Russell H
Hey there, the 4th printing of "Stencil Nation: Graffiti, Community, and Art" has hit the shelves and online stores! Over 500 photos, 400 artists, from 28 countries. Go here for more info: www.stencilnation.org I've also been documenting, writing about, and making stencils since 1995, with my focus concentrated mostly on the streets of San Francisco, California.
- Current City San Francisco, CA, USA
- Languages English
- Places I’ve Been Egypt, Ireland, Costa Rica, Australia, Germany....
Reviews
Lindsay H about Scout for Street Art
GREAT scouting for street art with Russell Howze
Russell is a terrific guide and this is a great tour if you're interested in street art and hearing firsthand about the dynamics between graffiti, murals, stencils, San Francisco and the art community. Check it out, five stars!
Matt E about Scout for Street Art
Amazing!
We decided to celebrate my wife's birthday by taking this tour. There were 8 of us on the trip and almost everyone had lived in the mission, or nearby, for a while, so we all felt pretty familiar with the streets Russell was taking us down. But, with Russell's help, we soon realized how much we had been missing! While there are amazing pieces of art in every nook and cranny of the neighborhood, it's so easy to overlook them.
I'd highly recommend this tour to SF natives or visitors. It's an amazing way to spend a few hours exploring a new side of the city.
Nakita K about Scout for Street Art
Highlight of our trip!
Russell's tour was just what we needed for our trip to San Francisco. We were visiting art schools in the area, and had been to museums, galleries, and exhibitions, but found the street art all around us wherever we went most compelling. Russell's background makes him the perfect tour guide; as a street artist, author, and member of the arts community, his knowledge and approach are authentic and user-friendly. We got to see something of everything, from grafitti and stencil work to curated murals and even a few works-in-progress. The street art in San Francisco is a living part of the city, and had we not been on the tour our trip would have been incomplete.
Angie S about Scout for Street Art
A Wealth of Knowledge
As Russell guided us along the main thorough fares and the back alleys of the Mission, I got to experience, for the first time, an amazing street art "underworld" that I'd walked past so many times, but never stopped to really notice -- or in many cases, appreciate. Throughout the tour, Russell was a wealth of knowledge and anecdotes. We got to hear insider stories of the greats like Banksy, Rowa, and Adam5100 and learn about the unique communities and implicit rules of the complex and chaotic street art world. And we explored, together, the nuance between creation and destruction, artistic expression and just plain vandalism. It was a beautiful tour. One that will forever shape my perception of a city I thought I knew pretty well.
Philippe I about Scout for Street Art
Such a fun tour!
Russell was such a great guide on our tour of the mission district, and it is truly unbelievable how much he knows about each mural or stencil or tag you walk by. By the end of the tour I was recognizing different artists and noticing all kinds of new street art all around me. I would recommend this tour to anyone who is a fan of street art or graffiti, and it is also a great way to see San Fransisco.
Matthew S about Scout for Street Art
Really cool!
I just moved the san francisco and started working in the mission district, and I have never realized just how much art is right in front of my eyes. Russ point out some really cool pieces I would never have come across with an untrained eye. he knows such an amazing amount about graffiti and the street art community. a must do for anyone passing through the mission
Vayable Team L about Scout for Street Art
Underground art at its best.
If you’re looking for someone who is friendly and knowledgeable about graffiti and stencil art, Russell is definitely your guy. This tour was unique and nothing like anything you'll find anywhere else.
June L about Scout for Street Art
So knowledgeable!
Russell was my tour guide for the Banksy tour with TransportedSF, but he is really knowledgeable about all types of street art and specializes in stencils. A lot of the time you walk through the city not paying attention to the little messages and images on the walls and sidewalks, but Russell definitely made me appreciate an entirely new perspective on the city. He also curates the walls on CELLspace in SoMa, so be sure to ask him about that! Now, whenever I pass by a stencil, I take a picture of it and send it to him, asking whom it was by. He almost always knows!
