Living Histories of Resistance and Community

SAN FRANCISCO, July , 2026 – The San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) is pleased to announce the third installation of the 2026 Art on Market Street Poster Series, titled History Makes the Present Complete, by San Francisco-based artist Vida Kuang.

History Makes the Present Complete will be displayed along Market Street, between 7th and Steuart streets, at 15 SFMTA transit shelters through fall 2026.

Commissioned around the 2026 poster series program theme, Now & Then: Living Memories, Kuang's poster six poster illustrations draw connections between pivotal moments in San Francisco's history and contemporary movements for racial, economic and social justice.

Through layered illustrations that span decades of civic action, the works demonstrate how collective memory continues to shape the city's present while highlighting the enduring power of community organizing across generations.

"One of the Arts Commission's most important roles is to make art visible and accessible where people experience everyday life," said Matthew Goudeau, Executive Director of Arts and Culture. "There is no better place than the heart of our city, along Market Street, for us to showcase these powerful illustrations by artist Vida Kuang that capture the essence of San Francisco’s activism and resilience. Art belongs in the places where life happens. By filling our streets with creativity and beauty, we make San Francisco not only more vibrant, but more welcoming and inspiring for everyone.”

As a visual storyteller, Kuang centers the histories of communities whose experiences have often been overlooked while honoring the cultural workers, organizers and everyday residents whose labor has sustained San Francisco's neighborhoods. Inspired by movements led by women of color and informed by her upbringing in Chinatown, her work explores the intersections of gender, class, race, survival, healing and memory.

Pivotal themes and histories highlighted in the poster series include:

• Bridge-Based Actions – connecting demonstrations across three decades, including the 1989 Stop AIDS Now protest on the Golden Gate Bridge, 2016 Black Lives Matter protests on the Bay Bridge, and a 2024 Palestine solidarity protest on the Golden Gate Bridge
• Labor Rights – contrasting the 1974 Jung Sai Garment Workers Strike with a 2024 Teamsters labor strike, illustrating the continuity of workers' movements across generations
• Iris Canada – honoring the San Francisco resident who became a symbol of housing justice through her fight against eviction, reflecting broader struggles for housing security
• Occupy / General Strike – drawing parallels between the 1934 San Francisco General Strike and the 2011 Occupy Wall Street movement as moments of collective action against economic inequality
• SF State Student Movements – linking the 1968 Third World Liberation Front student strike with the 2024 student encampments, highlighting shared demands for justice and institutional change
• SF Immigration Court – depicting the evolving landscape outside San Francisco's Immigration and Customs Enforcement office over the course of a decade

"History Makes the Present Complete is a reminder of San Francisco’s radical roots, built upon civil disobedience." said artist Vida Kuang. "These are stories of how everyday people take risks to defend each other’s right to be free — free from exploitation and violence; most importantly, free to thrive and pursue happiness."

Raised in San Francisco's Chinatown, Kuang is an artist and educator whose multidisciplinary practice spans illustration, photography, mixed-media installation and video. Drawing inspiration from her family's grocery store and the resilience of the communities around her, she creates work that centers storytelling as a tool for preserving collective memory and advancing liberation.

The 2026 Art on Market Street Poster Series theme, Now & Then: Living Memories, highlights previously unrecorded, newly unearthed and unconventional San Francisco histories. Other artists featured this year so far include artists Adrian Arias, and Colin Choy Kimzey, with artist Amir Khadar’s poster series to be unveiled later this year. For more information about the Art on Market Street Poster Series, visit sf.gov/art-on-market-street-poster-series.

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About the Artist
Vida Kuang is a San Francisco-based artist and educator whose multidisciplinary practice explores the intersections of history, memory and community. Raised in Chinatown, she studied Art History and Sociocultural Anthropology with a focus on public art at the University of Chicago. Through illustration, photography, mixed-media installation and video, her work examines gender, class, race, survival, healing and memory while centering the histories of communities whose stories have often gone untold.

About the Art on Market Street Poster Series
The San Francisco Arts Commission has commissioned new artworks from artists on an annual basis since 1992 in partnership with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) and Clear Channel. Now in its 33rd year, the program has partnered with over 130 artists since its inception, commissioning over $1.2 million worth of art, showcasing a wide breadth of artistic styles, themes and topics centered around San Francisco. Up to four artists are commissioned annually by the Arts Commission to create a series of at least six unique works of art that responds to a theme specific to San Francisco. To learn more, visit sf.gov/art-on-market-street-poster-series.

About the San Francisco Arts Commission 
The San Francisco Arts Commission is the City agency that champions the arts as essential to daily life by investing in a vibrant arts community, enlivening the urban environment and shaping innovative cultural policy. Our programs include: Civic Art Collection, Civic Design Review, Community Investments, Public Art, SFAC Galleries, and Art Vendor Licensing. To learn more, visit https://www.sf.gov/artscommission