Nancy "Pili" Hernández

Nancy “Pili” Hernández (born 1980) is an interdisciplinary artist, muralist, social activist, educator, and youth worker, born and raised in Pittsburgh, California. She received an Associate of Arts from the City College of San Francisco and then transferred to San Francisco State University (SFSU), earning a Bachelor’s in Raza Studies and a minor in art education. She has worked as the manager of the Excelsior Strong Casa de Apoyo (funded by the Latino Task Force of San Francisco), continuing the legacy of efforts such as the Mission’s Balmy Alley project in providing resources and support to Mission residents. She has worked with Susan Kelk Cervantes and Precita Eyes, as well as with writer, tagger, and muralist Estria Miyashiro, on the Water Writes project, co-creating ten murals relating to water and its equal distribution. Her 2010 screenprint Indian Land, which she made with Jesus Barraza and Dignidad Rebelde, is a silhouette of North, Central, and South America. It was included in the exhibition Printing the Revolution! The Rise and Impact of Chicano Graphics, 1965 to Now at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. This is near where she once stood on a crane holding the iconic RESIST 70-by-30 foot banner next to the White House during the Trump administration’s inauguration on January 20, 2017. A powerful example of using art and activism to express dissent and inspire change, this direct action stood in defiance and resistance to “all attacks on our planet and on our people.” Within the Mission District she is known as a “Hood Hero,” incorporating muralismo and art to bring together youth and address the root causes of gang violence and other divides.

Camilo Garzón