San Francisco State University
Lakeside
Flaura by Kevin La
This student work is an enclosure for a utility box.The steel constructed sculpture offers a design that fits naturally in the surrounding environment.
It is located between Humanities and University Housing buildings.
Cities around the world are starting to use utility boxes such as these for public art projects, it would be nice to see more in the city of San Francisco.
San Francisco State University
Lakeside
Head by Shu-hie Yang – Student work
This piece resides in the Garden of Remembrance.
The Garden of Remembrance is located in the quiet courtyard between Burk Hall and the Fine Arts Building, it was dedicated in 2002. It honors the 19 former SF State students who were pulled from their classes under U.S. military and government orders and forced to live in remote camps across the country during World War II, along with the more than 120,000 Japanese Americans who suffered the same fate.
Designed by Japanese American artist and honorary SF State Master of Fine Arts recipient Ruth Asawa, the garden contains 10 boulders that serve as symbolic reminders of the different internment camps. A waterfall on the east side of the memorial represents energy and renewal, and the Japanese Americans’ return to their homes. The garden also features a plaque, which provides historical information regarding internment and the SF State Students directly affected by it.
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San Francisco State University
Lakeside
Caring by Aristides Demetrios
Aristides Demetrios has several pieces around San Francisco. Aristides Burton Demetrios (1932- ) was born and raised in Massachusetts. His father, George Demetrios, was a classical sculptor, trained by Bourdelle, a student of Rodin. His mother, Virginia Lee Burton was the renowned author and illustrator of children’s books, including Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, and The Little House, for which she won the prestigious Caldecott prize. After graduating from Harvard College, Mr. Demetrios spent three years as an officer in the Navy and then studied at the George Demetrios School for three years. In 1963, he won his first national sculpture competition when his proposed design was selected for a major fountain commission on the campus of Stanford University (The White Memorial Fountain: “Mem Claw” ). Shortly thereafter, he was chosen to be the sculptor for a public art commission in Sacramento in front of the County Courthouse; subsequently, he was selected by David and Lucille Packard to design and fabricate the sculpture to grace the entry to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
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San Francisco State University
Lakeside
Buckeye and the Benches by William Wareham
In front of the Gymnasium
Buckeye is an abstract modern sculpture.To enhance its functionality,Wareham was commissioned to build three benches consistent to the central piece. Throughout his distinguished career as a sculptor, William Wareham has remained true to his inner spirit, capturing viewer’s consciousness through his powerful abstract works. A compatriot of Mark di Suvero, Wareham creates works with a strong common thread, using recycled steel as his primary material. Featured in many strong National collections, William Wareham achieves some of the most consistently accomplished compositions in contemporary sculpture.
His impressive education includes:
1971 MFA University of California, Berkeley, CA
1969 MA University of California, Berkeley, CA
1964 BFA Philadelphia College of Art, Philadelphia, PA
1964-67 Peace Corps, Cuzco, Peru
1963 Yale university, Award Scholarship, Summer Program of Music and Art, Norfolk, CT
1962 University of the Americas, Mexico City, Mexico
San Francisco State University
Lakeside
ASIAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER MURAL David Cho & Albert Yip
Created in 2004, The Asian & Pacific Islander Mural tells the story of hard-working and determined people who fought for the rights of their community, as well as honoring those who continue the fight today.
Among the people included on the mural are: Yuri Kochiyama, Angel Santos, Mohandas Gandhi, Tupua Tamasese, Queen Liliuokalani, Queen Salote, Lakshmi Bai, Larry Dulay Itliong, Ahn Chang Ho and Haunani-Kay Trask.
The Japanese American Redress and Reparations, Third World Strike at SFSU, Chinatown Red Guard Party and the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan also appear on the mural, as well as a kava bowl, a central tree with Elephants of Laos, rice stalks and a dove.
Kochiyama, who is a Bay Area native, is a strong voice for ethnic studies and workers’ rights and works towards reparations for the Japanese-Americans incarcerated during World War II. She is shown on the mural with her fist held tightly in the air.
Surrounding Kochiyama on the mural are Gandhi, Santos – who served as democratic senator in the Guam legislatures; former Samoan Head of State Tamasese – who was one of the framers of the Constitution of Samoa; and the depiction of rice stalks and a dove – which are symbolic of peace.
The last monarch of the Hawai’ian islands, Queen Liliuokalani, sits near a central tree with three Elephants of Laos, which represent the different regions and cultures of Laos, and a large kava bowl, which signifies unity and hospitality.
Also shown on the mural is Queen Salote, who was the Queen of Tonga from 1918-1965, and was the last monarch in Polynesia. Positioned near Salote is Bai, who was the queen of a principality called Jhansi in northern India in the 17th century. Only in her 20s, she was a great heroine of India’s War of Independence in 1857 against the British. Embodying nationalism and heroism, she died in the revolt.
The far right of the mural features Itliong who was the founder of the Filipino Farm Labor Union in California in 1956, cofounder of the United Farm Workers of America, and a key organizer and vice president of the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee. Near him is Ho, who established the Young Korean Association, and was a leader and organizer in the early Korean American community and Korean Independence Movement. Lastly, Trask is shown with her fist clenched in the air. She is a professor of Hawai’ian Studies at the University of Hawai’i and a Native Hawaiian nationalist.
The mural was commissioned by the Student Center Governing Board and is located on the South Plaza of Cesar Chavez Student Center.
San Francisco State University
Lakeside
ODE TO HANK by Terry Marashlian Created in 2008
This installation piece replaced “Midnight Hour,” an installation piece by Hank De RIcco. “Midnight Hour” was five wooden totems that stood on the campus for twenty years, but outdoor exposure had deteriorated them beyond repair. Campus Officials and artist Terry Marashlian, an instructor and former student at SFSU, decided to honor the totems by recreating them using aluminum coated with a specially engineered finish normally used for automobiles and marine vessels.These are located on the North side wall of Cesar Chavez Student Center.
Hank DiRicco’s Midnight Hour
San Francisco State University
Lakeside
St. Francis by Beniamino Bufano – Red Granite
This gift to the campus from the City of San Francisco sits on the main quad of the campus.