Joan Brown – Public Art and Architecture from Around the World

A Joan Brown Obelisk at 343 Sansome Street

Posted by Cindy on February 15, 2013

Feb 152013

343 Sansome Street
The Financial District

Four Seasons by Joan Brown

This tiled obelisk is by Joan Brown. Joan Brown was an American figurative painter who was born in San Francisco and lived and worked in Northern California. She was a notable member of the “second generation” of the Bay Area Figurative Movement.

She studied at the California School of Fine Art (now San Francisco Art Institute), where her teachers included Elmer Bischoff. Her sculpture is not as well known, and yet she did several of these obelisks, there are at least 3 in San Francisco. These include the Pine Tree Obelisk in Sidney Walton Park, Obelisk in the Rincon Center, and this one. Sadly, in 1990, she was killed while doing an obelisk installation in India.

The sculpture is a result of both the 1% for Arts Program and the POPOS program of San Francisco and is available for viewing between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm Monday through Friday.

Privately-owned public open spaces (POPOS) are publicly accessible spaces in forms of plazas, terraces, atriums, small parks, and even snippets that are provided and maintained by private developers. In San Francisco, POPOS mostly appear in the Downtown office district area. The 1985 Downtown Plan created the first systemic requirements for developers to provide publicly accessible open space as a part of projects.

The public art requirement created by the downtown plan is commonly known as the “1% for Art” program. This requirement, governed by Section 429 of the Planning Code, provides that construction of a new building or addition of 25,000 square feet or more within the downtown C‐3 district, triggers a requirement that provide public art that equals at least 1% of the total construction cost be provided.

Dancers and Musicians on the Performing Arts Garage

Posted by Cindy on August 15, 2012

Aug 152012

Civic Center

Performing Arts Garage

Grove and Gough Streets

The Dancing Musicians and The Dancer by Joan Brown 1986-1986 Bronze

Joan Brown has several pieces around San Francisco. These pieces were commissioned by the San Francisco Arts Commision. The flautist and guitar player are twelve feet high and five feet wide and sit on the outside of the fifth floor of the garage. The smaller dancer sits on the first floor. The simplified silhouettes are based on the classic Greek black-figures found on Etruscan pottery.

The Embarcadero – Sidney Walton Park

Posted by Cindy on July 6, 2011

Jul 062011

Sydney Grant Walton, for whom the park is named, was a San Francisco banker who lived from 1901 to 1960. Reportedly he was a multitalented business- man, cultural leader and vice-chairman of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency. As the plaque outside the park states, he was “vital in the formation of the concept and development of the Golden Gateway.”

The above sculpture is my favorite in the park. It has always appealed to me on many levels. In 1962, Perini-Alcoa (joint developers) held a sculpture competition to locate a fountain which would complement the Peter Walker designed park. They chose “Four Seasons.” Created by frenchman, Francois Stahly, “Four Seasons” is a cast bronze and stone sculpture created in an Italian foundry then shipped to San Francisco where it was installed in this spot. The fountain, with four cast- bronze vertical water features representing the four seasons of the year, was designed so that water would cascade over the bronze spires onto a labyrinth of stones at the base.

Big Heart on The Rock

Jim Dine 1974

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1935 and studied at the Boston Museum School. Later he moved to New York. He is known for his heart sculptures.

“Pine Tree Obelisk” Joan Brown, 1987

Rincon Center – Obelisk

Posted by Cindy on May 25, 2011

May 252011

Rincon Center
Embarcadero

This sculpture, simply titled “Obelisk” is in the Rincon Center. It is by Joan Brown. Joan Brown was an American figurative painter who was born in San Francisco and lived and worked in Northern California. She was a notable member of the “second generation” of the Bay Area Figurative Movement.

She studied at the California School of Fine Art (now San Francisco Art Institute), where her teachers included Elmer Bischoff. Her sculpture is not as well known, and yet she did several of these obelisks, there are at least 3 in San Francisco. These include the Pine Tree Obelisk in Sidney Walton Park, The Four Seasons Obelisk on the rooftop deck of 343 Sansome street, and this one. Sadly, in 1990, she was killed while doing an obelisk installation in India.