Those We Love, We Remember – Balmy Alley, Mission District, San Francisco, California

Another mural memorializing people who died of AIDS. This one is by community activist, educator, great-grandmother, and muralist Edythe Boone.

The self-taught artist left Harlem in 1978 when crack cocaine overran her neighbourhood. She moved to the Bay Area where “you could see the sky, smell the flowers, and people were marching in the streets.” Edythe gained her reputation as a public arts advocate and artist, painting guerrilla murals against drug trafficking at midnight, as well as collaborating with and heading up a series of community mural projects.

Edythe believes that art is for everyone, not just professional artists. Her mission is to empower individuals and transform communities through art. Whether she is working in a diverse collaborative of women artists on the MaestraPeace project, putting paintbrushes in the hands of Richmond seniors unfamiliar with art, or giving teens from rival groups a lesson in non-violent communication, Edythe uses art as a tool to foster empathy and compassion, change perceptions of the “other” and promote cross-cultural/interracial/intergenerational healing. She has taught thousands of students to find their creative voice, filling the Bay Area with colorful murals designed to bring dignity, pride and empowerment to the communities they grace.