Artist and activist empowers ‘the people’
Why you want to know her: Edythe Boone has always known that art and community activism can go hand-in-hand, and, as she put it, “bring power to the people.” Boone, who turns 79 in April, has been trying to bring both peace and power to “the people” for decades. If you’ve wandered the streets of Berkeley, Oakland or San Francisco, chances are you’ve seen her murals, which include the iconic “Maestrapeace” on the San Francisco Women’s Building, which she completed with several other artists, and “Music on Our Minds” in Berkeley. A documentary called “A New Color” released in 2015 by local filmmaker Mo Morris explores Boone’s relationship with art and activism. A longtime art educator, Boone feels that art can help give people a voice. When she first came to the Bay Area from New York City almost 40 years ago, she said, she only drew landscapes. As she practiced painting faces, she liked to include people of different cultures in her work, which she continues. As a community activist, she encourages people to go to meetings and get involved in groups, where “people can heal you,” she said.
Why art can be activism: “I feel outrage when (injustice) affects ... anyone,” Boone said. “I want to protect them, and through art, maybe I can. I have a voice, even if others don’t.”