rebeccmeister: (Default)
rebeccmeister ([personal profile] rebeccmeister) wrote2024-12-03 02:32 pm
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Bay Area Murals [art]

This post is mostly for [personal profile] cmcmck's benefit, but I think there are many other people who will appreciate it, too, especially as [personal profile] myka just asked me to clarify which mural alley in San Francisco we visited and I've now learned even more new things!

So, murals. What I didn't know is that there's an alley in the Mission District called Balmy Alley that has featured murals since 1972, mostly dealing with topics related to Chicano displacement and marginalization (source: Wikipedia).

That is not the alley that we happened across on Saturday. Instead, we encountered Clarion Alley (Wikipedia; Mural Project Website is here), which was inspired by Balmy Alley. This SF Mural Arts Directory has photos of the Clarion Alley murals, too, although this sign suggests some of the murals we saw are quite new:

Clarion Alley Mural Project 2024

We were moving through the alley rather quickly, so I did not attempt to take photos of all of the murals. Instead, here are just a couple of photos to give you a sense of the space. It was incredibly moving.

My sister walking down the alley:
Clarion Alley Mural Project 2024

Clarion Alley Mural Project 2024

Clarion Alley Mural Project 2024

Clarion Alley Mural Project 2024

I rather especially want to know more about this one:
Clarion Alley Mural Project 2024

Clarion Alley Mural Project 2024

Clarion Alley Mural Project 2024

Clarion Alley Mural Project 2024

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There are a number of murals along the Ohlone Greenway bike path in the East Bay, too. It has been interesting to be back here and think, "Oh yeah, hello again, mural" when seeing many of them.

But some of them are newer.

2019:
Around Berkeley

Around Berkeley

These ones are beautifully done, if way less political:
Berkeley Aquatic Park

Out here, the thing is, if you do not buy paint and pay artists a fair wage for murals, you will find yourself buying paint for upkeep anyway. The resulting effect is quite different.
East Bay errands and more

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