Public Art Proposal Display

Art Proposals for the New Southeast Community Center Plaza Sculpture Public Art Project

Public Comment Period:

December 06, 2019 to December 20, 2019

Proposal Viewing Location

December 6 – 13, 2019 at
Southeast Community Facility
1800 Oakdale Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94124
Hours: Mon – Fri 8am – 5pm

December 13 - 20, 2019 at
Bayview/Linda Brooks-Burton Library
5075 Third Street
San Francisco, CA 94124
Hours: Mon 10am–6pm
Tues, Wed, Thurs 10am–8pm
Fri, 1–6pm; Sat 10am–6pm; Sun 1–5pm
Public Comment
View the Proposals

位於1550 Evans的新東南社區中心藝術提案廣場雕塑公共藝術專案

Propuestas de arte para el nuevo Centro Comunitario del Sureste en 1500 Evans
Proyecto de arte público, escultura para la explanada

Mga Panukalang Sining para sa Bagong Southeast Community Center sa 1500 Evans
Proyekto sa Pampublikong Sining na Iskultura sa Plasa

The San Francisco Arts Commission is conducting a selection process to choose an artist to create a sculpture for the new Southeast Community Center at 1550 Evans. Sited on the Center’s exterior plaza, the artwork is intended to of large, landmark scale, activate the plaza during both day and nighttime hours, and welcome and engage viewers from afar and up close. Four artists were chosen as finalists by a Public Art Selection Panel to design site-specific proposals for this artwork opportunity: Frederick Hayes, Mildred Howard, Adia Millett, and Xaviera Simmons.

SECF.jpg
 

Untitled

Frederick Hayes

F. Hayes_SECC Proposal_Final.jpgI propose to create a 24 ft x 9 ft x 8-inch bronze sculpture the commemorates the notion of Bayview-Hunters Point community as home and a place that welcomes all while acknowledging the rich history of the African American community.  Using the motif of the Dogon Door, I have designed a multi-colored door depicting relief elements based on facades of homes in the Hunters Point-Bayview area with the window sections of those facades cutout to draw the viewer into the work while simultaneously glimpsing into what’s beyond.  The sculpture is actually composed of one section that repeats 4 times two on the front and two on the back, but because of the variety of holes and shapes when facing it coming to the center or leaving your response will never be the same as the eye takes into account the various relationship and points of view.  This notion of repetition is central to all art making and African design in particular.  The colors will be red, yellow, blue, green, brown, purple, green and done in a patina that closely matches the original concept but not overly bright.  All areas will be accessible for maintenance which only require a simple washing and re-waxing to prevent oxidation of the metal.

Process:
Working with the Artworks Foundry in Berkeley, I will create a 6-foot-tall model out of wood to be shipped to their Foundry from New York for enlargement, welding and armature design for the structure.  This process consists of scanning the 6 model which will be scaled up to appropriate size using a urethane foam, afterwards a thin layer of clay will be placed on top of the foam. I will then go to the Foundry to shape the clay surface and make necessary corrections and/or enhancements for final casting.  After casting, the sculpture will then be assembled and shipped to the site or storage prior to installation.

Artist Role: 
Design and assemble a 6 feet by 4.5 feet x 4-inch model of the sculpture to be shipped to Berkeley for production to scale of proposed sculpture.  The model will be made of construction lumber, plywood, and found wood, if appropriate.  After the original model has been scaled up to 12 x 9 feet x 8 inches on foam I will then travel to California to shape and refine the sculpture using a thin layer of clay provided by Artworks Foundry before the casting.  My role will also consist of training and supervising interns for my Mapping Bayview-Hunters Point Community Engagement Project for a period of 10 weeks with periodic visits.

Mapping Historic Homes in Bayview-Hunters Point (Community Art Engagement):
If selected for the commission at the Southeast Community Center I propose a community mapping project based on the surrounding areas of the current and future home of the Community Center using the historic housing listed in the Bayview Hunters Point Area B Survey date 2010 as a starting point. This document shows houses in relative proximity to the Community Center, and goes on to define what makes them historic and why, such as design and year built.  What’s missing from this survey is the resident, the neighbor, and object or artifact that tell their story or give more insights into the community and neighborhood.  At minimum, I think that each street tells a story, has a unique charm and character, and has a lot to say.

With the help of community leaders, teens, the Southeast Community Center and some of the tenants the occupy the Center, my goal is to conduct a series of mapping projects over the course of 12 weeks in the summer of 2020 and summer of 2021.  Using the addresses and images in the Area B Survey students will re-photograph those houses and locations while looking for others that define the neighborhood and street to form a bigger picture that speaks about location, community, place, and people.  Students will be accompanied by interns, and may also ask residents of the street if they would be willing to answer a series of questions as a way of drawing clearer distinctions between neighborhoods:    

How long have you lived here?  How does blank_______ differ from where you live and what do they have in common?  What are some of the unspoken rules that makes each place unique?  If you had a choice would you live someplace else?  How would you define your role in the community?  Do you live here, but your real community is somewhere else?  Do you know anything about the houses on the street? Any tall tales or short ones? 

This project empowers teens by instilling confidence in them, and giving them the opportunity to learn about their community from older residents, as well.  Because this project will also focus on architecture, they will have the opportunity to learn about the different types housing in the area and, in some cases, why they exist.  I presently have identified the Bayview Historical Society as a possible website that might be willing to host this project. Other places might be Found SF (bayview-hunterspoint.org /history) and SPUR.  Initially, though it could just begin with a Facebook page as an early way of tracking the kids progress.  Also, there are several youth organizations in the Bayview Hunters Point that I could partner with for this project. 
 

Frederick Hayes
位於1550 Evans的東南社區中心
廣場雕塑提案說明

Frederick Hayes
Centro Comunitario del Sureste en 1550 Evans
Descripción de la propuesta de escultura para la explanada

Frederick Hayes
Southeast Community Center sa 1550 Evans
Salaysay ng Panukala sa Iskultura sa Plasa 

View a large image of the proposal.

Untitled

Mildred Howard

Howard_SECC Proposal_FINAL_sm.jpgWest African metal sculpture in copper, bronze and iron stands at the intersection of art, jewelry and wealth: in addition to being used as a currency for exchange, such objects could be worn as a sign of success, embodying one’s power. Currency is worn in many cultures around the world, with each piece representing both a symbolic and an economic value. My proposal takes its inspiration from this powerful signifier, using forms drawn directly from traditional Ivory Coast currency to memorialize the unsung contributions of the African-American community in the Bayview-Hunter’s Point neighborhood – a community that has been displaced and troubled due to gentrification and the rise of a new, digitally-oriented economy. Like the people of Bayview-Hunter’s Point, these emblems of African currency are precious jewels and repositories of intangible wealth.

These forms – traditionally worn as anklets – are dramatically enlarged in bronze and oriented vertically, subtly suggesting the outline of a ship’s hull. The Bayview-Hunter’s Point area has always been home to immigrants; before the mass migration of African-Americans from the American South, Portuguese and Italian immigrants sailed across the oceans to make their homes there. My own family was part of the African-American migration from the American South in the days when cattle were herded down 3rd Street; they worked in shipyards and local restaurants, saving their money to buy a house in one of the only places in the country where African-Americans were allowed to buy property. This work will stand as an homage to the travels, trials, and perseverance of immigrants and poor residents of any race or ethnicity: those who worked in the factories and shipyards, who cleaned houses and swept streets in Pacific Heights to give their children a piece of the American dream. Its universal, iconic shape simultaneously calls to mind the perpetual movement of immigrants and the hard-fought wealth — both economic and intangible — needed to build their communities, standing tall as a proud and dignified reminder that we all ultimately arrived in this country from somewhere else.

Community Outreach Plan
The social activism project I propose offers young adults from the Bayview-Hunter’s Point community a rare opportunity to learn first-hand about the realities of a career in the arts. Working with a select group of youth between 15 and 18 years of age in coordination with the graduate department of the San Francisco Art Institute, this program presents art as a legitimate and serious career choice requiring lifelong dedication, specialized research, and rigorous self-development. A variety of disciplines and career options will be represented and modeled by the artists and writer(s) involved, including myself, an artist exhibiting professionally for more than fifty years.

Program participants will ideally be chosen by working closely with social services and/or local high schools. We will travel in a group to the SFAI campus to meet with five different graduate students from a variety of disciplines, as well as at least one working professional artist besides myself, to participate in discussions around subjects including: applying to art school; choosing a discipline; the necessity of a sustained and disciplined studio practice; and the economic realities of working in the arts. I have already received confirmation of the SFAI graduate department’s interest in facilitating this program. I am also considering at least one professional arts writer as an additional discussion facilitator, representing the possibility of a career in the arts that does not necessarily involve direct fabrication of visual art.

At the end of the program, we will come together and discuss the outcome. Each participant will then receive $1,000 and each graduate student facilitator will receive $500; the balance will go toward the group’s transportation to and from these meetings. It is important to me that these young people realize the possibility of studying and making art as a viable means to make a living while also expanding their concept of art as an interdisciplinary framework comprising not only 2- and 3-d visual media but also performance, poetry, and criticism. Meanwhile, it is equally important that the bulk of the $25,000 budget go directly to the community targeted for this outreach: put simply, these young people need an income. As an artist with decades of experience, I hope to serve as a model and a mentor for young Bayview-Hunter’s Point residents who are curious about art but who might otherwise find it difficult to gain access to the art world.

We Are The Future's Ancestors

Adia Millett

Adia Millett_SECC Proposal_Final.jpgWE ARE THE FUTURE’S ANCESTORS is designed to connect our past and our present with the future of the Bayview Community.

Why a pyramid? Pyramids have been built in many places around the world including the Americas, China, Russia, Egypt and Sudan. According to ancient myths, these monumental structures were not only built to honor the dead, but to protect the land, raise human consciousness, and preserve important objects for the future. This 25-foot-tall glass pyramid will be a marker of strength, beauty and hope for the Bayview community today and in the future. It will also provide any opportunity for current community members to speak to the future.

The bottom three feet of the pyramid will consist of an earth-toned mosaic. The shapes will suggest shells, rocks, sticks, and leaves in order to convey our foundation’s connection to the physical earth. Above this, an image of flowing water that commemorates the history of the seaports and shipyards that brought people of diverse backgrounds to Bayview. It also creates a visual link to Kenyatta A.C. Hinkle’s art located inside of the community center.

There is a row of houses designed to symbolize home, community, and the traditional San Francisco housing aesthetic. The multicolored homes touch one another to convey the essential connection between old and new community members.

Together these images form a landscape embraced by a glass quilt of polygon shapes providing protection, warmth, and the feeling of home.

Inside the pyramid is a custom designed stainless steel sealed container/ time capsule that will contain letters from present day community members to the community members of the future. Community youth members will be invited to be the ambassadors of the times capsule, to be opened on a future date (20+ years). Other items determined by conversations with community members, will be added to the time capsule (historical documents, neighborhood memorabilia, etc.). The time capsule will be concealed in a recess inside of the poured concrete floor or and will be secured with a tamper-proof locking mechanism.

Community Engagement:
Community engagement such as public events and workshops will be organized in conjunction with youth groups, assisted living centers, Opera House, etc., in order to gather material for the time capsule. Writing and Art making Workshops will be designed to address community member’s dream and goals for the future. The piece will serve as a foundation for bringing people of all ages, races, religions, and economic backgrounds together to share stories and perspective on their home and its future.

In addition, there will be an event/celebration for the closing of the pyramid, when the time capsule is placed inside and for the opening of the time capsule in the future.

Materials, Fabrication, and Design:
The proposed sculpture is approximately 25’-0” in height and approximately 12’-0” square at the base. It is comprised of stained glass panels bearing on an engineered steel structural frame. The panels will be affixed to the structure with a rated fitting. The glass is approximately ¾” thick with a laminated glass to increase strength and to prevent breaking and shattering (testing data available from glass supplier).

The structure will bear upon an engineer designed and approved poured concrete footing and will be anchored to resist required seismic, wind, and occupancy loads. The base of the pyramid to a height of approximately 3’-0” above grade will be of reinforced poured concrete with tile mosaic work applied to the exterior surface in panels. To further protect the artwork, the structure will be placed on a poured concrete slab raised approximately 0’-4” above surrounding grade terminating at a concrete curb around the base of the pyramid.  All metal work and hardware will be 316 marine grade stainless steel with an approved anti-corrosion finish. Tile/mosaic work will be provided with an approved protective and anti-graffiti sealant.

Inside the pyramid there will be a 20” x 16.2” x 16” high stainless-steel sealed time capsule.  This container will be concealed in a recess in the poured concrete floor and will be secured with a tamper-proof locking mechanism.

Light fixtures securely mounted to the interior of the structure will provide night lighting effects provided by lighting designers.  All LED light fixtures will comply with required regulations including Title 24, will be outdoor-rated, and will be connected to an automatic timer.

Adia Millett
位於1550 Evans的東南社區中心
廣場雕塑提案說明​

Adia Millett
Centro Comunitario del Sureste en 1550 Evans
Descripción de la propuesta de escultura para la explanada

Adia Millett​
Southeast Community Center sa 1550 Evans
Salaysay ng Panukala sa Iskultura sa Plasa 

View a larger image of the proposal.

The Golden Tree

Xaviera Simmons

X. Simmons_SECC Proposal_FINAL.jpgOne of the truly native trees to the San Francisco region, the California Buckeye serves as the grounding model for this large scale bronze, gold gilded sculpture. Known for its resilience, sturdiness and dependability through all seasons, the Buckeye can be seen as a metaphor for The Bayview-Hunters Point community. I wanted to work with a symbol firmly rooted for millennia in this particular landscape
as a symbolic representation of the interconnectedness of Bayview-Hunters Point and it’s varying micro communities and members. Here, this large scale golden bronze tree represents a conceptual collaboration born from initial conversations with community members and advocates who expressed a desire and hope for the New Southeast Community Center to act as an anchor of growth and expansion to enforce the cultural memories of individual, group and familial heritages. This artwork responds to the overall desire for the art work produced to act as a symbolic beacon for both young and mature members of the neighborhood collective.
 
The symbolism of this sculpture ties itself to fortitude, continued growth, playfulness, environmental consciousness, collective fostering and prosperity for all. The tree is a liberating force across cultures and this monumental golden anchor will serve as a beacon of creativity and prosperity for the community and it’s new center. Gold gilding is one of the most luxurious materials and application methods used through
millennia to delight and awe. By producing the work using gold gilding my studio seeks to place absolute grandeur and provide inspiration to all members of the community at large.
 
The roots of the tree represent the deep ties and lineage of communities and their knowledge, while its trunk symbolizes all of the strength that lies within. If the entire plant is to survive, the trunk needs to be able to hold up the weight of the tree and its expansive branches. Those branches symbolize family and form a protective canopy that is representative of a home.
 
This sculpture seeks to inspire and delight and is itself a destination and fosters the opportunity for community sharing surrounding its grand presence. Like the branches of a family tree firmly rooted, this golden tree represents strength in community with its limbs branching off in different directions always seeking more light, more freedom and more sensory awareness within the larger surrounding environment.
 
Studio- A Community Engagement Platform
The Bayview-Hunters Point community reminds me very much of my own hometown of Harlem and in the ever shifting landscape of New York in general. The pride and determination I witnessed when speaking with members and advocates of the community felt familiar to many aspects of my own community’s narrative alongside the desire and need to continually strengthen and fortify the enduring legacy of vital and complex historical narratives. I would be honored to continue an engagement with The Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhoods in a very immediate and interactive way.
 
Building out a community engagement narrative, I plan to offer creative paid internships for young and mature artists or artist’s in training. Marrying a creative studio/ workshop with tangible creative skills I will invite workshop participants via an open call for individuals specifically from Bayview-Hunters Point to commune, convene and work alongside my own practice over the course of a year. These workshops will be constructed in collaboration with local arts organizations for community members to build or enhance a studio practice of their own using photography, painting, writing, videography and/or other tools users may desire.
 
This multifaceted engagement will involve onsite and offsite exploration of what tools are needed to build a consistent creative studio practice with workshops on using new and diverse materials to craft art works as well as practical guidance on locating resources for arts funding, residencies and guest lectures on contemporary art and contemporary social historical concerns.
 
This community engagement will likely occur in collaboration with members of locally based arts organizations including The Bayview Opera House and Baycat as well as offsite visits to SFMOMA and other TBD partners. I desire to bring artists, workshop leaders and educators into the community to enhance our engagement and to make these workshops convenient for community members to attend. These workshops will span a year and happen bi monthly. I base the framework of these workshops on my desire to share both creative and practical resources with engaged individuals of all ages and creative experiences.

Materials:
The base of the structure will be 3-D modeled and constructed in bronze. The upper branches and leaves of the sculpture will be gold gilded using 23-24kt gold, which is appropriate for exterior applications. We will design a sub-grade foundation that the work mounts to on fabricated risers. Once installed there will be backfill and landscaping that will conceal the foundation and attachment hardware to give the
appearance that the work sits directly on the ground like a natural tree.

Artist’s Role:
My studio will oversee the entire project from conception, alignment and planning, production and preparation, fabrication and installation and finally to launch and rollout. To do so, a qualified team of consultants and fabricators has been identified for this specific task and will work in tandem with me.
 

Xaviera Simmons
位於1550 Evans的新東南社區中心
廣場雕塑提案說明

Xaviera Simmons
Nuevo Centro Comunitario del Sureste en 1550 Evans
Descripción de la propuesta de escultura para la explanada

Xaviera Simmons
New Southeast Community Center sa 1550 Evans
Salaysay ng Panukala sa Iskultura sa Plasa

View a larger image of the proposal. 

Opportunity For Public Comment

Please take a few minutes to review the proposals above here and complete a comment form below. You may also email your comments to sfacpublicartcomment@sfgov.org, or hand deliver/mail comments to 401 Van Ness Avenue, Room 325 by December 20, 2019, 5 p.m.

The Final Artist Review Panel meeting will take place on Tuesday, January 7, 2020 1:00 p.m – 5:00 p.m. at 401 Van Ness Avenue, Room 302. All Artist Review Panel meetings are open to the public. An agenda for the meeting will be posted 72-hour in advance of the meeting on SFAC’s website under the Public Meeting section: www.sfartscommission.org/calendar

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What's Coming Up

Public Meeting

Executive Committee Meeting

December 18
/
1:00 PM to 2:30 PM
Hybrid: 401 Van Ness | Rm 125 and Online
Public Meeting

Visual Arts Committee Meeting

December 16
/
2:30 PM to 6:00 PM
Hybrid: City Hall | Rm 408 and Online
Public Meeting

Community Investments Committee Meeting

December 09
/
1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Hybrid: City Hall | Rm 416 and Online
Public Meeting

Full Arts Commission Meeting

May 06
/
2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Hybrid: City Hall | Rm 416 and Online
View the Calendar