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welcome to culture wire, a program that focuses on the
arts and culture scene. Right now I'm standing inside
the arts commission gallery where the exhibition
"impossible" is on view. Before I show you a few
highlight, we're going to step outside and enjoy the spring
weather. On this episode, we'll visit
the embarqadero. We'll make a stop outside of
city hall to check out a new environmental art work.
it takes a lot of imagination to look at a space
and try to decide what could go there, how big it should be.
a few months ago "culture wire" looked at a new culture,
the language of the bird. At the intersection of columbus
and grant avenue. the sculpture is one of many
public art works that has been added recently through the arts
commission public art program. One of the first in the
country, san francisco's public art program was established by
city ordinance in 1969. Through this program, the city
has been able fo incooperate works of art into a variety of
public works project, including park, libraries, and in the
case of the language of the birds, a new streetscape plaza.
The public art program also enables the city to bring
temporary work by world renowned artists to san
francisco. last summer, fran francisco
join -- san francisco joined paris and new york with an
exhibition of eight sculptures by manolo valdez.
And recently a new temporary sculpture artist tony labot.
It is tighted "big piece four." it was created specifically for
the arts commission in come men ration of the 50th anniversary
of the peace symbol's creation. Director and culture affairs
luis cancel spork with joe manson about the temporary
project and natural settings initiatives.
Think also spoke about the laos' art work, the crashing
spider and temporary works brought to the city.
we're here at the embarqadero where there's an
iconic view of the san francisco bay.
And this artist has lent us one of her fabulous sculptures,
"scrunching spider." at the end of April this
wonderful sculpture will be going away.
And to sort of come men rate and understand what was the --
co men rate and understand what was the importance of this
sculpture of this art work, is jill manson.
So jill we're getting ready to say good-bye to louis.
it's been a highlight with the city.
What has been the impact of the crouching spider on puck blick
art in san francisco? I think it's been an
incredible coo for the city. this spider was made an homage
to her mother. She came from a family of
tapestry weavers. And she thought of her mother
as a spider, someone who protects its young.
who w creates their nets. And she was very, very de voted
to her mother. I think it's gotten the public
excited about art. They wonder what's going to pop
up where next. So it's really been incredibly
positive. public arts program is
really, it's reputation has just spread nationally and
internationally. What do you think has been the
effect or the utility of having a temporary public art programs
for you? I think with the temporary
art work, everybody is sort of willing to take a chance.
It allows us to be a little more risky, look at works that
are a little more experimental, edgy.
And it represents less of an investment of public funds
because we're not acquiring a work, we're often paying for
just the transportation and installation of the work.
so what do you think it has contributed to san francisco
this 40 -- year-old program? we've contributed more that
1,000 art work to the city. You can find art work in
practically every public facility.
From the airport to the zoo you will find the mark of the arts
commission. It applies to every city
department. There are some exemptions.
and it's enabled us to really make art work a part of the
daily fabric of work in the city.
it's libraries, it's parks. It's crourt houses.
thoo's right. It's 2% of the construction
cost. It doesn't come out of any
other official program. It's not competing with the
health department for money if we didn't spend the 2% for art,
it would just be part of the architecture budget.
we're here at the embarqadero.
But this program touches every city.
What are other programs? we made head lines in "the
chronicle" where we installed "language of the birds."
it's a work by brian goggin. It's at the intersection of
columbus and north beach. In conjunction with the
reconstruction of the m-line and the beautification of ocean
avenue, we had al budget to commission art work.
we hired laurel true to create three large sun spears made
from beautiful golden colored ceramic tile and they bring
this light to ocean avenue. It's a beautiful moment in the
dawn. what -- one of the things
that helps make san francisco a reputation is the art center.
How does it affect the public? it tells the history of the
city where it enables us to create a cultural legacy for
generations to come. The public public art component
is an absolutely vital and sensetial part of the city's
art scene. And in addition, it really
conveys an important message that providing public art, free
accessable puck blick art 24/7 is an essential city service.
-- public art 24/7 is an essential city service.
Sadly. This art has to stop spinning
it's magic at the end of April. Tony labot will continue to be
the center of attention at least until the end of June.
At the san francisco commission's website you can
view a gallery of the city's public art collection.
And we've made a google map marking the moster cent
addition. -- marking the most recen
addition. This year we had an opportunity
to nest a new sculpture within the trees.
Patrick used 18,000 pounds of willow branches to weave cone,
twists and bridges high abovea. The lush green will change the
look of patrick's sculpture, the upper crest.
sticks are lines with which to draw.
And so there is a drawing quality to the service that
really carries the weight and the illusion of the pieces.
in other words, sticks are tapered.
If you organize them in one direction, you have a sense of
movement. You mike strike the paper with
one weight and then another. So this kind of mark-making and
all the things you know about drawing, you can apply to the
surfaces of these pieces. as we started working, we
started seeing that one tree couldn't bear the weight.
We were going to have pieces twice as big as we what we
thought. Rather than make 12 smaller
pieces, we had to make six giant pieces.
the trees are written ageed December.
One of the things I wanted is to have something to pro trude
above. You've always have wind and
weather. You would have to build snag
structurally sound. you get a lot of height on it
with very little weight. it has been my hope that we
dwowled this interview in the plaza so we could sort of scan
the work in progress, but overall, how has been the
experience of working in san francisco been for you?
working in the weather is always interesting and we've
been in the rain for the last three days just kind of
persevere. Er we want to use everybody's
best energy and getting it complete.
So we've been out there eight hours a day with my four
assistance. And we've been work hard.
Moving the scaffolding around. trying to keep the public safe
and not drop anything on them. It's been great.
I've really enjoyed myself. how do you actually build
one of these structures. sheeping is a very demanding
exercise, right? basically a layering
exercise in this case I took some really large set lings.
And I wove them into the trunk -- into the upper limbs of the
basket of the sick mother, not just outer limbs but the trunk
of the tree, because I want to carry all the weight down to
the trunk. Once I get a few structural
pieces in there, I'll make a structural layer.
I gate shape that I like that's structurally sound.
And I decide that I'm going to add an aesthetic.
I'm really going to draw on top of that structural base.
So I start adding lines in certain ways, I think look
good. and then finally, you do fix
up. It's like a racing.
You take something and fix it on top of things you don't like
and you basically cover the blemish.
It's a layering process all along and then kind of a fix-up
until you've got something that you really think looks
beautiful and visit this is space and has the necessary
scale to hold its own against the noise, against all the
other activities there. And you know, against just the
large of space that constitutes the front of city hall.
unlike most sculptures -- sculptors, you've made a
conscious decision to use very organic material.
And very often your skull churs are quite ephemeral.
They have a very fine night lifetime.
you get one year, one pretty good year.
But one of the advantages of wanting to do temporary
sculpture and get your space back is I'm allowed to use many
pivotal spaces that weren't identified for a sculpture to
be there. say for example al lobby.
I've been able to capitalize on all these unlikely space.
It's made these great opportunities.
It's great opportunities for me and for me to participate in
the world of ideas, but also to have aner mother nouse
interaction -- to have enormous interaction with the public.
I always feel a good sculpture is one that causes
lots of personal interaction with the viewer.
we've been hearing about bird nest, people unknown.
We hear about child play. We here about indigenous
people. We get stopped and told about
the favorite tree. And generally, what it brings
to mind is how important parts are to an urban dweller, how
important it is to be able to go out for just a minute, be
free and have the sky to look at, and have growing things to
look at. as the trees, the sick mores
begin to grow -- sick -- sic mothers begin to grow --
sicamores begin to grow, it really changes it?
it changes the light, the growth of the trees.
They all change the feeling of the piece and they build a kind
of drama into the time that you have it in that sight, you
know, through your voo -- viewing time there.
It is part of the plan to revitalize the public space in
front of city hall. Featuring community festivals.
And a coffee service during the week.
the significantic center is the perfect place to relax and
enjoy the upper crest. To view more of patrick's
sculpture, visit stickwork.Net. You'll see highlights of the
past 25 years of patrick's year.
Here at the arts commission gallery, the expedition
"impossible" will be endsing its run soon.
It features the work of eight chinese artists.
Possible humor is often dark and oftentimes ironic.
The artists has created a third scenarios that confronts as
theltic and conception nal sensibilities.
Radical change has become an every day experience in china.
The artist of "impossible" has created work that reconciles
the past with the present and and compares the pace of
contemporary life. may 8 was supposed to be the
date for this installation. It has been extended until mid
August. You now have more time to
experience this remarkable art work.
visit city hall between 8:00 and 8:00 P.M. Monday through
frill. The san francisco arts
commission gallery will soon feature an exhibition entitled,
in our own pictures, and in our own work.
features art work from the 6th street workshop and central
hospitality house. It will be installed on the
ground floor of city hall. The exhibition days are May 24,
through June 19. And we will host a public
reception on April 29, from 5:30 to 7:30 P.M.
April 30th is the opening reception for malice.
His vibrant paintings will be on view at the opera house
during their May event. On the next especial sed of
culture wire, we're look at the arts demigs new exhibition
trace elements as well as two unique programs by some of the
arts commission local grantees. You can show us your local arts
listing or show us what would wow like to see at sfgov.Org.
thank you for watching "culture wire".