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In February 2009, the walls of the Haas, Jr. Atrium at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art were transformed by the vibrant paintings of Chicago-based artist Kerry James Marshall. The two murals, “Visible Means of Support,” explore the central and often omitted stories of slavery and the role of race in the early years of this country’s founding.

In response to Marshall’s murals, SFMOMA worked with fifteen students from Oakland High School, Ralph Bunche Academy and Oakland School for the Arts to design and create a mural focused on the untold stories of their own Oakland neighborhood.

From January to May, the teens—a mix of artists, performers, skaters and dancers—met each week to plan, design and paint the mural.

Sessions at the museum allowed students to brainstorm and create the vision for their mural collaboratively, drawing from personal experience and research conducted on the histories of their communities.

Artists from Precita Eyes Mural Center, a San Francisco based community arts organization, helped the young muralists develop their design skills and turn their ideas into bold reality.

Their training included discussions about the role of public art, with visits to Bay Area-based artists and activists working to preserve community based art.

Examining the past was central to telling the story through the mural project. Students learned about the completion of the first transcontinental railroad, Oakland’s historic farmland and the park itself, which was once used as a meeting place for the Black Panthers in the 1960's.

These themes—of community, history and place— were reflected in the final artwork, and resonated strongly in Town Park, a community-built skate park within DeFremery Park, where the mural went up.

After weeks of planning and painting, Marshall came back to the Bay Area to meet with students and talk about the meaning behind their work.

The final rainy work days were a testament to the students' commitment over the months, which included many long Saturdays in the park working on the piece.

The mural, “Change, Family, Roots & Culture,” is in DeFremery Park in Oakland. An exhibit chronicling the Teen Mural Project was on display in the galleries of the Koret Visitor Education Center at the Museum.