Not even growing up in the neighborhood can prevent a new business from falling onto the third-rail of Mission District development. That is what Jose Ruffrage and Fernando Quiñonez discovered earlier this summer and it is what has made the particularly nervous about next week’s opening of their new restaurant Alma at 2801 24th St. “Its upsetting. I’ve been here...
A mural at 24th and Folsom streets criticized last Friday because the artist had painted over an existing mural has been vandalized within a day of its completion. The new mural consists of colorful mandalas and the phrase “be a good person” on the Folsom street side of 2801 Folsom St., where a Peruvian restaurant is slated to open sometime this month....
The Mission Economic Development Agency has purchased a building on Precita Avenue, which houses the first location of the Precita Eyes Muralists as well as four rent-controlled tenants. The $1.35 million deal will keep both tenants and muralists in place at affordable rents. Moreover, MEDA staff say they have developed a new funding mechanism – raising money from neighbors –...
After months of deliberations, Precita Eyes Muralists and the Mission Economic Development Agency have persuaded the owner of a building on Precita Avenue to accept an offer. The building houses the muralists’ community center as well as five longtime tenants. The acceptance comes on the condition that the development agency, known as MEDA, and Precita Eyes raise a $200,000 down payment...
Dozens of community artists wielding paint brushes and spray cans celebrated street art at the 18th Annual Urban Youth Arts Festival on Saturday. The festival, organized by Precita Eyes, invited artists of all ages to express themselves on 1,000 square feet of portable wall space at Precita Park on Precita Avenue near Folsom Street. Like street art itself, the canvases are ephemeral—they’re recycled from year...
After months of a huge white stripe running through the face of a mural of Cesar Chavez at Cesar Chavez Elementary School, the two-story mural is finally getting its much needed facelift. It appears to be close to completion. In September of 2013, we reported that a white stripe of plaster was added to the wall of the building to shore...
The Mission’s status as a global tourism destination has never been more acutely felt—walking down any of the Mission’s increasingly famous mural alleys, French, Japanese, German, Korean, Swedish and the ubiquitous snap of cameras can all be heard. As the number of tourists increases, so have the companies providing neighborhood walking tours—at least a dozen coming to the Mission. Not...
If you were in a Thanksgiving food coma and missed Mission Local’s series about things we’re thankful for in the Mission, it’s not too late. The multimedia series highlights organizations and events that make this neighborhood special. It’s not a complete list, of course, but here are a few gems that we felt were worthy of highlighting. Six days a week...
The Mission wasn’t always so colorful. The murals that decorate Mission buildings — and bring tourists to the neighborhood to experience them — weren’t always so ubiquitous. They began popping up in the 1970s, starting a trend that would help define the neighborhood’s art scene. One of the pioneers of that trend is Susan Kelk Cervantes. “I think I did...
Union Square may have Macy's and The Gap, but where other than the Mission can you find candy cigarettes, narco altars, and liquor-store art all on one block? Nowhere.
