San Francisco is a virtual outdoor art gallery where city walls become the artist’s canvas and the unremarkable become works of art. And it's free for all to enjoy. SF Mural Arts is an online resource for those who are passionate about art and intrigued by the murals of San Francisco. The website highlights a collection of murals visible on city streets and those that are tucked away in the interiors of city buildings, and includes photos, locations, and details about each piece.

From "SF Tourism Tips," this is a collection of images and information about murals in San Francisco's Mission District, as well as links to tours of murals and other art information.

See "Precita Eyes" in the Mural Tours box for information about tours of the Mission District Murals.

Edited by Cary Cordova, and connected to "The Mission Muralismo Audio Zine" - See the link in the Mural Tours Box for "an experimental sonic guide through the neighborhood and the stories behind its murals"

"Proyecto Mission Murals examines the origins of the community mural movement in San Francisco’s Mission District over close to two decades, from 1972 to 1988. Created in collaboration with community partners, the project launches with documentation of murals created in the Mission District between 1972 and 1988, accompanied by reference images. . . .

"The interdisciplinary nature of Proyecto Mission Murals reflects the complexities and richness of the community mural movement. It will not present a cohesive or seamless narrative but rather convey its wide-ranging aesthetics, the diversity of its participants, its changing nature, and the perpetual challenges faced by its artists."

Matt Charnock. Time Out San Francisco. January 16 2018.

From SF Travel: The Mission District is a virtual outdoor art gallery full of vibrant murals. Throughout the neighborhood, hundreds of walls and fences are adorned with colorful works of art featuring themes ranging from cultural heritage to social political statements. Best viewed on foot, take a stroll over to these locations for an up-close experience.

Adam Brinklow. Curbed SF. March 9, 2018.

"The San Francisco State campus has seventeen murals created by different artists. Eleven of the murals pay homage to historically oppressed peoples."

From VisitOakland.com.

"The Community Rejuvenation Project (CRP) has dedicated itself to cultivating healthy communities through beautification, education & celebration, using public art as a foundation for holistic, positive community engagement. Partnering with local government, community-based organizations, business owners and business organizations, since 2010, CRP has created more than 100 murals painted in Oakland, Richmond, and Hayward."

From VisitOakland.com

The SF Arts Commission is a city agency that governs most of the public art in San Francisco. Here is everything you need to know about what the Arts Commission does and doesn't do regarding murals.

"As an inner-city, community-based, mural arts organization, Precita Eyes Muralists work to enrich and beautify urban environments and educate the public about the process and history of community mural art. Working with a wide variety of neighborhoods and communities, we nourish one’s inherent creativity and celebrate the beauty of their community. We maintain a deep commitment to collaboration. This dedication to the collaborative process ensures that the creative work produced is accessible, both physically and conceptually, to the people whose lives it impacts. We bring art into the daily lives of people through a process which allows them to celebrate their beauty, discover their creativity, and reflect their concerns, joys and triumphs."

CAMP offers tours to school groups. See their website for details.

"The Mission of CAMP is to support and produce socially engaged and aesthetically diverse public art as a grassroots community-based, artist-run organization based in San Francisco.

Clarion Alley Mural Project is a fiscally sponsored project of Independent Arts & Media."

"The Community Rejuvenation Project (CRP) has dedicated itself to cultivating healthy communities through beautification, education & celebration, using public art as a foundation for holistic, positive community engagement. Partnering with local government, community-based organizations, business owners and business organizations, since 2010, CRP has created more than 100 murals painted in Oakland, Richmond, and Hayward."

Dragon School is a 501(c)3 organization based in Downtown Oakland/Chinatown. We provide youth and artists a unique place to experiment, collaborate and develop community ownership via artistic avenues. Dragon School's method re-imagines the neighborhood as a shared culture of art, where unity is strengthened by diversity.

Oakland Super Heroes Mural Project (OSH) is a crucial community development effort led by Amana Harris, Artist and Executive Director of Attitudinal Healing Connection (AHC) in Oakland. The project will engage 300 youth to be change agents in their community. The goal is to resolve issues that plague our city, create jobs for artists, enhance our neighborhoods and reduce blight. AHC is proud to share the progress of the first large scale mural beautification and revitalization public art project in West Oakland/Emeryville.

Spray painting mural classes for 12-18 year old girls.

Wide Open Walls is a 501(3)(c) whose mission is to promote and celebrate public art . . . The festival brings both local, national and international artists together to transform our region with amazing street art. We also produce other public art events throughout the year - including The Mural Jam, Sac Republic's Paint The Park, and the upcoming Playa Art Trail. Wide Open Walls brings underserved neighborhoods public art that encourages a sense of pride and identity; provides community gathering spaces; generates impactful, measurable economic growth for our region; and promotes greater cultural understanding and appreciation amongst diverse groups.

Elaine Chu and Marina Perez- Wong are the dynamic duo behind the mural arts collaboration Twin Walls Mural Company. They believe in the power of visual narratives to capture and reflect a community's history, struggles, dreams and intentions. Both San Francisco natives, Elaine and Marina met at the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts in 1997 and instantly formed a friendship. They began painting murals with Precita Eyes Muralists Association under the guidance of Susan Kelk Cervantes who became their mentor and close friend (Or as they call her “art mom”) . . . They formed TWMC in 2013 and have since designed and painted over 30 murals in the Bay Area and New York City . . .

"Take an audio stroll through San Francisco’s Mission District and learn about the murals seen throughout the neighborhood and the artists who collaborated to create them. Local writers Olivia Peña and Josiah Luis Alderete interweave their perspectives on the history of the Mission Muralismo movement with stories from the muralists themselves."

Precita Eyes is a non-profit organization that manages the Mission District murals and offers a variety of tours.

Clarion Alley Mural Project offers tours of our project direct from the organizers and artists. Participants will learn about CAMP’s history, the murals currently on view, and our work in the community.
CAMP is currently only hosting tours for schools.

Sacramento based bike and walking tours available, as well as mural map to plan your own.

Mia Gonzalez, Linda Wilson, Lisa Bartfai, Sophia Simon-Ortiz. StoryCorp Interview. May 24, 2016.
The Mission District is famous for its vibrantly colored murals, and some of the oldest murals can be found in Balmy Alley.

Tracy Elsen. Curbed SF. September 3, 2014.

Mural map and tours in Sacramento.

Jessica Flores. San Francisco Chronicle. March 21, 2022.
"Today, the social issues and styles depicted on the murals continue to evolve — including subjects of ever-growing concern like gentrification and homelessness.

"This summer, Ippolito, a 34-year-old Mission native, and her father, Tirso Araiza, plan to restore their mural and update it to 'make it a little more modern,' said Ippolito."

Joe Kukura. SF Fist. Feb. 24, 2022.
"We have entered the phase where Bored Ape NFT promotions sit among the Mission Street murals, at a moment when the NFT collective behind these virtual apes is angling for a $5 billion valuation."

Caille Millner. San Francisco Chronicle. July 3, 2015.
One of the quieter threads in San Francisco’s massive argument over who owns what in the Mission District concerns the murals — those huge, colorful artworks that attract tourists, brighten buildings and tell the stories of the neighborhood’s residents and contemporary Latin American history.

"Our Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams is a mural by Elaine Chu and Marina Perez-Wong, also known as Twin Walls Mural Company (TWMC). In this work, the artists deploy themes of healing and resiliency in response to imbalances stemming from COVID-19, generational trauma, pollution, and inequality, as well as to Perez-Wong’s ongoing battle with stage IV breast cancer."

"Elaine Chu and Marina Perez-Wong—together known as Twin Walls Mural Company—offer a behind-the-scenes look at their latest work Our Ancestor’s Wildest Dreams, commissioned by SFMOMA. The San Francisco–based artists discuss their process and how this vibrant mural manifests healing and resiliency in the face of trauma, injustice, and oppression."

"Artists Elaine Chu and Marina Perez-Wong (together known as Twin Walls Mural Company) join SFMOMA curators Erin O’Toole and Eungie Joo for a live conversation about their commission Our Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams, as well as past work they have created in various locations in San Francisco."