The Invisible Becomes Visible: A Community Mural Project

In 2018, a large and diverse team consisting of South Berkeley residents, professional artists, and the Berkeley Drop-In Center completed a dynamic 100 foot mural on Ashby Avenue between Harper and Ellis Streets across from the South Berkeley Senior Center. Through the faces of recognizable individuals, communities, moments, and places, the mural illustrates a timeline of South Berkeley from the days of the Ohlone to the present.

The mural was the brain child of Edythe Boone, the prominent Bay Area artist who is most well-known for her role in the design and creation of the MaestraPeace mural on the Women’s Building in San Francisco. Under her leadership and with the support of Friends of Adeline, a community-driven effort was launched in 2015 and began with interviewing community members, recording their stories, collecting images from the archives at the library and the Veterans Memorial Building, and partnering with the Berkeley Drop-in Center. The project ultimately has inspired the community to stay connected to and take pride in a deep cultural history that will slip away if not preserved.

In 2019, Priscilla Hine, a South Berkeley artist and FOA member, created plaques to go in a mosaic along the foot of the mural, explaining the history pictured above. The mosaic will also include handmade tiles by community members. Hine held 4 tile-making workshops in 2019 for kids and adults—2 at the library, 1 at the Here-There encampment, and 1 at the annual summer neighborhood BBQ on Ellis Street.