Who Has a Say In the Flood of Public Art Coming to San Francisco?

"Last week, the foundation and Mayor Daniel Lurie announced the launch of a " Big Art Loop " around the city, aiming to install up to 100 pieces of temporary large-scale public art over the next three years. Many of those pieces, inevitably, will be leftovers from Burning Man. "We're fans of big art in general," Sijbrandij told KQED, "but of course, yes, in San Francisco, a lot of the big art people make does visit Burning Man.""

"Manton says she didn't get to install nearly as much temporary public artwork as she would have liked during her tenure. Certain established sites in the city - the Civic Center, Patricia's Green in Hayes Valley - have been the most common destinations for temporary sculpture. She also explains that many of the pieces the SFAC installed over the years did not go through a period of public feedback, due to their temporary nature. "For better or worse," she says, "we didn't hold open public meetings about the next big project coming to Civic Center.""

"In the case of the renovation of the Chinatown Public Health Center, rigorous outreach via community groups was crucial to the decision to remove Patti Bowler's 1970 Dragon Relief from the building's Broadway-facing façade - a sculpture that, incidentally, was installed without any say-so from the neighborhood's residents. As for the public's role as the recipient of these gifts - let your appreciation or criticisms of this project be known in tangible ways. Email or call Recreation and Parks, the Port of San Francisco, the SFAC, Building 180 and the Sijbrandij Foundation. Tell them what you think of the Big Art Loop, which will be occupying your public space for the next three years."

San Francisco is launching a Big Art Loop to install up to 100 temporary large-scale public artworks across the city over three years, with many pieces expected to come from Burning Man. Established locations such as the Civic Center and Patricia's Green have been common sites for temporary sculpture. Several SFAC-installed pieces historically did not undergo public feedback because of their temporary status. Renovation of the Chinatown Public Health Center prompted rigorous community outreach and removal of a 1970 Dragon Relief that lacked neighborhood input. Members of the public are encouraged to contact city agencies with praise or criticism, and a proposal exists to direct foundation funding to the Public Art Trust for large temporary sculpture managed by SFAC.

Read at Kqed