Valencia St. just received a nice new crop of “public posts” for the community to use for flyer posting and artwork.  From post designer Michael Arcega's site:

Valencia Street Post consists of four poles with Victorian-inspired crowns that punctuate the various bulb-outs on Valencia Street. Each 12 ft. post includes a highly ornamented crown constructed of steel with an automotive finish and UV clear-coat. The unadorned midsection is designed for community interaction. The public is invited to use the four sites as informal community bulletin boards for notices, events, ads, and the like. “Valencia Street Post” will be engraved atop each individualized ornamental crown. The word post can mean a variety of things from pole, news, postering, “post” identity, and/or “post” modern— all of which are correct. The (Stick-Style) Victorian signifier is meant to evoke the site’s history. Since most of the older buildings up to 20th Street were destroyed during fires in 1906, the area has transformed its appearance numerous times. The juxtaposition of a bulletin-street-pole with classic San Franciscan architecture embraces the past and present- leaving room for the future collaborations by the community.

Within a day or going up, the posts were getting well used:

Back when I went to one of those stuffy liberal arts colleges and forever indebted myself to Sallie Mae and Citibank, there was this silly group of dorks on campus called “Art Attack!”  They went around getting permits/permission to hang 100ft tall Godzillas off of campus buildings and what not.  At the time, I thought they were idiots because institutional approval takes the fun and thrill out of everything.

I don't think it was until I got to SF and replaced my thrilling life of saving the world (via student activism) with the dull life of blogging and web development that I began to appreciate even the most institutionalized forms of public art.  Because, goddamn, a 100 foot Godzilla is nice to see before writing PHP for 8 hours.  Yeah, it's more romantic if someone had to break laws to get it there, but, nevertheless, it's there.

Which brings me to Oh San Fran.  These guys are not doing any crazy vandalism.  They're just doing small things around the city they call “happiness projects.”  Things light setting off a flurry of LED balloons:

Or hanging swings around various city parks:

It might not be as thrilling as wheatpasting a police station or a PBR mural, but it's rad to see people out there doing small things.

(hat tip Wooster Collective)

Just a friendly message from your local street artist outside of Groger's Western Store on Valencia.

Just to kick it off, I was wondering who sprayed the “We're Here, We're Queer” arrows across town.  Eddie Colla takes credit:

If you can't Find SF Pride… from Eddie Colla on Vimeo.

I wonder if whiny NIMBY neighbors are “cool” with this kind of graffiti because it “celebrates diversity?”  I mean, at the end of the day, it is still spraypaint on Market Street.  Are they just hypocrites?  I digress...  Eddie emailed in to tell us that it was actually spray chalk, so it will disappear shortly.  “Just long enough to be up for pride.”

Borrowed, Bought, Stolen. calls this Valencia and 18th piece “Take My Hand.”  I don't think I could do any better than that.  (link)

(photo by captain_nod)

Found at 20th and Tennessee (photo by eviloars)

Finally, in drug-induced mural news, Flickr user micromero has the scoop on the latest in Balmy Alley:

I heard there was a new mural in Balmy Alley by famed, old school muralist Mario Torero and when we went for a walk this morning this is what we found. The blank garage door here had been crying out for a strong, beautiful mural. Well, here it is.

(link)