Mission Street Art: Clarion Alley

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Clarion Alley San Francisco street art: graffiti wall close up

One of the things San Francisco’s Mission District is famous for is street art.

Clarion Alley San Francisco street art: woman

There are portraits painted on shop entryways, sketches on sidewalks, and whole alleyways covered in giant murals, like public open-air museums. Some murals have social messages, some are funny, some are abstract. They’re all fascinating.

Clarion Alley San Francisco street art: abstract black and white lines on wall

I visited the mural-covered Balmy Alley in 2012, during the San Francisco portion of our Epic California Road Trip (that I keep alluding to and still hope to write all about one of these days). More recently, on my BlogHer Pro trip in October, I got to wander through Clarion Alley with two of my cousins. They got deep into a discussion, while I snapped the photos I’m sharing with you in this post.

Clarion Alley San Francisco: 2 women talking in front of a mural of a corpse and ants

Art in Clarion Alley and throughout the Mission is raw and colorful. It speaks a different language than art that hangs in air-conditioned buildings and says “Hey! I am in a frame, so adore me!” Instead of being enshrined, it must be discovered in the wild, searched out in the nooks and crannies of the city.

Clarion Alley San Francisco street art: Evict Google.

You have to keep your eyes open in the Mission. You might step on a statement or pass by a masterpiece.

Art is everywhere.

Clarion Alley San Francisco street art: silhouette of a man with cityscape inside him

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6 Replies to “Mission Street Art: Clarion Alley”

    1. My understanding is that the work is respected, and people don’t mess with it. I believe most if not all the artists are from the community, so that could help, as well.

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