Clarion Alley Mural Project


Clarion Alley Mural Project' is an artists' collective in San Francisco's Mission District. The mission of CAMP is to support and produce socially engaged and aesthetically innovative public art, locally and globally as a grassroots artist-run organization. CAMP is a community, a public space, and an organizing force that uses public art as a means for supporting social, economic, racial, and environmental justice messaging and storytelling. The project is currently co-directed by Megan Wilson and Christopher Statton with a Board of Directors that includes Wilson, Statton, Shaghayegh Cyrous, Keyvan Shovir, Ivy McClelland, Kyoko Sato, Fara Akrami, and Chris Gazaleh. Clarion Alley runs one block in San Francisco's inner Mission District between 17th and 18th streets and Mission and Valencia streets.
CAMP has become a highly-sought destination for tourists and locals with over 200,000 visitors each year. Additionally, CAMP has been highlighted in numerous books, including Hollow City by Rebecca Solnit, Staying with the Trouble by Donna J. Haraway, Street Messages by Nicholas Ganz, and Agency by William Gibson, as well in publications such as Forbes, The Gurardian, The New York Times, and CNN. CAMP is also featured in: three Netflix series - Sense8, Girlboss; and Tales of the City ; the film An Examined Life, directed by Astra Taylor; and the music video Storm by Lenny Kravitz.

Origins

CAMP was formed in October 1992 by a volunteer collective of six residents of the North Mission District, San Francisco: Aaron Noble, Michael O'Connor, Sebastiana Pastor, Rigo 92, Mary Gail Snyder, and Aracely Soriano. Inspired by Balmy Alley and other murals and muralists of San Francisco's Mission District, CAMP came together to initiate a mural project on Clarion Alley. At the time, two of the founders were living on the alley, while another had helped found the Balmy Alley project.
While Balmy Alley focused on the theme of Central American struggle, the stated goals of CAMP were social inclusiveness and aesthetic variety. CAMP went on to organize projects off site at the ILWU Local 6 SF headquarters, the Redstone Building, Yogyakarta Indonesia, and the Roxie Theater, as well as gallery installations at San Francisco Art Institute, New Langton Arts, and Intersection for the Arts.
Organizers of CAMP and its annual Block Party over the years include Aaron Noble, Rigo 92, Sebastiana Pastor, Michael O’Connor, Mary Gail Snyder, Arcely Soriano, Diego Diaz, Vince Oresman, Carolyn Castaño, Permi Gill, Kate Ellis, Maya Hayuk, Andrew Schoultz, Megan Wilson, Jonathan Parra, Jen Bowman, Jet Martinez, Kelly Ording, Mary Scott, Tauba Auerbach, Ania Wasiutynski, CUBA, Ivy Jeanne McClelland, Antonio Roman-Alcala, K2, Daniel Doherty, Christopher Statton, Jose V. Guerra Awe, Mike Reger, David Petrelli, Erin Feller, Erin Amelia Ruch, Sara Jean Yaste, and Jamila Keba.

Collaborations

CAMP has worked with many talented artists and the work represents a wide range of styles – from folk influenced to spray-can works to conceptual projects. CAMP also frequently collaborates with community partners that include: Community Thrift, Intersection for the Arts, Redstone Labor Temple, Artists' Television Access, Project Artaud, LeBeau Market, Rainbow Grocery, the Roxie Theater, La Casa de las Madres, Poor Magazine, Creativity Explored, the San Francisco Print Collective, Horizons Unlimited, Oasis for Girls, American Indian Movement Youth Council, the Anti-Eviction Mapping Project, South of Market Community Action Network, and Hospitality House, Gubbio Project, WRAP, San Francisco Poster Syndicate, Arab Resource and Organizing Center, Palestinian Youth Movement, Art Forces, Asian Art Museum, Coalition on Homelessness, San Francisco, and Justice for Luis D. Góngora Pat.

''Sama-Sama/Together''

Sama-Sama/Togetheris the first international mural exchange between artists in the United States and Yogyakarta Indonesia, co-organized by CAMP, Apotik Komik of Indonesia and Intersection for the Arts. The project was designed to foster understanding of recent world events and Muslim and non-Muslim cultures between the two communities through the creation of new works, as well as through cross-cultural dialogue between participating artists and the public at large. Artists from San Francisco included: Aaron Noble, Alicia McCarthy, Andrew Schoultz, Carolyn Castaño, Carolyn Ryder Cooley, and Megan Wilson. Artists from Indonesia included: Arie Dyanto, Arya Panjalu, Nano Warsono, and Samuel Indratma. The project was the catalyst for the mural and graffiti movement in Yogyakarta. The San Francisco Bay Guardian awarded the project “The Best Transnational Art Undertaking” in 2004.

''Bangkit/Arise''

In 2018 Clarion Alley Mural Project in collaboration with the Asian Art Museum organized Bangkit/Arise, the second international exchange and residency between artists from the San Francisco Bay Area and Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Artists from San Francisco include Christopher Statton, Kelly Ording, Jet Martinez, Shaghayegh Cyrous, Keyvan Shovir, Jose Guerra Awe, and Megan Wilson. Artists from Yogyakarta include: Nano Warsono, Bambang Toko, Ucup, Wedhar Riyadi, Vina Puspita, and Harind Arvati. The project was designed to address critical issues facing global and local communities, such as community development, land use, environmental crises, housing instability, and geopolitical divisions, using art as a point of departure. Community partners included the village of Panggunharjo, the Institut Seni Indonesia, AROC, Coalition on Homelessness, San Francisco, and SOMCAN.

List of Clarion Alley participating artists

Below are some of the artists who have been part of the Clarion Alley Mural Project.