BroadwaySF’s Orpheum Theatre Mural
We Painted the Moment That Will Outlast All of Us
For years, many of us lived in spaces where color didn’t exist, not metaphorically but literally. Environments built to flatten the senses, strip away meaning, and turn the world into beige and concrete. Inside San Quentin, something different happened. Incarcerated people and staff painted a 325-foot mural with eL Seed, turning confinement into creation, and creation into connection, reminding the world that we still have beauty and value to offer our communities.
The mural at BroadwaySF’s Orpheum Theatre is its counterpart, the side of the story the public gets to see. In January 2026, community members showed up and carried a message beyond the wall: color belongs everywhere, incarcerated people help shape the world we all share, and the distance between a prison and a city is smaller than we pretend.
Every brushstroke carries forward, a bright red shard of possibility that outlives all of us.
The January 2026 event poster.
How It Happened
Tuesday, January 13
Public Talk and Storytelling Circle, SF Public Library
6:00 – 7:30 PM
A public conversation featuring global artist eL Seed in dialogue with voices from our community and from within San Quentin. The discussion explored the creation of complementary murals at the Orpheum Theatre and inside San Quentin Prison through San Quentin SkunkWorks’ Chiaroscuro Initiative.
Community members, including individuals impacted by San Quentin and the broader justice system, shared personal stories in conversation with the artist.
Friday, January 16
Community Mural Painting Day, Orpheum Theatre
12:00 – 4:00 PM
Volunteers painted at the Orpheum Theatre mural site in rotating shifts. No prior painting experience was required, and all materials were provided.
Private Dinner with eL Seed (By Invitation)
Evening | Doors open ~5:30 PM • Dinner 7:00 – 9:00 PM
La Cocina, 101 Hyde Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
That evening, eL Seed prepared an invitation-only dinner for supporters and partners at La Cocina.
Saturday, January 17
Public Mural Unveiling, SF Art Week
3:00 – 5:00 PM
The finished Orpheum Theatre mural was unveiled to the public as part of SF Art Week.
Both walls are finished. Read the story:
Press release: eL Seed Dual Murals Debut at SF Art Week (December 15, 2025)
Press release: San Francisco’s Largest Mural Installation Creates a Visual Link Between San Quentin and the Bay Area (January 27, 2026)
Explore the Chiaroscuro Initiative
Press/Media:
Press and media inquiries: press@sanquentinskunkworks.org