Public Art and Architecture from Around the World

Windows into the Tenderloin

Posted by Cindy on July 14, 2011

Jul 142011

Windows into The Tenderloin – San Francisco Mona Caron Wandering the Tenderloin area of San Francisco you will come upon this mural on the corner of Jones and Golden Gate by Swiss born, San Francisco based, artist Mona Caron. The project was spearheaded by the North of Market/Tenderloin Community Benefit District. The design was inspired by research and meetings with neighborhood residents, communities and organizations over the summer and fall of ’08. The mural was painted in ’09, and dedicated in March 2010. Standing on Golden Gate Avenue, this part of the mural shows a view looking North from Market Continue Reading

The Tenderloin National Forest

Posted by Cindy on July 13, 2011

Jul 132011

Still in the “Tenderloin National Forest”. The Alley is so narrow that getting the larger murals is pretty difficult, so I apologize for the quality of many of these, they just had to be taken on an angle to get them all into the frame. There is so little information available about the artists that did the murals, many of them are attributed to the “Trust your Struggle” collective. I wish I could bring you more information, but enjoy the murals. This one is titled “Bounce” This reads “Our Lady of the Alley” Why do I know there is a Continue Reading

The Tenderloin National Forest

Posted by Cindy on July 12, 2011

Jul 122011

Steel Gate by Kevin Leeper I stopped short when I saw this beautiful gate. It is the entry to Cohen Alley off Leavenworth, near Eddy. This is the Tenderloin, an area of town that starts many a conversation. It has a fascinating history, if you are interested, head over to wikipedia. I was amazed at the things I learned about this area. What most people think about the Tenderloin is high crime, but at the same time the high concentration of apartment buildings in the Tenderloin gives it the densest population (people per square mile) in the city, and also Continue Reading

SOMA – Califor’ya

Posted by Cindy on July 11, 2011

Jul 112011

SOMA – San Francisco This mural is on a building at the corner of 7th and Folsom Streets, (It is on the 7th Street side) in the South of Market area of San Francisco. It was done by 1:AM short for First Amendment, a gallery at 1000 Howard Street in San Francisco. According to 1:AM they are “a gallery that stands behind the freedom of speech. We strive to showcase, teach, and inspire the public on street and urban art through our exhibitions, education, and street productions… With the gallery, classes, and a veteran mural production team, 1:AM has become Continue Reading

Embarcadero Center –

Posted by Cindy on July 9, 2011

Jul 092011

More on the Embarcadero Center, San Francisco. Walk inside the Hyatt Regency adjacent to Embarcadero Center One, ride the escalator up and, behold, Charles O. Perry’s “Eclipse”, a 40-foot high geodesic sphere consisting of 1,400 pieces of curved metal tubing joined together in pentagons and supported by three massive steel legs. Continue out onto Justin Herman Plaza. Justin Herman was the Executive Director of the Redevelopment Agency. According to SPUR (San Francisco Planning and Urban Research) “Justin Herman was responsible for guiding the Agency during its early years. As Executive Director of the Agency from 1960 until 1971, Herman oversaw Continue Reading

The Embarcadero Center

Posted by Cindy on July 8, 2011

Jul 082011

When urban renewal laws took hold in the 1950’s, city planner M. Justin Herman spearheaded a plan to redevelop the site where Embarcadero Center now stands into a mixed-use “city within a city.” David Rockefeller, John Portman, and Trammel-Crow submitted the winning proposal to develop the 8.5 acre site. Embarcadero Center’s four office towers were built in phases, beginning in 1968 and ending in 1983. The office towers, have a daily population of 16,000. In building two on the lobby level, this little gem is tucked away in a corner near the entry to the office towers. It is titled Continue Reading

Embarcadero Center

Posted by Cindy on July 7, 2011

Jul 072011

The Embarcadero – San Francisco Two Columns with Wedge by William Gutmann Visiting San Francisco, like many cities in the world, leaves one with the need for more time or many visits. The first few visits people very rarely get out of Union Square. Some people are able to get to the Ferry building and its environs. For the next couple of days I want to bring to you the Embarcadero Center. Shopping, Dining and art all in one spot. Because of the San Francisco public art laws, there is quite a bit to see at the four Embarcadero buildings Continue Reading

The Embarcadero – Sidney Walton Park

Posted by Cindy on July 6, 2011

Jul 062011

Sydney Grant Walton, for whom the park is named, was a San Francisco banker who lived from 1901 to 1960. Reportedly he was a multitalented business- man, cultural leader and vice-chairman of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency. As the plaque outside the park states, he was “vital in the formation of the concept and development of the Golden Gateway.” The above sculpture is my favorite in the park. It has always appealed to me on many levels. In 1962, Perini-Alcoa (joint developers) held a sculpture competition to locate a fountain which would complement the Peter Walker designed park. They chose “Four Continue Reading

Sydney Walton Park

Posted by Cindy on July 5, 2011

Jul 052011

This is one of the entries to Sydney Walton Park in the Embarcadero Area of San Francisco. It sits surrounded by Jackson, Pacific, Davis and Front Streets. This wonderful park is full of art, and history. It is just a marvelous oasis in the middle of lots and lots of high rises. You will also find Kokkari Restaurant across the street on Jackson, one of the best Greek restaurants you will ever have the pleasure of dining in. The Arch above is the Colombo Market Arch on Front Street, it is the only structural piece remaining from the old San Francisco Continue Reading

South San Francisco

Posted by Cindy on July 4, 2011

Jul 042011

Today’s post is, well honestly, a soap box. Most people know the City of South San Francisco because they see the above when they drive into San Francisco from the airport. That is it, that is probably all you need to know as well. It is a delightful little town with an old downtown where you can still get your shoes fixed, and the hardware store guy knows your name, and what you need. It is a split town, the freeway runs directly through it, the west side of the freeway is why it is called the Industrial City. It Continue Reading

Mission District- Balmy Avenue

Posted by Cindy on July 3, 2011

Jul 032011

Balmy Alley, Mission District, San Francisco. Part II. Part of the wooden cut out mural at the 24th end of Balmy Alley “The birth of a silence is written in the agony of a sigh” I continue with just a few more Balmy Alley murals today. There are many, many more and I again encourage you to make your way there when you can, and take a tour by Precita Eyes if you have the time. Virgin of Guadalupe by Patricia Rose Patricia Rose is the senior tour coordinator for Balmy Alley and one of the major artists in the Mission Mural Continue Reading

Mission District – Balmy Alley

Posted by Cindy on July 2, 2011

Jul 022011

Balmy Alley Inspired by Huichol Indian Yarn Paintings by Mia Gonzales, Susan Cervantes and Others 1991 This is the beginning of Balmy Avenue. It is runs between 25th and 24th streets in the Mission District, between Harrison and Treat. This block long alley is one of several great alleys in San Francisco with a highly concentrated collection of murals. The murals began in the mid-80’s as an outlet for artists’ outrage over human rights and political abuses in Central America. Today the alley contains murals on a myriad of styles and subjects from human rights to local gentrification and Hurricane Katrina. Continue Reading

Mission District – 24th Street Mini Park, San Francisco

Posted by Cindy on July 1, 2011

Jul 012011

Mission District - 24th Street Mini Park, San Francisco

24th and York This is another mosaic by Colette Crutcher, this time, in collaboration with her husband, Mark Roller and friend Aileen Barr. The park is at 24th and York in San Francisco. It is a wonderful little mini park in a terrific part of the Mission District. This giant mosaic statue of the Mesoamerican snake-god Quetzalcoatl and it’s playful fountain is the focal point of the park. Quetzalcoatl started as a concrete structure and then was covered with broken commercial tile, and hundreds of handmade tiles. The park used to be a neighborhood eyesore, filled with pretty scary folks Continue Reading

Golden Gate Heights – Mosaics in San Francisco

Posted by Cindy on June 30, 2011

Jun 302011

Golden Gate Heights - Mosaics in San Francisco

This amazing set of stairs is at 16th Avenue and Moraga in San Francisco. The artists are Colette Crutcher and Aileen Barr. This 163 step stairway was a collaboration of the Golden Gate Heights Neighborhood Association and the San Francisco Parks Trust. Colette and Aileen led a group of over 300 volunteers in making 163 mosaic panels, with over 200 neighbors sponsoring handmade tiles that are embedded in the mosaic. Colette and Aileen wrote an amazing book about the project, and you can buy it through a link on Colette’s website. I suggest you visit the stairs yourself, enjoy the mosaics and Continue Reading

Oddities in San Francisco – Aeolian Harp

Posted by Cindy on June 29, 2011

Jun 292011

Oddities in San Francisco - Aeolian Harp

This is one of the more obscure pieces of art in the San Francisco area. It is actually in South San Francisco off Grandview Drive in the Oyster Point area. It is difficult to find, and surrounded by ugly industrial buildings that over shadow it. Which is sad, because it is really rather magnificent. 92-feet-tall sculpted by Aristides Demetrios it is one of the world’s largest aeolian harps. Named for Aeolus, the Greek god of the wind, and invented by the 17th-century polymath Athanasius Kircher, an aeolian harp is a passive instrument played by the movement of the wind. I Continue Reading

Winner of Best Public Art 2011

Posted by Cindy on June 28, 2011

Jun 282011

This is a special piece to me. The artist is Owen Smith, he is an award-winning illustrator whose work has appeared in numerous magazines and newspapers. Smith’s WPA-style mosaic murals and bas relief sculptures at the new Laguna Honda pay homage to Glen Wessels’ W.P.A. mural series “Professions” located in the hospital’s 1926 building. Painted in oil on canvas, Wessels’ five murals portray the classical elements (fire, air, earth and water) through an associated profession. For the hospital’s lobby, Smith created three mosaic murals depicting the building of the Golden Gate Bridge, which to him represents human audacity, bravery, skill and Continue Reading

Gay Pride – June 27, 2011 – San Francisco

Posted by Cindy on June 27, 2011

Jun 272011

Gay Pride - June 27, 2011 - San Francisco

Gay Pride Parade – San Francisco – 2011. It was a beautiful day on Sunday for a parade, and the town was out in full force. The first event resembling the modern San Francisco Pride celebration was held in 1970–a small “gay-in” in Golden Gate Park. Since 1972, the event has been held each year. The name of the festival has changed over the years. The Rainbow Flag identified with the Gay community was originally created by Gilbert Baker for the 1978 San Francisco Pride Parade. It originally had eight stripes, but was later simplified to the current six stripes. Continue Reading

Pennsylvania – Bucks County

Posted by Cindy on June 26, 2011

Jun 262011

Outside Philadelphia – This is the Mercer Museum in Doylestown, (Bucks County) Pennsylvania. Henry Mercer inherited his money from a maiden aunt and with this money he started collecting objects of everyday life, convinced that the history of Bucks County was the history of the world. At first he did all the collecting himself, but over the years he developed quite a network of people that would bring him items from far and wide. His first collection burned down, thus creating the desire to house the entire new collection in a fireproof, concrete building. So in 1916, Mercer erected a Continue Reading

Philadelphia

Posted by Cindy on June 25, 2011

Jun 252011

Philadelphia – Claes Oldenburg

Posted by Cindy on June 24, 2011

Jun 242011

In Front of the City Center building downtown Philadelphia. I am a huge fan of Claes Oldenburg. Born in Stockholm, Sweden, the son of a Swedish diplomat stationed in New York. In 1936 his father was transferred to Chicago where Oldenburg grew up, attending the Latin School of Chicago. He studied at Yale University from 1946 to 1950, then returned to Chicago where he took classes at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Many of Oldenburg’s large-scale sculptures of mundane objects elicited public ridicule before being embraced as whimsical, insightful, and fun additions to public outdoor art. Continue Reading

Philadelphia – Following your spirit

Posted by Cindy on June 23, 2011

Jun 232011

My favorite artists are ones that find their passion and pursue it, with no thought to commercialism, or the sale. The thing that is shunned by the neighbors, until they realize you aren’t a crazy old coot, you have a vision and it is just different. Well I found one of those in Philadelphia. His name is Isaiah Zargar. His work looks like that of an educated artist, and he is, having graduated from Pratt Institute in NYC. While a young 19 year old he discovered the folk art of Clarence Schmidt which definitely inspired his work. In 1994, Zagar Continue Reading

Philadelphia – Playing Games

Posted by Cindy on June 22, 2011

Jun 222011

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – 1417 JFK Boulevard This installation is entitled “Your Move” by Daniel Martinez, Renee Petropoulis and Roger White, it was installed in 1979. While difficult to discern on the ground, the tiles appear to be some sort of game board, not checkers, or chess, but orderly like a game board. The tops of the blue rounds have Bingo Number/Letter combinations on them, and there are also Checker’s pieces with crowns on top. This is best seen from the observation deck of the Municipal Services Building where they are located. Since I did not go up, I appreciated them Continue Reading

Philadelphia – Eastern State Penitentiary

Posted by Cindy on June 21, 2011

Jun 212011

Philadelphia - Eastern State Penitentiary

I am in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. My habit in any town is to seek the odd ball. After an entire morning spent at the Philadelphia Art Museum, I headed out to an odd ball spot. Before explaining that however, I must say, that if you have the opportunity to visit the Philadelphia Art Museum, please do. Plan on exhausting yourself. It has one of the most vast collections in the United States, and all of it is absolutely first rate. I have never seen so many great old masters on display in one location, to say nothing of their Asian Art Continue Reading

Philadelphia – Public Art As Playgrounds

Posted by Cindy on June 20, 2011

Jun 202011

Philadelphia - Public Art As Playgrounds

This is entitled “White Water” by Robinson Frendenthal. It was installed in 1978, and the plaque reads “Installed as a Fine Arts Commitment as required by the Redevelopment Authority of Philadelphia.” So sad, sounds like the really didn’t want it. Robinson Frendenthal graduated from Penn with a degree in architecture and turned to sculpture almost immediately. His work can be seen all over Philadelphia. He died at 69 in 2009. I don’t find anything outstanding enough about this sculpture to include it as a post in most normal circumstances, but what captured my attention immediately was the group of Continue Reading

Philadelphia – Government of the People

Posted by Cindy on June 19, 2011

Jun 192011

“Government of the People” is located in front of the Municipal Services Building in Philadelphia. A piece by Jacques Lipchitz it was dedicated in 1976. It seeks to portray the artist’s ideas regarding the struggle for freedom and the push to ensure democracy Lipchitz (1891-1973) was a Lithuanian. In 1909 he moved to Paris to study at the École des Beaux-Arts and the Académie Julian and fell into the art scene there with such notables as Pablo Picasso, Amedeo Modigliani, and Juan Gris He was recognized as the most significant ‘Cubist’ sculptor of his time. His work was widely viewed as more Continue Reading

Philadelphia – Maxfield Parish meets Tiffany

Posted by Cindy on June 18, 2011

Jun 182011

Philadelphia - Maxfield Parish meets Tiffany

Dream Garden is an enormous glass mosaic designed by artist Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966), and executed by Louis Comfort Tiffany and Tiffany Studios, for the lobby of the Curtis Publishing Building in Philadelphia — home of The Ladies’ Home Journal and The Saturday Evening Post. The work was commissioned by Edward Bok, Senior Editor of the Curtis Publishing Company. Over a one-month period, prior to being installed in the Curtis Building, the work was exhibited at Tiffany Studios in New York City, attracting more than 7,000 viewers. The Dream Garden took six months to install in Philadelphia. Maxfield Parrish was known Continue Reading

Philadelphia – Feeling the Love

Posted by Cindy on June 17, 2011

Jun 172011

Okay, you knew this was coming. I am in Philadelphia, City of Brotherly Love. City of Brotherly Love isn’t actually a nickname. It is merely a translation of the Greek phrase “brotherly love” from philos “love” and adelphos “brother”. William Penn was an English Quaker, a Latin and Greek scholar who was educated at Oxford. He chose the name when he established a peaceful and friendly city in the colony in the New World so that his fellow religionists could escape the persecution they were suffering in their native land. In 1976 the Robert Indiana sculpture was installed in John F. Continue Reading

Philadelphia – June 16, 2011

Posted by Cindy on June 16, 2011

Jun 162011

I am in Philadelphia and I hate doing the classic tourist stuff, so sorry, you won’t see a picture of the Liberty Bell, but this is pretty touristy as things go. This is Christ Church Burial Ground. I love cemeteries, they are so full of history, even if you don’t know anything about the people buried there, they have history for the people that knew them and the towns they are buried in. This particular cemetery has history for all of us. Benjamin Franklin is buried here, as well as four other signers of the Declaration of Independence. Commodore William Bainbridge, Commodore Continue Reading

William Wareham at SF City College

Posted by Cindy on June 14, 2011

Jun 142011

San Francisco City College Ocean Avenue Campus This piece at City College San Francisco, Ocean campus, is titled “Wyoming Coup” by William Wareham. It was installed in 1972 on the West Lawn of the Science Building. William Wareham graduated with an MA and MFA from UC Berkeley in 1971, he did his undergraduate at the Philadelphia College of Art. He has always had a strong metal theme in his work. Since his stint as the first Artist in Residence at the Norcal Solid Waste Systems facility in 1990, where he set up the studio and wrote the safety manual, Wareham Continue Reading

San Francisco City College Mosaics

Posted by Cindy on June 13, 2011

Jun 132011

Two polished marble mosaics stand at either end of the Science Hall on the City College of San Francisco Campus. These mosaics are by the Swiss-born artist Herman Volz and represent fields such as physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics in tiny tiles. Completed on site, the mosaics took two years to install with a staff of eight workmen. Each tile is of varying thickness, resulting in shadows that emphasize their shape. Each marble tile was carefully polished, cemented onto the façade of the building, and then polished again. Begun during “Art in Action” at the Golden Gate International Exhibition (1939-1940), Continue Reading

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