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 herself had been inspired by “Las Mujeres Muralistas,” the first all-women group of collaborative muralists from which she applies her strategy of collaborative, accessible, community art. The organization evolved from a community mural workshop in which the participants designed and painted the portable 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. As of 2007, Precita Eyes had supported nearly 100 murals in the Mission neighborhood, including on The Women's Building and Cesar ChavezElementary School. Precita Eyes celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2007 and continues to conduct several mural projects each year. Recent projects include two international projects, one in Beijing, China 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 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. These programs enable students to find and develop their confidence and individuality through arts and crafts, and experience positive social interaction through collaboration in a safe environment. It also offers regular workshops for adults such as the Community Mural Arts Education Workshop. Overall the educational programs serve approximately 3,000 children, youth and adults yearly, most of whom qualify as moderate to low income. People served by the program include young people caught for doing graffiti and required to do community service hours. 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.
