Sargent Johnson and Aquatic Park

 Posted by on February 13, 2014
Feb 132014
 

Maritime Museum
Aquatic Park

Sargent Johnson and the Maritime Museum SF

This carved sandstone entry to the Maritime Museum was done as a Federal Arts Project (FAP) by Sargent Johnson.  Johnson was in this site before for the log.

This building was originally a New Deal WPA (Works Progress Administration) building called the Aquatic Park Bathhouse. Construction began in 1936 and the building was dedicated in 1939.  It is a stunning Streamline Moderne style building and a focal point of the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park.

Both the interior and exterior of the building contain art funded through the FAP.

Johnson designed and carved this green Vermont slate that adorns the museum entrance. The two-inch thick pieces of slate were cut into three by four foot pieces and carved by Johnson offsite. They were then attached to the building using wires and plaster of Paris.

Sargent Johnson Maritime Museum

According to Gray Brechin, author of  Imperial San Francisco: allowing Johnson a prominent piece of art on a large scale, was a significant tribute to him and the African American community.  WPA projects should also be remembered for efforts in gender and racial equality. Almost half of the artists who worked for the WPA were women, and room was made for Chicanos, American Indians, Asians and African Americans.

Sargent Johnson at Maritime Museum*

Entry to Maritime Museum SF*

Carvings on front door of Maritime Museum*

Sargent Johnson

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