Edythe Boone facts for kids

Edythe (Edy) Boone (born 1938) is an amazing African-American artist and activist. She has spent her life painting large murals, helping people as a counselor, and teaching art. She mostly worked in areas of California where people might not have had many opportunities.

Edy Boone is also the aunt of Eric Garner. His story, along with Michael Brown's, helped inspire important protests and the Black Lives Matter movement.

What Does Edythe Boone Do?

Edythe Boone is famous for the many large murals she has painted. She started by painting murals on every floor of a building in Harlem, New York. Over the years, her work grew to include one of her most well-known projects: helping design and paint the huge MaestraPeace mural on the Women's Building in San Francisco, California.

Boone first discovered her love for art when she visited her grandmother. Her grandmother was a seamstress, and Edy was surrounded by colorful fabrics and textures. This experience showed her the power of color and creativity.

She believes that art is for everyone, not just for professional artists. Her goal is to help people and communities feel stronger and more connected through art.

Art for Change

Edythe Boone is known for caring deeply about social issues. She has been influenced by many important social movements. These include groups like the Black Panthers and other civil rights movements.

Boone is best known for her street murals in the San Francisco Bay Area. These murals often focus on important activist issues and the local community. Her art has explored topics like AIDS, poverty, racial discrimination, and gender inequality. She uses her art to bring attention to these challenges and inspire change.

Famous Artworks

Boone is perhaps most famous for being one of the artists behind the incredible MaestraPeace mural. This mural is on the Women's Building in San Francisco, California.

The MaestraPeace Mural

The MaestraPeace mural was created in 1994. Seven talented female artists worked together on it, including Edythe Boone. The mural covers two walls and is five stories high! It shows many different images. Some of these include the Aztec Goddess of the Moon Coyolxauhqui. It also features real-life heroes like Palestinian activist Hanan Ashrawi, poet Audre Lorde, painter Georgia O'Keeffe, and Guatemalan Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchú.

This amazing mural is a major tourist attraction in San Francisco's Mission District. It was refreshed and restored in 2012, and Boone helped with that work too. The building itself is special because it was the first community building owned and run entirely by women. The mural celebrates women throughout history and the challenges they have overcome.

MaestraPeace is important not just because it's huge and shows many famous women. It also expresses ideas about different cultures and standing up against unfair power. The artists who created it came from many different backgrounds.

Other Notable Murals

• "Those We Love, We Remember": This mural was painted by Boone in Balmy Alley in San Francisco, CA. It honors people who have passed away.
• "Oakland Wall Speaks": In the 1980s, Boone worked with a group of "guerrilla" muralists. They painted this mural with people living in local housing projects.
• "Let a Thousand Parks Bloom": Near Berkeley's People's Park, Boone helped create this mural. It refers to the peaceful protests that happened in the park in 1969 against the Vietnam War.
• South Berkeley History Mural: In Berkeley, CA, Boone oversaw the creation of a 100-foot mural. It was finished in 2018 on Ashby Avenue. This mural shows the history of South Berkeley, from the time of the Ohlone people to today.

A New Color: The Documentary

"A New Color" is a film directed by Marlene “Mo” Morris. The movie focuses on Edythe Boone's amazing career. Morris said that "Edy has a way of inspiring people and embracing a number of causes." The film first showed at the Mill Valley Film Festival on October 10, 2015.

Marlene Morris received a grant in 2011 from the Berkeley Film Foundation. This helped her film half of "A New Color." In 2012, a Kickstarter campaign helped raise more money for the film. The East Bay Community Foundation also promised to match any funds raised.

Film Festival Awards