CUVIER COMMONS MURAL

The Cuvier Commons neighborhood group came together to activate the pocket park at the base of San Jose Ave and develop a mural design that reflects their neighborhood and the long time residents of the block.

This mural is a visual representation of what this area is: a beautifully diverse blending of people of all races, creeds, colors, orientations, and economic backgrounds. Visual elements include: the views as seen from the block as rendered by archival photography from 1915, elements that are contemporary like the favorite pear tree, and collective memories of residents like the go cart race that Mike Wertz started in the 1970s.

Residents like Mike, who has lived on the block for 50 years, are the design team’s greatest asset for incorporating the lived history of the neighborhood. Their experiences, as well as stories they’re able to pass on from the neighbors who welcomed them to Cuvier all those years ago, are at the heart of this mural’s design.

Artist Amos Goldbaum is a line-drawer, street peddler, and muralist from San Francisco. Amos grew up on Richland Ave and currently lives and works a few blocks away from the site of the Cuvier mural.

Bridging the Bernal Cut Credits:

Project Director: Sophie Constantinou, Citizen Film

Muralists: Amos Goldbaum