San Francisco has always had a deep-rooted love and appreciation for the arts. From the well-known Museum of Modern Art and de Young Museum to obscure pop-up venues and small gallery spaces, San Francisco is an epicenter of artistic expression.
In one neighborhood specifically, community members have secured a site of beautiful works of art for everyone to enjoy. Hayes Valley community members can not only enjoy delicious restaurant cuisine and offerings of coffee shops and bakeries that line Patricia's Green, but can also enjoy multiple art installations, thanks to an organization known as the Hayes Valley Art Coalition — HVAC.
At the completion of Patricia's Green, Gavin Newsom — the former mayor — declared the center oval of the park to be a dedicated art space. The San Francisco Arts Commission could not receive funding for the art space, so two community members of Hayes Valley formed a grassroots neighborhood campaign to ensure consistent art installations at Patricia's Green, and in August 2007 the Hayes Valley Art Coalition was formed.
Founding members Russell Pritchard and Madeline Behrens-Brigham have been associated with Hayes Valley for over 20 years. Together, they were involved in getting the section of the US 101 Freeway that was damaged by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake torn down. They also co-founded annual block parties that have now been happening for the past 22 years.
These dedicated art enthusiasts formed HAVAC to ensure that the community and neighborhood they had grown to love would always have a dedicated art space in Patricia's Green. Behrens-Brigham is not only a co-founder, but also an artist whose work can be seen at a permanent exhibit at Patricia's Green. She explained how influential her community has been in this regard.
“Having a section of our HVAC Art Park Wall mural on Laguna at Hayes has been a great inspiration for future work, Behrens-Brigham said. Each time I see people photographing and discussing it, I am grateful for being involved in a community that supports art. In fact, my section is dedicated to the community, and I list many of the characters, neighbors and friends who have been around for years,” she added.
Multiple different art installations have been shown at the art space at Patricia's Green. One of the first was “Golden Archway” — a construction of steel scaffolding and gold colored pieces designed and constructed in the style of Tibetan Prayer Flags.
The Hayes Valley Historic Miniature Golf Extravaganza was also at Patricia's Green from May till September 2007. This interactive installation was created by Wowhaus, a collaboration between Scott Constable and Ene Osteraas-Constable. It was designed as an interpretation of the geography and the ever-changing cultures in San Francisco, with the nine holes representing different eras and geographical locations. The last miniature golf hole, #9, was a memorial to Patrica Walkup, a dedicated community activist for Hayes Valley.
In 2008, Michael Christian installed his piece “Koilos” — a 16-foot-high sculpture of a fantastical creature that gave the art space an awe-inspiring and aesthetically pleasing installation. Michael spoke about his experience working with HVAC. He said, “It’s a wonderful thing that the Hayes Valley Art Coalition is taking an active approach to bringing art into their park. I love that they are doing it themselves; that's why I participated. The temporary art programs have been a good way to get art in the streets.”
The current featured artist for HVAC is Kate Raudenbush. Her sculpture, “Future's Past,” will be at Patricia's Green until May 2013. This laser-cut steel sculpture reaches 24 feet in height and weighs over 7,000 pounds. “Future's Past” has a 12-foot pyramid base, whichreflects the temples built by the Mayans, an ancient empire in Central America.
The top of the base pyramid is adorned with the roots of a tree enclosing upon it. This stylistic representation of a Bodhi tree reflects the ancient ruins of Ta Prohm, known for having huge trees growing out of the temple structures. The interior of the pyramid holds a black sand hourglass, whichreflects a passing era of overconsumption and pollution.
The many facets of this piece come together to comment upon humanity's reliance on technological advancement. The roots of the tree are growing into and overcoming the steel structure to represent the abandonment of digital reliance and reclamation of our natural world. In this way, the sculpture embodies a prominent statement of looking back to our past to become aware of our present and precarious future.
HVAC was formed out of a strong desire to keep art in San Francisco's neighborhoods. The community members of Hayes Valley strove to not only keep a green park for their neighborhood, but also recognized the importance of having an artistic outlet for generations to come. HVAC works diligently to protect and fund the art space at Patricia's Green, as well as for all of Hayes Valley.
Co-founder Pritchard explained his passion for HVAC as follows: “Art enhances the lives of everyone living in and visiting our neighborhood,” he said. “It creates a gathering place for all generations. We encourage anyone to get involved — the art wall for example, was a combined effort by four local artists and several volunteers.
Pritchard added, “People can send us a message through our website and/or our Facebook page. We are always hoping that people will see a wall or some underused space that could have art; then we can put our heads together and make it happen.”
More information about HVAC can be found on the website at
www.hayesvalleyartcoalition.org/.
