Mission Police Station
630 Valencia Street
Seven Dancing Stones and Seven Dancing Stars is the creation of artist Gary Dwyer.
Installed in 1984, Seven Dancing Stones and Seven Dancing Stars sits in the lobby of the police department. Dwyer created this sculptural installation based on a legend of the Ohlone Indian tribes which originally inhabited the area. The legend refers to the cluster of stars called the Pleiades. Stone furniture in the lobby is arranged in the pattern of the Pleiades. Framed panels feature imaginary legends about the Pleiades as told by the area’s diverse residents.
Gary Dwyer taught Landscape Architecture at Cal Poly and was fascinated by the links between sculpture and designing landscapes. Dwyer is also a photographer, whose work has been published in numerous magazines.
The work was commisioned by the SFAC with a budget for the project of $30,000.