Precita Eyes Tour – Mission District Murals

Overview

Today we took the Precita Eyes Mission Trail Mural Walk Tour of the murals of the Mission District. We were surprised at the concentration of murals, street and graffiti art that we saw. It started when we parked our car. The lot we parked at (California Parking Inc @2351 Mission Street) was chock full of art. The parking lot was the site of the former El Capitan Theatre and Hotel. Here is a sampling of what is just at the parking lot: StreatArtSF.

In Seattle, there is isolation between murals and street and graffiti art. In comparison, in the Mission District, murals are side by side with street art and graffiti. The lines between the different art forms are more blurred. The Mission District was much like what we experience in London, when we went on the London Graffiti and Street Art Tour.

In the Mission District, a lot of activity centers around alleys like Lilac, Cypress, Balmy (the most famous), Lucky, Cunningham, and Clarion, to name a few that we visited. Most of the Precita Eyes tour we took was within 1-2 blocks north and south of 24^th Street, from Mission St (west) to Balmy St. (east). The theme of much of the work revolves around community, democratic art, and the Hispanic experience in the Mission District. A newer theme that appeared a number of pieces is the gentrification of the neighborhood, typically be employees of high tech companies.

Below, if a title of a piece has quotes around it, then it’s just our title for the piece. Your Precita Eyes tour may be different than what we show below. We chose to organize the tour for presentation below around “stops”. And, we only discuss a fraction of what we actually saw. See the two photos (with this post) of the maps of Balmy Alley and the Mission Trail.

 

Selected Works from Our Precita Eyes Tour

Title – Creator (date)

Stop 1: Mission Street and 24^th Street

Culture of the Crossroads – Precita Eyes (1998)

Stop 2: Lilac St and 24^th St

Solidarity – The H.O.M.E.Y. Project (2007)

Stop 3: Lilac Alley - A block of fence and garage murals painted by J.M. Velazquez and local artists. Managed by the Mission Art 415 Organization. (For more images, see StreetArtSF.)

“Untitled” – Mark Bode (2007) – infamous “Bode broad” on a motorcycle. More info.

“Peace to Pengo” - Nite Owl, related exhibition “The Pursuit of Slappiness”

“Reyes Muertos Mural” (http://blog.rmklothing.com/)

“Female Warrior” – Twick, Bode, Cuba, Stan153.

“Rock It, Don’t Stop” – Unknown

Kase 2 RIP 2011 – memorial to New York based artist, Kase 2 (real name Jeff Brown), who invented the “computer rock” style of graffiti writing. More info on this memorial mural.

Stop 4: Cypress Alley (For more images, see StreetArtSF.)

Haunting – Lango
See http://www.streetartsf.com/haunting/.

“Queen Bess” – referes to Bessie Coleman, the first female piole of African American descent.

“Ganesha with Umbrellas and Toothbrushes” - Xavi Panneton

The Green Revolution – IROT. CHE. Alex Nieto reference.

Unknown mural featuring Frieda Kahlo.

Stop 5: Capp St and 24^th St, Zipcar Parking

No one is illegal - Laura Campos (2010). Video explaining the mural.

Lady Xoc and the Vision Serpent – Twick (2009)

Stop 6: House of Brakes, S. Van Ness Ave and 24^th St

Golden Dreams of the New World – Daniel Galvez (1984)

Stop 7: Shotwell St and 23^rd

El Immigrante – Joel Bergner (2005)

Stop 8: Casesar Chavez Elementary School

The Silent Language of the Soul / El Lenguaje Mudo Del Alma – S. Cervantes and J. Alicia (1990)

Stop 9: Lucky Alley

Mind Over Matter – Unknown

Surf Vatoes – Unknown

Build Tunnels – JOE

Lucky Charms (Objetos de Buenasuerte) – Wythe & David Silverman (more photos)

Stop 10: Balmy Alley (For more images, see StreetArtSF.)

Coyolxauqui Has Something to Say - Iren Perez (1972)

Un Pasado Que Aun Vive – Joel Bergner (2004)

Rejoice – Shrine (2010)

Mission Makeover – Lucia Ippolito & Tirso Araiza (2012).
Deals with the gentrification of the Mission District.

Icons of Mexican Art – Hector Escarraman (1995)

In the Hands of a Visionary – Unknown

Victorion - El Defensor de la Mision – Simon Norris (2007)
Deals with the gentrification of the Mission District.

Tribute to Archbishop Oscar Romero – Jamie Morgan (2001)

Enrique’s Voyage – Josue Rojas (2013)

Naya Bihana (“A New Dawn”) – Martin Travers (2002)

Balmy Alley Mural Guide


Mission Trail Guide

Modernism in the Pacific Northwest: The Mythic & the Mystical

Left: Modernism in the Pacific Northwest Brochure Cover (with detail of Moving Moments [1970] by Mark Tobey)
Center: Signs and Messengers [1967] by Mark Tobey
Right: Crane Holding a Snail and Dancing [1945] by Morris Graves


The exhibition Modernism in the Pacific Northwest: The Mythic & the Mystical contains many interesting pieces from the Marshall and Helen Hatch Collection. The Hatchs started collecting Northwest art in the 1970s and donated the collection to the Seattle Art Museum in 2009. They knew many of the artists personally. The artists included in the exhibit are Mark Tobey (1890 – 1976), Morris Graves (1910 – 2001), Kenneth Callahan (1905 – 1986), Guy Anderson (1906 – 1998), Tony Angell (1940 - ), George Tsutakawa (1910 – 1997), and Philip McCracken (1928 - ). An interesting note is that many of the artists included in the exhibit worked at or for the Seattle Art Museum.

Subtitles like The Mythic & the Mystical could be enough to put you off from seeing this this exhibition, but don’t. It’s actually an interesting exhibit. It makes up for the bit of a snooze that was the last exhibit at SAM: Miró: The Experience of Seeing – Seattle Art Museum.

What is modernism? As one site put it, “modernism is notoriously difficult to define clearly because the term encompasses a variety of specific artistic and philosophical movements…”. I think this aspect defined in the Wikipedia page for Modernism is a pretty good starting point for the purposes of this exhibit:

“[modernism] includes the activities and creations of those who felt the traditional forms of art, architecture, literature, religious faith, philosophy, social organization, and activities of daily life were becoming outdated in the new economic, social, and political environment of an emerging fully industrialized world.”

As for dates, modernism began in the late 19^th century and carried on into the 20^th century. The artists in this exhibition began creating art in the 1920s onward, developing a variation of Modernism that employed the symbolic abstract art of the Native Americans of the Northwest and Asian art. For a brief period, Tobey, Morris, Graves, Callahan, and Anderson were at the forefront of Modernism before the spotlight shifted east to the New York artists, like Hans Hoffman (1980 – 1966) and Jackson Pollock (1912 – 1956).

Favorites

Mark Tobey is an artist we’ve always been aware of (as good citizens of the Northwest), but finally in this exhibit we were finally able to develop an appreciation of his work. Examples of his work in the exhibit include the busy urban scene of E Pluribus Unum [1942] (Tempera on paper mounted on paperboard), the Asian-influenced Broadway Girl [1957] (Sumi ink on paper), his calligraphic-like Signs and Messengers [1967] (Tempera on board), and Moving Moments (detail) [1970] (Oil on canvas), which appears on the brochure for the exhibition.

Morris Graves was definitely the artist we were most intrigued with in the exhibit. Many pieces on display powerfully express his views about war, for example, confusion and devastation in Oh, Where are the Bright Birds [1944] (Charcoal, ink, and transparent and opaque watercolor on Japanese paper, mounted on linen), and hope at the end of the war with an unlikely dance (peace) between a crane and a snail in Crane Holding a Snail and Dancing [1945] (Opaque and transparent watercolor on gold-toned paper).

Is Moor Swan [1933], an earlier piece featuring a black swam, a metaphor for being gay? We knew Graves was gay (through information at the exhibition) and later learned (according to this article: Gay Mystic Painters) that Tobey and Anderson were also gay.

Perhaps two works by Graves that really stood out where: Spring with Machine Age Noise [1957] (Sumi ink on Chinese paper) and Spring with Machine Age Noise, No. 3 [1957] (Ink, transparent and opaque watercolor on paper). The description to these works includes this: “There is a strip at the bottom of some of the paintings with a little indication of the movement of spring, but the rest of the painting is given over to noise –discordance- nature violated – aggressive machine noise.” YES! Perhaps someone to consider for my Just-Say-No-To-Noise club (a la Noise and Nuisance; Bronzino to Babbage).

Finally, we’ll mention Leo Kenney who, as an information card put it, “painted his own lamentation for the end of the world and then his own retreat into the realm of imagination under the influence of mescaline.” It shows in works like Metamorphosis [1948] (Ink and gouache on Chinese paper) and Voyage for Two [1953] (Gouache on Chinese paper).

Left: Modernism in the Pacific Northwest Exhibit Wall
Center: Broadway Girl [1957] by Mark Tobey
Left: E Pluribus Unum [1942] by Mark Tobey

Left: Moor Swan [1933] by Morris Graves
Right: Oh, Where are the Bright Birds [1994] by Morris Graves
Left: Spring with Machine Age Noise [1957] by Morris Graves
Right: Spring with Machine Age Noise, No. 3 [1957] by Morris Graves

Left: Metamorphosis [1948] by Leo Kenney
Right: Voyage for Two [1953] by Leo Kenney

A Visit to the British Natural History Museum

Central Hall: Stitched Photo; Darwin Statue; Diplodocus; A Monkey Looks Down on Darwin


The Natural History Museum in Kensington has always been a must-visit museum for us, so when we finally got to spend a few days in London, it was at the top of the list of things to see. And, it did not disappoint. Entering the central hall and walking around the diplodocus is worth the price of admission alone (oh wait, it’s free to enter). Be sure to climb the stairs and get as high as you can to get great views of the hall. From on high, you can really appreciate the details of the construction and design including some 78 monkeys climbing three of the arches, some looking down into the hall and at the statue of Darwin. And, look up because there are plants on the ceiling! The ceiling panels “show plant species of economic importance in Britain, such as tea, coffee and cotton.”

The museum opened to the public in 1881, but the museum collection goes back to 1753, when Sir Hans Sloane (1660 – 1753) left his collection to the nation. It was Richard Owen (1804 – 1892) who took charge of the collection and persuaded the Government to fund the current building. It was designed by Alfred Waterhouse (1830 – 1905) in the German Romanesque style, with substantial input from Owen. On its opening, the museum was hailed as ‘a true temple of nature’ and ‘the animal’s Westminster Abbey’.

The statue of Charles Darwin (1809 – 1882) – for now – sits serenely watching over the central hall, glowing in white marble. Richard Owen, who opposed the theory of evolution by natural selection, stands in dark bronze in an out-of-the-way location under a stairwell. I believe the statue of Owen was facing that of Darwin’s bulldog, Thomas Henry Huxley (1825 – 1985). No rest for poor Owen. Richard Fortey, in Dry Storeroom No. 1: The Secret Life of the Natural History Museum, says: “Oddly, the dark bronze of Owen seems more out of place, as if its metallic heaviness were symbolic of the arguments lost to the presiding genius of Darwin, beatified in marble.” The statue of Owen looks like a statue of Darth Vader on first glance.

Right: A Group Poses Next to Darwin, Girl Sneaks a Peak at Darwin; Right: Statue of Richard Owen Looking Like Darth Vader
 


But one can’t stay in the central hall forever as there are many things to see. In our 6 hours of meandering around, including a break for lunch, we hardly scratched the surface of the museum. To help you organize your visit, the museum has a color coding scheme of blue, green, red, and orange zones, each representing a theme. It’s worth consulting the floor plans before visiting so you can make the most of your time there. Some things we saw and recommend:

Green zone

• Central Hall - discussed above.
• Minerals - Wow. The room is overwhelming, but is a good look at how the museum appeared to the first visitors in 1881. From the information board in the room: “This gallery houses the Museum’s scientific collection of minerals, which is one of the finest and most comprehensive in the world. Some 12,600 specimens are on display here, representing over 2,000 of the 3,700 known mineral species.” Be sure to go all the way through to the end of the room to reach The Vault, which contains rare and beautiful specimens.

Blue zone

• Mammals (blue whale) - The centerpiece of the room is the blue whale model. I think I read somewhere in the gallery that the model is considered to be a bit wider than a normal blue whale. Still, very impressive.
• Dinosaurs - I found this room a bit confusing, hot, and claustrophobic. The museum has constructed a one-way path that culminates with an animated T. rex. It felt a little contrived, like being in a big dinosaur-mambo line, a big tease to the beast. I suppose it’s the only practical way to control the flow of people. And, you just have to go to this room if you visit the museum.
• Speaking of dinosaur, Sir Richard Owen coined the term meaning “terrible lizard”.

Orange zone

• Darwin Center – An eight-story, cocoon-shaped structure that houses working spaces for staff conducting research and museum space. Go up to the top to enter the cocoon. It doesn’t have the immediate impact as the blue whale or the T. rex, but does have beautiful exhibits and intriguing spaces when you take the time to explore it.

Red zone

• We whizzed through this part because we were running out of time. We would not recommend starting with these galleries if you are on tight schedule.

Mammal (Blue Whale) Gallery: Both Ends


Left: Ceiling Panels Depicting Plants;  Right: Central Hall with Diplodocus


Left: Red Zone; Right: Blue Zone - Dinosaur Gallery



The Mineral Gallery and Information About the Layout
 

More Photographs of the Central Hall of the British Natural History Museum: Monkeys, Beams, and Arches
 

 

NW 65th Street and 7th Avenue NW Graffiti

From the article Seattle's secretive graffiti world steps out of the shadows, the work is described as this:

Adjacent to the Ballard Goodwill, in an overgrown, fenced-off lot, there is this wall. From left to right are the works of Video, Huemr and Weirdo. On the left, "Video" has signed his name in curvy blues and purples. In the center, "Huemr" leaps out from sunset reds, yellows and oranges. On the right, “Weirdo” is emblazoned in surreal, futuristic letterforms that seem to materialize out of a mist. Their marks may be indecipherable to some, but there is method to each type of madness. Each lettering style adheres to a unique set of rules, patterns and techniques. When you understand the conventions, the symbols, the letters, become more apparent and recognizable.

On this bright Sunday morning, the abandoned lot adjacent to the fence containing the images is full of purple vetch (Vicia), dill (Anethum graveolens), alfalfa (Medicago sativa), clover (Trifolium), and hawkweek (Hieracium).

Other Photographs of the Fence