Harvey Milk Rec Center

50 Scott
Castro

This saying is over the back entry way to the Harvey Milk Recreation Center.  It is in Architectural foam and is by Michael Davis and Susan Schwartzenberg.

This phrase comes from “A City of Neighborhoods,” speech Harvey Milk delivered during his inaugural dinner after his election to the Board of Supervisors in 1977. “Let’s make no mistake about this: the American dream starts with the neighborhoods, If we wish to rebuild our cities, we must first rebuild our neighborhoods. and to do that we must understand that the quality of life is more important than the standard of living…”

The artists said that as daylight shifts across the buildings facade, Milk’s words are revealed, obscured, and then reappear, reminding us of his enduring influence throughout the passage of time.

Susan Schwartzenberg works as an independent artist and holds a senior artist position at the Exploratorium. She has taught at the San Francisco Art Institute, California College of Art, and Stanford University, and is a Loeb Fellow for Advanced Environmental Studies in The School of Design at Harvard University. Recent endeavors include works for the Stanford School of Medicine, San Francisco Arts Commission, and the Office of Cultural Affairs in Los Angeles. At the Exploratorium, she has developed numerous projects exploring the intersections of art and science. She is currently principal curator for the Observatory—a social and environmental look at the contemporary San Francisco landscape scheduled to open at piers 15 and 17 in 2013.

Susan was also one of the artists on the Philosophers Walk at McClaren Park.

Michael Davis is a native of Los Angeles, and received a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Fine Arts from Cal State Fullerton. He lives and works in San Pedro, CA. Davis’ sculptures and installations can be found in public, private, and institutional settings throughout the country. His public art collaborations can be found in North Hollywood, Dallas, Miami, and Anaheim, and he is working to complete projects for Santa Monica, San Antonio, New York, Santa Fe Springs, San Jose, and Long Beach.

This piece was commissioned for the SF Rec and Parks Department by the SFAC for $62,000.