Murals of the Tenderloin Walking Tour with Adrian Arias

A new mural by the visual poet Adrián Arias honors Indigenous resilience and presence in the Tenderloin. Join us on May 3rd for a “Murals of the Tenderloin” Walking Tour followed by a gathering at the Phoenix Hotel that dedicates “Indigenous Forever” through music, dance, poetry & community. 

“Indigenous Forever” is a new mural on Eddy St. near Larkin by Adrián Arias, a Peruvian born, San Francisco based “visual poet” who is famed in the Tenderloin for his 2021 mural “River to the Sky” that frames the site of the neighborhood’s storied Blackhawk Jazz Club. That vibrant work soulfully drew connections amongst the local history of the Blackhawk, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the ancestral roots of the Ohlone peoples and the artist’s own ancestral Mohica culture. “River to the Sky” captured the spirit of its moment but made explicit the timeless relationship between people, the land, and creativity. Deepening that vein, “Indigenous Forever” roots down in the Tenderloin with a message of Indigenous resilience and presence at a time when Indigenous and immigrant communities face significant political and social challenges. To do so, this new work riffs on a commonplace yet symbolically ripe object/image; in the artist’s words:

“Part of my Forever Stamps series, it honors the strength, wisdom, and continuity of Indigenous cultures—past and present. Featuring goddesses, medicinal plants, and sacred symbols, it celebrates deep connections to land, healing, and identity. In a neighborhood shaped by migration and struggle, this piece stands as a lasting mark of visibility and solidarity—a forever stamp of Indigenous presence.”

To celebrate the completion of this beautiful new work, the Tenderloin Museum has teamed up with the Tenderloin Community Benefit District and the iconic Phoenix Hotel to honor this new mural and the community that made it a reality! Join us on Saturday May 3rd for a special walking tour that surveys notable neighborhood public artworks and highlights Adrian’s Tenderloin murals followed by a special “Sounds of the TL” public program at the Phoenix Hotel that dedicates “Indigenous Forever” with performances by LoCura, La Mezcla, and more! 

Space on the mural tour is limited–register to attend via Humanitix. The celebration at the Phoenix Hotel is free and open to the public–no registration required. TLM’s Sounds of the Tenderloin series is made possible by support from the Specified General Fund for the Museum Grant Program under the California Cultural and Historical Endowment.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Adrian Arias (American, born in Peru) is a visual artist, poet, performer, curator, activist, and cultural promoter, who brings together multidisciplinary artists to engage in community projects with messages of social justice, racial equality, climate change, peace, beauty, health, and hope in the San Francisco Bay Area.

LoCura is an Oakland-based LoCura that performs self-described "Califas Mestizo Music," a blend of Latin American and Iberian rhythms such as rumba, cumbia, salsa and flamenco influenced by punk rock, ska, rap, dub, reggae, dancehall with local and global lyrical themes. The band's name ("it cures it") reflects their ethos of making music a remedy, a theme which permeates lyrics such as "la cultura cura la locura (culture cures the madness).”

La Mezcla is a polyrhythmic, San Francisco-based dance and music ensemble rooted in Chicana, Latina and Indigenous traditions and social justice. Founded in 2015 by Dance/USA fellow Vanessa Sanchez, their work brings together Tap dance, Son Jarocho and Afro-Caribbean rhythms to bring the often unseen histories and experiences of communities of color to stages, streets and fields.