Take a walk down Balmy Alley — between 24th and 25th on one side, and Treat and Harrison on the other — and you’re greeted with a synesthetic explosion of colors, shapes and stories adorning facades of old garages. Some of these murals are ancient, some are newer, but all of them tell the stories of Mission residents and tackle...
Anthony “Tony” Machado, the artist who helped create some of the Mission’s most defining murals, passed away in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 7, at the home of his daughter and grandchildren. He was 63. Throughout the 1970s, Machado worked with artists Michael Rios and Richard Montez on prominent murals in the neighborhood, transforming the Mission — and, to some, expressing...
In 1981, when she was just 26-years-old, Barbara Carrasco was commissioned by the Community Redevelopment Agency in Los Angeles to paint a mural. “They said the theme was anything to do with Los Angeles,” she said. Carrasco worked for months on the project, consulting historians and researching the history of the area. She decided to base the mural on a...
Mission4All, the organization funded by the developers of the proposed 10-story 380-unit development at 16th and Mission streets, is hosting an event at 16th and Capp this Saturday, in which some 30 local artists, musicians and craftspeople will showcase their work. But already some are dropping out. Some neighborhood groups are also crying foul, saying that the event – called...
It’s been a while since we’ve had such a great addition to the Mission’s walls. The new mural, Corazón de Campesinos by Alberto Ybarra, pays homage to San Juan Cítala, in Jalisco, Mexico, the hometown of Ybarra’s mother and her family. He depicts it from memories of summers he spent there, showing how the farming village encouraged community, whimsy and the...
You can walk anywhere in the Mission and see murals. If I’m able to see the muralist’s name, I’ll take note. Some are hard to identify, but each one is an appreciation of art. If you know the name of the artist, we can add it.
Boba Guys looks to expand next door on 19th Since the demise of Valencia Eyewear, a small retail store on 19th Street just off Valencia, the windows have been painted and what goes on inside is unclear. Now a sign has been posted making the intentions clear: Boba Guys is seeking a change of use to expand into the former...
Interwoven in the current exhibit at the Mexican Museum — a three-room collection of “works on paper” by Mexican modernists — is a lesson every San Franciscan should learn. “Mexico exists here,” said collector Robert McDonald. “It’s a part of American culture.” The exhibit, titled “Mexico in San Francisco Works on Paper from Diego Rivera to Alejandro Santiago,” features 42...
“Public hot tub” NOT coming to Valencia Street For anyone who wet themselves over a sign outside of Valencia Street’s Betabrand store that reads, “COMING SOON, Betabrand PUBLIC HOT TUB” — sad news: the only thing being installed in front of the store is a sidewalk. The sign, said a Betabrand employee, is a prank — “just one of the...
Even if you don’t live in the Mission or consider yourself artistic, Precita Eyes Mural Arts Center has most likely touched your life. What started as a free mural-painting class has become the group of artists behind hundreds of iconic murals throughout the city and world, a steward for maintaining and educating the public about mural arts and a hub...
The owner of a house on York and 25th streets where trees were removed in the days leading up to Sunday’s Fiesta De Las Américas block party will be fined nearly $6,000 for taking the trees down. Rachel Gordon, a spokesperson for the San Francisco Department of Public Works, confirmed that three trees — two in healthy condition and one...
A pair of trees in front of a recently painted mural on York and 25th streets were removed Thursday, although it’s unclear exactly why — and by whom. “The residents of York Street are heartbroken that two street trees were illegally removed today from York St at 25th,” Ben Glenn, who lives down the street from the trees, wrote in...
This Saturday, Sept. 9, creative learning center Ruth’s Table, along with its sister organization Bethany Center Senior Housing, is unveiling a new mural at its location at 3171 21st Street between Mission and Capp streets. The mural, which has been painted on a temporary wall erected for center’s remodeling, is a collaboration between local artists, Bethany Center residents, and folks...
Remember the story about the mural that was painted over on Folsom and 24th street? A mural created in 2015 by Mission District youth under the guidance of Precita Eyes Mural Arts Center, on a wall at 24th and Folsom streets, became the center of a neighborhood spat on Friday afternoon when artists from the East Bay attempted to replace it without seeking permission from...
