ruth Beckford (RIP), recognized as the godmother of Oakland African American dance. 

“The ribbon transforms into a vine, representing nature, new life and continued growth. The ribbon passes Richard Oakes (RIP) , an original leader of the Alcatraz Indigenous Occupation (and the Indians of All Tribes) that sparked an indigenous cultural awakening, and Morning Star Gali, who is a leader in maintaining the annual ceremonies there. Behind Alcatraz stands Jennifer Ana Finefeuiaki (RIP), a traditional Tongan raised in the Bay Area, representing the connection across the Pacific Ocean between California tribes and Polynesians. 

“The ribbon becomes a DNA strand as it moves off the wall, representing the resiliency and possibility embedded in the community. A redtail hawk, sacred to the Ohlone, flies over the people, representing the connection between heaven and earth. 

“The hawk blesses the Hunan Ku, a Mayan symbol of duality, that serves as a halo for Quan Yin, a Buddha who reached enlightenment, who sits on the crown of three redwood trees, praying for the future — represented by a baby in a traditional Ohlone ceremonial gift basket. A hummingbird, who brought fire to the Ohlone, pollinates the Hunan Ku, while Terry Bautista, a founding member of Filipino Advocates for Justice, puts her fist up in solidarity, representing the slogan ‘All Power to the People.’ Just below her, Diamono Coura founder Zak Dioug dances.”

Well, there you have it. 

The 360 mural is located at 360 14th Street, in downtown Oakland.

This project is supported by the California Arts Council and Creative Work Fund.

Visit this site for regular updates throughout the production process. 

The post Desi Mundo Breaks Down the 360 Mural appeared first on Community Rejuvenation Project.

Pandemics have a way of impacting the best-laid plans (of mice and men). What happens to artists who do public-facing works, when  there’s an emergency order to shelter in place? What happens to projects?

Read on and find out. 

Earlier this year, the Community Rejuvenation Project announced a collaboration with The Greenlining Institute to paint a large-scale mural on GLI’s headquarters, the “360 building.” 

The project had literally been years in the making. The planned mural was the culmination of a process which began in early 2016, when CRP was part of a coalition of community activists who successfully negotiated a community benefits agreement with a downtown developer. As part of the agreement, CRP received funding to  address the obscuring of the beloved “Universal Language” mural at Alice and 14th Sts. — a mural so iconic, images from it were used to symbolize equity, culture, and diversity in official City documents like the Cultural Plan and the Downtown Specific Plan Preliminary Draft, as well as the Department of Race & Equity’s landing page. That’s in addition to media write-ups in the East Bay Express, East Bay Times, and KQED Arts, and being featured in videos by local rappers Ras Ceylon and Jahi.

After securing additional funding for extensive community outreach from funders Creative Work Fund and the California Arts Council, CRP announced an ambitious slate of public events and activities, beginning in February. These included a panel discussion on the state of public art, and three community input sessions to inform stakeholders about the project and gather feedback, before beginning the design process. 

These events all went well, and seemed to build momentum for the next phase: mural design and feedback sessions. An early version of the design was presented on March 11 at the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, attended by Malonga resident artists and tenants, community members, and some of the assistant artists for the project. There was a lively and robust discussion, as community folks opined about what worked — and what didn’t. 

Then on March 17, California Governor Gavin Newsom issued the shelter-in-place order that mandated that all non-essential activities immediately cease until further notice. The immediate impact of this decision for CRP was that planned public activities for April — additional mural design sessions — had to be moved online.

This presented a bit of a logistical challenge, but nothing insurmountable. Like many others in the same position, CRP had to quickly familiarize itself with the tools and functionality of Zoom meetings, and to set up a process which would allow for dialogue and input. Each of these meetings helped lead artist Desi Mundo to refine the design by addressing prior feedback. After the third meeting, Mundo felt like he was “95% of the way” to finalizing the design; only a few minor tweaks remained.

The larger issue, however, was that as long as the shelter-in-place order remained active,  painting a mural outside was a no-no. (While there has been a proliferation of tagging and some minor murals painted by street artists since the pandemic hit, the CRP/GLI project wouldn’t easily fly under the radar, since the building is eight stories tall and can’t be painted in a single day or even two days.) 

This was unfortunate, as Mundo had hoped to use the COVID-19 restrictions to get a jump start on the painting process and not have to coordinate logistics with the owner of the parking lot adjacent to the mural site. Mural artists generally wear masks while painting anyway; so social distancing would not have been a problem, and there would be less distractions, if any, due to the dearth of foot traffic — which could result in more focus and concentration on production. 

With the latest news–that the sheltering order has been extended until the end of May, at the least, the timeline for the mural remains uncertain. As California and Oakland cautiously come back online — Newsom has announced a four-stage process — the hope is that restrictions will relax enough for the mural production to be greenlit. Despite CRP having (most) of its ducks in a row and having mostly completed its community engagement strategy, public art — like so many other things in the present moment — has become a waiting game. 

The post Pandemics and Public Art appeared first on Community Rejuvenation Project.

Recently, CRP got a call from Oakland’s District 6 Councilmember, Loren Taylor, about a new anti-blight mural opportunity in East Oakland. To avoid fines by the City for unsightly tagging at a vacant site, the property owner wanted to commission some public art.

The only catch? The mural had to be completed within 48 hours.

As CRP Executive Director Desi Mundo explained, “Loren [Taylor] had been in a conversation around painting in this area for a long time. We had connected while I was looking for a site for my wife, Jennifer. We’d discussed this wall and made contact with the property owner. I was anticipating that the project wouldn’t take place for several months because of the bureaucracy around contracting the project through the city. So when the call came to do it in the next two weeks, my schedule was already booked. We had two days to organize the project and get the supplies and another two days to complete the piece. Fortunately, the team that we pulled together was some of the Bay Area’s top talent, and we all stepped up to the challenge.”

“This has been a great location. This has been a very epic and exciting street. There’s a lot of foot traffic, car traffic. Everyone stopping by to come and say ‘hello’ made me want to paint something that reflects the community here” — CeCe Carpio

Mundo quickly reached out to fellow muralists and asked them to collaborate on the project — located at 72nd Avenue and International Boulevard, just east of the Coliseum BART — a largely Latino and Black neighborhood which is undergoing a transition as AC Transit’s BRT project takes shape. 

What resulted was possibly higher than expectations going in. 

A high caliber of artists answered the call: Spie from TDK (aka Those Damn Kids, Teach Dem Knowledge or The Dream Kontinues), CeCe Carpio and T-Prospect of TYS (Trust Your Struggle), former CRP member-gone-solo Pancho Peskador, longtime CRP associate Abakus, emerging muralist Keena Romano, and even reputable street artist Deadeyes Omega.

Despite the short window of time to get it all in, the mural process flowed smoothly. Everything came together as the artists went about their business of transforming a blighted storefront into a neighborhood treasure. Buoyed by an unintentional soundtrack of traditional Guatemalan music courtesy of a live band emanating from a church across the street, the painting crew rolled up their sleeves, primed their spraycans, and hoisted up their ladders. 

Throughout the process, passers-by offered mostly-positive commentary  and encouragement as the mural took shape. By the end of the second day, some were already offering referrals of nearby walls.

The finished mural, “Warriors,” injects vibrant colors into an otherwise-drab intersection, backgrounded by a high-intensity orange over which letters, portraits, and scenes were laid. There are recurring motifs of bees, honeycomb, and butterflies, along with an afro-puffed young Black girl, a stunning indigenous woman in dazzling headgear and regalia, a figure with a human body and a feline face (representing the Black Panthers), a depiction of Mexican revolutionaries marching, and a Native American medicine wheel representing the four directions.  A calligraphic script on the International Boulevard side of the block spells out an additional message: “Rise Up.” 

“This was one of those crazy projects,” said Pescador, adding he was honored to have been part of the mural. 

“We–I dont want to say ‘rushed it’–we acted really fast in deciding what we were gonna paint. And we had a short amount of time to [think] about it.”

In Chilean-inflected English, he noted the collaborative process was an enjoyable one. “I love the team. I think we had a fantastic team, you know, some hyper-talented artists. [It was] such a blessing, people showed up out of the blue,  they wanna help, you know, that’s beautiful. The mural is vibrant, and I think definitely, it’s an add for the community. I’m excited [to do] more of this [type of work].”

Carpio called out some other interesting dynamics of this mural, from the neighborhood’s characters interacting with the muralists, to the sights and sounds of a busy, multicultural, and urban place-setting.

“Man, this has been a great location. This has been a very epic and exciting street. There’s a lot of foot traffic, car traffic. And everyone stopping by to come and say ‘hello’ made me want to paint something that reflects the community here, so I painted a young girl. Everyone seems to be able to connect and relate.

“Because she is who she is. She’s holding flowers and surrounded by honeycombs, and pollination right now, it felt like folks can kind of relate to the fact that it’s a young Black girl, right here in the middle of Oakland, kind of just  a celebration of life. 

The team work, she related, was indeed tangible. “E here has been my mentor” — she points at Spie, who’s perched on a ladder, filling in an outline. It’s a slow and careful process, complete with occasional commentary about the sheer physicality and spatial awareness needed to do ladder work. 

“I’ve painted with [Spie] a number of times. And T, who is the youngest member of Trust Your Struggle, came by to help out. And Desi and Pancho, we’ve been talking about this for a while, to be able to go and paint, and they’ve been very generous. The time to paint, the assistance to help, I think everyone’s just really got so much love for what it is. So we do want to be a team, [we] want other folks to be able to do it with,  It’s such a crazy feat, of trying to paint this wall in two days.” 

Her laugh is somewhere in-between a guffaw and a chuckle. 

“I thought it was impossible until I seen it done. At least, something presentable,” she adds. 

“Warriors” sets a precedent for what hopefully could be a flourishing of culture in District 6 — one which embraces murals as part of the visual landscape and community gravitas.  At the least, it’s a welcome change from former Councilwoman Desley Brooks, who was so unenthusiastic about murals, she never commissioned the $50,000 allotment D6 received for abatement murals  way back in 2013. (Since then, tagging has continued to proliferate throughout Oakland, and the City’s Graffiti Abatement Unit is reportedly down to one employee on the verge of retirement.)  

it’s encouraging that new Coucilmember Taylor is beginning to take initiative to create more-visible culture and more attractive neighborhoods — especially since creating murals as abatement mitigation is a longstanding best practice CRP has advocated for. 

The results not only speak for themselves, but suggest that other blighted locations in the Deep East could benefit from the same treatment. And while some recent murals (in downtown in particular) have shied away from cultural statements and social commentary, “Warriors” doesn’t downplay this aspect of the community mural tradition. It’s a splash and a slam dunk.

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