In the wake of George Floyd's murder, San Francisco embarked on a reckoning with its historical monuments, sparking a wave of topplings and a surge in calls for change. This movement has given rise to a new wave of artistic expression, with a focus on creating monuments that reflect the city's diverse history and the experiences of its residents. The story of San Francisco's monuments is a complex one, with a mix of public and private funding, male artists, and a need for ongoing evaluation and transformation.
The Pioneer Monument, located in Civic Center, has long been a contentious symbol of California's founding, with its depiction of Junípero Serra 'converting' an Indigenous man. The statue was eventually removed in 2018, but it remains one of the city's least-liked monuments. Now, artist Kaleb Duarte is transforming the scaffolding surrounding the monument into a powerful statement, titled 'Embassy of the Refugee'. This piece, featuring gold mylar and a team of 'artist ambassadors' from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Mexico, references emergency blankets used at detention centers and aims to turn a symbol of potential trauma into something beautiful.
Duarte's work is part of a larger initiative, Shaping Legacy, which aims to evaluate San Francisco's 105 monuments and make recommendations for their future. The project has already uncovered some interesting facts, such as the fact that 77% of the city's monuments were made by male artists. Shaping Legacy is also working to address some of the city's most contentious sites, including the Dewey Monument in Union Square and the now-empty plinth of Christopher Columbus.
The project has received funding from the Mellon Foundation, which has allowed the city to implement some of the MMAC's recommendations. Shaping Legacy is also collaborating with community organizations to fund artist-led film screenings, walking tours, discussions, and performances across the city. The goal is to create new monuments that tell the complete story of San Francisco and empower the community.
One of the most exciting aspects of Shaping Legacy is the focus on creating monuments to everyday life and ordinary people. Adrián Arias, for example, has created a roving, multifaceted homage to the paleteros and paleteras who trace a 'sweet route' through the Mission District. His sculpture, 'A Sweet Route', features a vibrant, eight-foot-tall paleta and has been a source of joy and recognition for immigrant workers.
Ariana Martinez-Cruz is also working on a monument to San Francisco's garment workers, 'Threaded Histories', which will connect the city's Latino and Chinese immigrant communities through a series of workshops, an information kiosk, a textile sculpture, and the distribution of custom-made patches. The goal is to empower others to see the monumental in their own ordinary actions.
The Shaping Legacy commissions are filling a timeline that stretches well into October, with temporary monuments by Afatasi the Artist and Stacey Carter, both in Bayview-Hunters Point. The project aims to leave the city with real recommendations about the future of its monuments, especially those that have been removed from view in recent years. However, it will take another infusion of non-taxpayer money for these recommendations to be turned into action.
The desire for more monuments to everyday life and ordinary people is palpable, and the Shaping Legacy project is a step in the right direction. As the city continues to reckon with its historical monuments, it is important to create new monuments that reflect the diverse history and experiences of its residents, and to ensure that the public has a say in the process.
