Mission Makeover – Balmy Alley, Mission District, San Francisco, California

One of the artists explains this mural in these words: "My name is Lucia. I was born and raised in San Francisco’s Mission District. Balmy Alley is my home. I have lived here most of my life. I am an artist like my father and since I was young, I have witnessed the changing murals on Balmy Alley along with the changes within my neighborhood, La Mísion.

I designed the Mission Makeover Mural to depict the two Missions that I am most familiar with; La Mísion of my youth, filled with a vibrant Latino culture, rich in art and history, a place that I have lived my entire life; and the current Madeover Mission, remodeled and revised with designer boutiques, high priced cafes, less Latino immigrant families, and dwindling diversity.

I understand that not all change is necessarily bad. But I want the new Mission residents to respect and understand the history of the older Mission and acknowledge that there was once a thriving community that barely resembles a shell of itself. This Balmy Alley mural honors those individuals, businesses and families who left without choice. It tells the stories of the indirect causes at a local and international level which changed the face of the Mission. My intent is not to antagonize community members against each other, but to create a public document that shares what the Mission looked like in previous years and understand why it changed."