Above And Beyond

Artist: Sarah Siskin and Fred Alvarado, Precita Eyes
Location: Fabiola Building, 3801 Howe St
Date Painted: 2019
Date Photographed: January, 2022
Photographer: @prostreetphotogr
Description: from the Precita Eyes site:
​“Above & Beyond” highlights community and family as being a central part of Kaiser Permanente’s healthcare philosophy. The design uses ideas and imagery that come directly from our multigenerational community workshop.
 
As a central image we put a rose inside of a heart, the pattern around the rose represents the flower of life and resemble roots that connect the flower to the people around it. This is the light source of the mural, which is why it is glowing and radiating light on the life around it. The Fabiola building is in the center of the mural and the Kaiser Permanente hospital is next to it to show the relationship between primary and specialty care. The neighborhood homes climb up the hills in both directions, bridging the hospital to the community and homes that surround it. In front of the Fabiola Building is a doctor kneeling down to child height to show his patient an x-ray of her broken bone.
 
We used the love rocket with the saying “above and beyond” as we had discussed in our workshop to show the fundamental love that comes along with care but also acknowledge that Kaiser Permanente doctors go above and beyond with their patients. We were playful with children’s drawings juxtaposed to more realistic images to maintain the community feel to this mural. On the bottom, a child is playing “doctor” with a teddy bear to show that the children who come to this hospital may one day very well be doctors here themselves. In the sky on the top left is Sidney Garfield who co-founded the Kaiser Permanente healthcare system and made it public. On the top right is Ellamae Simmons who was an MD (pictured here in her nursing uniform) and 1st African American female physician hired by Kaiser Permanente, in 1964.
 
Lake Merritt is at the bottom next to the Fabiola Building to ground the hospital in Oakland, as there are many Kaiser Permanente locations around the Bay Area. To the right of the lake is an apple tree to show happy and healthy communities. There is an African American family showing us their strong muscles, around them are orchids and bunnies.
 
On the far left is an Edwardian style home typical of Oakland’s residential architecture. In the window is the LGBTQ flag to show inclusion and support of all people. In front of the house are two girls hugging and the flowers flowing in front of them are native to thse East Bay.
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