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Come out and experience our fabulous street live and in person. Restaurants, galleries, and stores stay open till 9:30 on First Fridays of the month. More info on Facebook here.
 In a space that was once the York theater, which was itself once the Roosevelt, which opened in 1926 as a vaudeville house and later morphed into a second-run movie theater, Brava for Women in the Arts puts on stage productions in what is possibly the only female-owned theater in the country. This 300-seat, 13,000-sq. ft. renovated Deco space hosts plays largely written by women and minorities, as well as holding workshops for kids and adults in most aspects of theater production, from writing to directing to acting. See their web site for calendar of programs.
2781 24th St, between York and Hampshire.
647-2822 (box office).
brava.org.
"GDLR" is a non-profit art gallery and artist collective that serves the heavily-Latino population of San Francisco's Mission District. GDLR mounts exhibitions, hosts poetry readings, workshops, and celebrations, sells works of art, and sponsors youth and artist-in-residence programs. Exhibitions mounted at the Galería tend to feature the work of minority and developing country artists and concern issues of ethnic history, identity, and social justice.
857 24th St., near Bryant Street
(415) 826-8009
galeriadelaraza.org.
To describe the mini park as colorful would be an understatement. The park’s new design features play off the site’s existing colorful murals by transforming painted images into a kaleidoscope of hues and three-dimensional forms. Gradations of blue paving bands draw visitors into the park. Situated to the left, abstract plant forms are designed to be interactive light elements. Further into the park, a large mosaic serpent interrupts the pathway, while the Entrance into the play area appears to the right. The play area contains conventional play equipment, including a teeter-totter and swing. A curving seat wall separates the play area from the sidewalk. The colorful pathway continues to a sculptural, mosaic snake that weaves in and out of the ground plane with children’s slides at its head. The tail of the snake wraps around a playful water-spray feature.
The mosaic snake sculpture, entitled “Quetzalcoatl,” by local artist Mark Roller, Colette Crutcher and Aileen Barr, was created under the auspices of Susan Cervantes, founder of Precita Eyes Muralist. The serpent represents Quetzalcoatl, the Mesoamerican feathered serpent god, who is both life-giver and culture hero, bestowing various gifts on human kind such as agriculture, writing, and architecture. These gifts are represented by five cast concrete medallions along the snake’s body. The body and head of the snake are formed out of concrete and covered with mosaic consisting of broken commercial tiles and several hundred handmade tiles, representing Quetzalcoatl’s feathers.
The Park also includes murals painted by Michael Rios who created many of legendary Carlos Santana albums in the early seventies. Carlos Santana and Michael Rios both grew up in this neighborhood. Michael Rios still lives two blocks from the park.
The park design has received awards from SF beautiful 2007 and the SF Neighborhoods Park Council for best capitol improvement (renovation of a park).
24th and York Mini is located on 24th St. between York St. and Bryant and is accessible by MUNI via the 27 Bryant and 48 Quintara lines.
Visit the murals and sculptures when they are illuminated at night.
This Roman Catholic Church is a lesser-known San Francisco landmark, built out of redwood in 1886 for a parish then composed primarily of Irish immigrants. Though a 1997 fire (started by a votive candle) all but destroyed the building and its interior artwork, it has since been restored to pristine condition. Admire the Gothic trompe l'oeil painting inside, then walk around the corner to Florida Street to check out the murals on the adjoining church buildings.
The church entrance is on Alabama Street, near 24th Street.
(415) 282-1652.
sfarchiocese.org |
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California's Largest Annual Multi-Cultural Celebration makes Spring sizzle. One of the city's most spectacular traditions, Carnaval San Francisco showcases the very best of Latin American and Caribbean cultures and traditions with a diverse array of food, music, dance and artistry, including works created by the talented community of Mission District residents and Bay Area artists. On Saturday and Sunday in late May the Carnaval San Francisco Festival offers food, music, dance, art, crafts and other fun activities and events on several stages for the entire family to enjoy.
Spanning seven blocks, the Carnaval San Francisco Festival will takes place on Harrison Street between 16th and 23rd streets. On Sunday the Carnaval Grand Parade starts at 24th and Bryant streets and proceeds to Mission Street, on Mission down to 17th Street, where it will turn east and flow into the festival area on Harrison. carnavalsf.com
Each year Lower 24th Street is proud to host the Cesar Chaves Parade and Festival, which celebrate the life and work of labor leader Cesar E. Chavez. Join labor leaders, community activists, city officials and celebrities that come and pay tribute to him and his work.
This family festival is a community collaboration which provides food from 24th Street merchants, children’s activities, arts and crafts, a classic car show, live entertainment and more. For more information on each year's parade and festival go to cesarchavezday.org. And for more on Cesar Chavez click here.
Si Se Puede!
The center offers weekend tours of dozens of colorful murals in the neighborhood, explaining the political and social messages behind some of the artwork. Everyone's favorite place to view murals is Balmy Alley, which features more than 30 of them and feels like another country, with its profusion of bougainvillea spilling over garden fences. Balmy runs from 24th Street to 25th Street, between Treat and Harrison streets. Aspiring muralists can purchase art supplies from the Visitors Center or find out how to participate in mural-painting projects.
2981 24th St., at Harrison Street
(415) 285-2287
precitaeyes.org
Dia de los Muertos is an annual Meso-American holiday dedicated to our ancestors and loved ones now gone. We celebrate the Day of the Dead by creating sacred space with art installations, performances and a walking procession which help us contemplate our personal existence, mortality and celebration of life. dayofthedeadsf.org
This block long alley is the best place to see the most concentrated collection of murals in San Francisco. The murals began in the mid-80's as artists' outrage over human rights and political abuses in Central America. Today the alley contains murals on a myriad of subjects and styles from human rights, to AID/HIV in Africa and local gentrification.
The alley is best viewed on foot- either by yourself or on a guided tour from Precita Eyes Mural Arts. Park nearby or take the short walk from BART (San Francisco's subway). The alley is constantly changing. Please come visit in person and see the beauty that is mural art. balmyalley.com
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