Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Olmec Heads in San Francisco
San Francisco City College Ocean Avenue Campus Frida Kahlo Garden The giant Olmec head, “El Rey,” San Lorenzo #1 was carved by Ignacio Perez Solano, also know as “il Maestro.” The head is an accurate reproduction of the original piece from San Lorenzo in Veracruz, Mexico. The 3,000 year old original basalt head is…
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Peace in San Francisco
This statue of “Pacifica” is in the courtyard of the Diego Rivera Theater on the City College of San Francisco Ocean Avenue Campus. Originally, an 80 foot tall sculpture of Pacifica graced the Golden Gate International Exhibition on Treasure Island, she was destroyed by the Navy in 1941 when they took possession of the island. Sal…
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The Art of Concrete at CCSF
San Francisco City College Ocean Avenue Campus This is called “Sculptural deck and Bicentennial Wings” by Jacques Overhoff. It was done in 1979. It is typical of Overhoff work, cast concrete with ceramic tile. Jacques Overhoff was born in 1933 in the Netherlands and studied at the Graphics School of Design and the University of…
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Guns and Roses
San Francisco City College Ocean Avenue At the entrance to San Francisco City College is “St. Francis of the Guns” by Bufano. Born in Italy, in 1898, Beniamino Benvenuto Bufano taught at the California School of Fine Arts, now the San Francisco Art Institute, (but was dismissed in 1923 because he was considered too modern), the…
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Geneva Terrace
Viscitation Valley – Geneva Terrace – San Francisco Corner of Schwerein and Velasco Streets In the early 1960s, Joseph Eichler enlisted the help of architect Claude Oakland to design affordable housing in the Visitacion Valley. They came up with the Geneva Terrace Townhouse complex that you can see behind the park and the Geneva Towers…
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Mission District – Public Post
Valencia Street Between 16th and 19th, Mission District, San Francisco Valencia Street Post by Michael Arcega * Crafted out of steel and aluminum and painted with a durable urethane alkyd enamel, the ornamental crowns are sort of Victorian architecture that is intended to recall the neighborhood’s past history. The Department of Public Works added a…
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Excelsior District – Blue Bird of Happiness
A little blue bird in Cayuga Park, San Francisco Cayuga Park sits at the end of Cayuga lane under the 280 freeway and the Bart tracks in an area called The Excelsior district in San Francisco. I had been hearing for years about this little park and its grounds attendant Demetrio Braceros, but we…
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Tutubi Plaza – Make it Healthy
More Tutubi Plaza This is Super Hygiene Man. He and his mates are on the Russ side of what used to be the SOMA health center. These fellows sit on the wall of Tutubi Plaza that faces the butterflies.
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Tutubi Plaza – Dragonflies
Tutubi Plaza – SOMA – San Francisco This little area has become a hub for the Filipino Community in the San Francisco area. Tutubi means dragonfly in Tagalog. This mural is by Johanna Poethig.. Johanna was born in the Philippines, so I am sure this was especially important to her. She received her BFA from UC…
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SOMA – Tutubi Plaza
Tutubi Plaza Russ street, between Natoma and Minna in SOMA, San Francisco. This is a San Francisco Redevelopment project, first proposed in 2008 it was finally finished in February of 2011. This pavement installation is by Jovi Schnell. Jovi was born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas and lives in San Francisco, she studied…
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Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge Plaza San Francisco Side This is a piece of the cable that holds up the Golden Gate Bridge. I have loved this piece since I first laid eyes on it. The sign tells you that the length of one cable is 7640 feet, the diameter is 36 3/8 inches, there are 27,…
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Memorial Day
Presidio Cemetery – San Francisco
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Golden Gate Bridge – Fort Point
Fort Point Golden Gate Bridge The building at the bottom of this picture is Fort Point. Many people look down upon this structure when they walk across the Golden Gate Bridge, but they never go to visit, which is a shame. Fort Point was completed just before the American civil war. Its purpose was…
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Golden Gate Bridge – Hopper’s Hands
Fort Point Golden Gate Bridge These are Hopper’s Hands. This plaque is at Fort Point, under the Golden Gate Bridge on the San Francisco side. The area is a turn around spot for people running the Presidio area, and slapping the hands is a tradition. Hopper’s hands has a great story, that I am sure…
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Oddities in San Francisco
915 Fulton Street This is Ron Henggeler’s Tower at 915 Fulton Street in San Francisco. Ron is a collector, he started building this 45 foot tower after the Loma Prieta Earthquake. He wandered down to where they were tearing up the Fell Street Freeway exit and scavenged the rebar, the tower grew from there. Ron…
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Market Street – Blossoms of Interest
Mid Market U.N. Plaza Black Rock Arts Foundation and the San Francisco Arts Commission has an Art In Storefronts Program that was intended to help the revitalization of the mid-market area of San Francisco. I don’t know if that can be done, but I do love the fact that art is being brought out to…
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Rincon Center – Obelisk
Rincon Center Embarcadero This sculpture, simply titled “Obelisk” is in the Rincon Center. It is by Joan Brown. Joan Brown was an American figurative painter who was born in San Francisco and lived and worked in Northern California. She was a notable member of the “second generation” of the Bay Area Figurative Movement. She studied at…
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Paper in the wind
I popped into the SF Fine Art Fair that is going on this weekend. This is titled Paperlight Fortress by RISD grad Paul Hayes. He is known for his site specific installations, and this isn’t the first of his I have seen, it was just the first I saw with camera in hand. In Paul’s own words…
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Icons of San Francisco – Transamerica Pyramid
, An iconic image for San Francisco, the Transamerica Pyramid. It was designed by architect William Pereira, and when it was first built it engendered considerable argument. You either hated it or loved it, there seemed to be no in between. Forty Eight stories or 850 feet tall, it was among the five tallest buildings…
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Palm Springs Art Museum – Glass as Art
Like many people, my first exposure to glass as art was the stuff that you see in street fairs. It wasn’t my favorite medium. As I have gotten older, and visited more museums I fell in love with cast glass. Glass casting is the process in which glass objects are cast by pouring molten glass…
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Van Nuys – Strolling in a sewer plant.
This story is going to take a while to unfold, so grab a cup of coffee and come along with me on a journey. I took the above photograph in Kenrokuen Gardens, Kanazawa, Japan. This is considered one of the three best gardens in all of Japan. (The Japanese do all their “bests” in…
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Palm Springs – Oddities
This is one of my favorite types of architecture. Scavenger, innovative, a tad crazy and an absolute representation of the person that built it. This is the home of Cabot Yerxa. He was the son of a fabulously wealthy family that lost it all. He was a creative, innovative and wealthy man by his own…
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Palm Springs – Art Moderne
This little Depression Era “Art Moderne” gem is at 342 North Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs. There is very little known about it. It is assumed to be built around 1935-1936, the first actual knowledge of its existence is a listing in the 1937 phone book. At that time is was Simpson’s Radio and…
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Palm Springs – Gothic Revival
Over the years I have walked by this little church on my way to downtown Palm Springs. It has always caught my eye. A Gothic Revival made of CMU is a big hmmmm? in my book. It is in fact that only surviving Gothic Revival Building in Palm Springs. Completed in 1935 is was designed…
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Palm Springs – Ship of The Desert
“Ship of the Desert” is classic Art Moderne due to its “nautical” elements. This home, located at 1995 S. Camino Monte in Palm Springs, was built in 1936. However, the original (designed by Earl Webster and Adrian Wilson) was seriously damaged by fire. The owner, clothing designer, Trina Turk hired Marmol Radziner, an architecture firm…
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Elvis in Palm Springs
Okay, I don’t know if this one would be rated up there as one of the best examples of Modern Architecture, but I had to use it because it has ties to Elvis Presley. This is called the House of Tomorrow and was designed in 1962 by William Krisel. It was commissioned by Robert Alexander,…
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