The Oakland Super Heroes Mural Project is a series of 5 planned murals by The Center for ArtEsteem (Attitudinal Healing Connection, Oakland). Four have been completed: Mural #1 on San Pablo Avenue, Mural #2 on the east wall of Market Street, Mural #3 on the west wall of West Street, and Mural #4 on the east wall of West Street. The fifth and final mural is planned for creation on the west wall of Market Street. All of the main characters in the murals have super powers, and were created by West Oakland students. Read the student-authored narratives describing the heroes and their powers on ArtEsteem's website!
In Memoriam: On the morning of Tuesday, September 29, 2015, 27-year-old Antonio Ramos was shot while working on West Street's Mural #3. He later died of his injuries (ABC7 News).
#1 - San Pablo Avenue
Full scale visual of Mural #1. Photo CC ArtEsteem staff.
Mural #1 is on San Pablo Avenue underneath the I-580 overpass. It was completed in July 2012. The mural was designed in partnership with McClymonds High School students, and put together by lead artist David Burke and art director Aaron De La Cruz.
The mural design takes advantage of the light between the freeway bridges, which illuminates the central figure of the mural.
Mural in Progress
All photos CC SA-NC-BY Our Oakland unless noted
photo CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 by William Newton
photo CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 by William Newton
photo CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 by William Newton
photo CC BY-NC 2.0 by Kate Dollarhyde
#2 - Market Street
Full scale visual of Mural #2. Photo CC ArtEsteem staff.
ArtEsteem newsletter about the unveiling.
Mural #2 was conceptually designed by students from Westlake Middle School. David Burke is the art director and Senay "Refa1" Dennis is the lead artist. Again the main characters are superheroes created by the students.
photo CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 by William Newton
photo CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 by William Newton
CC SA-BY Our Oakland
#3 - West Street
Full scale visual of Mural #3. Photo CC ArtEsteem staff.
Mural #3 was conceptually designed and painted in partnership with West Oakland Middle School students. The lead artist is Javier Rocabado and the art director is David Burke.
#4 - West Street
Full scale visual of Mural #4. Photo CC ArtEsteem staff.
Mural #4 was conceptually designed and painted in partnership with Hoover Elementary students. The lead artist is Lindsey Millikan and the art director is David Burke.
#5 - Market Street (In Progress)
Design rendering illustrated by lead artist Pancho Pescador.
Mural #5 was conceptually designed and will be painted in partnership with ArtEsteem's after school youth leadership program, Oakland Legacy Project, students. The lead artist is Pancho Pescador and the art director is David Burke. The mural is planned for creation by Spring 2024.
Mural #1-4 Assistant Artists: Student Conceptual Designers + Sydney Cain (Sage), Norman Chuck (Vogue), Vanessa Espinoza (Agana), Cristian Munoz, Angel Perez, Ryan Pera, Pancho Pescador, David Platford, Keena Romano, Jeovic Yeban
