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About this artwork, I Left My Hearts in San Francisco #13: 

I have always been fascinated by maps. Maps arrange spatial information and help us understand the world we live in by revealing patterns and relationships between our physical and cultural landscapes. Maps are living, breathing abstract canvasses, with its landscapes always shifting.

From its aerial view, the landscape and its people emerge like a puzzle , all fitting nicely together. The City is one giant animated organism with its own beat and personality.

When you look at this piece, I hope you do two things: Explore and Reflect.

Explore the City. Explore its culture, its politics, its challenges, its history. By 2040 SF is projected to be 1m in population. What does our seven squared miles look like at 1m. What does its transportaion system, housing and climate readiness look like? To whom will SF still be available to? And will we be able to maintain and strenghten our tradition of social justice and environmental advocacy? These are just some explorations.

The reflection part is more intimate. I hope that upon exploring you can hear the chitter chatter of its cast of characters, see the smoke billowing from its ventilation shafts and hear the droning sounds of traffic. I hope it brings a smile to your face when you locate the street you grew up on, or the landmark of your first kiss. I hope the map evokes warm feelings upon reflection of authentic connections and special places, each with your own unique stories of them. Mostly, I hope the map reminds us of our home and our duty of stewardship to it and to each other.

From Miriam to Kate:

Dear Kate, Thank you so much for purchasing this piece. This piece is very special to me because in early 2022 I was diagnosed with an illness that had a high possibility of memory loss. It was devastating. To address the memory loss, I started “mapping out” my memories by  reliving them through pictures, and using objects as memory markers. And often I would draw or create visual representations of these events to document and recall specific moments and experiences I no longer recalled. My first map was San Francisco where my husband and I lived and raised our three sons.  I would color the details in the city where we had fond memories. This practice became my therapy, and soon I found myself spending hours over a canvas pouring paint into little squares. On that canvas, I poured my fears, my devastation, screamed out my bitterness, and cried out for hope. Each tile was infused with layers of emotions I was trying to work through. Each tile became my prayer beads.

Artist Statement by Miriam Sweeney - 2025-04-19:

Drawing inspiration from city aerial views, my work explores the urban landscape that sits somewhere between order and chaos, structure and collapse, expression and control. Seen from above, its pieces emerged like a puzzle, each with its own personality. I paint playful, textured, curvilinear shapes to capture the city streets, its landmarks, the droning sounds of traffic, the chitter chatter of its cast of characters. I hope to evoke the feeling one gets when flying into a new place for the first time. When we try to take everything in, or reflect on the lasting impressions of authentic connections, special places, and their unique stories.