Christopher Gil
Associate Director of Marketing and Communications
Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA)
(415) 282-3334 ext. 152
cgil@medasf.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDA Celebrates Inspiring Murals at its Casa Adelante – 2060 Folsom 100% Affordable Housing Development in the Mission
Murals Showcase Mission Artist Yolanda López, Bay Area Movements for Racial Justice
SAN FRANCISCO, July 6, 2021 — The Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) and co-developer Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC) have announced the completion of the murals at Casa Adelante – 2060 Folsom. This is a 127-unit, 100% affordable housing development for families and transitional-aged youth, with many of the latter formerly homeless. Winners of the below-market-rate (BMR) housing lottery, overseen by the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD), have already started moving into their brand-new homes.
There was always the idea to bring in the arts to the space at 2060 Folsom, especially with its proximity to the arts corridor along 16th Street near Mission. The co-developers put out a Request for Proposal (RFP) in 2020, with an outline project description. The budget was funded through MOHCD, complemented by money from MEDA’s construction loan. Based on her artistic vision and theme, native San Franciscan and renowned muralist Jessica Sabogal was selected. Her work has been showcased in national and international news outlets, ranging from CNN and the Wall Street Journal to the Huffington Post and the New York Times. Sabogal’s past work has touched upon everything from queer/trans visibility to indigenous rights to gentrification.
“Jessica Sabogal was selected based on her extensive portfolio of large-scale murals in urban centers, plus our aligned vision for the four walls, which reach 50 to 60 feet and can be seen from far away, including the Bay Bridge,” said MEDA Project Manager Serena Li. “Community input was garnered, and we have been receiving positive feedback from community members who are excited upon seeing the final product, which enlivens the street while telling a compelling narrative.”
Sabogal titled the piece at Casa Adelante – 2060 Folsom, “Sobreviviremos: A Portrait of Yolanda López and Tribute to the1969 organizations working toward liberation and self-determination: Los Siete de la Raza, The Black Panther Party, and the Indians of All Tribes.” The four walls are now adorned with a towering portrait of the Mission’s own Yolanda López, a Chicanx famed artist with works focusing on the experiences of Mexican-American and working class women, often challenging ethnic stereotypes. Additionally, the murals feature a Black panther, and slogans from past social justice movements of 1969. Such rallying cries include: “¡Basta ya!” (“Enough Already!”) contrived from Los Siete de la Raza; “Sobreviviremos” (“We will survive”), a slogan derived from the artist as a message to the community during the pandemic; and “Indian land,” an exact replica of the graffito from Alcatraz Island during the Native Occupation of 1969.
“The thing I’ve learned most through the medium of public art is that you are not free until all of us are free, so as long as my comrades of another oppressed race/religion/identity are suffering than I must work to uplift and amplify our collective struggle to the best of my ability,” said Sabogal. “So, for this mural, given COVID-19, I was mourning each and every day. So much death in our communities, so much loss not only by the disease but by the hands of the government and police. I kept looking for answers from the past: How did folks work toward our liberation historically when things felt unjust? That’s what led me to the historical aspects of the mural, and wanting to erect my own monument of Yolanda just tied it all together, as she was part or in solidarity with the movements portrayed in the work.“
Casa Adelante – 2060 Folsom is one of six new constructions MEDA and its co-developers have built or will be constructing in San Francisco’s Mission District. The property at Folsom and 17th streets was designed by architects Mithun and Y.A. Studio. Additionally, a trio of nonprofits — PODER, Youth Speaks and First Exposures — will occupy spaces on the first floor, and Larkin Street Youth Services will lead an on-site residential program. Learn more.
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About Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA)
Rooted in San Francisco’s Mission District, MEDA is advancing a national equity movement by building Latino prosperity, community ownership and civic power. We envision generations of Latino families choosing where to call home, thriving economically, succeeding in learning opportunities, and leading policy and social change toward a more equitable society.
medasf.org
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