Me Llaman Calle: The Monumental Art of Juana Alicia Showcases Vibrant Work of Iconic Local Artist in New SFAC Main Gallery Exhibition

SAN FRANCISCO, June 29, 2023 — The San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) Main Gallery is thrilled to present Me Llaman Calle: The Monumental Art of Juana Alicia, a solo exhibition celebrating the work of iconic muralist and multidisciplinary artist Juana Alicia Araiza. The exhibition centers on a selection of Juana Alicia’s renowned mural works around the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as a new body of work on the story of La X’tabay, a Yucatec Mayan myth.  

Me Llaman Calle: The Monumental Art of Juana Alicia, opens on July 28, 2023 at the SFAC Main Gallery in the War Memorial Veterans Building and will be on view through September 23, 2023.  

“The Arts Commission is thrilled to present this vivid and colorful exhibition in partnership with curator, Marco Antonio Flores and artist, Juana Alicia Araiza,” said Ralph Remington, Director of Cultural Affairs. “Juana Alicia’s iconic work makes such impactful and powerful statements and showcases important, yet often untold, stories of the Mexican, Chicano and Indigenous community. We are thrilled to be able to provide a space to highlight these incredible works.” 

Curated by Marco Antonio Flores, the exhibition features Juana Alicia’s sketches for her murals, pages from her sketchbooks, and illustrations from the forthcoming graphic novel with Tirso González Araiza, La X’tabay, presented in the exhibition as a hand-printed artist’s book in codex form.   

“I am thrilled to present an exhibition reflecting the exuberance of San Francisco’s multicultural communities and the importance of art in everyday life,” said Marco Antonio Flores. “Juana Alicia has been a leading figure in the California mural movement since the early 1980s and this show reflects the scope of her public works from fresco to fused glass, bringing attention to the colorful palette that makes up the streets of San Francisco.” 

“We are honored to have the opportunity to collaborate with Juana Alicia and showcase her groundbreaking artwork, which has had a profound and lasting influence on communities for decades,” said Carolina Aranibar-Fernandez. “Juana Alicia's artistic practice across diverse mediums such as printmaking, sculpture, painting, and murals have consistently addressed pressing socio-political issues of our time.” 

“I am deeply honored to present a survey of my mural designs at the San Francisco Arts Commission Galleries. Most of the works highlighted here are found in the Mission District, the heart of a vibrant mural movement in which I have been active for over four decades,” said Juana Alicia. “The San Francisco Arts Commission has been a constant supporter of my public projects over the years. I look forward to several upcoming public programing events over the course of the show and to interacting with the attending audiences across the Bay Area.”  

About Juana Alicia Araiza 
Juana Alicia was born in 1953 in Newark, NJ and has been based in the Bay Area since 1973. Alicia is a key figure in the Chicano Art movement and her murals can been seen across the globe, and in the Bay Area at notable sites such as The Women’s Building, Stanford University, San Francisco State University, University of California in Santa Cruz, and numerous other locations. Her highly political work has deep ties to activism and comments on the injustices we grapple with, particularly through the intersectional lenses of decolonization, feminism, and Mexican and Indigenous identity, as well as hope for a more equitable and just world. Juana Alicia spends time between Berkeley and Mérida, Yucatán. 

About Marco Antonio Flores
Marco Antonio Flores is a doctoral student at Stanford University where he specializes in modern and contemporary art of the United States and Latin America. In 2019, he curated staring at the sun, a solo exhibition featuring rafa esparza at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. Flores received a B.A. and M.A. from the University of California, Berkeley and a second M.A. from the Williams Graduate Program in the History of Art. 

Exhibition Details
Me Llaman Calle: The Monumental Art of Juana Alicia 
July 28 – September 23, 2023 
SFAC Main Gallery, War Memorial Veterans Building 
401 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 126, San Francisco, CA 94102 
Wednesday – Saturday, noon – 5 p.m. 
Free and open to the public

Public Reception Details 
Friday, July 28, 6 – 8 p.m.  
SFAC Main Gallery, War Memorial Veterans Building 
401 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 126, San Francisco, CA 94102 
No reservation required. Free and open to the public 

Public Programming Details

Check our website for up-to-date public program information 

Dreaming in Color: a two-day symposium celebrating Juana Alicia 

• Day 1: Friday, September 8, 5:30-8:30 p.m. 
  Latinx Research Center, 2547 Channing Way, Berkeley 
• Day 2: Saturday, September 9, 2:00-6:00 p.m. 
  Brava Theater, 2781 24th Street, San Francisco 

Details forthcoming. Free and open to the public.

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About the San Francisco Arts Commission
The San Francisco Arts Commission is the City agency that champions the arts as essential to daily life by investing in a vibrant arts community, enlivening the urban environment and shaping innovative cultural policy. Our programs include: Civic Art Collection, Civic Design Review, Community Investments, Public Art, SFAC Galleries, and Art Vendor Licensing. To learn more, visit sfartscommission.org.