S/Heroes In Our Windows
“S/Heroes In Our Windows” is a mural dedicated to the leaders and legacies that helped build what has become SOMA Pilipinas, the Filipino Cultural Heritage District. As part of the Bayanihan Community Center façade facing onto Mission Street at the corner of Sixth Street, the work features portraits of eight key organizers, artists, educators, historians, and residents. Their everlasting work & contributions continue to position Filipino-American life as an inextricable part of the story of both San Francisco and the South of Market.
As a joint project between the Filipino-American Development Foundation (FADF) and the South of Market Community Action Network (SOMCAN), “Heroes In Our Windows” also incorporates the efforts of SOMCAN’s Reclaiming Our SpacE (ROSE) program – an initiative emphasizing the power of art and design to influence and steward social equity.
The mural represents a multi-faceted process that involved several steps at all layers of the Filipino community in San Francisco. Inspired by the workshop by Carlos Villa and Santiago Bose at the Pacific Bridge Gallery in 2000, the Saturday Artist workshops were led by Mel Vera Cruz and England Hidalgo. In these sessions, participants & organizers established the key figures to be featured in the work, as well as color palette and design elements, & the look and feel of the portraits themselves. Over successive weekends in the late spring and early summer, constituents from across the SOMA Pilipinas community united to create the work – youth, seniors, artists, activists, cultural workers, and neighbors alike. In this way, “Heroes In Our Windows” functions not just as a historical tribute, but as a living document of a people, and a testament to their love for their neighborhood.
Lead artists: Mel Vera Cruz, England Hidalgo
Lead collaborating community artists and workshop participants: Kaitlyn Evangelista,Ramon Bonifacio, The Fitzpatrick Family (Rebecca, AJ and Keira), Jamie Mancini, Robert Marquez, Tetet Naval, Marcius Noceda, Mary Antonnette Queri, Kali Ildefonzo, Malaya Redondiez, Millette Vera Cruz
Workshop participants and volunteers: Scott Cooper, Mahalya Kim, Golda Sargento, Anthony Bongco, Mary Claire Amable, Jed Diaz, Kristine Ilano, Nyteia Tyler, Christina Antiporda, Gina Mariko Rosales, Brian Ruiz, Anne Santos, Daniel Lazo, Maerisa Lazo, Jericho Lazo, Tommy Nguyen, Gian Canonizado, Carlo Ricafort, Vida K, Angela Santelices, Michelle Eustaquio, Gabby Molina, Miro Vera Cruz, Isabela Vera Cruz, Kenneth Paranada, Kat Garcia
Special Thanks: SOMA Pilipinas, Bayanihan Equity Center, Arkipelago Bookstore, MC Canlas, Wilfred Galila, Bindlestiff Studio, Kularts, Westbay, United Playaz, Rebuilding Together San Francisco, SOMA Community Action Grant, and SOMA Stabilization Fund.
