Hundreds of murals adorn Sacramento's city streets. If you know where to look, you'll find art tucked behind your favorite restaurant or brightening up a local parking lot if you know where to look. Step into the vibrant world of Sacramento's street art with a tour of the city's most awe-inspiring murals.
Discover 10 of Sacramento's Most Breathtaking Murals
Starfighter Mural
Our tour begins in the shadow of the Golden 1 Center, where Christina Angelina's Starfighter mural graces a wall facing 7th street in Kayak Alley. The striking silhouette of none other than Lady Gaga is flanked by dazzling pink and blue geometry that wraps around brick walls.
See Starfighter for yourself.
Lady Bird
Before she was making history as the first female director to surpass $1B in the box office for 2023's Barbie, Sacramento native Greta Girwig was winning awards for her solo directorial debut, Lady Bird.
Lady Bird actress Saoirse Ronan's black-and-white portrait stands against a bright red background, mirroring posters for Greta Girwig's film Lady Bird, which was set in Girwig's hometown of Sacramento.
The mural Lady Bird was created by artist Maren Conrad in 2018 to commemorate the Academy Award-nominated film. The artist completed the piece in the 48 hours leading up to that year's Oscars ceremony.
Pay Lady Bird a visit at 16th and I Street.
Jeks Mural
Jeks Mural, created by the artist Jeks, is a stunning black and white painting of four portraits honoring iconic Sacramentans Levar Burton, Joan Didion, Russ Solomon, and Wayne Thiebaud. You can discover this piece in the parking lot behind Twisted Track Gallery on 12th Street.
Add Jeks Mural to your tour.
Johnny Cash "At Folsom" Mural
It's hard to miss this striking 15-story portrait of Johnny Cash. The Man in Black's silhouette cuts a distinguished figure against a background of vibrant red hues with imagery that nods to Cash's prison reform advocacy. The figure gazes out in the direction of Folsom Prison. Legendary artist Shepard Fairey completed this mural in 2018, commemorating the 50th anniversary of Cash's album At Folsom Prison. Visitors can find this artwork at L and 16th streets.
Catch up with Cash.
Betty Inada Mural
This captivating mural depicts Japanese American jazz singer Betty Inada. Inada was born in Sacramento in 1913 and grew up in the city's Japantown. She would go on to become a popular performer in Japan until the 1950s when she returned to California.
The mural, located at the Bryant Christie offices in Midtown, was painted by Sacramento artist Shaun Burner.
View the Betty Inada mural.
Few and Far Women Mural
This dazzling mural wraps around the brick buildings of 20th Street, depicting women with flowing green hair twined with flowers. The artwork was created by the group Few and Far Women, an international group of street artists, graffiti writers, activists, and skaters.
Enjoy the Few and Far Women Mural.
"Prosperity Through Perseverance" Koi Mural
This 12,000 square-foot mural spans the J to L street block of 20th Street, located behind the MARRS Building. Metallic koi fish are shown on a blue background. Artist Maren Conrad created the piece to pay homage to the Chinese immigrants that created the transcontinental railroad and the challenges they faced. The mural's creator hopes that the art's luminescent metallic paint and selfie-ready backdrop will help make this a safer place to walk at night.
Dive into this 20th Street mural.
The Gateway
The Gateway was created by artist Rachel Wolfe-Goldsmith for Wide Open Walls 2022. Wolfe-Goldsmith states that the piece, which features Oakland-based artist Ashia Karana, is about "diving into a radically playful and vibrant future, and transforming ourselves through inner liberation."
The colorful piece is located behind the Dunn-Edwards Paint Store.
Discover The Gateway.
Sacramento Alumni Mural
The Sacramento Alumni Mural is located on-campus at Sacramento State University, at Shasta Hall. This beautiful piece dates back to Wide Open Walls 2018. Each letter in "Sacramento" was given to a different artist to tell a bold, colorful story.
Experience Sacramento.
Shamsia Hassani Mural
The final stop on our tour brings us to the office of Sacramento News and Review, where a beautiful mural depicts a woman playing a keytar. The piece was created by Shamsia Hassani, Afghanistan's first female graffiti artist.
Rock out.
Sacramento has drawn both local and international artists to grace the cityscape with their work, turning the streets into a living art gallery. Whether created as part of Wide Open Walls or independently, these pieces weave art into everyday life.
Want to build your own tour of Sacramento's murals? Get started with Wide Open Walls.
Images courtesy of @wideopenwalls