Art
for You
Public Art
The variety of dazzling public art in Yerba Buena Gardens by noted artists from around the globe will surprise, delight, and intrigue. A glass ship rises from the earth, a bronze statue greets visitors, and a robotic sculpture comes to life with your help. Tributes to Martin Luther King, Jr. and our Ohlone ancestors inspire and celebrate human diversity. Take an art walk around the Gardens and create some new San Francisco memories. We now offer a free audio tour and a guided Walking Tour, too.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial and Fountain
Recognized as the third largest MLK memorial in the United States, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial feature his inspiring words and accomplishments as a civil rights leader and a champion of equality for all. Danish artist Lin Utzon designed the silver walls that flank the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial to reflect the surrounding water, sky, and landscape. These fluted granite walls, emblazoned with silvered fissures, adjust to changes in sunlight and weather. Utzon also designed the property’s granite paving pattern to create a sense of movement and guide visitors walking through the Gardens.
Double Horizon
Sarah Sze’s “Double Horizon” is a 5,500-pound boulder split open like a geode. The sculpture is embedded with tiles to create pixelated color images of the sky at different times of day. By recording a fleeting moment of the sky in stone, Sze explores the fragility of passing time and the desire for permanence in the face of always-shifting natural forces.
Deep Gradient /
Suspect Terrain
John Roloff‘s 18-foot-high sculpture “Deep Gradient / Suspect Terrain” rises above the Crepe Myrtle Garden terrace with portholes that allow the viewer to see a hint of activity in the Moscone Center, located below the Gardens. Roloff said, “At the site, land is an illusion with the Gardens above and convention space below – a metaphor for the ocean, a different world, and the surface of the sea.”
Roll
Below the Paseo bridge crossing Howard Street is Brendon Monroe’s modern, fluid mural “Roll.” It is inspired by the movement of water and air in nature and resembles a layer of fog coming in over San Francisco’s hills.
Genesis
With its massive arcing segments of melted and hewn stainless steel supported by a concrete form, Christine Corday’s “Genesis” offers visitors a striking entrance to Moscone North and Yerba Buena Gardens.
PointCloud
Leo Villareal’s “PointCloud” light installation on the Moscone bridge consists of 50,000+ LEDs and 800+ mirrored stainless steel rods. This art light sculpture hangs from the bridge’s ceiling and projects constantly evolving color patterns. Villareal is the artist behind “The Bay Lights” on San Francisco’s Bay Bridge, the world’s largest light art installation.
Oche Wat Te Ou
Jaune Quick-to-See Smith and James Lunain created the “Oche Wat Te Ou Reflection Garden” in 1993. A tribute to the Ohlone, this piece is a semicircular wood wall patterned with Ohlone basket designs that surrounds a small crescent-shaped pool and a circle of rocks. Oche Wat Te Ou is a contemplative environment that harkens the traditions of storytelling and poetry.
Urge to Stand
This kinetic, interactive bronze sculpture “Urge to Stand” by Chico MacMurtrie can be found near the entrance to the Children’s Creativity Museum. Sit on the bench facing the sculpture, and the figure standing on the steel globe sits down. Stand up, and the figure gracefully rises with you. The elements of physical mirroring and gaze between the Urge figure and the observer create a bond that suggests the unity of all humans.
Three Dancing Figures | Untitled
Keith Haring’s 1989 untitled work is a vibrant, primary-colored painted aluminum sculpture that prominently marks the corner of Howard and Third streets. The San Francisco Arts Commission installed this work.
Shaking Man
The popular life-size bronze statue artist and musician Terry Allen created presents a multi-dimensional business executive who greets visitors to Yerba Buena Gardens near the western edge of the terrace level. Toting a brief case and split into three interconnected figures, the statue conveys a sense of motion with many feet and hands appearing to reach out to those who pass by.
Whirligig
Designed by famed Michigan born environmental artist, Douglas Hollis, the Whirligig sits atop the historical (built in 1906) Looff Carousel. It connects the location to the winds that abound along 4th and Howard Streets to the sounds of the carousel music, when in operation.
Cho-En (Butterfly Garden)
The garden was designed by Reiko Goto of Tokyo, Japan who resides now in San Francisco. From her love of butterflies and caterpillars, the thought was to place appropriate plantings and create a habitat conducive to allowing growth in all forms—egg, larva, pupa, and then the adult butterfly, in the heart of San Francisco.
