Open Skies
Celebrating the Frontier Spirit of Today's Artists
October 19-21, 2007
3 Days - 10 San Francisco Parklands - 20 Contemporary Artists
Freya Bardell w/ Brian Howe (LA), Jason Robert Bell (NY), Scott Cartwright (MA), Ellen Babcock w/ CCA Students (SF), Flower Frankenstein (SF), Rebecca Herman and Mark Shoffner (NY), Mikhail Iliatov w/ Erica Ehrenberg (NY), Mike Lai (SF), Ellen Lake (Oakland), Moses Nornberg (MO), Diana Sanchez (Oakland), The Studio for Urban Projects (SF)
Conceived, Developed, and Curated by Elliot Lessing
Presented by COCA Center for Outdoor Contemporary Art in partnership with Neighborhood Parks Council
Open Skies is made possible, in part, through generous support from Potrero Nuevo Fund, Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation, and Grants for the Arts/San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund
Open Skies: The New Public Spirit Informing Today’s Artists
is a Citywide Contemporary Arts Exhibition that celebrates the spirit of wonder, renewal and creative social action through artist-driven public projects that activate public space and community resources
Open Skies
unites over 15 Contemporary Artists with 10 San Francisco neighborhood parklands to deliver extraordinary site-specific art projects of all media for families, new residents, and city visitors. Through free exhibitions, discovery tours, workshops, and educational materials, Open Skies offers a brilliant opportunity for families, community members, and city visitors to enjoy a rich synthesis of inspiring artistic visions, dynamic educational programming, and constructive civic engagement
Many Open Skies Art Projects
explore diversity in geology, biology, and indigenous life forms associated with our park systems. Some projects expand on ideas sparked by the colorful micro-climates or recreational amusements that public parks cultivate. Others celebrate the boundless connection between art and the natural world. In all cases, Open Skies Art Projects are designed to capture the public imagination regarding Contemporary Art within natural or rustic settings
We are applying a comprehensive approach
regarding selection of parks to be included in the Open Skies Project. As such, a diverse array of parks and neighborhoods will be involved, with extensive outreach and special attention paid to areas of San Francisco that would benefit the most from Open Skies’ educational, cultural, and community-building components – notably the Western Addition and Bayview/Hunter’s Point area. Our hope is to introduce new and imaginative ways to elevate civic consciousness of these challenged neighborhoods through placemaking projects that celebrate history, nature, and the creative spirit
Our wish
is that within the scope of the event, attendees and participants will be touched by the new breed of artists who are fine-tuning their visions to address the spiritual and social needs felt in our public spaces – and in our public lives
Below, please find a working list of Project Sites and Information
Open Skies: Celebrating the Frontier Spirit of Today’s Artists
is at once a brilliant opportunity for families, community members, and city visitors to enjoy a rich synthesis of inspiring artistic visions, dynamic educational programming, and constructive civic engagement
For more info, please click http://www.cocanow.org/ & http://cocanow.blogspot.com/
A working map of Project Sites may be viewed by clicking
www.communitywalk.com/openskies
Please contact COCA
with any questions or if you have an interest in participating in or supporting Open Skies.
We look forward to hearing from you openskies1@gmail.com
