Make Things New

2023 Mural Series, by Lorraine García-Nakata©, RCAF

About the “Make Things New” mural series:

 “I have an unwavering commitment to creating work in search of truths. I find them in ordinary moments illuminated by history, family, our own internal terrain, and the often-unseen spiritual world.”

Located within a designated Indigenous cultural corridor, the 4,000 square foot mural series resides at Casa Adelante- 2828 16th Street, in San Francisco. Set within the Casa Adelante building complex, “Make Things New” is the overarching theme of all eight mural paintings by commissioned artist Lorraine García-Nakata. Lorraine shares that the murals are a gift to all those who live and work on site and affirms ideas as claiming joy, Indigenous precious wisdom, bond between parent and child, transformation, youth offerings, and male contemplation.

“Vanguard Chicana artist Lorraine García-Nakata knows that her communities are beautiful. To represent the lives of ordinary people–especially women and children, García-Nakata chooses ethereal lines and colors in her painting techniques, assuring viewers that beauty is also politically powerful. Spanning four decades of artistic practice and creation, her paintings, prints, and legendary murals reveal the complexities of identity, the intimacy of memory, and the art of bearing witness to one’s life." ––  Dr. Ella Maria Diaz, author of Flying Under the Radar with the Royal Chicano Air Force: Mapping a Chicano/a Art History (UTP 2017)

Mural Series Photos 2023©: Here is a selection of photo representations of all eight mural sections. Included are a few that capture how the night lighting shifts and softens the mural color tone.

Completed in October 2023, Lorraine created original drawings for this commission which she then reproduced by hand-rendering in paint and on a significantly larger scale than the original drawings (two to three stories in height). The main murals are actual paintings, rendered, painted, hand-blended in real time. García-Nakata shares, “In creating this overall work, I experienced the serenity and freedom that old-school hand-rendered, real time paint-blended mural painting affords. It is a skill derived from decades of developing your own visual vocabulary, understanding of color interaction, image interpretation, and brush tempo and texture patterns––much like your own individual memory, clarity of sight, language vocabulary, and handwriting. My onsite painting also incorporated the life energy that came from daily interaction with the many adult and youth residents, building personnel, all of which resulted in large scale paintings that establish their own sense of place. Seeing the residents daily, hearing their excited comment, having very small children daily shout “hi” and wave as they pass, or come over to where I was painting to examine my paint brush, well, that was joyful for me.” 

“Knowing the work of Lorraine García-Nakata for decades now, her powerful images are always exquisitely rendered, whether in charcoal, pastels, or acrylics. Her new mural series called Make Things New are beautiful hand-painted  monumental figures that sparkle, inspire, and rejoice in the celebration of cultural pride. With the lush use of color and brushwork, these works invite the viewer to absorb not only the joy and beauty of her subjects but also the rich and technical virtuosity that shines so reverently throughout the murals. Her design concept for the space, her bold use of the color turquoise on walls and ceiling, centers the murals into the building's Indigenous identity and envelopes the viewer in an expansive and soothing embrace.”  – muralist Daniel Galvez, 2024

Photos of several residents and building personnel with whom I regularly interacted with. Through this interaction they came to know that these murals were for them, so they laid “claim” to all of them early. They also let me know which were their personal favorites. Two of murals included handprints by several adult residents and youth old enough to go through the hand-printing process. These youth participants, their parents, and other resident adults delighted in the thought that they would see their hand print daily and that their print would remain indefinitely.

García-Nakata designed imagery specifically for the residents and with acknowledgement of Indigenous wisdom, both of which reconcile with her own long-held artistic and cultural context. “As a muralist, my intention was to create an overall place of rest and relaxation for the residents who daily venture through this open space. Make Things New is an affirmation for all those who experience them daily.” – Lorraine García-Nakata

Early Planning and Design Process which I will summarize: It began by visiting the first floor and mezzanine levels to study the walls, panels, ceiling mural areas (their dimension, the panels upon which the murals would be painted, the way light spilled in and shifted from morning to night, etc.). Also, noted how residents daily navigated the areas, what equipment would be needed and how it would be loaded in and out. I was also interested in creating a color pallet relationship to the architect’s overall building color pallet. Below you will see the architect’s tile samples and the various colors I would mix that danced well with the architect’s color pallet. Once on site, it became clear that the background color of the murals would have to be a lighter and brighter blue since (due to the ceiling) the areas were in shadowed. Also incorporated was the element of texture (in brush stroke and other visual texture) and included use of hand prints for two of the murals and also where I signed each of the completed paintings.

Regarding mural imagery: I created imagery specifically for the residents, including acknowledgement of Indigenous wisdom, both of which reconcile with my own long-held artistic work. By extension, I incorporated references as power of envisioning, beauty, contemplation, joy, youth presence, “precious knowledge,” and parent-child bonding-all of which could create a space, their space designed to lift their spirit and also provide a place to rest, breathe, consider things. Once initial images were completed, a session with community youth was organized in order to hear their input. I enjoyed that session so much and incorporated text suggestions they had made.

Pre-onsite production photos of the site before the mural work had begun site, color pallet references, and early images and wall placement blue prints I created. Also shown are various sized stencils I created of the ceiling butterflies making that rendering consistent and significantly simplifying the painting process, ©2023

Murals In-Progress, ©2023: While the mural planning began in 2021, the on-site production work was initiated in mid-July 2023 and continued for four months ending in early October. Before the actual mural rendering could begin, equipment, scaffolding, and materials had to be loaded in and erected. This was followed by priming nearly 4,000 square feet of mural surfaces (walls, ceiling, under walkway area, and front three story panels). I then decided on the overall mural area background color, mixing nearly twenty color tests before arriving at a color that would read well in all areas (in full sun and shadowed areas) and that would also have a relationship to the architect’s building color pallet. It is important to note that I only use professional Nova Paint as this paint was specifically designed to take extreme heat that can shift to very cold, wet weather patterns without fading or bubbling. The paint viscosity and deep pigment colors are unmatched for exterior mural painting. I would not use any other paint for murals.

Make Things New mural series Unveiling

This mural commission is a key legacy project, for García-Nakata, one that reflects her work as a Royal Chicano Air Force (RCAF) artist, her consequential contributions in the arts and cultural arena, as a Mission District and Galería de la Raza Elder, and as a cultural bearer with deep connection to evolving communities of San Francisco, the Bay Area, and our national and international communities.

This public art commission was made possible through a partnership between the Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA), Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation (TNDC), San Francisco Arts Commission, and Galería de la Raza. Special appreciation to: Mallun Breedlove, Rye Purvis, Jeffrey Lazos-Ferns, my son Kanichi García Nakata, and all the heros on the ground who supported the completion of this project. You know who you are.