Clarion Alley Mural Project (CAMP) is an artists' collective in San Francisco's Mission District. The mission of CAMP is to support and produce socially engaged and aesthetically innovative public art, locally and globally as a grassroots artist-run organization. CAMP is a community, a public space, and an organizing force that uses public art (murals, street art, performance art, dance, poster projects, literary events) as a means for supporting social, economic, racial, and environmental justice messaging and storytelling. The project is currently co-directed by Megan Wilson and Christopher Statton with a board of directors that includes Wilson, Statton, Shaghayegh Cyrous, Keyvan Shovir, Ivy McClelland, Kyoko Sato, Fara Akrami, Katayoun Bahrami, and Chris Gazaleh. Clarion Alley runs one block (560 ft long and 15 ft. wide) in San Francisco's inner Mission District between 17th and 18th streets and Mission and Valencia streets.[1]
CAMP was formed in October 1992 by a volunteer collective of six residents of the North Mission District, San Francisco: Aaron Noble, Michael O'Connor, Sebastiana Pastor, Rigo 92, Mary Gail Snyder, and Aracely Soriano. Inspired by Balmy Alley and other murals and muralists of San Francisco's Mission District, CAMP came together to initiate a mural project on Clarion Alley. At the time, two of the founders were living on the alley, while another had helped found the Balmy Alley project.[2]
While Balmy Alley focused on the theme of Central American struggle, the stated goals of CAMP were social inclusiveness and aesthetic variety. CAMP went on to organize projects off site at the ILWU Local 6 SF headquarters (1995), the Redstone Building (1997), Yogyakarta Indonesia (2003, 2018), and the Roxie Theater (2012), as well as gallery installations at San Francisco Art Institute, New Langton Arts, and Intersection for the Arts.
Sama-Sama/Togetheris the first international mural exchange between artists in the United States (San Francisco) and Yogyakarta Indonesia, co-organized by CAMP, Apotik Komik of Indonesia and Intersection for the Arts. The project was designed to foster understanding of recent world events and Muslim and non-Muslim cultures between the two communities through the creation of new works, as well as through cross-cultural dialogue between participating artists and the public at large.[3] Artists from San Francisco included: Aaron Noble, Alicia McCarthy, Andrew Schoultz, Carolyn Castaño, Carolyn Ryder Cooley, and Megan Wilson. Artists from Indonesia included: Arie Dyanto, Arya Panjalu, Nano Warsono, and Samuel Indratma. The project was the catalyst for the mural and graffiti movement in Yogyakarta. The San Francisco Bay Guardian awarded the project “The Best Transnational Art Undertaking” in 2004.
In 2018 Clarion Alley Mural Project in collaboration with the Asian Art Museum (San Francisco) organized Bangkit/Arise, the second international exchange and residency between artists from the San Francisco Bay Area and Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Artists from San Francisco include Christopher Statton, Kelly Ording, Jet Martinez, Shaghayegh Cyrous, Keyvan Shovir, Jose Guerra Awe, and Megan Wilson. Artists from Yogyakarta include: Nano Warsono, Bambang Toko, Ucup, Wedhar Riyadi, Vina Puspita, and Harind Arvati. The project was designed to address critical issues facing global and local communities, such as community development, land use, environmental crises, housing instability, and geopolitical divisions, using art as a point of departure. Community partners included the village of Panggunharjo, the Institut Seni Indonesia, AROC (Arab Resource and Organizing Center), Coalition on Homelessness, San Francisco, and SOMCAN (South of Market Community Action Network).[4]
Below are some of the artists who have been part of the Clarion Alley Mural Project.[5]