fnnch sweetens SF New Deal

fnnch is a renowned local artist known for his nostalgic and inclusive street art - you’ve probably seen his iconic honey bear murals around San Francisco. Maybe you’ve even seen the new masked and hand sanitizer versions brightening up our streets throughout the pandemic. Lately, so many of us are using neighborhood walks to connect with the world around us and street art creates an opportunity to pause, reflect, and smile.

Last month, fnnch launched a fundraiser, creating masks and paintings to benefit Covid-19 charities. SF New Deal was one lucky beneficiary of his efforts, alongside SafeyNet Fund. In addition to the fundraiser, fnnch also created custom SF New Deal honey bears and posted them at 35 of our participating restaurants. SF New Deal founder Lenore met up with fnnch to tour his workshop and talk about creating during COVID-19.

Art is for Everyone

fnnch grew up surrounded by art. Between his parents’ collection and stepmother’s sculpting, he had access to fine art that fostered an appreciation from a young age. Throughout college, he collected art, filling the walls of his dorm room, but he quickly realized that his peers weren’t doing the same. In general, he says, most people don’t necessarily have a relationship with fine art. 

Only about 5% of San Francisco inhabitants visit our art museums. I view street art as art for the other 95%.

After moving to San Francisco, he fell in love with the city’s existing street art and was inspired to contribute. He began creating stencils and pop art on streets, mailboxes, and businesses of the city, using his middle school nickname for a moniker. fnnch creates object-oriented work, like the honey bear, “pop art is when an artist points to an object and says, ‘look at this as art.’ It gets a new kind of appreciation.”

A New Kind of Street Art

Creating art for everyone means that art should be accessible, visible, and fun for the public to enjoy. In many cities, this looks like wheatpaste or stickering but San Francisco is an outlier with a relatively restrictive stance on these art forms. But fnnch has researched and found a creative workaround— Sign Bombing. 

“Sign Bombing is a new, legal kind of street art” says fnnch. His first collection was unveiled on January 28th, 2018, when he added 450 honey bears to light and utility poles throughout downtown San Francisco. 

Sign Bombing adheres to the San Francisco Public Works code, which allows signs to be added to light and utility poles as long as they meet certain criteria, and are removed by a posted date. “Over the coming months, I am hoping to push Sign Bombing as a model for legal public art.” 

At SF New Deal, we’re all for creative thinking that solves big problems while preserving our city’s unique culture. In the spirit of fnnch’s Sign Bombing campaign, we’ve created printable SF New Deal signs that you can post to let your neighbors know that you’re there to help. Check out the signs here.

Creating during COVID

These days, we’re all engaging with the city and its art a little differently. Each stroll presents an opportunity to see our neighborhoods from a new perspective. Many restaurants and bars have boarded up large windows as COVID-19 forced them to close or severely alter their business. This could be a devastating reminder of the difficulties we are all facing, but fnnch sees it as an opportunity for joy and light, “I want to brighten people’s days,” said the artist “the intent is to bring whimsy and positivity while encouraging good behavior.”

fnnch’s earliest pieces are intervention work, where an artist adjusts an existing sign or artwork to make it new. Now, he’s creating meta-intervention work -- adjusting his own honey bears to feature protective masks, hand sanitizer, and the creature comforts of shelter-in-place. 

“I designed the Mask Bear and the Soap Bear as a response to COVID-19. To me, wearing a mask is about caring for others. A mask won’t prevent you from getting sick, but if you are sick and don’t know it -- it can help prevent the infection from spreading. We are all in this together, and we need to get out of it together.”

The honey bears create little moments of joy for all who pass by them, but fnnch didn’t stop there...

fnnch x SFND

Through the sale of custom masks and prints, fnnch has raised thousands for local organizations amidst COVID-19 — including $20,000 to SF New Deal, which supported two of our restaurant partners which enabled them to deliver 2,000 meals to neighbors in need.

Check out these ways to join fnnch in making an impact in your neighborhood: 

• Print out SF New Deal posters and try Sign Bombing yourself! 

• Donate to SF New Deal

• Does your company offer a corporate matching or donation program? Ask them to contribute to SF New Deal. 

SF New Deal is entirely volunteer-run, so your donations go directly back into the community to provide immediate relief to small businesses and vulnerable residents. Together, we’re building a community of neighbors helping neighbors.

Words by Tayler Mehit
Photos by Joe Budd