Public art installations dot cities across the Bay Area, and as the rain clears and the weather warms, there’s no better time to enjoy them.
California Avenue, one of Palo Alto’s two main business districts, alone has at least 14 pieces of public art installed since 1996, earning it the nickname “Palo Alto’s Avenue of the Arts.” .
Permanent and temporary installations adorn the walls and alleys of the buildings.
For a map of Palo Alto’s public murals, see the website.
A pedestrian walks past a 2002 mural by Christopher Johanson in an alley near the intersection of California Avenue and Birch Street in Palo Alto, California, April 15, 2024. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group )A mural adorns the side of the vacant building that housed Palo Alto’s iconic dive bar, Antonio’s Nut House, near the intersection of California Avenue and Birch Street in Palo Alto, California on April 15, 2024. The bar has closed its doors during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)A pedestrian walks past a 1979 mural, “Mayfield Train Station,” by Noel Consigny, located near the intersection of California Avenue and Birch Street in Palo Alto, California, April 15, 2024. The artwork by art is one of several pieces of public art that is part of the City of Palo Alto’s public art program. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
