Luis R. Cancel, director of Cultural Affairs for the San Francisco Arts Commission, would like you to know that Patrick Dougherty’s Upper Crust, which was supposed to end yesterday, has been extended through February. Here’s what it looks like.
And there’ll be an official, one-hour First Tuesday of the Month Docent Tour to explain What It All Means starting at noon today, Tuesday, December 1, 2009. Just head to Civic Center and find the group of people looking up at the eucalyptuseses.
Like these. Those branches added to the trees? That’s part of Upper Crust.*
(Hey, whatever happened to our Civic Center Victory Garden this past summer? We had one last year, right? Isn’t this kind of thing a “growing movement” or whatever? So what gives? Speaking of which, when is the Great Lawn of Civic Center going to come back? We lost it ’cause of Victory Garden ’08, but now we have no garden and no lawn, we’re left with just a plane of plain gravel. Mmmm…)
Anywho, if you can’t make it to the tour, SFMike’s Civic Center Blog has lots and lots of info.
All the deets after the jump.
*I was s’posed to tell you about this exhibit last year, but the official photos that I was going to post (from a City-favored “woman/minority-owned business contractor” or something) were unusable in a unique, headache-inducing OMG-Canon-SLR-with-a-bright-flash-but-the-body-is-not-in-Manual-Mode kind of way, so I forgot about the whole thing. My bad. Could I provide The City with list of hungry-for-work women/minority-owned small businesses that would have done a competent or better-than-competent job? Oh yes, easily. Oh well.
Patrick Doughertys Upper Crust Sculpture in Civic Center Continues – Docent Tour Tomorrow
Patrick Dougherty’s The Upper Crust Extended through February 2010
Luis R. Cancel, director of Cultural Affairs for the San Francisco Arts Commission is pleased to announce the extension of The Upper Crust by acclaimed environmental artist Patrick Dougherty. Installed in February 2009, The Upper Crust is the artist’s first project in San Francisco. The sculpture was created with over 4,500 lbs. of willow saplings interwoven into the tops of the sycamore trees located on the south side of Joseph L. Alioto Performing Arts Piazza. The cocoon-like forms, inspired by City Hall’s rotunda, are 12-15 feet tall and were made without an internal structure, hardware or any outside means of attachment. The sculpture has dramatically changed in appearance with the arrival of each new season. The Upper Crust will be on view through February 2010.
“Now that the installation has been extended, locals and tourists visiting the Civic Center will be able to continue watching this magnificent sculpture evolve during a full-year cycle,” stated Luis R. Cancel. “The Upper Crust’s ongoing transformation has made it a dynamic and engaging focal point for the Civic Center .”
“We are pleased to extend The Upper Crust through February,” said Philip Ginsburg, general manager of the Recreation & Parks Department. “The response from the public has been very positive and the sculpture has helped increase public use and enjoyment of the Civic Center area.”
The Arts Commission provides a free docent tour for the public on the first Tuesday of every month (NEXT TOUR IS TOMORROW) from 12:00 noon to 1:00 PM. Tour will meet in front of sculpture.
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 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.
Tags: 203, art, City Hall, civic center, docent, installations, Luis Cancel, Luis R. Cancel, Patrick Dougherty, Patrick Dougherty’s, San Francisco, San Francisco Arts Commission, sculpture, the Upper Crust, tour, Upper Crust
