FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media contact:
Kate Patterson, San Francisco Arts Commission
Tel: 415/252-4638 Email: kate.patterson@sfgov.org

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San Francisco Arts Commission Announces
Three New Kiosk Poster Series in the Art on Market Street Program

The New Series Kicks Off with Local Artist Pamela Wilson-Ryckman

Copyright Pamela Wilson-Ryckman

San Francisco, September 2, 2009 – Director of Cultural Affairs for the San Francisco Arts Commission Luis R. Cancel is pleased to announce the 2009 Art on Market Street Kiosk Poster Program exhibition series, featuring new work by such leading Bay Area artists as Pamela Wilson-Ryckman, Jonathan Burstein and Binh Danh. Wilson-Ryckman begins the Program with Taking In, a series of watercolors exploring the act of looking and the various means by which people find respite or refuge within the urban landscape of San Francisco. The posters reinterpret archival images of people engaged in various activities in the City’s parks, from enjoying a moment of quiet reflection to singular activities such as bicycle riding to finding community, using strong color and abstract shapes that resolve into a recognizable image upon closer examination. On view October 5 to December 31, between Van Ness and the Embarcadero, Taking In’s contemplative and emotionally-resonant imagery offers an oasis from the cacophony of Market Street.

According to Luis R. Cancel, director of cultural affairs for San Francisco, “Pamela Wilson-Ryckman’s beautiful, nostalgic posters will offer pedestrians a peaceful sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of Market Street. With this exhibition of new posters, the Art on Market Street Program continues the tradition of transforming this busy corridor into a destination for contemporary art by some of the Bay Area’s leading artists.”

A watercolorist, Wilson-Ryckman draws inspiration from newspaper and media photographs. She is interested in the ephemeral quality of these images, how they come and go on a daily basis and how they register in our collective memories. The artist is often drawn to photographs where people are shown quietly registering the aftermath of catastrophic events. While doing research for the Poster Program, the artist stumbled upon poignant archival photographs of people in the city parks. According to the artist, “the images suggest experiences of isolation and loneliness but also of affirmation within the densely populated city.”

Each watercolor was developed using one or two strong colors and a white resist. The white shapes, created by the resist, organize the image as well as provide a counterpoint to the subtle variations within the watercolor. Some of the watercolors incorporate language or titles to identify the locations within the city. City parks in the scenes include: Golden Gate, Lafayette, Lincoln, Dolores and Holly.

The other two kiosk poster series for the Art on Market Street 2009/10 Program include a collaged portrait series of people who live, work, shop or play on Market Street by artist Jonathan Burstein. The collages, which will be created from detritus collected on Market Street by the artist, will be exhibited from January 4 to April 1, 2010.  The final series, by artist Bihn Danh, called The Wonderful Life of Gardening, will be installed from April 5 to July 1, 2010.  This series incorporates photographic collaborations with San Francisco gardeners, including some of those who tend garden plots under the San Francisco Recreation and Park’s Community Garden Program.

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