How a Community-Led Art Project is Rebuilding Trust at Candlestick Point
“You should really ask the residents of Alice Griffith what they want.”
This was community organizer Reina Tello’s response when Staff Park and Recreation Specialist, Lisa Whitmer, shared her desire to commission artwork to beautify the street-facing side of Candlestick Point State Recreation Area’s community garden fence. Reina’s words were a potent reminder that authentic community engagement means working with local residents, and not just for them.
Often called a “hidden gem,” Candlestick Point State Recreation Area is nestled in a windswept corner of southeast San Francisco, adjacent to the gaping, abandoned stretch of land where the old 49ers stadium site once stood. Across the street from the park’s maintenance yard is Alice Griffith, a mixed-use affordable housing complex, some of whose residents perceive the park as unresponsive to their needs. Since she began working at Candlestick in August 2023, Lisa has been striving to make the park more welcoming. Turning a drab chain-link fence that lines the street along which many residents park their cars into a vibrant art piece was part of this vision.
From Fence to Forum: Listening and Leading with Community
Following Reina’s advice, Lisa attended several Alice Griffith tenants’ meetings to pitch the idea and get their feedback. While residents expressed support for the project, they pushed back against Lisa’s idea for an open call for artists. “Why bring in someone from outside the neighborhood when Brother Malik works right here with our youth?” they wondered.
Heeding their advice and bolstered by the generous support of California State Parks Foundation, Lisa was able to engage local artist Malik Seneferu in the fence project. He elevated the work by running workshops with Alice Griffith residents so they could directly participate in creating the design.
Malik’s goal — to create “a space of cultural storytelling, environmental reflection, and artistic uplift” — aligns with the park’s origin story. That vision of community-led design has deep roots at Candlestick Point. Located in the historically Black Bayview neighborhood, Candlestick Point State Recreation Area was created as California’s first urban state park in 1977 after many years of advocacy by community members and local politicians.
Local residents took part in hundreds of hours of meetings led by community organizer Claude Everhart, then Mayor Art Agnos’s Chief of Staff, to plan the park’s design. The community was clear that they wanted a natural space, a bit of wilderness in their urban environment, not a paved city park with ball fields. The park’s ultimate design — created by a collaboration of architects, park planners, and environmental artists — is a testament to this vision.
The early years of the park were its golden era. In 1975, Carol Nelson became the first Black woman to serve as a state park ranger at Candlestick Point State Recreation Area. Then in 1982, she became both the first Black person and the first woman field superintendent in California State Parks’ history. She and her staff worked diligently to create programming to engage the local community. Many older Bayview residents speak fondly of learning to fish, hosting barbecues to celebrate important family milestones, and playing with friends on elementary school field trips in the park.
Restoring More Than Infrastructure at Candlestick Point
While the origins of Candlestick Point State Recreation Area are deeply rooted in community, the relationship between Bayview residents and the park has become strained over the years. The park’s infrastructure and ability to provide structured programming deteriorated due to staffing shortages, budget cuts, vandalism, and theft.
When Candlestick Stadium closed, the neighborhood, which is already separated from most of San Francisco by Highway 101, became even more isolated. The people of the neighborhood continue to battle the systemic inequities they face as one of San Francisco’s most chronically under-resourced regions.
That strained relationship was still palpable when Lisa first came to the park. As the neighbors and community grew to trust her, they spoke openly about how they believed the park’s neglect reflected a broader sense that California State Parks doesn’t care about them or the neighborhood. They asked why the city street adjacent to the park floods every winter. They asked why the park bathrooms remained closed. State and city budget cuts have not been a satisfactory answer.
It became clear that repairing the park’s core infrastructure would be crucial to showing the community that they matter to California State Parks. Since 2022, Candlestick Point State Recreation Area has contracted a 24/7 private security company who have diligently and respectfully stemmed the tide of criminal activity in the park. In 2024, park staff secured a Waterways Connection Initiative grant that will fund the repair of the vandalized park bathrooms, the rehabilitation of a beloved fishing pier, and the installation of new park furniture.
Partnerships in Action: A Longstanding Commitment to Bayview
California State Parks Foundation has been a champion of Candlestick Point State Recreation Area for decades. In addition to spearheading a multi-million-dollar wetland restoration in the Yosemite Slough area of the park, California State Parks Foundation advocates year after year on the park’s behalf with the City of San Francisco to get the winter stormwaters that flood the nearby city street pumped out.
Additionally, California State Parks Foundation has purchased pop-up tents for shade, tables, and chairs that enable the park to host events, such as a recent memorial a community member held to celebrate the life of her foster mother. California State Parks Foundation’s Earth Day Climate Action Workday event in April 2025 made it possible for Candlestick Point State Recreation Area to replace stubborn stands of invasive species with native plants grown by Bayview-based nonprofit Literacy for Environmental Justice.
The community is noticing these changes. Almost every day, Lisa and Candlestick Point State Recreation Area staff hear from visitors that the park is looking better than it has in a decade. The gradual improvements are beginning to show that Candlestick staff do care for the people as much as the land itself.
The work of rebuilding trust is slow. It moves in fits and starts and often comes in unexpected ways. In the process of collaborating on the fence art project, Malik has introduced Lisa to residents who are cautiously open to working with the park to create joint programming.
Last month, Candlestick Point State Recreation Area officially hired a seasonal worker with deep ties to the Alice Griffith community. By the end of the summer, Malik will install his “Back to Nature” banners. In doing so, the garden’s gray fence will be turned into a colorful celebration of Bayview’s culture, Candlestick Point State Recreation Area’s ecology, and a reminder of how working hand in hand with the community makes California state parks stronger.
A Sign of Renewed Connection
This project is just one step, but it’s a meaningful one. By listening to the community and working together, Candlestick Point State Recreation Area is becoming a place where people feel seen, heard, and welcome again. The transformation of the fence is more than just art — it’s a sign of renewed connection, care, and hope for what’s possible when parks and communities grow together.
You can be a part of this continued transformation. Volunteer with us at one of our regular workdays at the park and help restore and uplift this vital community space. Together, we can keep building a park that reflects the strength, creativity, and resilience of Bayview.
👉 Sign up to volunteer at Candlestick Point State Recreation Area
If you have a particular interest in getting involved more deeply at Candlestick Point State Recreation Area, please reach out to Lisa Whitmer at Lisa.Whitmer@parks.ca.gov.
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