Finding aid to Wall + Response: Sixteen Bay Area Poets Respond to Four Walls in Clarion Alley 2021 SFH 667

Finding aid written by Tim Wilson

San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library

100 Larkin Street

San Francisco, CA 94102

sfhistory@sfpl.org

URL: http://www.sfpl.org/sfhistory

2022

Title: Wall + Response: Sixteen Bay Area Poets Respond to Four Walls in Clarion Alley

Date: 2021 (issued)

Collection Identifier: SFH 667

Creator: Clarion Alley Mural Project (CAMP) (San Francisco, Calif.)

Physical Description: 30 color screenprints in 1 box (sheets 51 cm x 33 cm ; box 53 cm x 35 cm)

Contributing Institution: San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library

100 Larkin Street

San Francisco, CA 94102

sfhistory@sfpl.org

URL: http://www.sfpl.org/sfhistory

Abstract: Wall + Response is a project of the Clarion Alley Mural Project (CAMP) that features 16 San Francisco Bay Area poets' responses to the social, political, racial, justice narratives of four murals on Clarion Alley, curated by CAMP artist and organizer Megan Wilson and poet Maw Shein Win.

Physical Location: The collection is stored onsite.

Language of Materials: Collection materials are in English

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is available for use during San Francisco History Center hours, with photographs available during Photo Desk hours. Collections that are stored offsite should be requested 48 hours in advance.

Conditions Governing Use

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the City Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the San Francisco Public Library as the owner of the physical items.

Preferred Citation

Wall + Response (SFH 667), San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Purchase, 2021.

Biographical / Historical

[Text quoted from the introduction] "In 2019 CAMP artist and organizer Megan Wilson approached poet Maw Shein Win with the idea of co-curating a project to bring poets together to respond to a selection of CAMP's murals on Clarion Alley.

In selecting the murals for Wall + Response, Wilson reflected on CAMP and its role in the community over the past decade in response to the hyper-gentrification that has plagued the San Francisco Bay Area. The cultural shift has meant an epidemic of evictions, a significant loss of San Francisco's American Indian, Black, and Latinx communities; devastating income inequality, an overwhelming number of people who are unhoused, and a disturbing increase in police violence and fatal shootings of citizens by police.

The four murals selected by artist Megan Wilson for Wall + Response exemplify successful collaborations between artists and larger organizing forces to create public works in support of these collective efforts of resistance and resilience.

Based on the walls selected, poet Maw Shein Win invited Bay Area poets whose practices include social and political engagement, to respond to the power of resistance reflected in these works.

Wall + Response was originally conceived to culminate in four quarterly public events to be presented on Clarion Alley in 2020/2021. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic the poets were instead filmed by videographer Mahima Kotian and soundperson Evan Karp reading their work in front of the murals on Clarion Alley. Kotian created videos for each series that were presented as part of free live online events hosted by CAMP co-director Christopher Statton in collaboration with The Booksmith and The Bindery. The videos are available for viewing on CAMP's website, ClarionAlleyMuralProject.org.""

The portfolio compliments the videos by creating screenprint broadsides of the murals and poems featured in Wall + Response. Broadsides were designed by members of the San Francisco Poster Syndicate.

Scope and Contents

Participants include:

Poets Heather Bourbeau, Aileen Cassinetto, Tongo Eisen-Martin, and Chris Stroffolino responding to the mural Justice for Luis D. Gongora Pat by artists Marina Perez-Wong and Elaine Chu, working with the Gongora Pat Family and Justice4Luis.org;

Poets Karla Brundage, Jennifer Hasegawa, Tureeda Mikell, and Kim Shuck responding to the mural What We Want! by CUBA, Unity/D8, and MACE working with Emory Douglas/Black Panther Party;

Poets Celeste Chan, MK Chavez, Paul Corman-Roberts, and Tim Xonnelly responding to the mural Affordable Housing/Vivienda Asequible by the SF Print Collective working with the Western Regional Advocacy Project (WRAP); and,

Poets Youssef Alaoui, Jason Bayani, Genny Lim, and Michael Warr responding to The Arab Liberation Mural/Will to Live by Art Forces, Arab Resource Organizing Center (AROC), and Arab Youth Organizing (AYO).

General

Limited edition of 50. San Francisco Public Library set is numbered 1/50. Each broadside is signed by the poet or by the poet and artists.

The screenprints were printed by Sun Night Editions on Cougar Natural Smooth 100# Cover paper. Portfolio designed and built by Asa Nakata.

Arrangement

Arranged in the original order as received from creators.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Wilson, Megan

Win, Maw Shein

Sun Night Editions

Gentrification -- California -- San Francisco Bay Area -- Poetry

Mission District (San Francisco, Calif.).

Mural painting and decoration, American - California - San Francisco - 20th century.

Political posters -- California -- San Francisco

San Francisco Bay Area (Calif.) -- Social conditions -- Poetry

Screen prints

Street art - California - San Francisco.

[Endpaper inside portfolio box top]: Title and curator names; Wall: list and images of mural titles and artists; Response: list of poets.

Page 1

Wall + Response project overview, participant list, development and curation statement.

Page 2

Wall: [image of mural] Home / Casa (2000) by Megan Wilson working with the project Art Strike's Back, Clarion Alley Mural Project. Response: "Clarion Call" by Maw Shein Win [signed]

Page 3

Response: "Clarion Call" text by Maw Shein Win [signed by poet]. [Image of mural] Home / Casa (2000) by Megan Wilson working with the project Art Strike's Back.

Page 4

Wall: [image of mural] Justice for Luis D. Gongora Pat (2018) by Marina Perez-Wong and Elaine Chu working with the Gongora Pat family and Justice4Luis.org, Clarion Alley Mural Project. Response: list of poets and titles of poems. [signed by artists and poets]

Page 5

Response: "El Honor de Luis" text by Heather Bourbeau. [Image of mural detail] Justice for Luis D. Gongora Pat (2018) by Marina Perez-Wong and Elaine Chu working with Justice4Luis.org. [signed]

Page 6

Response: "From the vow made--in honor of Luis Gongora Pat" text by Aileen Cassinetto. [Image of mural detail] Justice for Luis D. Gongora Pat (2018) by Marina Perez-Wong and Elaine Chu working with Justice4Luis.org. [signed]

Page 7

Response: "Pennies for the Opera" text by Tongo Eisen-Martin. [Image of mural detail] Justice for Luis D. Gongora Pat (2018) by Marina Perez-Wong and Elaine Chu working with Justice4Luis.org. [signed]

Page 8

Response: "Cultivating Resistance..." text by Chris Stroffolino. [Image of mural detail] Justice for Luis D. Gongora Pat (2018) by Marina Perez-Wong and Elaine Chu working with Justice4Luis.org. [signed]

Page 9

Wall: [image of mural] What We Want! (2011) original drawing by Emory Douglas / Black Panther Party, mural remix by CUBA, Unity, MACE, Clarion Alley Mural Project. Response: list of poets and titles of poems. [signed by artists and poets]

Page 10

Response: "Conjuring Justice" text by Karla Brundage. [Image of mural detail] What We Want! (2011) original drawing by Emory Douglas, mural remix by David Petrelli, CUBA, MACE. [signed]

Page 11

Response: "The Universal Panther" text by Jennifer Hasegawa. [Image of mural detail] What We Want! (2011) original drawing by Emory Douglas, mural remix by Unity, CUBA, MACE. [signed]

Page 12

Response: "Justice" text by Tureeda Mikell. [Image of mural detail] What We Want! (2011) original drawing by Emory Douglas, mural remix by David Petrelli, CUBA, MACE. [signed]

Page 13

Response: "I Will Take my Paycheck in Indigenous People Who Die of Old Age in Bed" text by Kim Shuck. [Image of mural detail] What We Want! (2011) original drawing by Emory Douglas, mural remix by David Petrelli, CUBA, MACE. [signed]

Page 14

Wall: [image of mural] Affordable Housing / Vivienda Asequible (2016) by the SF Print Collective working with the Western Regional Advocacy Project (WRAP), Clarion Alley Mural Project. Response: list of poets and titles of poems. [signed by artists and poets]

Page 15

Response: "The Roar" text by Celeste Chan. [Image of mural detail] Affordable Housing / Vivienda Asequible (2016) by the SF Print Collective working with the Western Regional Advocacy Project (WRAP). [signed]

Page 16

Response: "The Living Place" text by MK Chavez. [Image of mural detail] Affordable Housing / Vivienda Asequible (2016) by the SF Print Collective working with the Western Regional Advocacy Project (WRAP) [signed]

Page 17

Response: "Lamp Lifted by Golden Gate" text by Paul Corman-Roberts. [Image of mural detail] Affordable Housing / Vivienda Asequible (2016) by the SF Print Collective working with the Western Regional Advocacy Project (WRAP). [signed]

Page 18

Response: "Housekey" text by Tim Xonnelly. [Image of mural detail] Affordable Housing / Vivienda Asequible (2016) by the SF Print Collective working with the Western Regional Advocacy Project (WRAP). [signed]

Page 19

Wall: [image of mural] The Arab Liberation Mural / Will To Live (2018) by Art Forces--Chris Ghazala, Nidal El Khairy, Priya Handa, Susan Greene, and Margaret Marie, working with the Arab Resource Organizing Center (AROC) and Arab Youth Organizing (AYO), Clarion Alley Mural Project. Response: list of poets and titles of poems. [signed by artists and poets]

Page 20

Response: "Truth of the Martyrs" text by Youssef Alaoui. [Image of mural detail] The Arab Liberation Mural / Will To Live (2018) by Nidal El Khairy with Art Forces, the Arab Resource Organizing Center (AROC) and Arab Youth Organizing (AYO). [signed]

Page 21

Response: "In Jerusalem" text by Jason Bayani. [Image of mural detail] The Arab Liberation Mural / Will To Live (2018) by Nidal El Khairy with Art Forces, the Arab Resource Organizing Center (AROC) and Arab Youth Organizing (AYO). [signed]

Page 22

Response: "From Here to Gaza" text by Genny Lim. [Image of mural detail] The Arab Liberation Mural / Will To Live (2018) by Nidal El Khairy with Art Forces, the Arab Resource Organizing Center (AROC) and Arab Youth Organizing (AYO). [signed]

Page 23

Response: "This Is More Than A Wall" text by Michael Warr. [Image of mural detail] The Arab Liberation Mural / Will To Live (2018) by Nidal El Khairy with Art Forces, the Arab Resource Organizing Center (AROC) and Arab Youth Organizing (AYO). [signed]

Page 24

Curatorial and Production Biographies

Page 25

Artist Biographies

Page 26

Organization Biographies

Pages 27-28

Poet Biographies (alphabetical order)

[Endpaper inside portfolio box bottom]: Information on the project, participants, concept, portfolio, colophon, and funding.