Detail: top floor of the Women's Building.

Monumental Women's Mural

San Francisco, California

Of the many murals coating the walls and alleys of San Francisco's Mission District, this one stands out for its size, its fame, and its permanency. A group of female artists designed and painted the colorful five-story-tall work, which weaves across two sides of a building devoted to women's services. Titled "MaestraPeace," or "Woman: Teacher of Peace," it pays tribute to women throughout history and around the world.

Seven artists were chosen to paint the huge architectural canvas: Juana Alicia, Miranda Bergman, Edythe Boone, Susan Kelk Cervantes, Meera Desai, Yvonne Littleton, and Irene Perez. Starting in 1993, the main work was completed in 1994, with 18th Street side additions in 2000, and interiors in 2010. The imagery combines female mythology with iconic women in history -- a conceptual collaboration of the artists, with input from the community. Among the illustrations of sacred figures and Nobel prize winners is calligraphy by Olivia Quevedo with the names of over 600 women of note.

On the 18th Street side an unclothed woman (with baby in cutaway belly) floats on a flower and plume of water and directs light beams over the entrance.

In 2012 five of the original artists returned (along with volunteers) and the mural was cleaned, repaired, and given a color-preserving coating rated to last for 100 years. The mural remains a permanent fixture -- unlike many in the Mission that are cycled out and covered with new murals.

A book written and illustrated by the artists tells the story of their enduring public creation: "Maestrapeace: San Francisco's Monumental Feminist Mural."