SOMA Mural Corridor Revival, Folsom Street

Four new murals are transforming the 1100 block of Folsom Street into an open-air gallery. Funded by the City of San Francisco's Community Challenge Grants program, the SOMA Mural Corridor Revival brings artists, merchants, property owners, and residents together to replace blank walls with public art that honors SOMA's history, diversity, and resilience.

Every mural in the corridor was reviewed and approved by the San Francisco Arts Commission, is finished with a protective anti-graffiti coating, and will be maintained by SOMA West CBD's cleaning and graffiti-abatement team in partnership with each property owner.

Grant award: $122,000
Murals: 4, all on Folsom Street between 7th and 8th Streets
Artists: Tanya Wischerath, Bunnie Reiss, Timothy B., and Hungry Ghost Mural Productions
Project period: January 2026 to December

The Murals

The Toolbox, by Tanya Wischerath

The Stud, 1123 Folsom Street · 12 ft x 48 ft · Completed August 2026

Black and white mural of a crowd of figures in leather jackets and caps on the facade of The Stud — The Toolbox by Tanya Wischerath, 1123 Folsom Street.

In 1962, artist Chuck Arnett painted a mural of leathermen across the wall of The Toolbox, the South of Market bar that helped put SOMA on the map as the heart of San Francisco's leather community. Tanya Wischerath has re-created that landmark image on the facade of The Stud, keeping Arnett's bold black-and-white illustration style while reimagining the figures to reflect the diversity of The Stud's community today.

A San Francisco native with classical atelier training, Wischerath has spent more than fifteen years creating public art about queer history and community memory, with murals in the Castro, Clarion Alley, the Transgender District, and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. See more at tanyawischerath.com.

Flight of Compassion, by Bunnie Reiss

Basil Thai, 1175 Folsom Street · 24 ft x 48 ft · Completed September 2026

Mural of a large black butterfly with turquoise and white patterning surrounded by pink lotus flowers and green lily pads — Flight of Compassion by Bunnie Reiss, 1175 Folsom Street.

A Thai black butterfly glides through a pool of pink lotus flowers in this 1,152-square-foot mural, the largest in the corridor. The lotus was requested specifically for the design. Together, the butterfly and the flower stand for renewal, strength, compassion, and the cycle of constant new beginnings.

Bunnie Reiss earned her MFA at the San Francisco Art Institute and spent more than twenty years making art in the Bay Area before her practice took her to Los Angeles, the Mojave Desert, and now Detroit. Her brightly colored folk murals, mosaics, and sculptures can be found across the U.S. and in Mexico, Italy, France, India, and the Philippines.

[Mural title], by Timothy B.

1145 Folsom Street at Hallam Street · 36 ft x 12 ft · Completed October 2026

Design rendering of a black and white mural with portraits of two women above the Golden Gate Bridge and a full moon, on a four-story building — Design rendering, courtesy of the artist. Photos of the finished mural coming soon.

Rising three stories above the corner of Folsom and Hallam, this black-and-white mural honors Mary Ellen Pleasant, the entrepreneur and abolitionist often called the "Mother of Civil Rights in California" against the Golden Gate Bridge and a full moon. The design was developed in conversation with residents of the building, who asked to see powerful women of color celebrated on their home.

Oakland muralist Timothy B. creates vibrant, community-centered public art grounded in Black resilience and ancestral memory.

Legacy, by Hungry Ghost Mural Productions

Auto City Repair, 1165 Folsom Street · [23 ft x 28 ft] · Completed October 2026

Design rendering of a sepia mural of a smiling man on a vintage motorcycle on 1929 Folsom Street, with a band of orange car-part imagery above — Design rendering, courtesy of the artist. Photos of the finished mural coming soon.

At the heart of Legacy is a single photograph: the grandfather of Auto City's owner, who shared his love of cars and mechanics with his grandson in El Salvador. That knowledge traveled to San Francisco and grew into the auto shop on Folsom Street today. Behind him, Folsom Street unfolds as it looked in 1929, and across the top, close-up fragments of car parts form a rhythmic band honoring the craft passed from one generation to the next.

Hungry Ghost Mural Productions is an Oakland-based collective led by David Burke, with Pancho Pescador and Joevic Yeban. Burke has painted public murals across the Bay Area, Southern California, Thailand, and Laos, and teaches public art and mural courses at the Academy of Art University. See more at dburke.org.

Visit the Corridor

All four murals are within a short walk of each other on Folsom Street between 7th and 8th Streets. Start at The Stud (1123 Folsom), continue to 1145 Folsom at Hallam, then Auto City Repair (1165 Folsom), and finish at Basil Thai (1175 Folsom), a perfect excuse to grab a bite.

1123 Folsom Street: The Toolbox
1145 Folsom Street: [Mural title]
1165 Folsom Street: Legacy
1175 Folsom Street: Flight of Compassion

See graffiti or damage on one of the murals? Let us know through our Service Request Form and our team will take care of it.

Learn More

Mayor Lurie, City Administrator Chu Announce $3.3 Million in Funding for Neighborhood Beautification Projects (Office of the Mayor)
FY26 Community Challenge Grant Awards (City of San Francisco)
Community Challenge Grants Program (Office of the City Administrator)
San Francisco Seeks Proposals for Neighborhood Beautification Projects (City Administrator), featuring SOMA West's Folsom Street Mural Corridor

This project was made possible by a Community Challenge Grant from the City and County of San Francisco, and by the artists, property owners, merchants, and neighbors who brought it to life.