Art - The Streets

The Scoop Behind the Yellow Birdhouses Around Town

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

“Jim”, the man responsible for hanging all the yellow birdhouses around the Mission and SOMA, emailed us to tell us about his project:

I come from a long line of birdwatchers and enjoy following birds myself, so I thought why not cater to local species and make birdhouses for them? I started out making houses for the California Towhee which migrates through Northern California, then branched out and started just free styling them.

Some friends caught wind and I started making more for them, and eventually I was asked to show 50 of my birdhouses at a pop-up gallery show in SOMA at Unspeakable Projects. I then sold those birdhouses, and the deal was I would install them in the location of the buyer's choosing.

I've made a bunch of birdhouses made of wood from local recycled pallets, sold a few at an art show and now am just continuing to make them and put them up around town. Feel free to track their progress on the website. I'll be updating as I go.

If you want to sponsor the project, $50 bucks will get you a birdhouse and installation at your choice of location.  You can order one by sending an email to jimewing3@hotmail.com

Previously on Uptown Almanac: 

Long Neck 4 Life

— By Kate Horton |

 

This Friday, Aristocrats in San Jose will be hosting the opening reception for notorious Bay Area street artist Girafa's new exhibit Black Is The New Yellow. Make the trek to SJ for art, booze, & cool kids, as well as the release of a limited edition Aristocrats & Girafa collaboration shirt. Rumor is the man himself will also be there.

This Weekend in Street Art

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

A few of these chicken-faced dudes popped up along 23rd.

NIMBY-in-training.

  

Wheatpasted bike photos along the fence next to Valencia Cyclery.

 

Old man moving at a snail's pace.  Cypress St.

 

Finally, Oddfellow continues to step up his characters.

Street Art You Can Piss On

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

While enjoying the fine day in Dolores yesterday, I was unfortunately hit with the the curse of having to urinate. I made my way to the bathrooms, but there were two dudes standing in the line.  Which, you know, was clearly unacceptable.  So I trekked to the Muni tracks to relieve myself in the presence of nature and unexceptional public transit and came across this street art wheatpasted up against pedestrian bridge.  I snapped this photo, started to walk away, then saw a wasted dude wearing a Low Card hat out of the corner of my eye take a piss on the girl's Birkenstocks.

Street art, ladies and gentlemen, street art.

Painting Over Vandalism is Also Vandalism

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

The SF Examiner hips us to the urban art movement developing in McLaren Park:

When 23-year-old Aaron Perry-Zucker first moved to the Excelsior neighborhood last summer, he noticed the large amount of graffiti covering signs and benches in John McLaren Park that differed from the green space near his former Berkeley home. […]

Around Thanksgiving of last year, Perry-Zucker — a graphic designer by trade — decided to paint over the tags himself. Normally The City uses muted brown or standard grey to cover up graffiti, but Perry-Zucker wanted to use more attractive colors.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for ORFN tags on park benches, but if you're one to complain about such matters, its seems Aaron's course of action is a good one.  How does the the City feel about it?

“The public is not allowed to paint over city property at will, no matter how bright and colorful the paint,” said Recreation and Park Department spokesman Elton Pon.

Pon encouraged all residents to report graffiti using The City’s free tip line, 311.

Nice.

(link) 

Previously on Uptown Almanac: 

'Enrage Them With Fear Until They Feel Justified In Their Violence'

— By Zach Perkins |

It's working…

These were spotted in Hayes Valley by iPhone photog Brian Reynard, who believes they were posted within the last 24 hours.  

In related news, Brock @ SFist shared Dan Savage/The Stranger's satirical version of Palin's now infamous 'Crosshairs Map', equating Palin's map to a politicized death list by populating the The Stranger's version with the assassinated martyrs of American history.  'Surveyor's marks' my ass. 

(Hat Tip to Ben R for the Palin posters)

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