This weekend, Gavin Newsom was seen spray painting the walls of Market Street in San Francisco. Such a rare sighting can only be accredited to one thing: Art in Storefronts. The Central Market & Tenderloin sectors of the program launched this weekend, showcasing the work of local artists that transformed 5 vacant storefronts into creative installations.

via sfhaps

Gavin Newsom is all thumbs up:

“Art in Storefronts harnesses the creativity of San Francisco’s artist community to help improve the quality of life and the business climate in our neighborhood commercial districts,” said Mayor Newsom. “These installations will transform vacant storefronts and commercial corridors into a destination for contemporary art, bringing new energy to the area. With increased foot traffic, Art in Storefronts will improve streetscape conditions and safety and foster neighborhood pride.” -Gavin Newsom, via SF Gov

Christopher Simmons and Tim Belonax created this piece at 998 Market:

(via Happenstand)

Here you see the artist Chor Boogie finishing his mural at 1028 Market St:

(via SF Streets blog, phot0s by Matthew Roth)

We can’t wait to further explore the outcome of this project. This Friday, October 30th marks the launch party of storefronts in Bayview, don’t miss it! Details here.