Valentina Vicent - SF Walking Art Tour: Dogpatch, SoMa & Downtown

The black, gabled front of Minnesota Street Project in Dogpatch, with its name in big white letters — Minnesota Street Project. Photo: World Cities Culture Forum.

A wall of Ruth Asawa's face masks beside one of her looped-wire hanging sculptures — Minnesota Street Project. Photo: World Cities Culture Forum.

Stop 1 Dogpatch

Minnesota Street Project

A hallway of galleries, and since May 2026 the home of a permanent Ruth Asawa gallery.

Minnesota Street Project is what happens when galleries get priced out and somebody builds them a hallway. Deborah and Andy Rappaport opened it in 2016 across three Dogpatch warehouses, and the main building, 1275 Minnesota, is a 1937 industrial shell with an atrium you can sit in. Entry is free and every gallery keeps its own hours.

The newest reason to go: on May 9, 2026, Ruth Asawa's family opened a permanent gallery on the ground floor, in the centennial year of her birth. Give it a couple of hours. Asawa shows up again at stop 3, where her public fountain is waiting in Union Square.

Dogpatch is a ways from the rest of this tour, so it's the one stop that needs a ride. I'd take a quick rideshare or Waymo to SFMOMA. The T Third Muni line also works: ride it from the 23rd St or 20th St stops to Yerba Buena/Moscone, a short walk from SFMOMA.

Good to knowFree. The Atrium is open Tuesday to Saturday, 11 am to 6 pm, and the Ruth Asawa gallery Tuesday to Saturday, 11 am to 4 pm. Individual galleries set their own hours, and some need appointments. 1275 Minnesota St, with a second building at 1150 25th St. Visit info ↗ Map ↗ Ride to SFMOMA ↗

Stop 2 SoMa

SFMOMA's free gallery

A free gallery where the art fills the room.

Most of SFMOMA needs a ticket, but its ground-floor Roberts Family Gallery is admission-free. Think of it as a sort of permanent free exhibit that changes every couple of years.

At the time of writing, it holds Jacob Hashimoto's Giant Arc: nearly 75,000 hand-built kites of bamboo and Japanese paper hanging together like a cloud, from floor to ceiling and wall to wall, with patterns inspired by Northern California plants and animals. You can walk, sit or lie down under it, and you can see it from Howard Street through the two-story windows.

The room has a record for going big. Not long ago it hosted Diego Rivera's Pan American Unity (1940), a fresco of ten panels, 22 feet high and 74 feet wide, lent by City College of San Francisco. That's the mural in the smaller photo.

The Atrium, the free-to-see lobby, has its own giant. Julie Mehretu's HOWL, eon (I, II) (2017) fills the two big walls on either side of the main staircase: two canvases, each 27 by 32 feet, built from distorted images of protests and 19th-century views of the American West, then covered in paint and ink. The top photo shows her at work on it. Mehretu was born in Addis Ababa in 1970 and won a MacArthur Fellowship in 2005. Check SFMOMA's site for what's on view in the Atrium when you go.

Then walk out and around the corner for a Keith Haring, just below.

Good to knowFree, in the ground-floor Roberts Family Gallery and the Atrium at 151 Third St. The rest of the museum is ticketed. Museum hours: Thursday, noon to 8 pm; Monday, Tuesday and Friday to Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm; closed Wednesday. Check SFMOMA's site for the galleries' own hours and what's on. The Haring sculpture is outdoors at Third and Howard, free and always there. SFMOMA visit info ↗ About Giant Arc ↗ About Mehretu ↗ About the Haring ↗ Map ↗

Julie Mehretu on a red scissor lift, drawing on her huge mural, a canvas covered in black ink marks — Julie Mehretu at work on her SFMOMA mural. Courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery; © Julie Mehretu; photo: Tom Powel Imaging, Inc. Via SFMOMA.

Diego Rivera's huge Pan American Unity mural at the end of SFMOMA's Roberts Family Gallery, with wooden bleacher seating in front — Julie Mehretu at work on her SFMOMA mural. Courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery; © Julie Mehretu; photo: Tom Powel Imaging, Inc. Via SFMOMA.

Walking around Untitled (Three Dancing Figures).

Around the corner

A Keith Haring you can walk around.

At Third and Howard, outside Moscone South, Haring's Untitled (Three Dancing Figures) (1989) dances in blue, yellow and red on a round concrete base. The clip circles it.

Haring knew this neighborhood: he painted murals for DV8, a South of Market club, and a big multi-panel painting for the South of Market Childcare Center.

Stop 3 Union Square

Ruth Asawa's San Francisco Fountain

A bronze fountain shaped by more than 250 San Franciscans.

Ruth Asawa is famous for her looped-wire hanging sculptures, and she also made one of the city's friendliest public artworks. Her San Francisco Fountain stands outside the Grand Hyatt at Union Square: a bronze cylinder covered in bas-relief scenes of the city, cast from baker's clay originals made with the help of more than 250 San Francisco residents, ages three to 88.

It's free and always there, and it pairs with the gallery in Dogpatch (stop 1): one is the public Asawa, the other the gallery her family opened.

Neon fans: SF Neon, the couple who document the city's neon signs, lead twilight tours in neighborhoods including Union Square. Meet them in the Presidio and Marina guide, and check their schedule for dates.

Good to knowFree, outdoors and always there, at the Grand Hyatt on Union Square. Her Origami Fountains (1976) are in Japantown's Buchanan Mall if you want a second one. Asawa's public commissions ↗ Map ↗

Close-up of the bronze bas-relief on Ruth Asawa's San Francisco Fountain, with water at the top of the frame

Asawa's fountain up close.

Visitors in a wood-paneled SFMOMA gallery under Ruth Asawa's looped-wire sculptures hanging from the ceiling — Inside SFMOMA's 2025 Ruth Asawa retrospective.

More Asawa

The wire sculptures are the other half of the story.

Asawa is best known for her hanging looped-wire forms, and SFMOMA hung them from the ceiling in its 2025 retrospective. The permanent gallery in Dogpatch (stop 1) is where to see more of her work.

Stop 4 Financial District

San Francisco POPOS

Rooftop gardens and indoor parks with real art, hidden in office buildings.

Downtown San Francisco has a secret museum system: privately owned public open spaces, or POPOS, the gardens, atriums and plazas developers provide in exchange for building tall. The 1985 Downtown Plan made them a requirement, and the city's own list shows how many come with serious art.

Around Second and Mission you can find George Rickey's Annular Eclipse (560 Mission), Larry Bell and Charles Arnoldi at 101 Second, Anish Kapoor's Making the World Many at 235 Second, and Joe Goode's Waterfall Series at 55 Second. Look for the Public Open Space signs, and check hours first, because plenty keep office hours.

The ones everyone remembers are at 555 Mission: three giant heads that grin and gape from the plaza, Ugo Rondinone's Moonrise Sculptures (March, October and December), made of mottled aluminum.

The one to see up close is 222 Second Street, at Howard. Its indoor public space has teak walls, a cafe and big Frank Stella works. The city's art file for the building lists three: The Pequod Meets the Delight (1992) and Riallaro (1997), both pixel paintings, and Shards III (1983), a sculptural relief in paint and metal on honeycomb aluminum. The clip shows the relief.

You can see a lot of the others just by walking past or looking through the windows. The Stella works face Howard Street, and the building's plan says they're visible from the sidewalk when the space is closed. Weekdays are best.

Good to knowMost are free, but many keep business hours, and some sit past a lobby desk. The artworks named here come from the city's POPOS and public-art list, and the Stella details from the 222 Second Street art plan (2014), so confirm each one before you go. The city's POPOS map is the current directory. City POPOS list ↗ 222 Second Street art plan ↗ 555 Mission Plaza ↗ Map of 222 Second ↗

Giant sculpted heads with toothy grins and gaping mouths in a garden plaza, with a green wall behind them and two people on a bench — Ugo Rondinone's *Moonrise Sculptures* at 555 Mission. Photo: Shutterstock.

Frank Stella's Shards III at 222 Second Street.

Stop 5 SoMa

Salesforce Park

A park on a roof, with about 600 trees and 16,000 plants.

On top of the Salesforce Transit Center sits a rooftop park with about 600 trees and 16,000 plants across 13 botanical feature areas. It's a city park up in the air, and a much calmer break than the streets below.

The park has offered free botanical tours, so check its activities page for dates. If you can't catch one, the loop works on your own: the plants and areas are labeled with plaques, and it's surprisingly comprehensive.

The main way up is the escalators and elevators from the Mission Street entrance.

Good to knowA public park. Open 6 am to 9 pm from May 1 to October 31, and 6 am to 8 pm from November 1 to April 30; hours may change. The tour schedule isn't on the main park page, so check the activities page. Park info ↗ Activities ↗ Map ↗

Tall cacti and spiky succulents growing in the rooftop garden at Salesforce Park — Cacti and succulents on the roof.

The escalator up.

A curve of path.

Pines and towers.

On the roof

Up the escalator, then around the loop.

Three short clips from the walk: the escalator ride up from the Transit Center's ground floor, then two stretches of path through the trees. Press Pause on any clip to hold the frame.

Stop 6 Embarcadero

Cupid's Span

A 70-foot bow and arrow, half buried in the grass by the Bay Bridge.

Cupid's Span is a giant bow and arrow in Rincon Park along the Embarcadero, installed in 2002. It's made of fiberglass and steel, about 70 feet overall, with parts of the bow and the arrow set into the ground and the Bay Bridge behind it. The artists thought of San Francisco as the home port of Eros.

It was made by a married couple. Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen married in 1977 and spent decades making large public sculptures together, blowing everyday objects up into monuments. Gap founders Don and Doris Fisher commissioned this one and gave it to the city.

My favorite Oldenburg piece is a pretzel. This one is a playful waterfront landmark, and an easy photo stop: it comes before the Ferry Building when you walk up the Embarcadero from Salesforce Park.

Good to knowFree, outdoors and always there, in Rincon Park on the Embarcadero, south of the Ferry Building. Map ↗

Stop 7 Embarcadero

The Ferry Building

An 1898 landmark with a 245-foot clock tower, still a working ferry terminal.

The Ferry Building opened in 1898 and came through both the 1906 and 1989 earthquakes with little damage. Restored and reopened in 2003, its ground floor is now a marketplace with roughly 50 restaurants, shops and food vendors, and the building is still a ferry terminal, with a clock tower about 245 feet tall.

This is the stop to refuel before the Exploratorium. Restaurants come and go, so I won't list them, but my favorite burger in the city is at Gott's. Look out at the bay and the Bay Bridge, then head north along the water.

Good to knowAt One Ferry Building, at the foot of Market St. Hours vary by shop, so check before you go. Ferry Building Marketplace ↗ Map ↗

The Ferry Building's white clock tower rising above palm trees on the Embarcadero under a blue sky — The Ferry Building from the Embarcadero. Photo: C Valdez / Unsplash.

A vintage postcard of the Ferry Building and its clock tower seen from the bay, with a ferry in the water — The Ferry Building from the Embarcadero. Photo: C Valdez / Unsplash.

Stop 8 Embarcadero

The Exploratorium

A hands-on museum that turns into a grown-ups' night out on Thursdays.

Frank Oppenheimer founded the Exploratorium in 1969, and the museum is still built on the same idea: touch it first, read the label second. Today it fills Pier 15 with more than 600 exhibits, including a gallery on optical illusions. It used to live at the Palace of Fine Arts, which is a stop in the Presidio and Marina guide.

During my years in San Francisco, I was a volunteer at the Exploratorium, and it was such a cool experience! On Thursday evenings, After Dark turns it into an 18+ night with drinks and a DJ. Buy tickets online ahead of time.

Not a Thursday? You can still do this walk. Start earlier, estimate when you'll reach Pier 15, and work backward from the 5 pm closing so you have time inside.

Either way, get to the Exploratorium. The walk down the Embarcadero is a great one, and you can see the Fog Bridge, Fujiko Nakaya's fog sculpture, even if you never go in. It reportedly runs for about ten minutes every half hour, which is an estimate, so don't plan around the exact minute.

Good to knowPier 15, on the Embarcadero at Green St. Hours on its site: Tuesday to Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm; Sunday, noon to 5 pm; closed Mondays. After Dark: Thursday, 6 to 10 pm, ages 18 and up. Tickets are sold online, and hours change, so check first. Hours and tickets ↗ Map ↗

The Fog Bridge at Pier 15 from above, with clouds of fog drifting across the walkway and people crossing — The Fog Bridge at Pier 15.

Take it with you

The whole route, on your phone

Walking route from SFMOMA ↗ Short stroll ↗ Dogpatch to SFMOMA ↗

Google's directions follow streets, so use them to get your bearings between stops. The walking route runs from SFMOMA to the Exploratorium through every downtown stop. The last button shows transit from Dogpatch; a rideshare or Waymo is quicker. Check hours before you head out.

Good to know

What's the best day for a walking art tour of downtown San Francisco?

Thursday. SFMOMA stays open until 8 pm, Minnesota Street Project is open, and the Exploratorium has After Dark from 6 to 10 pm for ages 18 and up. Other days still work, but some places may be closed, and some building lobbies may not be open.

Is there a free gallery at SFMOMA?

Yes. The ground-floor Roberts Family Gallery is admission-free, and its big installation changes every couple of years. At the time of writing it's Jacob Hashimoto's Giant Arc, and you can also see it through the windows on Howard Street.

Where is the Keith Haring sculpture near SFMOMA?

At Third and Howard streets, outside Moscone South, across Howard Street from SFMOMA. It's Untitled (Three Dancing Figures), installed in 1989, and you can see it for free from the sidewalk.

What are POPOS?

POPOS are privately owned public open spaces: the gardens, atriums and plazas that developers provide in exchange for building tall, required since the 1985 Downtown Plan. Many keep office hours, and you can see a lot of them from the sidewalk or through the windows.

Where can I see Frank Stella's art for free downtown?

At 222 Second Street, at Howard Street, where the indoor public space shows large Frank Stella works. The building's 2014 art plan lists The Pequod Meets the Delight, Riallaro and Shards III. The space keeps weekday business hours, so check before you go.

Can I see the Fog Bridge without going into the Exploratorium?

Yes. It's in the outdoor area around the museum at Pier 15, so you can see it even if you never go in. It reportedly runs for about ten minutes every half hour, which is an estimate, so check before you plan around it.

How do I get from Dogpatch to downtown?

A quick rideshare or Waymo is easiest. You can also take the T Third Muni line from the 23rd St or 20th St stops to Yerba Buena/Moscone, a short walk from SFMOMA.

Where is Cupid's Span, and who made it?

In Rincon Park along the Embarcadero, south of the Ferry Building. It was made by the married artists Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen and installed in 2002. If you're walking north from Salesforce Park, you reach it before the Ferry Building.

Portrait of Valentina Vicent, smiling, in a rust-orange jacket

Who made this guide

Hi, I'm Valentina.

I'm a creative and art director in L.A. who has shaped packaging and campaigns for brands from Vita Coco to Fenty Beauty. Guides like this one are how I explore the world. If you liked the guide, you'll like the work.

See the work → More art guides →

Dogpatch & Downtown SF Walking Art Tour

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Full day: from Dogpatch to the bay