Moving the CCSF Diego Rivera Mural

For the second time in two weeks, Ryan Kost's article "The art of moving a mural" appeared--this time in the Bay Area of the SF Chronicle Yesterday,  Sunday, January 10.  

It's always good for a CCSF's treasure, Rivera's mural of Pan-American Unity, to get press--and I like to read about the lingering hope that CCSF's Performing Arts Education Center will become a reality and provide a permanent home for the mural. So I was happy to see this article repeated. 

Knowing Will Maynez, who's both charismatic and a team player, I'm sure he mentioned Julia Bergman in the interview leading up to this article, but it's written up as if Will were alone in this venture.

The caption under his photo says "Historian William Maynez spearheaded City College's efforts to restore and maintain the mural."  His contributions have been major, but I think the reporter should also have mentioned Julia Bergman, who's been his partner in this, and the Diego Rivera Mural Steering Committee.

I also hope he mentioned the student docent program, which I think deserves much more press and much more support. Even The Guardsman, the student newspaper at CCSF, neglects the docents when it does write-ups on the mural.

Of course, a lot of things about this article are misleading. The caption under a picture of the Cultural Heritage Imaginng directors Carla Schroer and Marlin Lum photographing "the mural, which is being moved across tshe street at City College of San Francisco." I wish that were fact!

Will is quoted as saying, "What I'm trying to do is move it across the street." The reporter writes that Will said this "as though- the building he wants to move it to--a new performing arts center...hadn't been put on hold..." According to the article structural engineers and conservators have all come to examine the mural "at Maynez's request" and "they've assured him a move is possible."

Finally there's a we: "But we don't want any more intervention than is necessary."

Then it's back to a single champion: "He's become its 'self-appointed, self-anointed' historian." Surely he said, "along with Julia Bergman."

"He has been piecing together the mural's history and the stories within ever since. He's managed to track down a few of the subjects in the piece,..."

"This is my watch. I'm trying to do as best I can by the mural."

I wish he would put the student docents on his watch! I hope someone IS doing that!

http://www.sfchronicle.com/art/article/Push-to-move-a-Rivera-mural-but-first-a-6728370.php