About Us
Press Releases
Thursday, June 9, 2005
Contact: Jill Manton - SF Arts Commission: 415- 252-2585
Richard Newirth - SF Arts Commission: 415-252-2592
Leslie Pritchett - Black Rock Arts Foundation: 415-626-1248
Major New Temporary Sculpture by David Best
To be Dedicated at Hayes Green on June 16
The San Francisco Arts Commission and Black Rock Arts Foundation proudly announce the completion of a magnificent sculpture made by internationally renowned sculptor David Best at the new Hayes Green in San Francisco, located at Octavia between Hayes and Fell Streets. The sculpture will be in place until mid-September.
A dedication ceremony featuring the artist and the numerous volunteers who contributed to the project will be held on Thursday, June 16th at 5:00PM at the sculpture site on Hayes Green. The event is free and open to the public.
Best worked with his volunteer Temple Crew of 20 to erect the sculpture and to adorn it with layer upon layer of lattice like recycled wood. Within a small window of opportunity between the completion of construction of the Hayes Green and a large neighborhood event on June 3rd, Best and his crew worked in synchronized and determined harmony to finish the job, notwithstanding Best being sick with pneumonia. The labor to build the sculpture was donated by Best and his Temple Crew as a gift to the people of San Francisco.
Best’s wooden sculptures are iconic symbols of the annual Burning Man Festival. The San Francisco Arts Commission engaged Best to create a new work for the Green to recognize the contribution of Burning Man to the cultural life of the Bay Area, particularly its emphasis on community and environmental sustainability and to showcase art made from recycled materials. This project is intended to celebrate the transformation of a community resulting from the removal of the Central Freeway and its replacement by a verdant new pedestrian friendly boulevard and green open space.
The project serves as the prototype for the public private partnerships Mayor Newsom wants to enable the Arts Commission to bring more temporary public art to San Francisco. Funding for the project has been raised privately, with individual contributions ranging from $25 to $5,000, with the exception of a $3,000 contribution from Grants for the Arts. Mayor Newsom sees temporary public art projects as a way to revitalize the city, complementing the permanent artworks funded by bonds through the City’s Percent for Art legislation. He says, “Short-term public art projects can invigorate our public spaces with artworks that may be bolder, provocative and more topical than the permanent projects. Projects like the David Best sculpture will allow the public to see their city and their surroundings in a new way.”
“The David Best project is a good match to celebrate the opening of the Green, as it is a sculpture made from recycled materials for a space recycled from freeway underpass into a new green oasis for the neighborhood,” said Arts Commission Cultural Affairs Director, Rich Newirth.
Coming in July will be a permanent sculpture installation by Wang Po Shu at 12 different locations along Octavia Boulevard. Each of the slender pole-like sculptures features a unique combination of mirrors and lenses, essentially functioning as a kaleidoscope, allowing the viewer to transform the surrounding environment of cars into something extraordinary and beautiful. Unlike the Best project, this project was funded through mandated Art Enrichment legislation, which provides for 2% of eligible construction costs to be set aside for artwork.
For more information on the David Best Hayes Green project and Wang Po Shu’s permanent sculpture installation, please call 252-2594 or visit the San Francisco Arts Commission’s Public Art Program website at www.sfartscommission.org/pubart. To learn more about the Black Rock Arts Foundation, visit www.blackrockarts.org.
Photo credit Mark McGothigan, 2005