Josue Rojas hovers in the air above the ground, gingerly balancing his stomach on a stool while holding his paintbrush in one hand, face towards the asphalt. He says it’s better than being on all fours.
“It’s particularly brutal work,” says Rojas. “I’m on my knees six to eight hours a day and, now that I’m in my mid-40s, it’s not that easy to bear.”
Rojas has spent the past week working between bursts of rain to create a street mural on 20th and Florida streets for the “Slow Streets, Fast Friends” project of the SF Parks Alliance nonprofit, which commissions murals on slow streets throughout the city.
The mural was finished this past weekend, and now adorns the block where Atlas Cafe, the Southern Exposure gallery, and Trick Dog sit.
Its painting was tough. Besides the long stretches of time on the ground, Rojas fought against the elements to produce a large, intricate mural that will eventually be driven on, walked over, and possibly repaved within the next eight to 10 months. But he says it’s worth it.
“Putting art directly on the street, that’s an exercise in the practice of letting go,” says Rojas. “I do it because I love the art and I love these streets, and I know that it will give people joy.”
The mural features a cornucopia of images of food, weaving together pasta plates, pizza, Asian takeaway boxes, and a large cup of coffee. At the center stands a food vendor, holding a boombox in one hand and an ice cream cart overflowing with flowers in another.
Rojas says the ice cream seller honors one of the most underpaid and overlooked jobs in the neighborhood. The flowers he pushes in his cart represent the color, beauty, and — in Rojas’s words — poetry the seller imparts.
Rojas grew up only a couple blocks away from 20th Street and witnessed firsthand how the Mission has changed — Rojas was himself evicted from the Mission some 20 years ago.
His mural also recognizes that change — a fancy cocktail and a latte are featured prominently — while also paying homage to the cultural heritage of the Mission. Multicolored costume feathers surround the mural, a nod to Carnaval, a weekend in which 20th Street transforms into a boisterous party celebrating Latin American culture. An eagle feather also floats at the top, representing the nearby American Indian Cultural District.
Rojas is a longtime and prolific Mission muralist who debuted in 1995. He has painted all over the Mission, including a large, multistory mural of a hummingbird flying above colorful Victorian homes on Bryant Street, and a mural on the walls of the Latino Task Force celebrating the San Francisco Giants game in Mexico, showcasing the Giants logo alongside a large quetzal bird and Carnaval performers.
“I’m doing something that’s very traditional, and I’m trying to evolve with the times,” says Rojas, who is 44. “I’m still young, I’m at the age when I can do this and will do this for as long as I can. I wouldn’t mind being in galleries, but my heart at this moment is with the streets.”
In addition to the 20th Street mural, the SF Parks Alliance has installed “slow street” murals on Lyon, Page, and Hearst streets, and plans to expand into the Mission with the 20th Street mural and another on Minnesota, starting this week. The murals, beyond serving as beautification projects, are meant to slow drivers down.
Kyle Grochmal, with the community group 20th Street Neighbors, says the process has been arduous. While 11 slow streets have requested a street mural, only five have received one so far. Residents required a letter from their supervisor, a 30+ day approval from the Arts Commission, and then a final 30+ day approval from SFMTA for a permit to close the street.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, 20th Street was one of many temporary slow streets across the city, and became a permanent one in March of 2023 with the help of local businesses like Flour + Water. The street has seen high traffic, despite signage indicating that it is a slow street. Grochmal hopes that the mural will draw attention to this fact.
In the meantime, Grochmal’s group has spearheaded efforts to improve the corridor, including by installing a bench at the 27-Bryant bus stop at 20th and Bryant alongside potted plants and an early photo of Bryant Street. They have also advocated for traffic and safety improvements, including more speed humps, stop signs, and larger, more noticeable “slow street” signage.
Rojas, for his part, says mural work helps him connect to a neighborhood from which he has been displaced. He was evicted from the Mission in 1999 when he was in his late teens and studying art. According to Rojas, a developer knocked on the door of his family home and offered his family money to leave, or to be evicted. After earning an M.F.A. from Boston University College of Fine Arts, Rojas relocated to the Bayview, though he still identifies as a Mission artist.
Rojas says his mural making keeps an ancient artform alive, while contributing to a decades-long history of Chicano art in the Mission. He is also mentoring the neighborhood’s youth: Angel Velasquez, a 20-year-old young artist who got connected to Rojas after watching him paint a mural from a distance, now regularly assists Rojas in his work. Velasquez has painted alongside Rojas every day on the 20th Street mural.
“I couldn’t teach in a classroom setting,” says Rojas, who taught at Eastside Arts Alliance and San Francisco State University. “Now, I take on a new mentee every time I do a mural.”
“Keeping a brush in both of our hands,” adds Rojas, “that’s revolutionary.”
This story has been updated to note that the “Slow Streets, Fast Friends” murals are a project of the SF Parks Alliance.
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‘Slow Streets, Fast Friends’ mural comes to 20th St. in the Mission
Sign up below to get Mission Local’s free newsletter, a daily digest of news you won’t find elsewhere. Josue Rojas hovers in the air above the ground, gingerly balancing his stomach on a stool while holding his paintbrush in one hand, face towards the asphalt. He says it’s better than being on all fours. “It’s particularly brutal work,” says Rojas. “I’m on my knees six to eight hours a day and, now that I’m in my mid-40s, it’s not that easy to bear.” Rojas has spent the past week working between bursts of rain to create a street mural on 20th and Florida streets for the “Slow Streets, Fast Friends” project of the SF Parks Alliance nonprofit, which commissions murals on slow streets throughout the city.The mural was finished this past weekend, and now adorns the block where Atlas Cafe, the Southern […]
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