FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact & High Res Images:
Kate Patterson, San Francisco Arts Commission
Tel: 415/252-4638 Email: kate.patterson@sfgov.org

SAN FRANCISCO ARTS COMMISSION ANNOUNCES $70,000 GRANT FROM THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS FOR THE WORLD PREMIERE OF ZHANG HUAN’S COLOSSAL THREE HEADS SIX ARMS

A dedication ceremony for the sculpture will be held on May 12, 2010 at 10 a.m. in Joseph L. Alioto Performing Arts Piazza, located across the street from San Francisco’s City Hall.

Zhang Huan, "Three Heads Six Arms" (detail), 2008. Copper 26' 3" x 59' 3/4" x 32' 9-3/4" (800 cm x 1,800 cm x 1,000 cm) © Genevieve Masse and the San Francisco Arts Commission.

SAN FRANCISCO, April 22, 2010 – Director of Cultural Affairs Luis R. Cancel is pleased to announce that the San Francisco Arts Commission has been awarded an Access to Artistic Excellence Grant in the amount of $70,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts for the presentation of Three Heads Six Arms (2008) by internationally acclaimed artist Zhang Huan. On Wednesday, May 12, 2010, the colossal sculpture will make its world premiere in the heart of San Francisco’s Civic Center as part of the Shanghai-San Francisco Sister City 30th Anniversary Celebration. Standing over 26 feet tall and weighing almost 15 tons, the copper sculpture is the artist’s largest work to date and is part of an important series of monumental works depicting the extremities of Buddhist deities. Three Heads Six Arms, courtesy of the artist and The Pace Gallery, New York, will be on loan to San Francisco through 2011.

According to Luis R. Cancel, “Receiving this Access to Artistic Excellence Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts is a tremendous honor and an incredible affirmation of the importance of this project. This grant has afforded us a unique opportunity to bring to San Francisco a work by one of the world’s most influential and provocative contemporary artists. This sculpture has never before been seen and we are thrilled to debut and share it with new audiences.”

Chairman Landesman said, “Everywhere I have traveled over the past 9 months, I have been encouraged by the resilience and adaptability of our arts organizations, as they strive to fulfill their missions in the midst of a challenging economy. I’ve learned that a thriving arts sector brings with it economic and cultural vitality that helps drive community sustainability. These NEA grants will help sustain art work and keep it working for the organization, its community, and the nation.”

Access to Artistic Excellence grants support the creation and presentation of work in the disciplines of dance, design, folk and traditional arts, literature, media arts, museums, music, musical theater, presenting, theater, and visual arts. Projects include commissions, residencies, workshops, performances, exhibitions, publications, festivals, and professional development programs. This latest round of funding for fiscal year 2010 includes grants to local arts agencies for multidisciplinary projects, such as community-wide festivals and public art commissions. Through the Access to Artistic Excellence category, the NEA will award 950 grants out of 1,581 eligible applications, for a total of $27,457,500. The San Francisco Arts Commission received the second highest Access to Artistic Excellence grant in the Local Arts Agencies category.

Mr. Cancel added that, “during Chairman Landesman’s visit to our city last month, Mayor Newsom gave this latest project a strong endorsement and impressed the Chairman with his commitment to public art.”

For a complete press release about the presentation of Three Heads Six Arms in San Francisco’s Civic Center, please visit www.sfartscommission.org. High resolution images are available for download at http://www.sfartscommission.org/primages/huan/. Interviews with the artist can be arranged in advance by calling Kate Patterson at 415/252-4638 or emailing kate.patterson@sfgov.org.

About the San Francisco Arts Commission and the Public Art Program
The San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) is the City agency that champions the arts in San Francisco. We believe that a creative cultural environment is essential to the City’s well-being. Established by charter in 1932, SFAC programs integrate the arts into all aspects of City life. Programs include: Civic Art Collection, Civic Design Review, Community Arts & Education, Cultural Equity Grants, Public Art, SFAC Gallery, Street Artists Licensing, and the San Francisco Symphony Youth and Community Concert Series. The agency’s core values are committed to the principle that all residents have equal access to arts experiences in all disciplines, that programs are provided comprehensively and evenly throughout the City, and that they are innovative and of the highest quality.

The Arts Commission’s Public Art Program was established by the City Arts Enrichment 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.
SFAC Public Art website: www.sfartscommission.org/pubartcollection

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