Arts Commission Installs New Sculpture at San Francisco Zoo
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Medial contact: Susan Pontious (415) 252-2587; susan.pontious@sfgov.org
Photos available on request
Gwynn Murrill, Hawk V, 2009 at the San Francisco Zoo
Luis R. Cancel, Director of Cultural Affairs for the City of San Francisco, is pleased to announce the installation of Hawk V, a sculpture by Los Angeles artist Gwynn Murrill, at San Francisco Zoo’s Koret Animal Resource Center. The 19” bronze sculpture is mounted on a limestone base and sited in a naturalistic landscape adjacent to the Raptor Hill display. “We are delighted to be able to contribute to the Zoo visitor’s experience of this exhibit” says Cancel. “Murrill’s work inspires a deeper appreciation of the grace and beauty of these magnificent birds.”
Gwynn Murrill has always worked with animals as her subject matter. She captures the beauty of her subjects and their particular postures with astonishing authority. Stripped of surface detail and complexity, the subject is reduced to the essence of its being and the sculptures are almost abstract in their contemplation of pure form. Her creatures roam amongst us, inviting interaction, yet remain intent on their own purposes, directed by their own passions, their inner life inaccessible to us.
The Arts Commission purchased Hawk V for $29,000. It joins two other sculptures by the same artist, Tiger 2 and Cougar III, which were purchased by the Arts Commission for the Zoo’s main entry plaza. All three sculptures were purchased with funds generated by the City’s percent-for-art program, which allocates 2% of capital projects for art enrichment.
About the San Francisco Arts Commission and the Public Art Program
Established by charter in 1932, the San Francisco Arts Commission is the City agency that champions the arts in San Francisco. Led by the belief that a creative cultural environment is essential to the City’s well-being, the Arts Commission programs permeate all aspects of City life. Programs include: Civic Art Collection, Civic Design Review, Community Arts & Education, Cultural Equity Grants, Public Art, SFAC Gallery, Street Artist Licensing, and summer in the City Concert Series.
The Arts Commission’s Public Art Program was established by City ordinance in 1969, as one of the first of its kind in the country. The Public Art Program seeks to promote a diverse and stimulating cultural environment to enrich the lives of the city’s residents, visitors and employees. The Program encourages the creative interaction of artists, designers, city staff, officials and community members during the design of City projects in order to develop public art that is specific to the site and meaningful to the community.
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