Aug. 31, 2010

Celebration of Johanna Poethig's mural at the I-Hotel in San Francisco on Aug. 4, 2010

Johanna Poethig is a prolific artist. The CSU Monterey Bay professor's latest works are both celebratory – one commemorating a decades-long struggle for housing, another honoring the vision of a college.

The Oakland resident and founding faculty member at CSUMB has been creating art through murals, paintings, sculpture and installations for more than two decades.

Her latest mural was dedicated Aug. 4 at the International Hotel on Kearny Street in San Francisco. It depicts the history of the site, where residents of the old I-Hotel – Filipino and Chinese immigrants – were evicted more than 30 years ago, then fought for decades to have low-income housing there. The mural honors manongs (elders) who lived, fought and created a home together there.

"The words of Al Robles, beloved poet and activist, float across the sun-moon circle that represents the I-Hotel's communal life," Poethig said. "Within the circle, I-Hotel manongs play music, pose for pictures and dance. A young girl waits at the time of the eviction. A boy performs at an annual Aug. 4 I-Hotel eviction commemoration, as this story is passed from one generation to the next."

The hotel now provides low-cost housing for seniors. The ground floor is a community center, where Poethig has exhibited her art.

She recently completed a project at Skyline College in San Bruno, where she created a pair of mosaic pillars, "Mission Tapestry" and "Vision Tapestry."

The pillars are located on the first and second floors of the school's Student Center. The artwork is designed to transform the space with a colorful tapestry of text taken from the college's vision and mission statements.

"The visual intention of this artwork is to enliven the hallways with rich color, strong design, and thematic content conceptually linking the two floors," Poethig said.

The students, employees and administrators were intrigued and delighted as the artwork unfolded, she reported. "There were many great comments, including the way mosaic pillars transformed the two floors of the building in a way people never imagined," she said.

"This is the power of art."

Read more about Professor Poethig's projects and visit her website.

Also, read about CSUMB's Department of Visual and Public Art.