Last month, the Walgreens in Ingleside received a vibrant mural by the talented cartoonist and muralist, Neil Ballard.
Ballard has painted murals in other San Francisco neighborhoods like Portola, Excelsior, and near Ocean Avenue.
This mural beautifully showcases the neighborhood’s iconic landmarks such as the El Rey theater, St.Emydius, Beep’s Burgers, and City College of San Francisco. Ballard’s distinctive cartoon-esque style will infuse the mural with a curated color palette of blue, black, red, and orange.
Heather Nguyen ’24, who is familiar with the Ingleside area, said, “I think it’s great that they are painting a mural at Walgreens especially because it includes landmarks around the area. It captivates the beauty and history in the neighborhood and makes the area feel more at home.”
She added, “With its vibrant colors and cartoon-like style, the mural makes me feel happy. It sheds positivity and light on the amazings parts of San Francisco.”
Art teacher Irman Arcibal said, “The mural caught my eye the other day driving to school. I think it is well-composed and it definitely grabbed my attention.”
He added, I think it is a great representation of the neighborhood. Visually, it does have some elemental similarities to a few others along Ocean Ave/Geneva, but its freshness is appealing.”
Haley Hang ’25, who passes Walgreens on her way to school said, “I love seeing murals around the neighborhood; I believe it has a local charm to it and makes residents feel at home.”
Additionally, she remarked, “It reminds me of San Francisco’s spirit from a tourist-like point of view: vibrant and filled with history. It makes me appreciative to live in such a multicultural, stunning place.”
In San Francisco, numerous locations and businesses frequently fall victim to graffiti vandalism.
Arcibal said, “I do believe the mural adds to the neighborhood. It is much better than a blank wall or just another store logo, everyone already knows what is inside the building.”
Addressing her concern, Nyguen believes, “With the graffiti problem in San Francisco, many buildings and neighborhoods become devalued and will require lots of public resources to remove or cover the graffiti. Painting a mural will discourage people from vandalizing public spaces.”
