Our friends over at 1:AM have built an amazing graffiti photo sharing app and community. It is like Instagram for graffiti and street art only. 1AM Mobile celebrates art in the streets by letting members capture and share what they see and view and share what others members have contributed. In essence, 1AM Mobile will tell you what’s up in the streets and let you take part in documenting street art history.
Not only does the app feature community contributed images of street art (with options to share, id tag, follow, and/or comment), but it also provides accurate directions to current and pre-existing pieces for an up close and personal experience. With the constant emergence, evolution, and removal of street art, all images are time stamped which give a historical chronology to every uploaded piece.
I have been testing this app for several months and really enjoy it. If you are a street art enthusiastic I highly recommend you check it out. It’s available to download in the iTunes store.
Make sure to add us as a friend on the app @StreetArtSF 😉
About 1:AM SF
1AM is one of the premier street art galleries and purveyors of fine paint located at 6th and Howard in San Francisco, CA. You can easily tell when they have a new exhibit because the walls change on the outside of their building. They offer a variety of classes including stenciling, the art of graffiti, toy modification and team building workshops. If you want to learn about graffiti history in San Francisco ask for Nate. He’s part of it. 1:AM SF Class Schedule.
Mike Shine currently has an installation titled “Flotsam’s Harvest” at White Walls Gallery that is open until April 6th. It combines street art, painting, film and print. On the opening day he and his roving band performed a medicine show and launched his graphic novelle “Flotsam’s Harvest”. Each provides coded tips and hints, offered to help viewers solve the dark, mysterious “World Riddle” posed by Friedrich Nietzsche in his book, Thus Spake Zarathustra.
The illustrated hardcover novella, called Flotsam’s Harvest, is the tale of Dr. Flotsam’s encounters with ten people throughout the course of history. Written as a “mental screenplay”, its pages contain layered clues to the World Riddle. In addition, proverbs and “Flotsamisms”, which also provide clues, are posted regularly on the web, at flotsams harvest and facebook flotsams harvest.
Dr. Flotsam and his roving band of carny bastards (comprised of thugs, musicians, singers, and four statuesque Nordic valkyries) have performed at SFMOMA, 941 Geary, and are annual regulars at the SF Outside Lands festival- where they have their own stage/installation/medicine show/roots music mini festival, called “Dr. Flotsam’s Hell Brew Revue”.
At the end of the Harvest exhibition, viewers’ answers to the World Riddle (submitted on facebook flotsams harvest) will be reviewed by Dr. Flotsam. And winner(s) will be awarded paintings as prizes.
The book is available for purchase at White Walls Gallery. An audio version can be heard and the book can be downloaded for free at Flotsamsharvest.com.
If you walk by Bryant and 24th Street in heart of the Mission District you will notice something that looks like a billboard with the requisite frame and overhead lighting. And yet the contents is never an advertisement. That billboard belongs to the Galeria de la Raza, an organization that has supported Chicano/Latino activism in the Mission District since 1970 and is situated on that corner. Originally it was a commercial billboard. But, the founding group of artists at the Galeria de la Raza rose up and took it for their own. For years now it has been the Galeria Billboard with frequently changing messages.
Back in the 70’s it was a Foster & Kleiser billboard with a prime location at street level. Everyone in the local community was not supportive of the types of ads that appeared on it and other billboards. In 1975 it began to take on a different life when it was “appropriated” by several Galeria artists who painted an “ad” for a Mission District arts magazine called Tin Tan. Apparently for several years the local artists continued to “appropriate” the wall for their messages while Foster & Kleiser still pasted up commercial ads. All the while, the Galeria director tried unsuccessfully to engage in conversation with the ad agency.
Finally one day the game stopped when a Foster & Kleiser truck expectantly drove up, disassembled the billboard and left the materials with someone at the Galeria who noticed what was happening and inquired what they were going to do with the discarded pieces. The billboard was rebuilt by the Galeria artists and has been maintained every since as a community billboard celebrating Latino art and culture.
Rye Purvis
Over the years there have been a variety of temporary painted art by local budding and established artists as well as visiting artists. Michael Rios was amongst the first to paint several murals including a perennial favorite subject celebrating Frieda Kahlo. Xavier Viramontes painted a series of protest murals, with a notable one about the never ending saga of the eviction of the residents of the International Hotel in Chinatown as well as others promoting clean streets and good health. Periodically the billboards have been painted by Native American Indians to support their causes.
Spencer Keeton Cunningham
In the 90’s Galeria de la Raza decided to change the emphasis of the wall and created a public arts program that they call the Digital Mural Project and uses computer generated images. The artists and subject matter are local and international. These past few years they have featured artists from Central and South America, Mission District students, artists and residents and Native Americans who have covered various topics such as globalization and culture, a tribute to Cesar Chavez, the human cost behind cheap immigrant labor to more recently painted murals on shark conservation which you can view on our site. The Billboard changes several times a year. The current one is scheduled to come down at the end of March.
More information is available – Timothy W. Drescher. San Francisco Murals, Pogo Press, 1991
About Galeria de la Raza
The Galeria is a non profit organization located on the corner of 24th and Bryant Streets in the heart of the Mission. It was founded in 1970 to promote and raise awareness for Chicano and Latino art within the local community. To learn more about the organization and view more digital murals visit their site www.galeriadelaraza.org
Location: 2857 24th Street - San Francisco, CA 94110
Phone: (415) 826-8009 gallery office
I met Ernest Doty during a gallery opening that we both had work featured in. After talking he invited me to film a mural he was going to be creating with Chris Granillo and Skombuzo Vbaza next month at an art space in the mission district. I was excited to see what was in store, as I already liked Ernest’s gallery work. His use of two sets of eyes as well as the general mystic quality intrigued me; I attributed it to his upbringing in New Mexico.
I arrived at the location early, was let in by Skombuzo and was shocked by the amount of color already in the space. It seemed to be a former small-scale factory or auto repair shop yet almost every square inch was covered with vibrant murals ranging from tradition letters to large-scale figures. The only space not covered was half of a large wall towards the rear of the main room; this was to be where the new work would develop.
Once Ernest and Chris arrived I was excited to learn that the subject of the mural was to be great American writers, specifically Edgar Allen Poe and Charles Bukowski, I attempted to contain my glee. It was very nice to see muralists recognizing the significance and greatness of these writers as well as understanding the power and influence that their own work could have on others. After some general planning regarding placement Ernset began working and soon after Chris and Skombuzo took their cues and started painting as well.
Andrew Susich
It was impressive to see how these three artists fed off of each other, taking regular breaks to compare work and collectively decide on the next addition. As Ernest and Skombuzo continued to develop their figures Chris began work on a background. I began to notice how the combination of Ernest and Skombuzo’s characters were being complimented by the style and technique Chris’ was using on the background. The modern, almost three dimensional, style of Skombuzo’s Bukowski as well as Ernest’s self described futuristic and dreamlike depiction of Poe were being contrasted by the Chicano hand-style Chris was using to develop the background. This marriage of past, present and future was something I had rarely seen in large-scale murals and I felt gave the piece an added sense of contrast allowing the characters to really distinguish themselves from the background. Over the course of three sessions the mural continued to develop in this highly collaborative style.
Andrew Susich
Once completed I set up a few lights to properly photograph this vibrant mural and sat each artist in front of their section in order to conduct interviews. I felt that with the highbrow subject matter of this work it was necessary to give each artist an opportunity to explain how they chose each character as well as comment on their broader views concerning street art and it’s impact on society. I was quite pleased with the eloquence of each artist as well as their candor. From all of the interviews I left with a feeling of hope for the street art movement and it’s potential to have a significant positive influence on society in the Bay Area and throughout the world.
Andrew Susich
To accompany this piece I used one of my earliest tracks. I felt that the jazz hip-hop fusion sound captured a sophisticated mood that also incorporated graffiti’s underground urban roots. The addition of effects I felt hinted at the futuristic qualities this piece also holds. The name I had chosen for the track over a year before even meeting these artists was also appropriate: opening transmission.
Meet The Urbanist
Hailing from Oakland, California, the urbanist (Andrew Susich) recently made the move to Las Vegas, Nevada in late 2012. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, New England, and London has influenced Andrew's music and visual art, creating an unique blend of styles focused on the modern urban esthetic. Andrew has been a DJ and film maker since 2001. His music has given him the opportunity to play throughout the Bay Area, New York, and Germany, while his photography has been featured by Gallery 1988 in Los Angeles and several galleries within Oakland's renowned monthly Art Murmur. Andrew also produces promotional videos and photography for start ups, artists and events.
One of the most intriguing street art walls in the Mission District is located on Mission Street at the northern border, just beyond Division. It is set back on Erie Alley in a parking lot surrounded by a chain link fence. How many people notice the wall or let alone know who did the art, or wonder how it came about? What goes on behind this fantastic wall?
The wall is the outside face of Public Works, an event and community venue that also promotes and provides studio space for emerging artists and a gallery to display their art as well as local and visiting artists. Many people are familiar with Public Works having attended cutting edge private and public events in that building with DJ hosted and live music, dancing and beverages.
Fortuitously, the year they were preparing to open, Banksy was in Los Angeles promoting the movie, Exit through the Gift Shop. They asked him to consider doing a stencil on their wall. Banksy drew a very long tree trunk with a stenciled bird on a limb tweeting through a megaphone in April, 2010.
That August, they presented Outside Art, a block party hosted by 161 Project, Pink Mammoth and The Fringe Collective and invited 17 artists to paint the rest of the wall, The general public was invited to watch them paint to live music, food and drinks with proceeds benefiting the youth of San Francisco through the ROOT DIVISION and The SAN FRANCISCO PARKS TRUST.
The artists who participated in that event were: Bethany Rose, Brittany Howard, Chor Boogie, Delvin Leake, Duser, Dyno, Eli Spear, Frank Callozzo, Jason Cohen, Joel Dean Stockdill, Lopan, Meryl Pataky, Nils Thorsen, Rebecca Whipple and Rocky Villanueva.
It was a rather eclectic group, comprised of new and established artists, some who had not previously painted a mural or anything on the street. The concept was there was a tree outline for each person to do as they saw fit. Rebecca Whipple and Rocky Villanueva helped coordinate everything and constructed the basic layout.
You can see from the wall, every artist did not chose to paint within a tree. Chor Boogie painted the golden halo Boogie bird (that currently has a silver halo), Jason Cohen painted the white winged umbrella, Rocky painted the golden bird cage suspended by the top of a tree and Dyno painted the purple dinosaur.
So who did the trees that day? Moving from left to right, Niles Thorsen painted the white tree with the orange writing, Duser did the faces, Lopan did the woman’s blue face and Jason Cohan did the dots at her base. Rebecca Whipple painted the tree stump at the base of the next tree. Bethany Rose painted the blue and white stripped worm. Brittany Howard stenciled the ants. Delvin Leake painted the tree with all the heads and finally Frank Callozzo, Joel Dean Stockdill and Eli Spear worked on the wooden tree with Meryl Pataky making light up swing.
The stenciled construction worker that you may have noticed stenciled around the Mission District was done by a mystery artist whose identity you will have to discover on your own.
The wall is a work in progress that has subsequently been embellished by Blek le Rat of France (stenciled man at the base of Banksy tree), EON75 (organic base of worm tree), Jeremy Novy (fish), and Kenzo of Spain (pink octopus). This past month the latest piece, a skeleton sitting on a heart by visiting artists Icy and Sot of NY.
Check out our Public Works page to see more photos.
Here is a movie that was produced on the day the forest was added around the tree.
“Givin the People what they Want”
About Public Works
Learn more about the events at Public Works. Website: http://www.publicsf.com/
Location: 161 Eire Street San Francisco, CA 94103
Telephone: (415) 932-0955
For newcomers to street art in San Francisco, Mike Francisco, known as Dream and King Dream from the East Bay was one of the original Bay Area writers and a TDK crew member. He began writing around 1983 and was very passionate about letters and writing and took an active stance in his beliefs. He was senselessly murdered during a street robbery in Oakland on February 17, 2000 when he was only 30 years old. His legacy has been kept alive by friends and family with tribute pieces and events around the Bay Area.
“I’ve been writin’ since 1983 and basically started as most writers do in the fame game, getting up as much as possible pushin’ you and only you. But once you get past that stage I think it gets to a point where depending on what type of individual you are and the type of consciousness you’re grown up around, then you owe it to your people to drop some kind of consciousness. So everything we have here was something to do with pushing the struggle.” Dream
You can find one of those tributes in San Francisco at 100 Alemany Boulevard close Bayshore Blvd, where 101 and 280 converge. The wall there is completely dedicated to Dream with about a dozen pieces all saying Dream, including his piece that is shown above. Photography by Joe Dallmann, contributor to Streetartsf
“Style is the most important thing in writing. It’s your identity. It’s what sets you apart from everybody else.” Dream
Learn more about him by watching this video and visiting Mike Dream Site . Check out our Dream page
If you have been following street art for years, you have probably had the opportunity to enjoy the colorful murals of dragons and demons on walls around the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond by local artist Skinner.
Recently Skinner published a book with Gingko Press titled “Every Man is My Enemy”. It is packed with his art that is it’s own unique world unto itself.
“After being featured in a few Gingko Press books that they did with Juxtapoz, Gingko offered me the chance to put out 3 years worth of my work in this book, so I jumped at the chance to do it! That’s how Every Man Is My Enemy came to be!”
About the Artist
Skinner is a self-taught artist living in Oakland, California who has meticulously crafted a balance of extraordinary mural work, bizarre and antagonistic installations while maintaining a prolific commercial career. Influenced by 80’s pop culture, human struggle, myths and violence, dungeons and dragons and the heavy metal gods, Skinner’s mind is one of psycho-social mayhem fueled by a calculated chaos. His work has been shown all over the world in various museums, universities and galleries. He has been an ambassador of the alternative arts movement in countries ranging from Russia, Cuba, Japan, Europe and all across the United States, so don’t be surprised if you see one of his murals on a small side street in Scotland or some tiny village in Russia. He has and continues to bring his own specific weird American art to anywhere that can handle it. Skinner’s work has been celebrated in various publications including Blisss, Juxtapoz, Hi Fructose and Beautiful/Decay as well as numerous European publications.
In the fall of 2012 Skinner launched his own art and apparel company called Critical Hit! Realizing that his art is better kept in the hands of people who appreciate it on a day-to-day basis, he applied his strange visions and humor to an affordable media where fans of his work can find giclee and silkscreen prints, his hardback book Every Man Is My Enemy, t-shirts featuring his one of a kind designs, custom toys and figures, patches, buttons, zines and more!
To learn more about Skinner and his art & apparel shop, check out his websites.
It all started when I received a call from a local club promoter, whom I had worked with before on a dj night, asking me if I was willing to meet him in the Mission district the next day to cover a mural. He had commissioned an artist to paint the exterior wall of a local bar and inquired if I was available to film the process. Of course with such late notice I was not expecting much. I could not have been more wrong.
Upon arriving at the location I was immediately struck by the amount of energy and enthusiasm contained in Zio Ziegler as the promoter introduced me to him. Within minutes Zio was already discussing his clothing line and inquiring about a look book. It was quite refreshing to meet someone so project oriented and I had a feeling I was in for more than I had bargained for. Pretty soon though pleasantries and coffee were over and it was time to get down to business.
Andrew Susich
As I began filming Zio the first thing I noticed was his lack of a rough draft. I had worked with several muralists before and had noticed that all of them preferred to work from source material but this guy was different. Without pause he jumped from one area to another with a seemingly perfect sense of spacing and size. His speed and accuracy let me know that I needed to be 100% focused, this was not going to be some casual shoot where the artist took frequent breaks for cigarettes or to ponder his next move. I was glad that I had memory cards and batteries to spare for my DSLR. Quickly an outline formed.
Andrew Susich
What Zio lacked in color he more than made up for in the intricacy of his design. Filling in his figure with cross hatching began to add depth and style that was in my mind an exotic blend of African and South American design. I found my self frantically moving from one location to another with little sense of time as all of my focus was directed purely on capturing the image developing before my eyes. Every now and then I would snap out of this state to notice a crowd formed on the opposite side of the alley from where Zio was working. People who had been going about their day had been intrigued by what was occurring and had decided to put their plans on hold to sit and witness art being created. I’m sure all who stopped found themselves under the same trance I was experiencing and paused for far longer than they had originally planned. It was almost as if Zio and, by witnessing his work, all around him were moving at one speed while the world continued to pass us all by at another. Yet it wasn’t so much that Zio was moving faster than reality but more as if time stopped to allow him to paint and then speed up again to catch up with reality during his rare pauses. I attempted to capture this feeling in the video I created by continually altering time whenever Zio was painting or others observed him. To accompany these images I focused on composing a soundtrack that combined an aggressive full forced bass line with drawn out strings, glitchy percussion and spacey voices with heavy amounts of reverb. I only hope I have accurately captured what it is like to witness Zio Ziegler work.
Zio Ziegler’s predominately black and white murals can be seen throughout San Francisco. They feature giant figures with an incredible amount of detail and began popping up around San Francisco in 2012. Check out Zio’s other work. Zio Ziegler
Meet The Urbanist
Hailing from Oakland, California, the urbanist (Andrew Susich) recently made the move to Las Vegas, Nevada in late 2012. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, New England, and London has influenced Andrew's music and visual art, creating an unique blend of styles focused on the modern urban esthetic. Andrew has been a DJ and film maker since 2001. His music has given him the opportunity to play throughout the Bay Area, New York, and Germany, while his photography has been featured by Gallery 1988 in Los Angeles and several galleries within Oakland's renowned monthly Art Murmur. Andrew also produces promotional videos and photography for start ups, artists and events.
When we were checking out the food trucks at the Chronicle we came across a series of chalk boards on Mary Street at Mission between 5th and 6th Street. They are installed on the backside of the Chronicle building.
There are five chalk boards in the shape of words all beginning with the letter W – Who, What, When, Why and Where. In between each of those boards are other square boards with a decent supply of colored chalk. Anyone passing by can draw or write their thoughts on any board. While there, one person was drawing a fish on one board when another was writing a message about their employment situation. The boards were almost bare slates. It was Thursday and they had been wiped clean that very morning from the prior week.
The person drawing the fish said come back Wednesday and be amazed by the volume and type of messages on the boards.
So what’s the scoop? The boards were designed by Ana Teresa Fernandez for Intersection for the Arts through its 5MPlaceWorks initiative and were installed on September 12th for 5 months.They were installed to capture and share the thoughts of the people living, learning,working and playing in the neighborhood and are the first phase of their 5MPlaceWorks project. United Playaz, Bindlestiff Studio, Hospitality House, CHALK and West Bay, Intersection for the Arts, Luggage Store Gallery, and Hyphae Design partnered with them to make this happen.
If you are around the neighborhood Get into the moment and leave something there for the future to ponder.
Grounded TV Network and Endless Canvas will be releasing a series of artist documentaries throughout the year. The first video will feature David Polka. View the videos for free throughout the year at EndlessCanvas and on GetGrounded.tv
About David Polka
David Polka is a visual artist and graphic designer currently based in Oakland, CA. Originally from Las Cruces, New Mexico, he is a graduate of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque and has been exhibiting work professionally since 2006.
Drawing inspiration from abandoned and neglected places, stories and people, Polka’s work distills the ephemeral nature of human experience into a visual record of accumulated memories and emotions.
Flowing, abstract forms envelop figures weary from loss and hardship in an exploration of transitory connections. Reflecting a myriad of aesthetic influences including Native American art, graffiti, anime, and Colonial and Byzantine devotional art, these images examine how personal interactions are fostered and eroded by adversity, revealing the lines connecting different facets of our existence with irrevocable patterns of life and death, destruction and rebirth. To view his latest work, visit David Polka’s website.
About Endless Canvas
Endless Canvas is a publisher focused on Bay Area Graffiti and Street Art Culture. They post original photos daily to their website EndlessCanvas.com as well as publishing Zines and Fine Art Prints for local Street Artists. Last year their Special Delivery group show covered a 36,000 square foot warehouse in the East Bay.
Jet Martinez painted a food truck last week. I found that truck at the Soma Street Food Park on 11th Street at Division. It serves up beer and wine and stays at that location.
Food trucks have been around for years in San Francisco dishing out ordinary forgettable fast food from plain white vehicles with a few taco trucks thrown into the mix. Frequently the trucks were found around under served construction sites. For years I passed one parked by California Street in the heart of the Financial District where you could pick up food like packaged pastries, Farmer Brothers coffee, fruit and pre-made sandwiches. Typically you could walk right up to the window and get immediate assistance.
Unless you just fell off the turnip truck you are aware of the food truck craze that has spread across the country. The trucks serve up just about any ethic cuisine you can imagine with the bar constantly being raised. The trucks can be spotted around town with scores of people lined up waiting to be served.
What is interesting about this development is that the decor of the trucks and type of vehicle has also taken a creative turn, along with the dishes and menus. Eye catching art and logos are boldly painted on the trucks so they can be easily spotted from a distance. Old school buses have been completely retooled inside and out.
Now the street food craze has gone one step farther. Where you might have just found one truck in one location you will now find several with outdoor seating and music, making fast food pick up a multi-sensory event. It almost makes you feel like we have gone back in time when the covered wagons were going cross country and stopped at night to make circles where the adventures could sit around the fire, share tales and food and make music.
If you want to experience this form of street art and food, listen to some music and enjoy our fine weather check out these sites for more times and places and special events. Several of these venues have facebook pages.
Soma Street Food Park has a beer garden atmosphere with food trucks that rotate every seating,everyday. Soma Street Food Park
Off the Grid is a mobile food site that list times and trucks that will be in various venue locations around San Francisco and the Bay Area. Some locations have live music. The musicans and dates are shown on calendars. Off The Grid SF
If you are in the Mission District checking out street art and want quick food from a more traditional food truck check out El Tonayense food trucks that have served Mexican food in the Mission District for 15 years. Their food trucks can be found along Harrison Street between 14th and 19th Streets. El Tonayense
For specific cuisine or to learn where your favorite food truck will be on a given day, check out this site. Roaming Hunger
Piece by Piece documents the street art scene in San Francisco from the 1980’s to 2004. It was produced by Underdog Productions in 2005, directed by Nic Hill and narrated by Senor One, know on the street as Renos, Norm, Grey, Saber and Deen.
Although a few years old we thought it was important to share because it gives some background on the local scene. The movie begins with a vibrant bay area scene with local writers whose unique style was influenced by writers from the East Coast and LA to the formation of crews and the impact of law enforcement on their activities. It features artists and crews, recognizable by both newcomers and long time followers of the San Francisco street art scene, who share their reasons why they do it and what it was like with footage and photos they took during that time period to document their own work. Some of the featured artists are Cuba, Giant, Poesia, Reyes, Saytz, Twist(Barry McGee),Twick and crews AWR, ICP, Lords,MSK TMF and TWS.
Having lived in San Francisco during this time period, where I saw the extensive tagging and bombing, was charmed by Remininsce’s horses and noticed the impact of the graffiti laws passed in 2000, I found the movie gave me a better perspective for where we are today. Apparently the Examiner had the same sentiments when the movie was released. The movie is also available for purchase online on several sites.
“You’ll never look at graffiti the same again” — San Francisco Examiner
1AM is one of the premier street art galleries and purveyors of fine paint located at 6th and Howard in San Francisco, CA. You can easily tell when they have a new exhibit because the walls change on the outside of their building. They offer a variety of classes including stenciling, the art of graffiti, toy modification and team building workshops. If you want to learn about graffiti history in San Francisco ask for Nate. He’s part of it. 1:AM SF Class Schedule.
Hailing from Oakland, California, 
One of Dreams’ last piece in 1999 with SPIE.
Photography by Joe Dallmann, contributor to Streetartsf
