Laguna Honda Hospital
375 Laguna Honda Boulevard
Foresthill
Bloom consists of a circular group of five granite lathe-turned elliptical forms with smooth honed finishes.
The artist knew that the sculptures would be viewed from above, evoking the concept of a star, a flower or possibly an asterisk.
For those that enter the patio area, the pieces encourage sitting as well as providing a tactile experience.
Jonathan Bonner received his BFA in 1971 from Philadelphia College of Art and an MFA in 1973 from Rhode Island School of Design.
Jonathan Bonner started his career as an artist in the late 1960s, when he wandered into the Philadelphia College of Art and was attracted to the noises and smells of the woodshop. He graduated from the school in 1971 and went on to study woodworking and metalsmithing at the Rhode Island School of Design. He soldered other artists’ jewelry for a living, but soon realized that he wasn’t interested in the assembly line. Bonner has tried his hand at many different things, from making musical instruments to running a business that specializes in handmade planing tools. But he is best known for his large sundials and weather vanes crafted from stone, metal or wood. (McCreight, “Jonathan Bonner, Whimsy and Vision,” Metalsmith, Spring 1984)
The hospital had a $3 million budget for the artwork within the new wing of the hospital, thanks to the 1% for art requirement in San Francisco public buildings.
The budget for Bloom was $55,000.
Much of the art at Laguna Honda is not accessible to the general public.