Balmy Alley

Inspired by local Diego Rivera and WPA murals, and outraged by US foreign policy in Central America, Mission activist artists set out in the 1970s to transform the political landscape, one mural-covered garage door at a time. Balmy Alley became a site for inquiring minds, with historic early works by muralist groups such as the Mujeres Muralistas (Women Muralists) and Placa (meaning ‘mark-making’) transforming fences and garages into artistic statements. Today, Precita Eyes restores these murals, commissions new ones by rising San Francisco artists and leads muralist-led tours that cover 75 Mission murals within an eight-block radius of Balmy Alley. On November 1, the annual Mission parade Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) begins here.