New Mural: Make Art Not War

A first for Downtown San Rafael, the City has officially established a process for permitting public art—thanks to the leadership of the Downtown San Rafael Arts District (DSRAD), with support from Art Works Downtown and the broader community.

Funded by DSRAD, the inaugural mural project was made possible with Art Works Downtown offering its prominent street-facing wall, marking the beginning of a new era of artistic expression for San Rafael.

Make Art Not War
by Joey Rose and Alexandra Underwood

“In many ways, this mural is an evolution of the existing mural painted by Joey and Alexandra in 2020. The flannel bush in the first mural has evolved into a sequence of organic patterns. The patterns are filled with a wide breadth of abstracted plant shapes coexisting in harmony, representing how a successful ecosystem and community thrives with diversity & synergy. While the first mural was focused on resilience amidst of the pandemic, this new mural depicts a native ten-lined june beetle: a symbol of transformation, rebirth and healing.

“In the first mural, we paid tribute to Milton Glaser with the quote “Art is Work.” We’ve again incorporated a quote from one of the most prolific artists of our time. Shepard Fairy’s iconic ‘Make Art, Not War’ slogan was a remix of the 60’s slogan ‘Make Love, Not War’ and has been the motto of many important street artists as a way to protest the atrocities of war across the world.” - Joey Rose and Alexandra Underwood