Take this German artist's 'Walk of Happiness' around San Francisco
Artist Rosa Kammermeier brings her 'Walk of Happiness' to San Francisco April 19 through May 30.

Take this German artist's 'Walk of Happiness' around San Francisco

By

Need a shot of happiness? German graphic designer Rosa Kammermeier thinks we all do.

That's why the artist is painting cheery messages in storefronts around San Francisco as part of her Walk of Happiness public art campaign.


A message in the window at Benny Gold on Valencia Street.(Courtesy of the artist)

Invited to participate in this year's Adobe Creative Residency—a program that launched in 2015 as a way to support creators of all kinds—Kammermeier, among the first international artists to be accepted to the residency, can currently be found tagging the windows of local businesses including Vive La Tarte, Rare Device, and Les Gourmands with uplifting lettering designed to make us pause and lighten up.

"In Munich, people are very stressed out and sometimes they are not very friendly," she says. "While I was watching them, I asked myself, 'What can I do to spread more positivity?' So I created these slogans to make them stop, smile, and think."

Thus, the Walk of Happiness got its first installation with 10 stops in her native Munich in September 2017. Then in October, it moved on, spreading sunshine in Las Vegas. This spring, Kammermeier is painting both Berlin and San Francisco happy, with eight shops here participating April 19th through May 30th.

"I have the feeling that walking around San Francisco can be rough sometimes, and I just want to spread some positive thoughts, but [all the slogans] are also concerning problems in society in a subtle way," she says, pointing to her window at the Mission's Benny Gold store, now lettered with the words "Better Together." "Our society would be a better place if we all helped and supported each other a little more," she adds.

Other shop windows will read "Love Wins" (at Picnic on Polk Street) and "The Future is Unwritten" (at Chronicle Books on Second Street).

// For a map of all of the messages, go to walkofhappiness.de/en/san-francisco, or pick one up at a participating shop.

A message painted in the window at Chronicle Books.(Courtesy of the artist)

Related Articles
Now Playing at SF Symphony
View this profile on Instagram

7x7 (@7x7bayarea) • Instagram photos and videos

Neighborhoods
From Our Partners