UNSUNG SF
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An artist-led portrait & oral history project supported by San Francisco Arts Commission
Who should
San Francisco remember?
I’m Shrey, a painter in San Francisco. Through Unsung SF, I’m recording conversations and painting portraits of the people whose everyday work keeps this city going. I’d love your help finding them.
A nomination is just an introduction. They choose whether to take part.
Scroll to see how the projects works
INTERVIEWS BEGIN FALL 2026
THE PAINTINGS
BEGINS WITH
A CONVERSATION
Who comes to mind?
A bus operator who knows every regular. A cook who has fed a neighborhood for decades. A custodian, caregiver, street vendor, mechanic, shopkeeper, or postal worker whose story belongs in the city’s public record.
Essential, everyday work across San Francisco—especially stories missed because of language, shift schedules, immigration history, or the quiet nature of the job.
About the project
What is Unsung SF?
Unsung SF is supported by a grant from the San Francisco Arts Commission. The funding makes it possible to pay participants for their time, preserve their histories with care, create the paintings, and bring the work back into San Francisco neighborhoods.
To build a truthful public record of the people whose essential work sustains San Francisco, while treating every participant as a collaborator.
The final outcome
Twenty recorded conversations will form an archive of oral histories. Ten will also become painted portraits, shared through neighborhood presentations, a culminating gallery exhibition, and a multilingual digital catalog.
20 conversations, 10 painted portraits and 3 exhibitions
What happens after a nomination?
01
You introduce us to a specific person and tell us why their story matters
02
Shrey reaches out directly, explains the project, and answers their questions.
03
They decide whether to join a paid recorded conversation. A referral is an invitation they can refuse.
04
Shrey listens closely, reviews the conversation, and develops sketches, color ideas, and possible compositions.
05
A painted study tests the concept. The final portrait grows through drawing, layering, revision, and close attention to the person’s presence.
06
The participant can flag factual concerns. Any public story, audio, or image follows a separate consent and release process.
07
The finished portrait joins the approved oral history in neighborhood presentations, the final exhibition, and a lasting digital archive.
