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Port of Call |
LAST UPDATE February 26, 2007
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| January 22, 2007 |
San Francisco, USA – Art is Great! Peace Boat Participants Discover the Power of Murals in San Francisco |
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| San Francisco artist Sara Thustra leads Peace Boat participants down Clarion Alley |
In the 20th century, great muralists like Diego Rivera painted scenes depicting social issues and historical struggles from the viewpoint of people usually ignored, such as workers and indigenous people. In San Francisco today, the use of murals to give expression to those usually not heard in mainstream society lives on – transforming drab alley walls into spectacular pieces of art that anyone can view freely at anytime in the process. |
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| A mural in the Mission District protests the shackles imposed on poor people by the IMF, WTO, and GATT |
On January 22nd, Peace Boat organized a study programme called “Art Changes Society” to the Mission District of San Francisco to allow participants the chance to see some of these murals up close, talk to local artists, and think about the role of art in society. Participants then had a chance to take up paintbrushes and try their own hand at creating a mural together. |
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| A Peace Boat participant learns about the pain of Latin American immigrants through a mural |
So much of mainstream culture today revolves around trying to sell products, explained Buck Austin of ALARM magazine, that artists who aren't a part of this process often don't get heard – though they have political and social messages that are vital to society. Mr. Austin led participants to Clarion Alley and Balmy Alley, two streets that neighborhood artists have covered almost every inch of in paintings of different styles. The paintings express a variety of themes, including immigration, female power, birth and death, isolation, class, spirituality, love, and resistance to war and imperialism. The murals left participants transfixed. “Up until now, I didn't realize how much power art has to express messages, and to make people stop and think about them,” said one. “I want to try painting to express what's inside myself, too,” he added.
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more information about ALARM, please visit www.alarmpress.com |
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| Members of the Study Programme create a mural together at Precita Eyes |
Participants were given that opportunity at Precita Eyes Mural Arts, an organization in the Mission District that provides groups with the workshop space, supplies, and guidance to create their own murals. After asking participants to sketch anything on individual sheets of paper, muralist Halsey Chait gathered everyone's ideas and helped weave them together on a single sheet of paper. Once a rough draft was created, participants transferred the design to a larger sheet of paper and then set about painting it. In four hours, they transformed the blank piece of paper into a rainbow of colors expressing themes of love, the sun, the earth, the sea, and the interconnected of people. “Murals are a metaphor for working together,” explained Mr. Chait. “People see what they can do when they share ideas and work together, and start wondering what else they can do.” |
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| The finished mural, titled “Peace Colors” by participants |
In the process of making the mural, many participants found themselves personally transformed. “I used to hate art class,” said one, “because we were always told what to draw, how to draw it, and not to mix colors. In making this mural, I finally felt the enjoyment of freedom of expression.” Another bubbled with newfound eagerness to become a designer and open up her own shop – as well as to start a magazine like ALARM in Japan to discover new artists whose work is out of the mainstream. Said another, “I used to love drawing and painting when I was a kid, but I stopped as I got older. Now I want to take it up again and keep expressing myself. Art is great!” For more information about mural making in San Francisco, visit www.precitaeyes.org. |
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