Dive Bar Art Crawl Returns – 8 Bars, 30+ Artists, 1 Epic Night
Happening this Friday, April 25th, 8 Mission dive bars in San Francisco are participating in the annual Dive Bar Art Crawl. The crawl brings together local artists and neighborhood bars to transform these beloved gritty spaces into one-night-only galleries.
How did The Dive Bar Art Crawl Get Started?
What began in 2024 as a solo art show at Mission Bar has grown into a grassroots celebration of local art and local watering holes in the heart of the Mission District. Inspired by events like First Thursdays in the Tenderloin, this crawl transforms dive bars into pop-up galleries, spotlighting neighborhood artists in some of our favorite no-frills spaces. This spring’s crawl features eight beloved bars: Mission Bar, Mission Bowling Club, Casements, Ruth’s at Treat Street, Bender’s, The Homestead, Rite Spot, and Doc’s Clock.
I talked with The Dive Bar Art Crawl organizer, artist and photographer Brandon Joseph Baker about how the crawl got started and where his inspiration came from: “I was planning a solo show of my art at Mission Bar. I spoke with Laura Callahan, the owner of Mission Bar, about creating an art walk experience similar to what happens in other districts, like First Thursdays in the Tenderloin, but with an emphasis on bars as the galleries. The first event in March of 2024 was a success, we saw a huge turn out at Mission Bar and the other bars and wanted to make it a recurring seasonal event in the spring and fall. This is the 3rd installation and we’re thrilled to be working with the community of bars and artists again.”
Who are the artists featured?
Brandon’s main goal for the Dive Bar Art Crawl is to bring awareness to the amazing art of local artists as well as get more people into some of his own favorite Mission haunts. He empowers the bars to source their own favorite artists and then he works to coordinate the efforts, ensuring all bars have art shows in place before the crawl. “The artists are all sourced by the bars. I encouraged all the bar owners to reach out to their regulars and their network of friends. Some bars already hosted art shows, such as Benders, Mission Bowling Club, Doc’s Clocks, Casements, so it wasn’t a stretch to unite them for one night,” says Brandon.
This year the crawl features over 30 local artists spanning the 8 local bars. What makes it especially exciting is the mix of seasoned, well-known artists alongside fresh and emerging talent.
Seibot @seibot
Kate Laster @howlingmoondog
Sadie Greyduck @sadiegreyduck
Paul Pot @popepaulpot
Mike Lisching @offbeat.exposures
Katie Cofer @coferkatie
Vera Fainshtein @verafanya
Betsy Freeman @FreeBetsy
Tim Genda @genda_watercolors
C. Kemp @beauty_brigade
Raji Musinipally @rajizcanvas
Hadley Northrop @hadley_northrop_art
Mark D. Powers @markdpowers
Clare Schmehl @clareschmehl
Tom Lander @tomlanderart
Ria @riaksharma
Jan Simmala @jan.simmala.art
All My Fairy Tales @allmyfairytales
Hannah / hello.artwork @hello.artwork
FleetWood @fleetwood_sf
The Method Made @methodmade
Makela Mitchell @msmac._._._
Johnny Dismal @johnnydismal
Laine Wiesman @teatimewithlaine
Mike Kavanagh @phatmikeart
Alfredo Sainz @fonzerelli415
Ian Beermann @ian_beermann
Mike Miklo @mikemiklo
Vic Brown @skippem
What’s The Best Route For The Crawl?
I’ll admit that 8 venues feels like a lot of ground to cover in my head but I’m always up for the challenge if I have a pro-tip handy. So I asked Brandon what his best advice was when it came to the best route for the Dive Bar Art Crawl.
“I suggest starting at Mission Bar and checking out Inner Sanctuary, an installation by Seibot, Kate Laster and Sadie Greyduck. Their work is in the back bar which is only open for events and they are converting it to something very special. It’s also a good spot to start walking from because you can hit Casements and Doc’s Clock on Mission before heading over to Mission Bowling Club, Benders and The Homestead,” Brandon advised me.
I might just do what I always do at Costco and Ikea and go the opposite way. Not sure if if’s the mischief in me or my inability to follow directions but it always makes life more fun. Whichever route you take, pace yourself and remember to hydrate along the way.
How Often Does The Dive Bar Crawl Happen & How to Get Involved
Right now Brandon and his team are looking to coordinate this fun event just once or twice a year. As you can imagine it’s a ton of work to coordinate a crawl across several venues. However, he’s considered expanding to The East Bay in the future if the pieces fall into place.
Most especially when you’re an emerging artist, it’s really hard to know how to get involved in events like this when it’s largely about your personal network and who you know. So I asked Brandon what was his advice if someone wanted to get involved next time and it comes down to being brave and asking questions. “I have always found that reaching out to venues or people directly, being prepared with what you want to do, being respectful and kind goes a long way. After I had a solo show at Molotov’s in the Lower Haight in 2023 I reached out to Mission Bar to see if it was possible to show there. I wanted to show my art at one of my favorite bars so it felt like a good fit. My logic, the worst anyone can say is no, which is no further than where I started before I asked,” he told me.
More Art Shows Worth Checking Out
It’s worth mentioning that much of the art featured in the crawl will be up for a bit if you miss Friday’s adventure. Brandon also had some other shows to check out as well if you’re looking for more art to see, “On the 25th, I’m excited to check out what Casements is doing with Fleetwood and Method Made, The Monster Show at Benders and what Ian Beerman is showing at Ruth’s. In other events, I have a solo show of work up at California Street Cannabis Co on 615 Sansome called La Lady Luna. I really enjoy finding new avenues to show my art work and this show is a fun collection of photomontages.”
Full Event Details for The Dive Bar Art Crawl:
This crawl does get packed and the bars will be ready for the fun coming this Friday. Starting your crawl early, having a plan and staying hydrated are the name of the game.
Dive Bar Art Crawl
DATE & TIME: Friday, April 25 · 5 – 11:59pm
MORE DETAILS FROM THE CRAWL’S EVENTBRITE:
Casements Bar will have music from DJ Madre 6-9PM indoor set, DJ Nick Moss on the patio 7-10PM, and Dj David Ngabo 10-late night PLUS live screen printing on the back patio with FleetWood and a pop up of art and design from The Method Made.
Mission Bar will have a special installation in the back bar called Inner Sanctuary featuring Seibot, Kate Laster and Sadie Robinson.
When you’re hungry on the crawl stop into Mission Bowling Club for their Happy Meal and Drink special for the Dive Bar Art Crawl. Pick one side; French Fries with Chili Aioli, Mac & Cheese Bites or Fried Pickles with ranch and either Fried Chicken Sliders or Mission Burger Sliders AND PBR & a shot or a Dirty Shirley!
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