Daggett Park Public Art Proposals

On view at the California College of the Arts June 13 to June 27, 2012

1111 8th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103

Project Overview

The San Francisco Arts Commission is commissioning a public artwork for Daggett Park, a new public park bounded by 17^th Street, 16^th Street, and Hubbell Street in the Showplace Square neighborhood. Three artists– Michael Arcega, Adriane Colburn and Charles Sowers– were selected by the Daggett Park Artist Selection Panel to create proposals for the new artwork.

Please take a few minutes to review these artwork proposals and provide feedback on the public comment form linked below. Public comments will be considered by the Selection Panel as part of the Final Selection Panel meeting, where the Panel will recommend one proposal for implementation. Please note that public comments do not constitute a vote.

Comments may be emailed to Zoe Taleporos at zoe.taleporos@sfgov.org, or mailed or delivered in person to 25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 345, San Francisco CA, 94102 by June 27, 2012 at 5 p.m.

Public Art Proposals

Michael Arcega

“San Francisco’s social landscape is diverse, complicated, and vibrant. Our contribution to the larger social experiment of Culture may feel miniscule, yet our every action adds to the building and crystallization of each deposit. The areas around the Daggett Park site vary greatly- Potrero Hill, Showplace Square, Mission Bay, UCSF Mission Bay Campus, the Corporate Science + Technology Campus, Dogpatch, Mission, and SoMa are neighborhoods that are growing and continuously adding to the richness of San Francisco. These neighborhoods embody numerous layers of history, social achievements, and cultural contributions.

For Daggett Park, I propose a gateway element that dazzles and sparkles, and in the right light, creates rainbows. However, it is also a place to reflect and to retreat within. The viewer will be able to navigate the paths between the crystalline forms and be surrounded in reflected and refracted light.

Inspired by the mega crystals of the Naica mines in Chihuahua, Mexico, one can imagine a fantastic landscape that can be paralleled to one of our most common metaphors- the crystalized idea. Ideas are described as objects that we can have, take, and share. What could that object look like? What would a good idea look like?  Bright, reflective, luminous, clear yet solid, and often larger than one’s self.

This sculpture consists of two types of crystalline forms- one is solid and the other is an outline. The first are angled polished-stainless steel columns that extend from dark-grey tinted concrete bases. Each column is mechanically attached to a galvanized steel beam embedded in the concrete bases. These steel supports allow the column to lean at dynamic angles, giving the viewer maximum reflectivity at unusual perspectives. The second types are skeletal stainless steel frames that outline crystal forms. These are also mechanically attached to the concrete bases for maximum strength and formal considerations. Atop each crystal outline is a piece of Dichroic glass that, in the right light, will cast a prism of colors onto the mirror-polished stainless steel.

There are many cultural and linguistic associations with crystalline forms. It is a timeless image that evokes a fantastical sensibility; one that will resonate with generations to come.”

View Michael Arcega’s proposal here: Crystalization

Adriane Colburn

“Mission Marsh Bears consists of three large sculptures of grizzly bears made from ½” water jet cut steel. The bears will stand atop pedestals made from stacked piles of reclaimed granite curbing provided by the SF Department of Public works. As the sun crosses the sky and passes over the three bears, these intricate forms will caste an array of shadows across the ground. The bears will be oriented to maximize their interaction with light and to create a dynamic entryway into the park.

Mission Marsh Bears reflects the history of the site of Daggett Park while simultaneously responding to the contemporary role the park will play in the neighborhood. The location of Daggett Park is on the shores and marshland of what was formerly Mission Bay.  This body of water was home to a multitude of plants and animals until it was filled in with urban debris from fires, earthquakes and the removal of sand dunes in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. This work of art will reintroduce historic species such as the Grizzly Bear and the native plants and animals that make up the form and structure of the sculptures. It will also combine a geometric element into the organic animal forms, referencing the contemporary grid of urban streets and architecture in concert with the natural world.

As the areas surrounding the former Mission Bay become developed with new structures, biotech, industry and homes, the neighborhood carries a distinct aesthetic difference from older areas of San Francisco. Mission Marsh Bears brings other parts of the city to this new area by incorporating reclaimed curbing. This material brings with it the legacy of an older San Francisco and the mark of a long history of feet walking across them.  The curbs continue a long tradition of reuse in San Francisco and are a reference to the historic debris that lies beneath the ground.”

View Adriane Colburn’s proposal here: Mission Marsh Bears

Charles Sowers:

“Flocking is a wind-driven kinetic sculpture that creates a mesmerizing dynamic motion reminiscent of the flocking behavior of the many bird species that once inhabited this filled tidal marsh.

Flocking consists of 480 freely rotating wind direction arrows arranged in a 10 foot square cube. Moving in a seemingly coordinated dance, each independently rotating wind-arrow points out the very local flow of wind around the site and through the sculpture. In addition to turning in the wind, each arrow will also rise up with each gust of wind. The overall motion of the arrows is affectively similar to the flocking behavior of birds and serves as a constructed analog to the avian phenomenon common to this once natural tidal terrain.”

View Charles Sowers’ proposal here: Flocking

Opportunity for Public Comment

We welcome you to provide feedback on the proposals by answering the questions below and emailing your responses to Zoe Taleporos, Public Art Program Associate, zoe.taleporos@sfgov.org by Wednesday, June 27,  5:00 p.m. PDT. Your opinions will be shared with the final selection panel before one proposal is chosen for implementation.

**Please note that public comments do not constitute a vote.**

1. Do you live/work in the Showplace Square/Dogpatch/Potrero Hill neighborhood?

2. Do you live/work in San Francisco?

3. What are the strengths (i.e. unique, beautiful, timeless, bold, etc.) of these artwork proposals?

4. What are the weaknesses of these artwork proposals?

5. Will these artworks be enjoyed by people of all ages and backgrounds?

6. How well do these artworks fit in to the Subway platform setting and surrounding neighborhood?

7. Additional comments.

To download these questions in a Word Document click here: Daggett Comment Form

Overview of Artist Selection Process

The Arts Commission is working with Archstone and the San Francisco Planning Department to commission a public artwork for Daggett Park, a new 1-acre public park that will be built in the City’s Showplace Square neighborhood. Following an open call for artists the Arts Commission convened an artist selection panel in February 2012 consisting of two community representatives, a representative of Archstone, a City Planner, three arts professionals, and an Arts Commissioner.

In January 2012 the Arts Commission advertised a Request for Qualifications for artists residing in the Western Region (Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, or Wyoming) to be considered for this project. The call was open to professional, practicing artists residing within the United States. The Arts Commission received 124 applications, which were screened for minimum qualifications. Staff presented the pool of qualified applicants to the selection panel, who reviewed and scored the artists’ applications. Through this process the panel identified a shortlist of finalists who were invited to produce artwork proposals for Daggett Park. This shortlist is comprised of artists Michael Arcega, Adriane Colburn and Charles Sowers. Each of the artists spent two months developing their proposals, which will be on display from June 13 to June 27, 2012 at the California College of the Arts and on the Arts Commission website for public comment. Comments will be summarized and shared with the Artist Selection Panel prior to the final panel meeting.

At the final selection panel meeting the panelists will interview each of the three finalists, discuss their proposals, and then decide which artist/proposal to recommend to the Arts Commission for final approval. The final selection panel is to be determined. All artist selection panel meetings are open to the public. The date, time and location of the panel meeting will be posted on the Arts Commission website 72 hours before the meeting.