For the next year, patrons and passersby can enjoy Kerry James Marshall's monumental mural exhibit in SFMOMA's Evelyn and Walter Haas Atrium. Marshall depicts the rarely represented slaves who inhabited Monticello and Mount Vernon through a vibrant connect-the-dots theme, encouraging us all to re-write history together. At the press preview, Marshall pointed out that the two Founding Fathers are still relevant today -- books are still being written about them, and therefore, we can continue discovering the whole truth about our collective history. "There's always a way to talk about it," Marshall explained.

With the assistance of painters from Precita Eye's Mural Arts Center, Marshall's murals took two weeks to paint. They each measure 27 feet by 32 feet and consist of 57 commercial latex house paint colors, which will make the murals easy to reproduce in years to come. Coloring book-style posters of Marshall's original line drawings are available for purchase at SFMOMA's store, and the museum will be holding a web coloring competition. Marshall is scheduled to speak about the exhibit on April 30.

Additionally, fifteen students from three Oakland high schools are currently designing and producing a response mural to Marshall's pieces, which will be on exhibit in SFMOMA's Koret Visitor Education Center from May 2 to November 15, 2009. The students' mural will be permanently located in Town Park, Oakland's first fully sanctioned skate park, located in DeFremery Park.