Unidentified artist, Mission Community Mural Map, mid 1970s. Reproduction of an original map in the collection of Michael Nolan. Courtesy of Galería de la Raza
The Mission Community Mural Map provides directions to virtually tour the past and consider the origins of this remarkably creative and colorful reimagination of the city. Each mural listed reflected diverse aesthetics and approaches, but several muralists collaborated on more than one of these sites, as can be seen in this expanded list in chronological, rather than geographic, order.
Proyecto Mission Murals examines the origins of the community mural movement in San Francisco’s Mission District over close to two decades, from 1972 to 1988. Created in collaboration with community partners, the project includes documentation of murals created in the Mission District between 1972 and 1988, accompanied by reference images. It also features materials generously provided by the muralists themselves, the Mission community members and organizations that have supported their work, and scholars and journalists who have chronicled their activity, including interviews, essays, a documentary film, an audio zine, primary sources, and new artist biographies.
The interdisciplinary nature of Proyecto Mission Murals reflects the complexities and richness of the community mural movement. Rather than a cohesive or seamless narrative, this project conveys its wide-ranging aesthetics, the diversity of its participants, its changing nature, and the perpetual challenges faced by its artists.