Precita Eyes
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Precita Eyes Muralists Association is a community-based
non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
muralist A mural is any piece of Graphic arts, graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' ...
and arts education group located in the
Bernal Heights Bernal Heights ( ) is a residential neighborhood in southeastern San Francisco, California. The prominent Bernal Heights hill overlooks the San Francisco skyline and features a microwave transmission tower. The nearby Sutro Tower can be seen from ...
neighborhood of
San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
. It was founded in 1977 by Susan and Luis Cervantes.Precita Eyes celebrates two decades of making walls, and community, bloom
by Will Cain, ''
San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The ...
'', October 17, 2007, access date July 18, 2008


History

Precita Eyes Muralists Association was founded in 1977 by Susan and Luis Cervantes, who had come to the Bay Area several years before and started a family. Susan Cervantes was inspired by Las Mujeres Muralistas, the first all-women group of collaborative muralists. Cervanted adopted the Mujeres uralists' philosophy of collaborative, accessible, community art. The organization evolved from a community mural workshop in which the participants designed and painted the mural “Masks of God, Soul of Man” for the Bernal Heights Library. The group signed the piece as Precita Eyes Muralists because the project was a collaborative effort. The name of the organization comes from the fact that most of the muralists were from Precita Valley, which gets its name from Precita Creek. Precita is a diminutive form of the Spanish word ‘presa,’ which means dam; the word ‘Precita’ means little dam. The ‘Eyes’ in the name are what we perceive the visual world with, our own eyes. After the first mural, the group of artists continued to be interested in creating murals. They completed two major mural commissions and several more portable murals. Two years later, the group applied for non-profit status in 1979. In 1998 Precita Eyes expanded its operations with the purchase of the building at 2981 24th Street, near the well-known Balmy Alley.Precita Eyes Muralists, Precita Eyes Organizational History, Press kit. Retrieved on March 03, 2008 As of 2007, Precita Eyes had supported nearly 100 murals in the Mission neighborhood, Precita Eyes celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2007Precita Eyes celebrates three decades of making walls, and community, bloom
"dd_precita034.jpg" caption, ''San Francisco Chronicle'', October 17, 2007, access date July 18, 2008
and continues to conduct several mural projects each year. Recent projects include two international projects, one in Beijing, ChinaWhat's happening in China
by Nicolas C. Hope, Stanford Center for International Development, May 11, 2007, access date July 18, 2008
and the other in parts of Palestine and Lebanon. Other recent local projects involved the restoration of two San Francisco Parks, Excelsior Playground and Crocker-Amazon Playground. They also host an annual Urban Youth Arts Festival, with artists painting on boards in Precita Park. Murals are an expression of the culture of the neighborhood; in an article about Precita Eyes, muralist Juana Alicia Montoya said "In the 1960s and '70s, the Mission District became the cultural heart of the Chicano movement in California... and the murals were an integral part of that movement, as was theater and poetry." The book ''Chicana and Chicano Art: ProtestArte'' says "Arts organizations such as Precita Eyes continue to support Chicano muralism's original objective: to create public art that authentically represents a community's history and culture."


Programs

Precita Eyes Muralists is one of only a handful of mural arts organizations in the United States. It maintains two centers. The original Mural Arts Center across from
Precita Park This is a List of parks in San Francisco Federal National Park Service *Golden Gate National Recreation Area (partially), including **Alcatraz **China Beach **Fort Funston **Fort Mason ** Fort Miley (partially) **Lands End ** Ocean Beach **The Pr ...
at 348 Precita Avenue is used primarily by the education program for toddler, kids and youth classes. The Precita Eyes Mural Arts and Visitors Center, at 2981 24th Street, conducts mural tours; has a small art supply and mural merchandise store; is used as a gallery space and a space for workshops for adults to plan and design mural art; has space to work on mosaics and portable murals; and contains Precita Eyes Muralists’ Offices. Precita Eyes Muralists offers weekly art classes for toddlers, children and youth 18 months to 19 years old. Precita Eyes offers walking tours that cover mural history and the cultural and historical significance of the murals in Balmy Alley and the wider Mission district. Tours are open to the public during the weekends. Private tours for large groups such as school classes or visiting groups can be scheduled during the weekday and are tailored to the audience.


Notes


Bibliography


Community Murals as Democratic Art and Education
by David Conrad, Journal of Aesthetic Education, Vol. 29, No. 1 (Spring, 1995), pp. 98–102, University of Illinois Press
Coming Up Taller: Arts And Humanities Programs For Children And Youth At
by Judith Humphreys Weitz, 1996, Diane Publishing


External links


Official website
{{San Francisco Attractions American artist groups and collectives Murals in San Francisco Arts organizations based in the San Francisco Bay Area Mission District, San Francisco Arts organizations established in 1977 1977 establishments in California