media contact:

Christina Tetreault  / (480) 748 – 0528/ ctetreault@medasf.com

WHAT: 

Make Things New: San Francisco Mission District Mural Series Unveiling

WHEN: 

Wednesday, October 23

11am – 1pm

WHERE: 

Casa Adelante

2828 16th Street, 

San Francisco, California  

Casa Adelante at 2828 16th Street is excited to host and announce the unveiling of a new San Francisco public mural commission entitled, Make Things New by renowned Royal Chicano Air Force (RCAF) artist Lorraine García-Nakata. The unveiling will occur on Wednesday, October 23 (11am / 1pm) at Casa Adelante, 2828 16th Street, San Francisco, CA.

SPEAKERS:   

• Program Opening: Michelle Antone, Indigenous Elder, Native American Health Center
• Casa Adelante and MEDA/TNDC Representatives 
• Office of the Mayor
• Artist: Lorraine García-Nakata, Royal Chicano Air Force (RCAF)

Located within a designated Indigenous cultural corridor, this 4,000 square foot mural series was designed specifically for its residents and also acknowledges Indigenous wisdom. García-Nakata states, “As a muralist, my intention was to create an overall place of rest, dignity, and ‘medicine’ for all those who daily walk through this open space. The Make Things New mural series affirm the necessity and power of envisioning in areas such as claiming joy, bond between parent and child, Indigenous precious wisdom, transformation, youth presence, and male contemplation.”

About the Artist:

Lorraine García-Nakata is a founding member of the Royal Chicano Air Force (RCAF artist collective). Ms. Garcia-Nakata has exhibited on local, regional, national, and international levels and is highly recognized as an artist, cultural specialist, community activist, and cultural bearer. Her creative work navigates between disciplines including visual art, music, and writing. Adept in a range of visual arts mediums, she is noted for her large-scale drawings and paintings as well as her command in mixed media, printmaking, installation work, ceramics, sculpture, and photography. In 2003, the California Arts Council awarded Lorraine a Visual Arts Fellowship. 2008, she was a mayoral appointee as Arts Commissioner to the San Francisco Arts Commission, 2009, appointed by US Congress as Commissioner exploring creation of a National Museum of the American Latino, since 2012, is a founding member of the San Francisco Latino Historical Society, 2023, invited to Artist Advisory Council with the Art Space Land Trust. 2015, Stanford University Library Special Collections acquired the “Lorraine García-Nakata Papers,” and in the same year, her book “Chola Enterprises” was published by Copilot Press. 2018, her book “Children’s Stories for Adults,” was published by BRC Publishing. Lorraine has been recognized in multiple scholarly publications, by the U.S. Congress, California State Legislature, included in Women of Conscience, publication by Victoria Alvarado, and in the seminal publication Flying Under the Radar with the Royal Chicano Air Force, by Dr. Ella Maria Díaz, to name a few. Lorraine continues to live and work in San Francisco. 

Mural Commission Project Partners:

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. 

Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation (TNDC)

TNDC provides affordable housing and services for over 4,100 low-income residents in six San Francisco neighborhoods, building community and promoting equitable access to opportunity and resources.

Galería de la Raza

Galería de la Raza is a non-profit promoting Xicanx/Latinx art and culture and dedicated to social inclusion and justice through community arts.

SS United States: Now Eternally at Home 

—- David Eugene Perry

At 10 years old I touched the SS United States and she touched me back. In 1972, my Pop pulled up our boat between “America’s Flagship” and the aircraft carrier “John F. Kennedy” both berthed near their birthplace, Newport News Virginia.   We had driven the hour and a half from our home in Richmond to cast our poles in the Chesapeake Bay: a not uncommon trip.  My father knew schools of fish gathered around large hulls. In those pre 9/11 days, pulling up our modest Glasspar between the largest American-built vessels was not challenged.  As I recall, my father caught a bunch.  I caught ship fever. I was hooked more than our cooler full of perch.

From July 3, 1952 on her maiden voyage to November 14, 1969 when she was withdrawn from service, SS United States was the Blue Riband holder for fastest liner crossing of the Atlantic, a record held to the present day and never to be challenged. The mid century modern masterpiece of legendary naval architect William Francis Gibbs, who made the cover of TIME magazine for his achievement, was the pride of a post war nation. 

Post WWII, however, was Cold War America, and the SS United States was designed to quickly be converted into troopship duties. Her just-shy-of-1000-feet in length meant potential transit through the Panama Canal  for Pacific non-pacific deployment. Her near 40 knot speed approached navy destroyers. The Revel model I instantly built following my first glimpse of her had a flat bottom: her ‘neath the waterline curves considered a national security secret. She was, literally, a femme fatale.

The Cold War never got hot and the SS United States peacefully and profitably transported over a million pampered passengers during 400 voyages with nary an accident nor incident more serious than touching up the paint on her speed scarred bows. Hollywood loved her — on screen in such movies as “Bon, Voyage” and in cabin with her many celebrity guests (London, too: the former King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson, pugs in tow were regulars) — as did Madison Avenue. Generations of ad campaigns featured her as the iconic star she was and is, burnishing their brands with the glow off her gleaming decks.

Fast as she was, however, the greatest ship ever built by her namesake, couldn’t beat progress. Three days at sea couldn’t compete with six hours by air. After retirement, the SS United States got shuffled around, sold, bought, sold and bought again until finally purchased in 2011 by the noble nonprofit SS United States Conservancy, headed by her designer’s granddaughter, Susan Gibbs.  For the last 13 years, Gibbs and her team, literally, kept afloat “The Big U” but always with the preservation of her legacy on the foredeck. Plans for modernization into an oceangoing vessel once more or conversion into a hotel, conference center and museum — all though meticulously researched — couldn’t weather our post-pandemic world and financial realities.  Shortly, she will take her final above-water voyage, under tow, to become the world’s largest artificial reef off the coast of Florida. I fully anticipate a moving parade of ships escorting her down the East Coast as she proceeds. 

In 1998, I worked my way around the world by ship, and the last 25 years have returned to sea to lecture on maritime history and the “Golden Age” of ocean travel. The SS United States always figures prominently. It is often said by mariners that all ships end up at one of two places: the breakers or beneath the waves. It’s a maxim William Francis Gibbs would have understood.

For the ship whose cool, seductive touch inspired my life of salty love,  “beneath the waves” means a dignified eternity. I look forward to touching the SS United States again, this time in a scuba suit, where millions of fish, coral dwellers and — eventually millions of human visitors  — will be inspired by her beauty, history and  the land based museum near where she will be reefed. Long live America’s flagship. I think William Francis would approve.