Transcripts For SFGTV2 20130926

Anything that i wanted without any sort of limits only right here was the only limit and so the site really features other peoples work and i dont put my work on it and it is basically, i thought, what can i do Something Like interview magazine like warhol did . I have the tools and i started five years ago and it has grown into huge proportions, i think when i checked there are 150,000 unique visitors a month reading it. So it has gotten quite an audience, but really it is something that i would love, it is just pure passion and it is also a selfeducation of mine on display and my own interest. And i think i will wrap it up. Thanks. [ applause ] so for those of you who came in late, if you could hold your questions, we are not going to do a formal q, and a, but i will ask each of the panelists to stick around and if you want to chat with them one on one, they will be veil for a little while to do that. Our next panelist is melissa. They earned her ba in 2005 and her ma in 2007. She worked in new york at christies auction house and the time warner center, the Museum Experience includes the Research Positions in new york and the victor annual beter museum in london. She has been a member of the curtorial team of San Francisco since 2008. And currently holds the position of assistant curator for european art. It has supported works from the 15th century, such as the mourners, cultures from the court of bergandy to the 19th century, including van gogh, and beyond master pieces. And she served as the assistant curator for the blockbuster, girl with the pearl earrings, including impressionists on the water and matice from sf mona to be honored later this year. We invited melissa to speak because he told me that his cloud series was inspired by growing up looking at dramatic skies in dutch landscape painting. Welcome. Thank you to everyone who came out this evening to the main branch of the public library, i felt like it was encased in a cloud with all of the fog and the rain and everything and so i have literally taken on this assignment with a great personal interest and i am seeing clouds everywhere. And when they first called one morning, and introduced herself and told me a little bit about this panel and this project i thought great, i know about clouds i see them every day and i work at the legend of honor, exposed to the sea with the massive mountains and clouds and i thought a piece of cake and i will just talk about clouds. It became a much deeper project but i started this talk thinking about my own biographical relationship with clouds and i was trolling through the photos on the computer and i realized that a lot of the moments that i felt important to capture, have something to do with the drama of the sky and the clouds and so here i did my masters degree in london and this is where i did a lot of research. And you get these amazing low lying clouds and of course this all resonates with the paintings that i look at and the work that i curate and this is the region of honor looking out across the Golden Gate Bridge where we get some of the most dramatic and beautiful skies. And i recently had the opportunity to go to the National Gallery of art in washington, d. C. And i was walking through the gallery and i got totally photo happy taking these pictures of clouds. And i realized that i needed to selfcurate and refine it because when i was flying home to San Francisco i was taking pictures of the clouds outside of the window of the plane and i thought that i just need to synthesize this and i did a little bit of looking around of what other art historians have said about clouds and land scapes there is a wonderful series called the met connections and the met museum of art has created this of talking about themes or other ideas that have to do with their Permanent Collection and of course, what did determine the European Paintings Department and assisting in nothing other than clouds. So i am in Pretty Big Company here trying to talk about 550 years of clouds and art. But i will do my best in 15 minutes. I also found out in talking about clouds and conversation with other curators that there was an exhibition of the center for british art that existed the work of a man named mark lenard who was a painting at the getty museum and now at dal ace and he has worked on constable clouds and was so inspired by the work that he has done that he actually responded to the clouds in his own works. So clouds are very timely topic on many forums. And i just wanted to show you an exam el, the many, many types of studies of clouds trying to understand their three dimensionality and not giving you anything else on the composition other than the shapes of the clouds. Even though the picture was made in 1822 it is very contemporary without the space. And back to the point of selfcurating, and i started to think as an art historic when i became aware of clouds, when i start to think about them . We did an exhibition in 2011 at the duyong new see um which some of you may have seen was drawn from the collection in vienna and i brought an essay including saint sabastian and there is a detail in the clouds where you have a rider in the clouds. And art historians have not been able to agree on exactly what this figure is it a king, is it someone from mythology, but in any case, he has taken that childhood pass time of trying to see the shapes in the clouds and has created the shapes in the clouds of this painting. And some of you may have also seen our current exhibition with the girl with the pearl ear ring, there are not any clouds in this composition and i could not fabricate them and so i wanted to speak about this painting that is also in the collection of the maritz house it actually has three competitions and this was probably the most famous in the works in the collection up until the publication of the novel girl with the pearl ear ring and i will be doing a conversation with her next thursday, the 28th and that will be live google plus streamed. All sorts of fun technology. But before the publication of her book, and the subsequent film, this was probably one of the most famous compositions by verm ere, certainly the most famous, and has three paintings and i love that the way that the clouds hang so low and it is actually much darker on my screen, but this kind of balance between the rain clouds and the white pufffy clouds and the way that they interacts with the buildings in the city. This competes with two other paintings in the exhibition and i will not say which ones they are and it competes for my favorite painting in the exhibition it is view of harlem with bleaching grounds in the foregrounds and one of the most important innovations for the 17th century, dutch landscape painters was the way that they approached the sky. For any of you who have traveled to the netherlands you know that there is a low horizon line and i have been told that the dutch people and i can be corrected. That they call their clouds the dutch mountains because the landscape is so low that really you get these massive clouds in the sky and that is the kind of important topography to talk about. This is another example by the same artist and it is a winter scene, and as i move through these images of different paintings from various national schools. I dont want to talk too much over them but to let you feel how the atmosphere and the mood is changed by the different kinds of clouds that the artists have chosen to depict. And i wanted to also var clearly indicate it was interesting when putting together this powerpoint, i dont typically like to put any words on the images on the slides because i like the images in that way to speak for themselves, i feel like your eye competes between the words and images but i felt that it was important to differentiate between what is in our current exhibition and our Permanent Collection. So this is in the temporary exhibition as well. And then i wanted to let the paintings and the temporary exhibition and our Permanent Collection speak to each other and i started going through the Permanent Collection thinking about all of the ways that the clouds are represented in paintings starting with this early 16th century paintings by an artist nameds chima and i liked the way that the cloud offers like an extension of his halo and then you have this dramatic painting where the clouds are parting and it is like he is parting the red sea in the sky in this dramatic and emotional way that the clouds are not just offering but a part of the action and a part of the drama. And then you have got somebody like el greco who uses the clouds in this really violent and really nervous and really tense way. The clouds are vibrating with energy and they surround the figure of st. John the baptist in this very expressive way. So different than the other kinds of clouds that we were just looking at. And this is a painting by a norwegian artist named doll and i liked it because we have a nighttime scene and so you think about seeing the clouds in the daytime or the rain clouds or competitions of clouds that are over beautiful land scapes but what do the clouds do in this picture, when we are looking at the moon through the view of the clouds . And this is a painting that is particularly close to my heart. It is mid victor an artist named john martin and this painting is his depiction of the aftermath of the great biblical floods and so the clouds and waters are parting and you cant see it in this slide reproduction but in the actual painting very far in the horizon line you have noah and the arc. But the way that the clouds almost start to take on a figural representation, it is like there is a movement of hope and promise coming in the sky and of course the skies have this long history of being associated with the heavens and mythology. And you cant talk about clouds without talking about the impressionists. Also on my mind since we are planning for the impressionist on the water exhibition which opens at the legend of honor june first. And this is a painting by the verywell monet and i was thinking back to constible. Clouds where you dont get a figure you have a horizon and you get more of a sense of space and it is not just the clouds. But the whole canvas is taken up by water and sky and it is very architectural wave that he has construct td the brush work of the waiveds tossing in front of us. And then, imented to talk a little bit about the surrealist and i am about to install these paintings into what is traditionally our impressionist gallery. But they are some of the most popular paintings in our collection and when we dont have them i get people asking what have you done with them . And i think that dolis approach to many things is idiocyncratic and these clouds have a view, and they almost seemed figure all to me but they have this really expensive intention for lack of a better way to describe them. I dont know that he would have wanted me describing them. I really love this image, and i think as we have heard from the other panelists, clouds and space and landscape have a personal meaning and what we project on them is very subjective and i think that in my own attempt to synthesize art history in 15 minutes and looking at clouds and skies, i came to realize that there is a personal vocabary that we project on to these images. And so i felt honored to have participated on this panel and so i feel like it is really changed the way that i look at so many kinds of paintings and i thought about creating a exhibition on clouds and trying to take this project even further and i think that there is really a lot to be said for something that we take for granted perhaps on a daily basis, but much deeper meaning to be read. Thank you to meg and the panelists and thank you to the audience. [ applause ] 550 years in 15 minutes. Nicely done. I want to thank our panelists so much. Lets give them a hand. Thank you. I want to leave you with a few thoughts. Conversation six, i dont know if many of you know this, but is our final exhibition in our Current Space in main gallery in the Veterans Building, that whole building is being retrofit for two years. When we reopen in 2015, we will have 4400 square feet. And we have 900 square feet right now. So it is going to be a remarkable new space. And we will be doing a lot of sort of institutional soul searching as to how we can serve the public and create an Exhibition Program in the large new facility that fills in gaps here in our cultural stratta and how we can serve a wide variety of artists and communities, and represent San Francisco in a way that we do currently which is by showing Regional Artists alongside of artists from other places, developing a dialogue between the local, the national and the international. So we will carry that forward in the new facilities. In the meantime we will continue to program at city hall and at the window installation sites. So we are not going dark. We are just, we are putting on hold one of our three different programs. And i want to leave you with one final thought. For the last week bear not has been here and i have been witnessing him make a cloud in the green room of the Veterans Building which is on the second floor of that building and overlooks for a balcony that overlooks city hall for those of you who have been there for private functions. It is an extraordinary room, it is the american pizza hut version of the hall of mirrors one might say. It is a gorgeous room. And we were reviewing the final edit of this new piece that will enter into the nimbus series and it will be on view at the gallery in a couple of weeks and again, watch your email and we will let you know when it arrives and you can come and look at it. There will be two images chosen from this large multiday, one is a large print that will be on view in the gallery and is an addition of six. And then, we have been sort of talking about addition size and then there will be a version that is about this big. That is an addition of 30 and available for purchase at a affordable price. So let us know if you are interested in that and watch the email and the funds will go to both support the artist and support the programs at the Arts Commission as we move forward. So sign up for our eblast and keep in touch and thank you so much for coming tonight. We will hang out for just a little bit and answer questions, and you can come by and see the exhibition wednesday through saturday, 12 to five. Thank you so much. Hello, my name is jamie harper. In this episode, we are featuring the park locations in your very own backyard. This is your chance to find your heart in San Francisco with someone special. Golden gate parks largest body of water is this lake, a popular spot for strolling and paddling around in boats, which can be rented. Created in 1893, it was designed foreboding and for boating. It is named for the wild strawberries that once flores. A pleasant trail follows the perimeter past huntington falls, 110 foot waterfall. Two bridges connect the trail to the island. The climb to the hills summit, the highest point in Golden Gate Park at more than four hundred feet. You can get quinces of the western side of the city through glimpes of the western side of city through a thick trees. The lake is ada accessible. It has a peaceful atmosphere where you can enjoy a warm day. Walk along the lake and watched many ducks, and swans, and seagulls. It is a tranquil spot to stroll, enjoy each others company, and sail away. Many couples come here to take a ride around the lake, floating under the bridges, past the pavilion and waterfall. For a quiet getaway, it makes for a memorable and magical experience. Located on 19th avenue, this grove is the place to wear your hiking boots, bring your family, and bring the dog because it has so much to offer you and your loved ones. It is a truly hidden gem in the city. The part is rich with eucalyptus trees. Long paths allow you to meander, perfect for dog walking in a wooded environment. I enjoy this base and the history behind it. The diversity that exists in such an urban city, the concrete, the streets, cars, we have this oasis of a natural environment. It reminds us of what San Francisco initially was. This is a section for dogs and plenty of parking. Transit is available to get you there easily. And the part is ada park is ada accessible. There is also a natural lake. This is your chance to stroll and let the kids run free. It also has many birds to watch. It is the place to find some solitude from the city and appreciate what you share with a wonderful breath of fresh air. , an experienced this park and enjoy the peoples, picnics, and sunshine. This is a lovely place to take a stroll with your loved one hand in hand. Located in the middle of Pacific Heights on top of a hill, Lafayette Park offers a great square a of a peaceful beauty. Large trees border greenery. It features tables and benches, a playground, restaurants, and tennis courts. There are plenty of areas for football, frisbee, and picnics. It is very much a couples part and there are a multitude of experiences you can have together. Bring your dog and watch the mean go with the community or just picnic at one of the many tables and enjoy all of the park has to offer. Many couples find this is the Perfect Place to put down a blanket and soak up the sun. It is a majestic place you can share with someone you cherish. It is located along the 1 and 10 buses and is accessed from the 47 and 90 buses. It is ada accessible. For more information about reserving one of these locations, call 8315500. This number is best for special events, weddings, picnics, and the county fair building. For any athletic fields and neighborhood parks, 8315510. You can also write us. Or walking in and say hello at old lock cabin, Golden Gate Park. And of course you can find more information and reach us at sfrecpark. Org. Hi, my name is jamie hooper. In this episode, we are featuring the romantic park locations in your very own backyard. This is your chance to find your heart in San Francisco with someone special. Our first look out is here at buena vista park, a favorite with couples and dog lovers. It is as old as its neighbor and both have a significant forest, a refreshing retreat from urban life. The pass that meander we do under a canopy of 0, redwood, pine, and eucalyptus. Chill out and this environment and you might see butterflies and dandelions. Blue jays fly between the eucalyptus. It is ada accessible. Public transit is plentiful. Six, 24, or 71 bus. We have conquered the steps, we walked the dogs, and we have enjoyed a beautiful view the park has to offer. This is the place to take someone special and enjoyed a beautiful look out. Come to corona heights, located in the heart of this district. It offers a spectacular view of the downtown skyline, the bay bridge, and the east bay. The park is one of the best kept secrets. Unlike twin peaks, it is hardly ever crowded. On any given day, you will run into a few locals. Hop on a 37 bus to get there with that any parking worries. Locals can bring their dogs to run with other dogs. There is also grass for small dogs. It is a great place. It is a wonderful place for the city to provide these kind of parks. The dog owners appreciate it. Take time to notice the wildflowers on the grassland. And keep your head on the lookout for hawks and other bird life. Take your camera and be prepared to review the city in a way you will not forget. It is prominent with beautiful formations that are perfect to watch the sunrise from the east over the bay. This is another one of our great look out. We are at Mount Davidson. It has the highest point of elevation in San Francisco, 928 feet. This is the place for you to bring someone special. Enjoy all of the pathways, trails, and greenery that surrounds you. It provides a peaceful oasis of Public Open Space and great hiking trails. The spectacular view offers a Perfect Place to watch the sunrise, or, sunset, with someone you love. It is a good place to get away from the hectic life of the city. Get some fresh air. The view is fantastic. Wear sturdy shoes to conquer the trail, you have the feeling of being in a rain forest. Mount davidson is also a great place to escape the noise and the apostle of the city with your partner. Bustle of the city with your partner. It is quite a hike to the top at Mount Davidson but the view is worth every step. This is the place to bring that someone special