Mission – Page 3 – Public Art and Architecture from Around the World

The Mission Kid Power Park

Posted by Cindy on December 4, 2011

Dec 042011

The Mission District Kid Power Park Hoff between 16th and 17th Ethel Siegel Newlin,program liaison at St. John’s Educational Thresholds Center (now Mission Graduates) on 16th Street, is responsible for this wonderful little oasis in the city. Ten years ago, elementary and middle school children in one of Newlin’s programs surveyed the neighborhood and found liquor stores, dry cleaners and thrift shops, but no parks. The nearest one was at 19th and Valencia. So they went to the Recreation and Park Department’s Open Space Committee to plead their case, and won $200,000. The next year they did the same thing, Continue Reading

The Mission – Kids Power Park

Posted by Cindy on December 3, 2011

Dec 032011

The Mission District Kid Power Park Hoff Between 16th and 17th Our Children This huge mosaic mural is by Joseph Norris. Writing about this mural is difficult. While I love the smiles on these children, and I think the quality of the mosaic is superior, to say nothing of producing a mosaic of this size, the artist is a problem. Joseph Norris was arrested this June for possessing child pornography. So while I find no point in celebrating the artist, I still feel the mosaics are worth viewing.

Caledonia – Ape Do Good

Posted by Cindy on October 22, 2011

Oct 222011

Mission District Caledonia Street On the Wall of Ape Do Good Print Shop I apologize for bringing this to you in pieces, but the alley is very, very narrow and the mural is very long. It was pretty impossible to do it in any other manner. This mural has shown up in the blogsphere many times, but I have yet to find anyone that knows who painted it. It has such a wonderful Dr. Seuss quality to it. Look very closely at the first photo and you will see a real hanger in there. This reads: “breaking cracking leaves. 100 sneezes Continue Reading

Homes as Canvas

Posted by Cindy on October 21, 2011

Oct 212011

Mission District Castro District 3014 22nd Street So many times I walk by homes that look like canvases. I fantasize that some wonderful artist lives in this abode. I have no way of knowing but here are a few that I have enjoyed. This is the garage door of a home at the corner of Saturn and Lower Terrace. Notice the stenciled 2nd floor and the “mosaic” gutter. The neighbors did the same.

Caledonia Street

Posted by Cindy on October 20, 2011

Oct 202011

Mission District Caledonia Street Between 15th and 16th and Mission and Valencia Streets Caledonia is another one of those alley’s in the Mission District that only serves as an entry into garages and backs of buildings. So needless to say it is a haven from graffiti artists. These are some of the better ones I found. This beauty is by Mike Kershnar a talented artist that established a non profit called Elemental Awareness which aims to utilize art and skateboarding to enrich the lives of children. These 2 are actually stencils. This has such a disjointed look, I wondered if Continue Reading

Dan Plasma in the Mission

Posted by Cindy on October 18, 2011

Oct 182011

Mission District 15th and Valencia This is the side wall of restaurant Pica Pica. Dan Plasma had originally painted a tiger mural on this wall, then over the course of a few days other aerosol muralists covered it over with their work. This made Mr. Plasma rather angry, so when he took the wall back he commemorated the little war with this piece.

Lango in the Mission and SOMA

Posted by Cindy on October 11, 2011

Oct 112011

SOMA – San Francisco Mary at Howard Streets This piece was done by Lango, a tattoo artist here in San Francisco. I have tried to contact him to ask him about this mural, but according to a friend of his I met the other day he is extremely shy. I respect that, and figure his work speaks for him, it is really spectacular. T This is on the Howard side of the building. This is also by Lango. It was commissioned by an auto repair shop. I had fun chatting with the guys who own the shop. They were rather Continue Reading

Bernal Heights, San Francisco October 8, 2011

Posted by Cindy on October 8, 2011

Oct 082011

Bernal Heights, San Francisco October 8, 2011

Bernal Height Mission District Noe Valley Transit Systems Due to a strong art commission in San Francisco we are fortunate to see art most everywhere. The fun thing is finding it when you least expect it. Our transit system has lots of art, but sometimes you just pass it by. This is at the corner of Mission and 22nd, and as you can see, it is a bus stop. This is titled Layla and Swingdaddy by Joe Mangrun. Joe was born in Florissant Missouri. At the age of 16 he was awarded a trip to India sponsored by the Asia Continue Reading

Mohamed Bouazizi in Clarion Alley

Posted by Cindy on September 9, 2011

Sep 092011

The Mission District Clarion Alley These two murals are by Daniel Doherty. Clarion alley is a famous mural alley that has been around for quite a long time in the Mission District. Once an artist is given space, and as long as it is maintained it, pretty much belongs to the artist.. There is a committee that notifies the artist if the mural has been tagged or defaced. I chose this particular artist because of the timeliness of the message. Mohamed Bouazizi was the young man that gave spark to the riots in Tunisia. The man behind what much of Continue Reading

Laura Campos – No One is Illegal

Posted by Cindy on September 6, 2011

Sep 062011

The Mission District – San Francisco 24th Street and Capp This mural entitled “No One is Illegal” is by Laura Campos. Laura was born in Mexico and grew up in Texas. While young, and not yet legal she was called an illegal alien on a regular basis. When she did become legal she was still called an “alien”. This is the reason she tends to paint aliens. Her work has helped her work through her feelings for that word. She does not use spray paint, and the brushes she uses are exceptionally small so all her work takes a very Continue Reading

Lilac Alley

Posted by Cindy on September 4, 2011

Sep 042011

Mission District – San Francisco Lilac Alley Lilac Street runs parallel to Mission between 24th and 26th Streets. It is one of those alleys that serves no purpose other than the backs of businesses and the entry to garages. Several organizations use the buildings in this area as canvases. I counted the Lilac Mural Project and Mission Art 415 as just two. There is not doubt the art changes regularly, and these are the ones I found most interesting on my visit. I know I will return. Signed by Big 549K Crew Signed by Bode, Stan 153, Terms, Cuba and Continue Reading

Mission Super Heroes

Posted by Cindy on September 3, 2011

Sep 032011

Mission District – San Francisco 19th and Mission Street This wonderfully whimsical wall is on the 19th Street side of a grocery at 2290 Mission Street. It was done by three artists, you can see their names in “bubble” style. KEB, WAND and BUTR. The skill in which they have recreated the various super heroes is really rather impressive. All in all, you can not help but smile when walking by this little gem.

The Mission District, San Francisco

Posted by Cindy on September 2, 2011

Sep 022011

The Mission District 1077 Valencia Street Ben Eine has shown up in this site before. This is done in his circus font. To quote his website:Ben Flynn, a.k.a. EINE, (Born 1970. London, England) shot to international fame when David Cameronpresented one of his works to President Obama as a gift on his first official state visit, but is arguably more famous for ‘Alphabet Street’ – the shutters and murals he painted in his trademark colours and typography in Middlesex Street, London– described by The Times as “a street now internationally recognized as a living piece of art with direct links to Continue Reading

Outer Mission – Swoon

Posted by Cindy on September 1, 2011

Sep 012011

Outer Mission – San Francisco Hampshire and 24th Street This was done in 2008, and is showing it’s age. But the elegance of it is worth showing, even in its present state. Swoon is a street artist originally from Daytona Beach, Florida. She moved to New York City at age nineteen, and specializes in life-size wheatpaste prints and paper cutouts of figures. Swoon, real name Caledonia Dance Curry, studied painting at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and started doing street art around 1999. Swoon’s paste works depict realistically rendered people, often her friends and family, on the streets in various Continue Reading

Mission District – Bartlett Street Mural

Posted by Cindy on August 31, 2011

Aug 312011

Mission District - Bartlett Street Mural

Mission District – San Francisco 85 Bartlett Street Right next to the bright and colorful Amate Mission mural by Jet Martinez, is this fascinating mural. It is a partial reproduction of an original found behind the altar of Old Mission Dolores. The original was believed to be painted by Mission Indians somewhere between 1791 and 1796. Here is all the information in the Jet Martinez’s own words: “When Ben [Ben Wood, the freelance artist who, along with archaeologist Eric Blind, photographed the mural by lowering a camera behind the 18th-century altarpiece blocking it from view] approached me, I didn’t want Continue Reading

Amate Mission

Posted by Cindy on August 30, 2011

Aug 302011

Mission District – San Francisco 85 Bartlett Street “Amate Mission” This mural, by Oakland-based artist Jet Martinez, was created in partnership with The Mission Community Market, the SF Arts Commission “Streetsmarts” program, and the Mexican Museum. The title “Amate Mission” is a double entendre, according to Jet: 1. Amate style painting with a Mission District flair. (Including the ever ubiquitous deer that always seem to pop up in Mission District art). 2.”Amate” when spoken in a Central American accent means “love yourself” and in essence, “Love the Mission” It is based on reinterpretations of traditional Mexican folk arts. According to Continue Reading

Mission District Parklet

Posted by Cindy on August 29, 2011

Aug 292011

Mission District – San Francisco Parklets A parklet is a small urban park, often created by replacing several parallel parking spots with a patio, planters, trees, benches, café tables with chairs, and/or bicycle parking. Parklets are designed to provide a public place for citizens to relax and enjoy the atmosphere of the city around them, in places where either current urban parks are lacking or if the existing sidewalk width is not large enough to accommodate activities. The movement in San Francisco began as a temporary action. Taking over a few parking spaces on a city organized date and decorating Continue Reading

Chor Boogie

Posted by Cindy on August 28, 2011

Aug 282011

Mid Market – San Francisco 2174 Market Street Mid market is a desolate stretch of abandoned store fronts and SRO’s. This long frontage of boarded up building has been covered by an artist known as Chor. This is not any random street painter, Chor has a worldwide body of work, including a commissioned piece for the Beijing Olympics. His website displays his incredible talent, and his blog is loaded with fabulous images of his work. I had the privilege of seeing some of his art gallery work at “The City We Love” showing at 941 Geary street. If you are in Continue Reading

The Mission & The Tenderloin

Posted by Cindy on August 18, 2011

Aug 182011

Tenderloin – San Francisco The Mission District – San Francisco Taken on Hemlock just off Polk The rabbit is by internationally know ROA. He has an amazing body of work that you can view at this website. Born in Ghent, Belgium, his start in the art world was like most graffiti artist, under bridges and on subway walls, but as you can see he has grown substantially. ROA strives for precise anatomical detail, and his works often come across as unsentimental, feral beasts whose looming scale and piercing gaze can present a real challenge to the viewer. “Belgian graffiti artist ROA is Continue Reading

Mission District- Balmy Avenue

Posted by Cindy on July 3, 2011

Jul 032011

Balmy Alley, Mission District, San Francisco. Part II. Part of the wooden cut out mural at the 24th end of Balmy Alley “The birth of a silence is written in the agony of a sigh” I continue with just a few more Balmy Alley murals today. There are many, many more and I again encourage you to make your way there when you can, and take a tour by Precita Eyes if you have the time. Virgin of Guadalupe by Patricia Rose Patricia Rose is the senior tour coordinator for Balmy Alley and one of the major artists in the Mission Mural Continue Reading

Mission District – Balmy Alley

Posted by Cindy on July 2, 2011

Jul 022011

Balmy Alley Inspired by Huichol Indian Yarn Paintings by Mia Gonzales, Susan Cervantes and Others 1991 This is the beginning of Balmy Avenue. It is runs between 25th and 24th streets in the Mission District, between Harrison and Treat. This block long alley is one of several great alleys in San Francisco with a highly concentrated collection of murals. The murals began in the mid-80’s as an outlet for artists’ outrage over human rights and political abuses in Central America. Today the alley contains murals on a myriad of styles and subjects from human rights to local gentrification and Hurricane Katrina. Continue Reading

Mission District – 24th Street Mini Park, San Francisco

Posted by Cindy on July 1, 2011

Jul 012011

Mission District - 24th Street Mini Park, San Francisco

24th and York This is another mosaic by Colette Crutcher, this time, in collaboration with her husband, Mark Roller and friend Aileen Barr. The park is at 24th and York in San Francisco. It is a wonderful little mini park in a terrific part of the Mission District. This giant mosaic statue of the Mesoamerican snake-god Quetzalcoatl and it’s playful fountain is the focal point of the park. Quetzalcoatl started as a concrete structure and then was covered with broken commercial tile, and hundreds of handmade tiles. The park used to be a neighborhood eyesore, filled with pretty scary folks Continue Reading

Mission District – Public Post

Posted by Cindy on June 5, 2011

Jun 052011

Valencia Street Between 16th and 19th, Mission District, San Francisco Valencia Street Post by Michael Arcega * Crafted out of steel and aluminum and painted with a durable urethane alkyd enamel, the ornamental crowns are sort of Victorian architecture that is intended to recall the neighborhood’s past history. The Department of Public Works added a decorative paving design based on Victorian wallpaper to the sidewalk surrounding the poles. These are meant to be community bulletin boards, and believe me, they are covered with postings. It is nice to have the city admit that phone polls like this are coated everyday Continue Reading

Mission – Woman’s Building

Posted by Cindy on April 25, 2011

Apr 252011

18th and Lapidge Mission This is The Goddess of Light and Creativity on the Woman’s Building in the mission district of San Francisco. Particularly at 18th and Lapidge. The building has two walls of a dramatic mural that pay homage to women. The murals were created by a team of seven San Francisco women and is called “Maestrapeace”. The Goddess of Light and Creativity sits atop the waters of life flowing beneath her and transforming into fabric designs from around the world. The Mission District mural features such notable women as Georgia O’Keefe (an innovative American artist) and Rigoberta Menchu Continue Reading

Clarion Alley

Posted by Cindy on March 13, 2011

Mar 132011

This mural is in Clarion Alley, it was painted by Emily Buttefly and Tania Esmeralda.

Totem Phoenix

Posted by Cindy on March 22, 2001

Mar 222001

Financial District/SOMA 595 Market at Stevenson and 2nd Street Totem Phoenix by Dan Dykes * The piece is registered with the Smithsonian. The piece was done in 1988, is stainless steel and weighs one ton. Dan Dykes is a site-sensitive sculptor who works in a variety of media, including stone, bronze and stainless steel. His work synthesizes various forms of nature, fusing diverse images to capture the vibrancy of life. He is a recognized master of metal fabrication and has travelled nationally teaching for the International Sculpture Conference. He was educated at the University of Oregon and is well known Continue Reading

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