Since the beginning of time, humans have expressed their view of the world, including their fear and aspirations, through art. You don’t have to go to a museum to see these masterpieces. In some cases, it is not a canvas that conveys the message but rather a mural on a wall or some other open space. (Remember the Paleolithic Caves in southern France and the frescoes of Pompeii?). This is the art of the people, and there is no better place to appreciate the medium than on the walls of San Francisco’s Mission District.

Named after Mission Dolores, the city’s oldest standing building, erected in 1776 as part of the network of West Coast Spanish Missions, the area is full of funky cafes, taquerias, boutiques, and old-fashioned bookstores. It is also home to numerous Latino artistic and cultural institutions where pride blooms around aesthetic and cultural traditions such as the murals.

It is impossible to list all the murals in the district — at last count, there were at least 600. In any case, these are evolving and changing canvases of life. Initially, the murals were inspired in the 1970s by the traditional 1930s Mexican “muralistas” art movement made famous by “Los Tres Grandes” (the three Great Ones), Diego Riera (whose three famous murals are located elsewhere in San Francisco), David Siqueiros and Jose Orozco. Even though they evolved to reflect modern issues, their tradition of conveying social and political messages in art continues today in the Mission.

While murals seem to be everywhere in this part of San Francisco, there are two “Must-see” area — Balmy Alley and Clarion Alley.  Balmy Alley (between 24th Street and Treat Ave, Harrison and 25th St) is a block long canvas of garage doors, fences and walls and contains the most concentrated collection of murals in the city. There are over 37 works of art by three dozen muralists. The themes related to women’s issues, depict life in Central America, provide comments on issues of social or political importance or comment on modern life. Some are deeply emotional; others are pure fun; all are electrically colorful with splashes of bright red, blue, yellow and green; all are thought-provoking.

One of our favorites is “Naya Bhinana” (A New Dawn, 2002) by Martin Travers. It depicts three generations of women in Nepal, working in the shadow of the snow-covered Himalayas. To the right, one determined-looking woman breaks the chains of oppression while others stand with their fists in the air. Travers has said that he was depicting “a community resisting injustice, learning self-sufficiency and regaining local power.”

A few blocks away, Clarion Alley (Between Valencia and Mission Streets and 17th and 18th) has served as a canvas for art since the 1960s but it was in 1992 that the Clarion Alley Mural Project (CAMP) was formed to provide a forum for all artists. Today, more than 50 murals of differing themes adorn the sides of buildings, garages, walls. They are constantly changing, created by artists of all ages and backgrounds.

One of the most prolific advocates of mural art in San Francisco is the non-profit Precita Eyes Mural Arts and Visitors Center. PThe name of the group comes from the Precita Valley, home to most of the muralists. Precita is the  Spanish diminutive for Presa which means Dams. The Eyes in the name comes from the manner in which we view our visual world. The Center organizes several different guided mural walks throughout the district. As Carlos Santana once said, “murals are the heart, eyes, hands, voice, and spirit of the Mission.”

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