14 The Noe Valley Voice • March 2016 • Our 40th Year
Art for Town Square Gets Closer Look CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
month, a panel comprised of city staff, artists, and a neighborhood resident awarded Wowhaus the $37,100 set aside to pay for the design, fabrication, and transportation of the pieces to the site. The owl and two toads would be placed along a rear pathway that leads to a play space for small children. As described by the San Francisco Arts Commission, which is overseeing the approval process for the sculptures, both animals “are naturally elusive, so their presence evokes a rare encounter with nature.” According to the artists, the statuary was inspired by animal sculptures created by the late sculptor Beniamino Benvenuto Bufano, many of which can be found in various locations around San Francisco. “I’ve always admired the work of 20thcentury sculptors like Brancusi, Bufano, Eva Hesse, Henry Moore, among others. I particularly like Bufano’s figurative public work, which is prevalent in the Bay Area,” Scott Constable explained in an email to the Voice. “His animal forms feel like the distillation of the spirit of the animal, while allowing for a particular character to emerge. They always have something new to offer despite their simplicity.” Constable added that he also loved how the works “respond to and encourage touch. Bufano’s work has had a strong influence on my sculptural forms in bronze....” Are Toads Too Tempting? In early February, the arts commission released images of the works online and
The owl sculpture proposed for the tot area in the new Noe Valley Town Square, is 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide, as currently designed by Wowhaus. Photo courtesy SFAC
sought feedback from the public ahead of a mid-month hearing before the agency’s Visual Arts Committee. The announcement noted that, “The owl can be looked through, both framing a view and giving the impression of seeing through the eyes of another creature—or perhaps inviting games of ‘peeka-boo.’ The wide-backed toads can be climbed upon and ‘ridden’; the pair of toads stand guard over the park, echoing the classical tradition of pairing lions or other creatures at the entryway to civic spaces.” It also noted that the patina of the sculptures should deepen with use and wear and that the “naturalistic color palette” would not clash with the two existing murals at the site.
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However, due to safety concerns raised about children climbing on the sculptures, the hearing was postponed to March. “The prime reason was there was some concern about the toads as a climbable element and the safety of that,” said Mary Chou, the project manager for the arts commission’s Public Art Program. “The form of the owl is less conducive than the form of the toads to climbing.” The artwork is now expected to be heard by the Visual Arts Committee at its March 16 meeting and would then go before the Arts Commission for final approval at its April 7 meeting. In preparation for the hearings, Chou said city staff was evaluating what the safety concerns were before giving direction to the artists on how to address them. Constable, however, told the Voice that he and his wife “don’t believe there are any safety concerns. The toads would be roughly as high as a public bench, so would be no more dangerous than any seating structure.”
in his emailed comments about the look of the proposed artwork. He suggested something evocative of the city’s “Victorian ambiance” would be more appropriate. He also criticized the arts commission for its lack of outreach about the proposed artwork to neighborhood groups, noting they donated thousands of dollars for the city to purchase the property. “We need to see various options and proposals and definitely get the community involved in this project that will stare us in the face for many years to come,” wrote Roddick, who offered to assist in setting up a neighborhood meeting. Still Time to Comment In an email to the Voice addressing the outreach done, Chou noted that the announcement about the proposed artwork was shared with the email lists of Residents for Noe Valley Town Square, Friends of Noe Valley, the merchants as-
Two Hoots for Owl In terms of aesthetics, the artwork has prompted various reactions from residents and merchants in the neighborhood. “I like them. They are clearly created for children to climb on,” said Todd David, president of Residents for Noe Valley Town Square, which advocated for turning what had been a church-owned parking lot into a public park. “Given where they will be placed, going in near the children’s play area, it is great. I have heard people say they don’t think this is a right fit for Noe Valley.” In an email to the arts commission, one of five the agency received in response to its call for public comments last month, Juliette Hirt praised the owl statue but questioned the “toadness” of the amphibian pair. “The owl sculpture is inspired. Beautiful, elegant, friendly but not snooty. It really captures the feeling of ‘owlness,’ without being literal about it,” she wrote, adding, “I think it will stand the test of time, and add a really lovely element to the park. I can imagine little children growing up with it, and recognizing it with great fondness when they return years later. It is that iconic.” As for the toads, Hirt wrote that she found them “bland and uninteresting. They are like plain blocks, with no sense of gesture or motion. I’m not sure a child would know what they’re supposed to be, or feel drawn to interact with them.” Wish for More Choices Robert T. Roddick, president of both the Noe Valley Merchants and Professionals Association and the Noe Valley Association, described the statuary as “lumps of unfinished or eroded objects”
The Wowhaus artist team also envisions two toads like this one in the new square on 24th Street. They are about half the height of the owl, and might have a shiny bronze patina. Photo courtesy SFAC
sociation, and the Noe Valley Democratic Club. Arts staff also handed out 50 flyers one Saturday at the Noe Valley Farmers’ Market. The public can address any issues about the project at the upcoming hearings. The March 16 committee meeting will begin at 3 p.m. in Room 125 at the War Memorial Building, located at 401 Van Ness Ave. The April 7 commission meeting will start at 2 p.m. in Room 416 at City Hall. People also can find the Artwork Proposal for Noe Valley Town Square at www.sfartscommission.org. With the town square expected to open to the public in October, Chou said the arts commission anticipates the public review schedule will allow enough time for the artwork to be installed by then. “We want to make sure we evaluate these concerns properly and deliver artwork that is right for the site,” she said. “We are not going to rush it just for the installation, but definitely our goal is to have it in by the time the park opens.”
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