Maker Forest
A site-specific mural for Sequoia Fabrica, a volunteer-run community makerspace in San Francisco.
View from the street, looking into the makerspace.
Key details
Client/commissioning organization
Sequoia Fabrica Community Makerspace
Dates
Completed August 2025
Location
Potrero Hill, San Francisco, California
Dimensions
10 x 12 feet
Medium and materials
Primer and interior paint on more than 35 individually shaped, laser-cut quarter-inch plywood components; each piece installed separately with mounting tape
Role
Responsible for concept and design, vector production files, laser-cutting, painting, community paint-day coordination, installation, and project management
Maker Forest is a mural I created for Sequoia Fabrica, a volunteer-run community makerspace in San Francisco. The art imagines a forest in which making, repairing, and building coexist with natural ecosystems. Playful animal characters use tools and maker supplies beneath an expansive tree, turning the wall into a welcoming visual of the makerspace's collaborative and kid-friendly culture.
The mural was designed around the tools and knowledge already present in the community. I had originally planned to paint the mural directly on the wall, but when members expressed concern that they might need to relocate after the building lease expired, I redesigned the mural as a movable installation. Rather than painting a single surface, I divided the mural into more than 35 individually shaped, quarter-inch plywood pieces. I vectorized my original illustration to create the cutting files, operated the makerspace's laser cutter, painted the pieces, and installed them myself. I also organized a community paint day so that members could be part of the process and help paint some of the solid background pieces.
This process allowed the fabrication method to become part of the meaning of the work: the mural was not just about making, but was also itself made with the space's tools and community.
Another view from the side of the mural.
Each piece was individually laser cut and painted—when installed, they give the mural an interesting dimensional look, like a papercut piece.
(First) my initial concept art; (second) my vectorized version of the piece.
My jerry-rigged laser cutter setup! Because some of the pieces were larger than the bed of the laser cutter, I installed the laser cutter's extension system, laid out across three tables. This allowed me to cut larger and longer pieces of plywood.
My favorite part of this mural are all the little creatures in it—I even snuck in a cameo of my dog!