Since 2002 (updated often), your old-school website for all things stencils. Photo, video, links, and exhibit info submissions always welcome. Enjoy and stay curious.

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On the midnight prowl with one of S.F.’s hottest street artists

On the midnight prowl with one of S.F.’s hottest street artists

By Ryan Kost (SF Chronicle)
June 1, 2015

The street artist known as fnnch stands at the corner of Capp and 19th. It’s just started to rain, the sort of rain you can feel but you can’t see unless you catch it in a car’s headlights. He’s staring at a postbox just across the way, freshly painted, a blank canvas. “I really want to hit this box.”

But there are people near it, drunken and rowdy people, people who holler at the woman pacing in front of the corner store. “I got a dollar for you, baby. What’s up?”

Fnnch keeps watching them, and then, after a few minutes, he starts walking. “I don’t think they’re going to care,” he says. “There’s only one rule: Let me know if a cop is coming. Like, nothing else really matters.”

Woman convicted for posting street art on Instagram

Here is an update from a 2013 post about the arrest:

Woman Found Guilty of Criminal Harassment for Instagramming Street Art
by Benjamin Sutton on May 18, 2015 for Hyperallergic

Jennifer Pawluck, the Montrealer who was arrested in 2013 for posting a photo of a piece of street art on Instagram, has been convicted of criminal harassment and, on Thursday, was sentenced to 100 hours of community service and 18 months probation. Her community service must be completed within a year.

The 22-year-old college student has also been forbidden from posting any public messages on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, and must restrict her use of the social media platforms to private communications for the next year, according to the Montreal Gazette. She had faced maximum penalties of up to six months in jail and a fine of $5,000.

Reached via Facebook, Pawluck told Hyperallergic: “I am unfortunately not responding to any media questions … following my sentencing I’d prefer to keep a very low profile.”

Famous poster spot to get a parklet (SF, CA)

Bruce Tomb has been a long-time supporter of street art, mostly via postering, along the ever-changing Valencia Street corridor. On the wall of a former police station, the (de)Appropriation Project has been a vibrant source of stencils, posters, and political and personal expression. I have heavily documented it over the years, putting some photos in Stencil Nation and labelling my photos with "dap" when I put them here on the Stencil Archive. Tomb's wall is a special wall: legal, unedited (unless you don't like the commercials ads that sometimes get put up on there), encouraged, and community-supported. As waves of change hit the Mission District, knowing that there is a solid spot to paste up on and enjoy is a beautiful thing.

Now Tomb is deepening the location's committement to pubilc expression with a new and interactive parklet. Here is some info about the new parklet from Tomb's blog:

This parklet is distinct in that it is also a public art work sited in front of the (de)Appropriation Project. The parklet will take the form of a sidewalk “bulb-out” and two speakers’ podiums. The laser cut step plate for the podiums will also act as signage for the project as required by the Planning Department and the expanded steel mesh will be welded into the form of the podiums. This mesh is the same as what was used to fortify the former police Mission Police Station in 1970, protecting it from the community it served. That mesh has been repurposed and now is the front gate to our building. The custom formed curb will be stained to match the repurposed steel decking from another parklet in the neighborhood that was removed last year.

 

 

 

26 Mar: Alias - Fragments (Berlin)

 
ALIAS | FRAGMENTS

Vernissage & Opening Ceremony
Thursday March 26th. 19:00 - 22:00

The exhibition will be open Wednesdays to Saturdays from 13:00 – 19:00 or by appointment. Guided tours will be held daily at 17:00 and private tours may be organized on request.

More information:
info@openwallsgallery.com
https://instagram.com/alias030
http://www.openwallsgallery.com

In the end it’s all a matter of perception, isn’t it? “Five years“ doesn’t sound as dramatic as “half a decade“, and what is regarded as a well-deserved timeout for some, could be described as sabotaging a career by others. Fact is, Berlin based Alias is finally back after a way too long hiatus of five years with a solo show titled “FRAGMENTS“ at OPEN WALLS Gallery.