The Shoddy Journalism of Mission Local and CBS

UPDATE – October 13, 2018:  Mission Local has still not responded to CAMP’s requests to address the questions that we have posed regarding the publication’s reporting on CAMP, leaving readers/community members to believe that Mission Local does not have journalistic integrity. 

Over the past month a story evolved in the press of a young artist painting a mural on Clarion Alley of local residents who are struggling with housing instability. The artist, who is not from the SF/Bay Area and was passing through San Francisco, met a man named Tyrone in the Mission, who told her he wanted his story and his friends’ stories told. The artist then spent several days painting a mural on Clarion alley over a space that had been artist Mel Water’s for almost two years. CAMP initially learned of this situation via Mission Local journalist Abraham Rodriguez. Unfortunately what began as somewhat of a non-story for CAMP – as we have had similar situations happen, especially around the weeks before, during, and after Burning Man – became what read to us like it could have been an episode from 13 Reasons and the show’s school paper covering the story.

First and foremost, the project undertaken by the artist passing through San Francisco is not one that CAMP would ever support. As an organization that has worked with many partner agencies serving communities experiencing homelessness over our 26-year history, CAMP is highly aware that it takes much longer than 6 days to get to know a vulnerable community and tell its story. There are many considerations to make in such a pursuit: 1) the existing relationships; 2) potential conflicts amongst community members; 3) the level of someone’s mental stability – especially for folks who are living on the margins; and 4) what the impact of such a project might be on the community – especially if the person(s) undertaking such a project is/are not from the community and will be leaving it.

Sadly, the artist’s project ended up reflecting exactly why CAMP wouldn’t undertake such a project. The artist did not work with CAMP (though, as noted above we would not have supported this project), the organization that has established itself and has worked directly with our communities over the past 26 years. Therefore the wall that the artist found was one that is unfortunately tagged often; and even though she was seemingly aware of this, she decided to paint there anyways, knowing that she would be leaving and if her mural was tagged, it would be the folks she had noted as important to tell their stories who would be painted over without her ability to repair the mural. That in and of itself is irresponsible, as it could leave the community she set out to highlight feeling betrayed. In fact, the wall did end up getting painted over within one week of the artist finishing it. And CAMP learned from one of the residents on Clarion that there was a person from the street community around the alley who showed up while the artist was painting and told folks she would spray paint with black over the mural. CAMP did not paint over the wall and does not know who did. And while CAMP/ one of our artists would have painted over the space with a new mural, someone else bombed it with spray paint. Luckily CAMP was able to address the situation within a few days.

Why this story garnered press attention from Mission Local and CBS is beyond us – from our perspective, the artist was more interested in getting her story out in the world, than those of the folks she painted.

CAMP is now responding because we received so much feedback from our community pointing out that the press, especially Mission Local, has done a poor and irresponsible job in covering this situation. We agree.

This is not the first time that CAMP has been critical of Mission Local’s lack of journalistic integrity. Please check out the following to learn more about CAMP’s concerns about Mission Local’s work:

 

What follows below is the trajectory of the artist who recently showed up on Clarion Alley with her friend, who is making a documentary of her project, and thoughtlessly painted a mural in a space that had belonged to a local artist for two years and the shoddy journalism that was undertaken in selecting and reporting on this situation:

On the morning of August 30th CAMP was contacted by Mission Local reporter Abraham Rodriguez asking to speak with Mission Local for a story.  CAMP co-director Megan Wilson called Rodriguez to learn what Mission Local was inquiring about. Wilson was told that a mural had been painted in Clarion Alley of Mission residents and asked for CAMP’s position. Wilson responded that she and her co-director Christopher Statton had just returned from Indonesia from the first phase of CAMP’s exchange and residency project Bangkit/Arise with artists from Yogyakarta, Indonesia and SF/Bay Area and they were just learning that the mural had been painted; however, did not know the details and had not seen it. Rodriguez then asked about the process of getting a space on the alley. Wilson noted CAMP’s policies that are outlined on CAMP’s Website:

As a 25+ year-old project, CAMP has a very limited number of spaces that become available each year for new works; therefore:

  • CAMP primarily reaches out to artists and/or organizations that the project is interested in exhibiting and/or working with collaboratively.
  • CAMP does accept submissions for new projects; however, please note that preference is give to Bay Area-based artists and organizations due to the need for artists to be available to maintain their spaces.

Rodriguez asked Wilson to contact Mission Local if she had anything more to add.

Following the conversation with Rodriguez, Wilson and Statton read an email that had been sent to Statton the previous day from Alison Oksner:

From: Ali Oksner
Date: August 29, 2018 at 4:26:05 PM PDT
To: Christopher Statton
Subject: Conversation with Jose
Dear Christopher,
My name is Alison Oksner, José Guerra Awe and I spoke today and he suggested I reach out to you about a mural I have been working on in Clarion Alley titled “Walks of Life” in order to clarify the story and intent behind the piece. I appreciate what I know of the mission of the Clarion Alley Mural Project and it is important to me that I communicate the story of this mural, especially to express gratitude for the incredible thing you’ve all built.
I am a traveling artist visiting San Francisco and, last week, i met a 56 year-old man named Tyrone Butler, who inspired this project. Having lived on and off the streets of the Mission since 1972, Tyrone expressed his yearning to have his story told, as well as those who are often overlooked in the rapidly-changing neighborhood that has fostered such a vibrant and diverse community. After Tyrone asked for a place to tell his story, he introduced me to Clarion Alley, where we found a small space on a green wall to paint his portrait. He told me this was he place to tell his story. When it was almost finished with the painting, the property owner noticed and asked us to stop the project and then he spray painted over it that night. David Petrelli introduced himself as a part of camp and told us about the way the property owner reacted, and offering his support as long as we didn’t cover anyone else’s work. The next day, we found an empty wall at the Mission St side of the alley that had recently been beautifully primed with a turquoise blue by the property owner. We reached out to David to ask about painting on he wall using the contact information he gave us but he never responded, so we decided to move forward with the work. What began as just a portrait of Tyrone turned into a celebration of many members of the community who were drawn to our desire to give Tyrone the voice he, and they, deserve. Over the next six days, I met people who have lived in this neighborhood for decades and who dread the erasure of their stories. I painted several people, and intend to draw the rest separately, who makes the Mission so unique. Some are living, others deceased, but all have shaped and invigorated this neighborhood for years. We set out to create a space for all members of the community to be able to share the stories of their lives, a place where nobody could tell them to move or ignore their presence in the Mission District.
We hope to have the support of the Clarion Alley Mural Project as we try to represent and foster a space where the conversation can continue. Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns about “Walks of Life.” We also have some video and photo documentation of the process we’d be happy to share. I can be reached at this email or at (303)681-5724.
Thank you.
Alison Oksner

When Wilson contacted David Petrelli to share the email above and ask about his role in what Oksner had described, Petrelli responded: “My help? Not true. I read that email, but I’m so sick of people using my name.”

Wilson and Statton then went to Clarion Alley to get a better sense of what was going on. They spoke with a number of folks from the alley – residents and others who spend a lot of time in the space. Based on what they learned Wilson wrote Rodriguez to let him know what she and Statton had learned. The following is the email exchange that followed:

—–Original Message—–
From: Abraham Rodriguez
To: Megan Wilson
Sent: Thu, Aug 30, 2018 12:41 pm
Subject: Mission Local – Abe Rodriguez

Hi this is Abe Rodriguez from Mission Local. Please keep my email and let us know if you have any works in the future we ought to cover!

-Abe
From: Megan Wilson
To:abraham.rodriguez + 1 more
Thu, Aug 30, 2018 5:06 pm
Thanks Abe! Will do. We checked out the mural on the Alley today and what we did learn is that while the artist did speak to a couple of the folks on the alley who do work with CAMP – they referred her to connect with me and my co-director Christopher Statton. Which she did yesterday – however, rather than waiting for us to respond, she disrespected us and CAMP so that she could paint HER work.
Additionally, she painted over a mural of Cesar Chavez that was painted by Mel Waters and she did not connect with him to ask about that etc. So regardless of whether she wants to describe her work as being about the community – she clearly has no respect for the community that she is not from and that her need to paint HER mural was more important than actually connecting with the community to get permission. So the mural will be painted over soon. Definitely NOT someone that is a good fit for CAMP or that we would ever consider working with.
Megan

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

—–Original Message—–
From: Abraham Rodriguez
To: Megan Wilson
Sent: Thu, Aug 30, 2018 5:19 pm
Subject: Re: Mission Local – Abe Rodriguez
Megan, thanks for the reply. Can you tell me where the Cesar Chavez mural was located at? My editor said she walked by the eastern end of the alley and didn’t see anything prior to the mural we’ve been talking about.
From: Megan Wilson
To:abraham.rodriguez
Thu, Aug 30, 2018 5:28 pm

It was in the space that that woman Ali painted her mural … we connected with Mel today and he did not give anyone permission to paint over his Cesar Chavez mural – it’s likely that Ali had primed the space before she painted over his mural – anyway, based on the email she sent us – my take is that what I’d already communicated – she sounds like a self-absorbed burner who happened to be blowing through SF on her way to Burning Man and wanted to paint a mural on Clarion Alley – therefore, created a story about connecting with all of these wonderful people (within a few days) and needed to tell their stories … blah blah blah

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

—–Original Message—–
From: Abraham Rodriguez
To: Megan Wilson
Sent: Thu, Aug 30, 2018 5:33 pm
Subject: Re: Mission Local – Abe Rodriguez
Who can I talk to about the other space that was painted over?
I’m sorry to hear things aren’t good. I actually did ask her if she had permission, and she did mention she had permission from a property.


From: Megan Wilson
To:abraham.rodriguez
Thu, Aug 30, 2018 5:45 pm

No, she didn’t have permission from the property owner … we’re slowly piecing this together ourselves … the person whose mural had been there is Mel Waters – he’s painted a lot of mural in the Mission – he has two other murals on Clarion – when we contacted him to let him know that his wall had been painted over – he told us that he’s giving it back to us to find a new artist – as that space has been tagged a bunch by local kids … anyway … that’s the skinny. We’ll be painting over it within the next week or so … sadly, it is a space that does get tagged a lot anyway.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________


The next day – August 31 – the following article was published by Mission local – CAMP’s comments are in orange:

New mural of homeless denizens may be painted over by organization that runs Clarion Alley

By Abraham Rodriguez | Aug 31, 2018 |

Update 3:40 p.m.: Alison Oksner responded to messages sent via Instagram, saying that the building’s owner hired a painter to cover the original mural on northeastern end of Clarion Alley after it fell victim to graffiti. According to Oskner, a man named Bill was hired to paint over graffiti that had vandalized the original mural and provided the primer layer of paint. She began to paint the mural only after the old mural was covered up by owners.

“I would truly never paint over another artist’s work intentionally,” she wrote.

Earlier this month, Alison Oksner, an out-of-towner and, some would say, free spirit, began painting a mural honoring local homeless residents. Unfortunately, the owner of the building — located toward the middle of Clarion Alley — failed to approve.

Undeterred, Oksner moved last week to the far northeast corner, where the alley ends at Mission Street. After getting permission from the owner of 2118 Mission St., she resumed her work, she said. Mission Local first noticed her there on August 24.

To Mission Local: Did Alison Oksner tell you that she received permission from the owner? Did you speak to the owner of 2118 Mission Street?

This week, she finished her Walks of Lifeproject, and that, too, will soon be painted over.

Oksner, whose website describes her as a 2018 graduate of George Washington University and still a resident of Washington D.C., said she did not seek permission from the Clarion Alley Mural Project, which oversees art on the alley. She only communicated with the mural project, known as CAMP, after she began painting her mural.

That, it turns out, was a mistake, says CAMP co-director Megan Wilson, who described Oksner in an e-mail: “she sounds like a self-absorbed burner who happened to be blowing through SF on her way to Burning Man and wanted to paint a mural in Clarion Alley.”

To readers: please see email above for full exchange.

Camp said Oksner painted over a mural by the artist Mel Waters. His Cesar Chavez mural was only recently added, Wilson said, and followed another mural that Waters made in memory of two lovers who died in the Ghost Ship fire.

“So, regardless of whether she wants to describe her work as being about the community — she clearly has no respect for the community that she is not from and that her need to paint HER mural was more important than actually connecting with the community to get permission,” Wilson said in an email.

Elisa Khan, the owner of the building, said Oskner had her permission. The earlier mural, she said, was covered in graffiti, and her maintenance worker painted over it because they feared getting a ticket for graffiti.

To Mission Local: Did you speak to Elisa Khan? It sounds like you did. This is not the name of the building owner that CAMP has a contract with for curating/painting the space – and that the store employee we spoke with confirmed as the correct name. Also – over the past 25-years that CAMP has been curating/painting the space, the building owner has never spoken out or painted over the wall before this incident.

Oksner described the mural application process as “blurry,” but said that she did receive permission from the owner at 2118 Mission St.

When CAMP adds new murals to the alley, it asks for applications or directly contacts artists it wants for a mural. The organization has contractual agreements with property owners along Clarion Alley that allow the group to curate and preserve the artwork there. Whenever a mural is vandalized, CAMP is notified and the original artist is notified, so that they can repair the damage. It’s unclear how Oksner worked for more than a week on the mural without CAMP stopping her.

To Mission Local: Who told you that CAMP gets notified when a mural has been vandalized? And who is it that is supposed to notify CAMP? If you had asked how it was that Oksner worked for 6 days without our knowledge – the answer is: 1) she was told by folks to contact us before and while she painted, she decided to wait until after she was finished; and 2) the two co-directors were out of the country and/or just returning from Indonesia – as Wilson told Mission Local’s Abraham Rodriquez when she spoke to him on the phone.

Oksner’s project began, she said, when Tyrone Butler, a homeless resident, suggested that she put him in a mural and help tell his story. Butler made the suggestion after Oksner offered to do a hand-drawn portrait of him on a spot she had set up at 17th and Mission, doing paid portraits.

Walks of Life features Butler on the far left of the mural, with the words, “My name is Tyrone and this is the walk of my life. This is where I chose to tell my story of my life. I’ve been here since 1972 and these are my friends and this is a place where you can share your story.”

Others are depicted standing in an alley reminiscent of the real Clarion Alley.

In the email, Wilson said CAMP would be painting over Walks of Life soon.

Oskner, who may have left town, did not return calls.

We spoke with a few of the people depicted in the mural.

Did Mission Local speak to these residents while the artist was painting? Did Mission Local ever contact any of the organizations in the community that work with homeless populations to ask their perspectives on the artist’s project?

“I’m tired of holding stuff in”

Tyrone Butler, the first man in the far left of the mural, said his family moved to San Francisco from New Orleans when he was nine. The family moved around the city, first living with an aunt in Sunnydale and then moving to the Double Rock Projects in Bayview. As a kid, he spent a lot of time in the Mission. But in his teens, Butler spent a lot of time in and out of jail. By the time he was in his 20s, he had matriculated to prison.

In prison, he kept to himself, avoided the gangs and found Islam, he said. Shortly after being released at age 31, Butler was sleeping on the streets. His luck changed, he said, and Butler met his wife-to-be and later moved to Las Vegas. Things went sour for Butler after he found out his mother was dying. Soon after he returned to the city to bury his mother, his wife passed away.

Again, Butler was on the streets.

“I still feel good, because I know God has my back,” Butler said. “I know people who love me have my back. I know that I can speak now and not hold anything back.”

He looks at the half finished mural and studies it as a crowd gathers around Oksner, watching her paint.

“That’s why I call this the Walk of Life. The walk of my life, and how I was happy in the good parts, and how I was in the bad parts.”

“My name is Jose, and I’m Cuban.”

Jose Calderon, 67, depicted on the far right of mural, was born in Havana and learned to play musical instruments when he was young. While working for a meat company in Cuba, he joined an employee band that played folkloric music. It was then, he said, that he really learned to love playing.

His time at the meat company left him with back injuries that continue to limit his mobility.

“I’m one of the Marielitas,” he said, referring to the thousands of Cubans that left Port Mariel in Cuba back in the 1980s.

Calderon learned English at night school. Nowadays, he lives in nearby low-income housing and spends his days playing music with his friend David Soriano.

His daily dress is inspired by AfroCuban traditions. The straw hat he holds, he said, was a gift from an old friend and, when he wanted a mask to wear while playing small congas, he glued the hat and the mask together. Fortunately for Calderon, his mask was included in the mural. The rest of his outfit is made from recycled fabrics.

We’re not going anywhere

David Soriano wants to let everyone know that the old Mission is still alive, and that its residents are not going anywhere.

Soriano, 64, has been living in the Mission for 50 years and plays his flute to Latin Jazz over a bluetooth speaker at places like Clarion Alley, Dolores Park and Fisherman’s Wharf.

Self-taught, Soriano said he plays for fun and, like his friend Calderon, he too lives in a low-income unit. It’s his last line of defense, he said.

“This painting is an homage to everyone in this neighborhood,” Soriano said.

Soriano said he was walking along Mission Street when Oksner pulled him aside and asked him to pose. In the mural, he is next to his friend Calderon.

“This is my Mission, and no one will take it from me,” said Soriano, picking up his flute, and entertaining the street with a melody from Latin Jazz.

 

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

On September 3rd the person who was traveling with and making a documentary of  the the artist while she was painting on Clarion – Pasha Vafaee – posted the following on Mission Local’s Website in the comments section of the August 31st article:

To readers: The mural that was painted over was of Cesar Chavez, which Mel Waters had recently painted. Also, please see the introduction to learn why this is a project that CAMP would never support. Pasha is the photographer/videographer who accompanied the artist while she painted and is traveling with her and making a documentary of this project.

To readers: Please see the introduction to learn why this is a project that CAMP would never support. Also – please note that the artist didn’t care enough about the community she was so impassioned to tell their stories that she selected a wall that she was told frequently gets tagged and she would be leaving town, unable to repair it if it was tagged – completely erasing this amazing community that ended up really being all about HER work. Pasha is the photographer/videographer who accompanied the artist while she painted and is traveling with her and making a documentary of this project.

There was only one CAMP Board member at the time who engaged with the artist – Jose Guerra Awe. When asked about his role Jose said that his only interaction was to tell the artist that she needed to connect with the co-directors before painting. The other person referred to here is David Petrelli, who is not a CAMP Board member and David also has said that the artist lied about her interactions with him.


One hour later Pasha Vafee sent CAMP co-director Megan Wilson the following email that she responded to:

On Sep 3, 2018, at 2:56 PM, Pasha Vafaee wrote:

Dear Ms. Wilson,

My name is Pasha Vafaee, and I am directing a short documentary on the art in Clarion Alley. My goal with this passion project is to document artists’ painting processes and relationships/interactions with the local community as they complete their murals. As an accomplished local artist and president of CAMP’s Board, your input is very important to me.

Would you be willing to hop on a recorded Google Hangouts or Skype call with me some time in the near future to discuss your observations and thoughts on CAMP’s role in the Mission District as the neighborhood culture changes so rapidly? Especially given the recent controversy regarding the new “Walks of Life” mural, your participation in this film project would be greatly appreciated and important for viewers.

I am currently tied up in Los Angeles for a series of family-related events, so I am unfortunately unable to conduct an interview in person in the Bay Area, but I look forward to hearing back from you, and I hope we can schedule a time to chat soon. Thank you!

Best,
Pasha Vafaee

 

On Sep 3, 2018, at 3:16 PM, Megan Wilson wrote:

Hey Pasha – thanks for reaching out. Unfortunately I and CAMP are completely consumed with an international exchange project with Indonesia right now – our artists arrive tonight -and we are booked for the next two months.

Best of luck,
Megan

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

On September 5th CAMP co-director Megan Wilson was contacted by Mission Local’s Abraham Rodriguez:

On Sep 5, 2018, at 11:04 AM, Abraham Rodriguez  wrote:
Hi Megan,
We noticed today that the mural Alison Oksner painted at the Northeastern end of Clarion Alley was spray painted over in black paint. Was this planned or done by any CAMP folks, or was it done by someone from the building?
From: Megan Wilson
To: Abraham Rodriguez

Hi Abraham,

This is the first we are hearing of this – we are at a lunch at the Asian Art Museum. I think I had mentioned that we are in the midst of an international exchange and residency with artists from Indonesia – so we have been completely consumed with hosting them since they arrived on Monday night.
No, CAMP had nothing to do with the mural being spray painted over and we have no idea who did.

Megan

 

On September 6th Mission Local published the following article:

Mural vigilante paints over unsolicited art on Clarion Alley

By Abraham Rodriguez | Sep 6, 2018 |

Last week, traveling artist Alison Oksner arrived at Clarion Alley and began to paint a mural depicting realistic portraits of Mission men and women. She called her mural Walks of Life, and it encapsulated the stories of different Mission residents, some who are dead and some who live on the streets. As it turned out, the mural was not sanctioned by the group that curates all of the murals on Clarion Alley, which intimated that it would be taken down.

Well, too late. An unknown individual or individuals beat them to it, covering up the garage-door-sized mural with black spray paint.

According to one of the shopkeepers who works near the alley, the “Walks of Life” mural was intact when the store closed down for the evening Tuesday. When the shopkeeper returned Wednesday morning, it was immediately apparent that the mural had been painted over.

The association overseeing the art in this world-famous corridor, the Clarion Allley Mural Project, told Mission Local that it had just learned about the demise of Walks of Life, and did not have anything to do with it or even know who did it.

“However, given all the press attention, this is not surprising. We have seen similar situations before,” CAMP representatives said via e-mail.

CAMP operates as the alley’s gatekeepers: They curate the walls and notify artists whenever murals are vandalized. If a mural spot opens up, CAMP selects the artists who will fill it.

But in an email to Mission Local last week, CAMP staffers said Oksner had not been permitted to paint along the alley, and accused her of painting over another mural. They would be painting over Walks of Life soon, the email said.

Oksner, who was only in San Francisco for two weeks, defended her work and said the walls she painted on were blank. “I would never knowingly paint over another artist’s work,” Oksner said in an Instagram message last week.

She later reiterated that she obtained permission from the building’s owner before undertaking her work. She claimed that it was not her, but the building owner, who had ordered the site’s prior mural covered after it had been tagged by vandals. Had the graffiti not been removed, the building owner stood to be fined by the city.

To Mission Local:  again, did you speak with the building owner directly? Did the building owner tell you that they had received a notice from the city that they would be fined? 

The Walks of Life mural was inspired by unhoused Mission resident Tyrone Butler. After many ups and downs in his life, Butler found himself back on the street after his wife passed away. But the idea for the mural came from his need to tell his story.

“Maybe now I won’t hold stuff in,” Butler said.

To Mission Local: again, did you speak with any of the organizations in the community that work with folks experiencing homelessness to ask them about their thoughts on the artist’s project – or your  coverage of it?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

On September 6th CAMP co-director Megan Wilson received the following series of emails from Nick Dobis at CBS / KPIX:

On Sep 6, 2018, at 10:25 AM, Dobis, Nick  wrote:

Good morning!

My name is Nick with KPIX in San Francisco. We wanted to see if anyone from CAMP would be available to talk to our reporter today regarding this story in Mission Local.

Please get back to me as soon as possible. Thanks for your time.

Regards,

-Nick

<image001.png>
Nick Dobis
Assignment Editor
KPIX-TV  KBCW-TV SAN FRANCISCO
Desk: (415) 765-8610
Cell: (415) 271-5887
Twitter:@NickKPIX

From: Megan Wilson
Sent: Thursday, September 06, 2018 10:47 AM
To: Dobis, Nick
Subject: Re: Mural vigilante paints over unsolicited art on Clarion Alley

Unfortunately not. We are in the midst of an international exchange and residency with Indonesia and booked up for the next two months

On Sep 6, 2018, at 11:17 AM, Dobis, Nick wrote:

OK. So there isn’t anyone from CAMP who would be willing to talk to our reporter today? We would only need about 5 minutes of their time.

On Sep 6, 2018, at 11:41 AM, Megan Wilson wrote:
No – four of our Board members are out of the country… and the rest of us are hosting our visiting artists
I’m taking time out from the tour we are getting of the Tenderloin from Del Seymour to respond to you
On Sep 6, 2018, at 11:44 AM, Dobis, Nick wrote:

Thanks Megan! We really appreciate your time to talk to us. Do you had a cell phone number I can send to my reporter John Ramos?

On Sep 6, 2018, at 11:56 AM, Megan Wilson wrote:

No i do not have time – the point was the is even too much – none of us have time sorry

 

Later that evening CBS ran the following:

 

To CBS:  Why was this story worthy of coverage? CAMP’s murals are filled with images of “actual members of the community” …  this is not an anomaly, other than it was painted by someone who had spent less than a week getting to know the community she painted and then left town and her mural, which was painted in a space that is known to draw graffiti got spray-painted over. Our other murals that are filled with members of the community have been painted by other members of our community … Clarion Alley draws hundreds and sometimes thousands of people a day – so folks are constantly congregating around murals that are being painted – that is not news. Clearly the folks who were painted in the mural felt betrayed – based on your coverage – supporting that it was irresponsible of an out-of-town artist to undertake such a project with a vulnerable community over six days and then leave.

The protocols of the alley are not “unwritten” – they are clearly written on CAMP’s website. Did CBS / KPIX speak to the building owner? Did Alison tell you that she had actually spoken with the building owner? Or did she just “think” she got permission?

The artist herself makes the point that she was painting folks who are usually “invisible to society” – she ensured that invisibility by painting on a spot that was known to get tagged frequently – knowing she could not repair it.

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On September 7th CAMP responded to the graffiti. Artist Nano Warsono painted a new mural in the space as part of Bangkit/Arise, an international exchange and residency between artists and organizations from the San Francisco/Bay Area and Yogyakarta Indonesia. Clarion Alley Mural Project is directing the exchange in San Francisco in collaboration with the Asian Art Museum Chong Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture and community partners AROC (Arab Resource Organizing Center), SOMCAN (South of Market Community Action Network), the Coalition On Homelessness, and the San Francisco Poster Syndicate. In Yogyakarta, the project is led by the Indonesian Institute of Art and the offices of local municipality Panggungharjo, a district in south Yogyakarta. The exchange and residency program, lasting from July 2018 – October 2018, split between Yogyakarta and San Francisco has included the production of public murals, community-based collaborations/ performances, and civic engagement in each site.

On September 10th CAMP received the following email:

From: Julian Mark
To: Clarion Alley Mural Project

Greetings,

My name is Julian and I’m a reporter with Mission Local. I noticed that controversial mural “Walks of Life” that was painted over last week has been completely replaced with a new mural. Could you possibly tell us who the artist is, the concept of the mural, and how the artist was selected? Also, was this artist selected as a result of the “Walks of Life” mural being painted?

Thank you and please let me know! My deadline is ASAP.

All the best,
Julian

CAMP responded the same day with the following:

From: Clarion Alley Mural Project
To: Julian Mark

Artist: Nano Warsono

Titled : “HO”

HO is the first letter in the Javanese alphabet. HO means the beginning of everything; the beginning of being. In Wayang Javanese shadow puppet theater the beginning of the universe is represented by two characters – Semar and Togog. These two gods live in the world as ordinary men – one is the guide of humans in the north; the other in the south. Semar represents good and Togog evil – and they are in constant dialogue. The banana tree represents the philosophy that life must be used to its fullest. All parts of the banana tree are in full use in Javanese culture, from leaf, flower, stalk, and fruit, working in harmony. The two characters Semar and Togog on the mural were created from characters in both the Arabic and the Javanese alphabets to become a mantra and talisman for protection, strength, and good fortune.

The new mural is part of the international exchange and residency Bangkit/Arise between artists and organizations from the San Francisco/Bay Area and Yogyakarta Indonesia. Clarion Alley Mural Project is directing the exchange in San Francisco in collaboration with the Asian Art Museum Chong Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture and community partners AROC (Arab Resource Organizing Center), SOMCAN (South of Market Community Action Network), the Coalition On Homelessness, and the San Francisco Poster Syndicate. In Yogyakarta, the project is led by the Indonesian Institute of Art and the offices of local municipality Panggungharjo, a village in south Yogyakarta. The exchange and residency program, lasting from July 2018 – October 2018, split between Yogyakarta and San Francisco has included the production of public murals, community-based collaborations/ performances, and civic engagement in each site.

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On September 11th Mission Local published the following article:

Clarion Alley drama: Controversial mural of homeless people gone for good

By Julian Mark | Sep 11, 2018 |

To Readers: this is a ridiculous heading by Julian Mark and Mission Local – this was never a “drama” for CAMP.  It is our belief that Mission Local turned it into a “drama” to draw readership as click bait.

A mural in Clarion Alley depicting local residents, which drew the ire of the alley’s de-facto curators — and was subsequently painted over by an unknown party — has been now been replaced by a new mural depicting a banana tree flanked by Indonesian mythical gods and texts.

The new mural is called “HO” and it was painted by Indonesian-born artist Nano Warsono. “HO is the first letter in the Javanese alphabet,” the Clarion Alley Mural Project representatives explained in an email. “HO means the beginning of everything; the beginning of being.”

But the “beginning of everything,” it turns out, means the end of something.

The painting of “HO,” in fact, ostensibly puts to rest a month-long saga that began when an out-of-town artist, Alison Oksner, placed her mural in a spot where a building owner had reportedly painted over a Cesar Chavez mural tagged with graffiti. Oksner’s work depicted the likenesses of more than a dozen men and women from the neighborhood. She named the mural Walks of Life.

To Mission Local: again, did Mission Local speak to the building owner? It was Mission Local who ‘reported’ on the business owner painting over the Cesar Chavez mural.

Although Oksner received permission from the building’s owner, she failed to coordinate with the Clarion Alley Mural Project, CAMP, before doing her work.

And CAMP, to say the least, was not happy.

“She sounds like a self-absorbed burner who happened to be blowing through SF on her way to Burning Man and wanted to paint a mural in Clarion Alley,” CAMP co-director Megan Wilson told Mission Local about Oksner.

“So, regardless of whether she wants to describe her work as being about the community — she clearly has no respect for the community that she is not from and that her need to paint HER mural was more important than actually connecting with the community to get permission,” Wilson added in an email.

The kerfuffle called into question what it necessarily means to be a part of the community. A mural painted by an out-of-towner depicting recognizable locals — but not approved by the alley’s gatekeepers — has given way to an ordained work of art created by an out-of-country artist and depicting complex, metaphysical themes.

To Mission Local and Readers: It was Mission Local who created the “kerfuffle” or the appearance of a “kerfuffle.” Also – please see the introduction at the top of this blog as to why CAMP would not support the artist’s project under any circumstances and why we believe that it was an irresponsible undertaking.

The people depicted in Oksner’s mural were, by and large, familiar local faces — such as David Soriano, a musician that has been living in the Mission for more than five decades. And Tyrone Butler, who spent many of his younger years in the neighborhood.

But the artistic merit of Walks of Life or its relevance to the Mission wasn’t the issue. What was at stake, CAMP representatives told us, was that she didn’t follow their rules; they vowed to paint over Oksner’s mural.

Yet before it could, an apparent vigilante spray-painted over the mural sometime between last Thursday evening and the following Friday morning. And now, the disputed wallspace has yet another look.

The new mural, part of the international exchange and residency between artists and organizations from the San Francisco Bay Area and Yogyakarta, Indonesia, is dark and cosmic take on creation.

It depicts a banana tree in its center, which represents “the philosophy that life must be used to its fullest.” On both sides of the tree are gods — barong-like characters named Semar and Togog — represent the beginning of the universe. “Semar represents good and Togog evil — and they are in constant dialogue,” according to CAMP.

There are also four words in English: “Community, respect, generosity, and mindfulness.”

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On September 26th CAMP had the following email exchange with Julian Mark:

On Wed, Sep 26, 2018 at 12:27 PM Julian Mark <[email protected]> wrote:
Hello —

We host a bimonthly radio show called Listen Local, and we were wondering if you’d like to come into our radio program to discuss the “Walks of Life” mural and the “HO” mural that replaced it. We think it’s an interesting topic that could use some more exploring, and we’d love to hear from someone in your organization. We could also touch on some exciting things coming to Clarion Alley.

The show begins at 9:20 am on Thursday.

Please let us know, we’d love to have you!

Sincerely,
Julian

 

On Wed, Sep 26, 2018 at 12:41 PM Clarion Alley Mural Project <[email protected]> wrote:
Hi Julian,

Unfortunately we are unable to join the show tomorrow.

If you would like to read more about CAMP’s response to this situation you can read our blog here. After we published the piece, The Coalition on Homelessness, The Western Regional Advocacy Project (WRAP), and Adriana Camarena from Justice for Luis all publicly voiced their support for CAMP.

Thanks,
CAMP

From: Julian Mark <[email protected]>
Date: September 26, 2018 at 12:43:24 PM PDT
To: [email protected]
Cc: Clarion Alley Mural Project <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Mission Local: Join us on Listen Local tomorrow morning

No problem, thank you for letting me know!

The following morning – September 27 – Mission Local ran the radio program that reiterated the bad journalism already demonstrated by Mission Local – and completely disregarded CAMP’s public comments – e.g. they again said “how could the artist have painted without CAMP knowing” – to which CAMP had already publicly responded.

CAMP had also very clearly publicly stated why the artist’s project was irresponsible and why CAMP would not support it – yet Mission Local’s Lydia Chavez and Joe Eskanzi thought the project was appropriate.

Later that day CAMP again noted Mission Local’s shoddy journalism in a Facebook post, to which Julian Mark responded:

Mission Local has still not responded to CAMP’s requests to address the questions that we have posed regarding their publication’s reporting on our organization, leading community members to believe that Mission Local does not have journalistic integrity.

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Clarion Alley Mural Project was co-founded in 1992 by six Mission District residents, including two who lived on Clarion Alley. The Mission of CAMP is to support and produce socially engaged and aesthetically diverse public art as a grassroots community-based, artist-run organization based in San Francisco. Clarion Alley Mural Project is a fiscally sponsored project of Independent Arts & Media. Clarion Alley runs one block (560 ft long and 15 ft. wide) in San Francisco’s inner Mission District between 17th & 18th and Mission and Valencia streets.

Throughout its 26-year history Clarion Alley Mural Project (CAMP) has used public art as a force for those who are marginalized and a place where culture and dignity speak louder than the rules of private property or a lifestyle that puts profit before compassion, respect, and social justice.

Since the project began in 1992 CAMP has received permission from all but two of the building owners on the alley to curate murals on the facades of the structures on Clarion Alley.

As a 25+ year-old project, CAMP has a very limited number of spaces that become available each year for new works; therefore:

  • CAMP primarily reaches out to artists and/or organizations that the project is interested in exhibiting and/or working with collaboratively.
  • CAMP does accept submissions for new projects; however, please note that preference is give to Bay Area-based artists and organizations due to the need for artists to be available to maintain their spaces.