Mission Wall Dances Mural by Josef Norris

The Mission Wall Dances mural, located at 1849 Harrison Street, exists as a permanent record of a site-specific performance piece from September 2002. Commissioned by FlyAway Productions, the artwork was designed by Josef Norris to serve as a backdrop for a series of dance performances that took place directly on the building itself. Dancers utilized the mural as a stage, interacting with built-in features like a suspended steel umbrella and hinged doorways that were integrated into the painted surface. After the final performance, the artist completed the mural by incorporating actual imagery from the dance, creating a lasting memorial to both the ephemeral event and the history of the neighborhood.