Tools of The Trade Photo Series by Mission Local Fiona O’Connor
This series of photos depicts San Francisco of the early nineties and specifically the Clarion Alley Mural Project in the Mission District. The Mission was gritty but a place where artists, immigrants, locals, and small business owners coexisted in an urban utopia During this era there was an undercurrent of creative urgency, freedom, and acceptance where many cultures lived and worked in tandem. The arts were still active in San Francisco with a creative environment where artists and small businesses could thrive and contribute to the community, culture, and economy and hence the creation of the sensational murals in Clarion Alley.
Pre-Dot Com and years before social media changed our focus and consumed our culture, the portable tools of the artist were relevant and essential. In the Alley photos, we see ladders, spray paint, paintbrushes, buckets, and scaffolding as essential to the creative process. Outside the Alley, we had carpenters, grocery stores, chefs, hairdressers, nurses, bartenders, and so many more who built San Francisco and their careers on their tools. Today we call these citizens essential workers. However, in the past, we called them San Franciscans
Below are three photos from the series which are currently on display at DiPietro Salon on Fillmore St. and at the Harrington Galleries show room on Valencia St.
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- 1992 Positioned high up at the end of the Alley this face looks down Mission St with a powerful gaze. Climbing scaffolding with spray paint, Kenneth Huerta’s piece still watches over the Alley today
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- 1992 Sometimes it takes a group of artists to come together to create a lasting impression. This scared alley cat manifests the tension that can be felt in the alley at any time day or night.
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- 1992 Any ladder is an essential tool of the muralist in Clarion Alley.
Artist Statement
Fiona O’Connor
Fiona is the daughter of two Irish immigrants, Iris and Jarlath O’Connor, who built a small business called Harringtons on Valencia St. using moving dollies, piano boards, rope and true grit and love for San Francisco.
I started photography at Convent of the Sacred Heart High School in San Francisco and continued at UC Davis. My primary subject matter are SF streets, workers and tools of the city.
After college I met many local artists and business owners through my time spent in the Mission at my parents business. My surroundings inspired my photography and love for my neighborhood before and during the first phase of the Clarion Alley Mural Project. I went on to pursue photography in advertising and after I took over my parents small business Harrington Galleries.
Contact for purchase or additional prints 415-812-3966 or foconnorm@gmail.com