Murals Exhibition at UC San Diego Park & Market Highlights the Rich Cultural Heritage of America’s Finest City
San Diego is often known for its stunning coastline and vibrant culture, but it also boasts a rich history of public art that reflects the city’s diverse population and artistic legacy. From the New Deal murals of the 1930s to the contemporary street art scene, murals have served as powerful vehicles for storytelling, cultural expression, and community engagement.
UC San Diego Park & Market‘s Murals Exhibition, running through 2025 in the building’s Art Gallery adjacent to Digital Gym Cinema, spotlights San Diego’s rich mural heritage. Community members are invited to view the collection at Park & Market or pick up a program to tour the mural works of East Village and Downtown San Diego in person.
Let’s take a closer look at the formation of this vibrant community legacy and meet some of the talented local artists keeping it alive today.
Mural History in San Diego
San Diego’s mural history spans from New Deal programs in the 1930s to contemporary expressions. The Chicano Movement in the 1960s-70s saw murals as symbols of cultural pride and activism, especially in Mexican-American neighborhoods. Murals continued as catalysts for community revitalization in the 1980s-90s, supported by groups like the Chicano Park Steering Committee. Today, the mural scene thrives with diverse styles and themes, regulated by city guidelines to ensure safety and artistic integrity.
San Diego Mural Artists of Today
Artists highlighted in the exhibition include Berenice Badillo, Mario Chacon, German Corrales, Thao French, Ruby Michelle, and Victor Ochoa. The Chicano Park Restoration project and arts organization Ladies Who Paint were also highlighted. Read more about the artists and initiatives below.
Berenice Badillo Muralist Berenice Badillo is reimagining her mural as part of the broader ongoing restoration project at Chicano Park. Badillo shares her inspiring journey of healing through art. Despite her battle with cancer, she finds gratitude in the restoration of her 1997 mural, reflecting on the importance of community, hope, and the power of storytelling.
Mario Chacon Born and raised in the Boyle Heights community of Los Angeles and coming of age at the height of the Chicano Movement in the late ’60s and ’70s, Mario Chacon considers his experiences during the high school walkouts, the Chicano Moratorium, and the artistic renaissance of this period to be powerful life-changing phenomena that inform his social and artistic perspective even today.
German Corrales A descendant of Purépecha native blood from Michoacán, home to the Monarch butterfly, German Corrales has lived in both San Diego and Tijuana. As a self-taught artist, his interest in painting began in his late teens and has continued developing over the years. German’s paintings tell a story and arise from his passion for research and learning his beautiful culture.
Thao French Thao French chooses to emphasize Asian themes in her work because it is where she comes from and it’s what she wants to study to have a better sense of self-identity. She knows how it feels to not have a sense of belonging in America. Thao’s art helps her process these emotions and when people react and tell her about their refugee stories, it makes her feel like she is not alone.
Ruby Michelle As a child, Ruby Michelle loved to draw and paint. Her dad, a mural painter and culinary artist, was always creating something, and often she would want to be right there next to him painting along with her paintbrush and learning by his example. She was always anxious to learn and see what she could make from her imagination.
Victor Ochoa Victor Ochoa became involved with Chicano activism while he was in college. In April 1970, he saw fliers at the City College Student Center for a park take-over for what would later become Chicano Park. Ochoa recalls leaving class to go to the protest. He and other artists added their stamp to the protest by starting their own murals.
Chicano Park Restoration The Chicano Park Mural Restoration project will restore 18 of the murals painted on the columns and retaining walls that are part of the San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge. The murals have deep transcending values and are recognized as historical, cultural, and socio-political public art. The murals were painted by various artists throughout the 1970s and 1980s and are the intellectual properties of the original artists.
Ladies Who Paint (Founders Roxi Prima Phoebe and Cornog) The mission of Ladies Who Paint is to create a lasting impact on the community of San Diego through the use of public murals created by international and local female muralists while empowering women in the artistic industry and beyond.
Get Involved: Share Your Favorite Works of Art in San Diego
When Park & Market issued a public call for submissions of murals and public art in San Diego, community members documented the inspiring murals, sculptures, and other public expressions of creativity in their neighborhoods.
There is still time to share the art in your neighborhood! Visit the Mural Project webpage to submit works of art near you.
The Murals Exhibition at UC San Diego Park & Market is a must-see collection of creative commentary on history and the human experience through the medium of murals. Visitors are welcome to view the artwork at the Park & Market Art Gallery through early 2025. Alternatively, you can tour these incredible works in person with a program guide available for pickup at Park & Market.
San Diego’s murals and public art are a testament to the city’s rich cultural tapestry and artistic legacy. These vibrant artworks continue to captivate audiences, spur conversation, and reflect the ever-evolving spirit of the community. Through initiatives like Park & Market’s Murals Exhibition, we can celebrate and preserve this invaluable aspect of San Diego’s cultural heritage for generations.