The Arts
Mission Local covers San Francisco’s artists and cultural life, from museums and galleries to public art and murals.
What’s on now at San Francisco museums, September 2026
SFMOMA has a first floor canopy of wonder; Matisse’s Femme au Chapeau gets extended and many other exhibits and events around town.
Murals
Original muralists come home to Balmy Alley with a grant to save their work
With a new grant, a group of artists will return to Balmy Alley to restore some of their old murals
‘Not just lanterns and dragons:’ Mural depicts Chinatown through a child’s eyes
Artist and labor organizer Kayan Cheung-Miaw talks about Chinatown, organizing and learning how to draw from a 6 year-old.
1930s mural by famous S.F. artist uncovered in Pacific Heights home
As the owners prepped their house for sale, they found a surprise above their fireplace.
Sprawling new seascape mural decorates S.F. waterfront
Bright and bold, a 4,000-square-foot mural has overtaken the historic bulkhead at San Francisco’s Pier 19½, as sprawling as the octopus tentacles it depicts.
Music, dance and theater
Bringing Guantánamo soul to the Bay Area this week
Kai Lyons, José Andrés “El Sinsonte ” Rodríguez and John Calloway at Mr. Tipple’s on Sept. 2.
Photos: Outside Lands 2026, from best-dressed to music sets
Lots of teens, expensive food and a very fun weekend.
Meet the barricade warriors at Outside Lands
Day one of Outside Lands kicks off with Charli XCX. Before her set tonight, her fans are ready to run for a spot at barricade.
Museums
Review: GaHee Park looks behind the curtain at new Yerba Buena art show
Korean-born artist GaHee Park opens her first U.S. museum show, “Behind the Curtain,” at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.
What’s on now at San Francisco museums, August 2026
Writing in the Rain closes soon at the Asian Art Museum and A Gallery of Their Own opened recently at the De Young.
Spectacular exhibit at de Young ushers Egyptian riches onto American soil
The treasures on display are not only culturally and financially valuable, they are also visually stunning.
Back in a flash: SF Camerawork to reopen weeks after shuttering
Artist Hal Fischer, 75, has taken over the nonprofit’s board, and completely turned it over. He says it’s the third time he’s rescued SF Camerawork.
Meet the book readers of Dolores Park, Part 2
What do people read in Dolores Park?
San Francisco is getting organ-ized
The Hammond B3 organ: a resurgence that speaks to the enduring appeal of a sound rooted in the Black church, neighborhood joints, and juke boxes.
Second sun rises in San Francisco: Yerba Buena gets Filipino light installation
“13°N, 122°E,” a temporary light installation will shine at Yerba Buena Gardens this September.
Can this treasured S.F. photography institution cheat death again?
One artist, who helped what was once a collective of photographers achieve nonprofit status in 1977, says he has a plan for SF Camerawork.
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