Gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman and Precita Eyes Muralists founding director Susan Cervantes have organized a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to restore "The Hope for the World Cure" mural in San Francisco's LGBTQ Castro district.Cervantes was the lead artist and director for the Hope for a World Cure project; the mural was painted in 1998 and commemorates the Castro district's struggle with the AIDS pandemic in vivid colors and rich detail.On the fundraiser's webpage, organizers aim to raise $55,000 to fully restore the mural, which has been damaged by vandals as well as faded over time.
In January, Broke Ass Stuart reported that the mural had been badly defaced. Restoration will include a strong conservation quality varnish to protect the mural from UV light and pollutants and a graffiti shield that should last decades, according to the description.The mural was painted as a collaboration with the Precita Eyes Muralists Association and Art from the Heart Heals.
It had previously been damaged in 2017 by a graffiti artist.To date, nearly $3,000 has been raised. To donate, click here."In the 24 years since the mural was painted as an Arts Commission-funded collaboration between Precita Eyes Muralists and Art From the Heart Heals, it has become an important historical and cultural asset to the community.
Unfortunately, it has also been subjected to repeated vandalism and faded over time," Mandelman wrote in an April 29 Facebook post announcing the launch of the fundraising campaign.It's one of four murals in the LGBTQ Castro district that addresses the AIDS epidemic, two of which were unveiled last month in the micro-neighborhood of Duboce Triangle.