A crowd of perhaps 100 people gathered at 24th and Mission this morning to take part in a lively celebration of the plaza’s newly restored mural.
The mural, originally painted in 1975, depicts a silver BART train being carried by a line of concrete pillars that double as downcast workers. Faceless red figures huddle underneath the tracks. In the background, the multicolored towers of downtown look rather distant.
Michael Rios and Richard Montes, two of the mural’s original creators, were at today’s ceremony. Its third artist, Tony Machado, died in 2018.
Rios headed up the restoration of the artwork, which was funded with a $140,000 grant from affordable housing developer TODCO and was coordinated by Precitia Eyes Muralists. He was assisted by painters Lucía González Ippolito, Suaro Cervantes, and Carlos “Kookie” Gonzales.
“The colors on this wall are just amazing,” said Rios. “They’re like a bouquet of flowers. It is a beautiful reflection of our spirit in color.”
Today’s celebration kicked off with a performance of traditional dance from a selection of local groups, alongside the burning of herbs to “cleanse” the plaza.
Ippolito said that the restoration, which took place from mid-July to the end of August, is largely faithful to the original, but has seen several significant tweaks.
“Michael’s palette has changed,” said Ippolito. The colors throughout the mural are now much brighter. The faceless crowd is vivid red, rather than the original subdued brown, and the artists have given the sky a red hue, too — meant as a response to the wildfires that raged in Maui while the painters worked, said Ippolito.
There have been additions to the top left of the mural as well. Buildings now float in the sky, and the artists added a crane to the cityscape. Ippolito said this serves as a commentary on development in San Francisco, and contrasts with the anonymous, faceless bodies in the foreground.
“This mural is a reflection of the environment we’re in,” said Ippolito. “It is in direct commentary with what is happening in the plaza today.”
The 24th Street plaza has been the site of considerable local controversy in recent years. It has seen stabbings and illegal vending, police watchtowers and temporary fences, with little consensus on how to keep the area clean and safe. Several speakers today acknowledged the situation, but focused on the artwork as an example of positive change in the area.
“Today is really about the promise of 24th Street and the 24th Street BART Station,” BART Board Member Bevan Dufty said to the crowd. He added that the mural was part of an “ongoing partnership” with groups like Calle 24 to make the plaza into a valuable “local resource.”
“Michael, you are a treasure,” said Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin. He presented Rios with a Certificate of Honor from the city of San Francisco for his contribution to the city’s art scene over the years.
Montes, who helped create the original artwork in his mid-twenties, said that things were very different in the plaza today, compared to 50 years ago, but that he was delighted to be back.
“I’m glad they changed the colors,” said Montes. “It looks really good. It’s amazing to be here, and for people to still be enjoying it after all this time.”
Mike Rios is an amazing &
most colorful artist, & human being. He’s a most beautiful entity. He’s really
only 75.
An edited palette would be far easier on the eye. Less is more. Seriously, it would be refreshing to see some refinement & evolution rather than blinding brash technicolor of the past two plus centuries decades.
It’s an appropriate Latin American palette. Sounds like you prefer design over painting.