Supervisor Eric Mar: Art enriches our lives

"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up."
- Pablo Picasso

Picasso's famous quote is always on my mind as I watch my daughter dream up and create her own comic book and manga stories or practice her trumpet for her school band.

The Richmond District has a beautiful bouquet of artists, community groups, art spaces, small businesses and schools that are putting Picasso's vision into practice and making our neighborhood a great place to live and visit.

Richmond's Murals: Our community is blessed with murals all around us. From the huge and glorious Josef Norris/Kidserve (www.kidserve.com) mosaic mural overlooking McCoppin Elementary School's playground on Seventh Avenue at Balboa Street to the Star of the Sea School's (Ninth Avenue at Geary Boulevard) smaller but lovely spray-can mural and parent, teacher student quilt of tiles overlooking their courtyards.

I also appreciate the environmental themes of kids' murals at Peabody Elementary School's playground on Seventh Avenue and Clement Street, Katherine Delmar Burke School buildings on 33rd Avenue and California Street, and Alamo Elementary School's rooftop garden at 23rd Avenue.

And, if you're hungry, try the delicious food mural at the Geary Farmer's Market on Fourth Avenue at Geary, which was cooked up by the Richmond District Neighborhood Center, muralist Kyl Caragol and Roosevelt Middle School students, in partnership with the Farmer's Market and the Salvation Army.

If you want to tie history into your mural appreciation walks, check out George Washington High School's historical and ethnic murals, or the Beach Chalet's WPA-era murals of San Francisco history. In the bottom floor of the Beach Chalet at Ocean Beach, the 1936 Lucien Labaudt fresco paintings and tile murals depict our City's history and extend up the staircase to the second floor!

As well, Washington High School's walls are alive with more than 1,300 square feet of "Earth color," Victor Arnautoff's historic murals that cover the lobby walls, and the ethnic pride and cultural awareness murals covering the main halls.

Art studio spaces abound in the Richmond, like Susan Bostrom-Wong's gallery on Eighth Avenue and Anza Street, or Jay Mercado's studio on 10th Avenue at California Street.

I also love browsing the Park Life Gallery at 220 Clement and going with my daughter to participate in the engaging theme-drive community art of Frankenart Mart, at 515 Balboa St. The Mart has recently created a groovy Geary #38 bus sculpture as part of its "pavement" theme that now proudly idles in my office at City Hall.

Richmond District artists, arts spaces, schools and community arts programs enrich and bring beauty and vibrancy to our community. Please take a moment in October and year-round to admire a school mural, or drop by an artist's studio, or join in a community music center performance.

As Picasso's quote implies and our Richmond schools, community organizations and artists show through their work, art should belong to everyone in our community.

On Friday Oct. 16, there will be a community art reception at City Hall. Join us in my City Hall office (Room 284) from 5:30 - 8 p.m. to celebrate and honor our community arts organizations and artists (of all ages). On display will be new photographs from Richmond District photographers and a new awe-inspiring Geary #38 bus sculpture from our friends at Frankenart Mart.

This is how you can support arts in the Richmond:

• The Clement Street Merchants Association will be hosting its Halloween Art Contest for elementary school students. For more information, contact Jesse Fink at (415) 751-7505.

•The Friends ofÊLincolnÊParkÊare working with the SF Parks Trust and artist Aileen Barr to create mosaic murals on the steps at the foot of California Street leading up to Lincoln Park near 33rd Avenue. For more information, send an e-mail to FriendsOfLincolnPark@yahoo.com.

• The Richmond District Neighborhood Center's Multicultural Children's Art Program provides high quality, culturally-relevant art programs during weekends. The RDNC's Harvest Festival (Oct. 31, 1 - 3 p.m.)Êcelebrates the fall harvest, Day of the Dead and Halloween in one event. The festival includes a haunted house, pumpkin carving, ghost stories, costume making and other hands-on arts and crafts. For more information, go to the Web site at www.rdnc.org.

• Friday nights at the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum - the entire museum is open until 8:45 p.m. with free arts programs for kids, live music, poetry, films, dance, tours and lectures. My daughter and I really enjoy hanging out and making art at with the de Young's "art diva" and teacher Kim Erickson.

Coffee with Eric: On Thursday, Oct. 15, from 10 - 11 a.m., I will be at Cafe la Flore in the Inner Richmond (1032 Clement St.). Come meet with me and other Richmond residents and share what's on your mind.

Bike to Work Day: Our monthly ride meets up at Velo Rouge Cafe, 798 Arguello Blvd., on Friday, Oct. 30, at 8 a.m. Ride with us!

Eric Mar is a San Francisco supervisor representing District 1.