Golden Gate Heights, part of San Francisco's Inner Sunset neighborhood, is an excellent 'hood in which to create beautiful public art on their various long stairways. The steps are sturdy utilitarian concrete and a blank canvas for artists to immortalize themselves, their families, local biznesses, etc.
At the newly completed Hidden Garden Steps (16th Avenue, Kirkham to Lawton) you'll see individual names (first two pix), businesses, parks and groups, and what I liked best, the messages: pix 3 through 10. Photos don't do it justice; visit this in person if you can.
No doubt there are plenty of people out there who'd enjoy participating and who also could afford to do so (wish I could). Not only could various neighborhoods create their own mosaic masterpieces, but also some of our parks. How much better to improve and beautify an urban park by turning their public stairways into works of art than is the present destructive trend of unnecessary tree-felling and otherwise messing excessively with Ma Nature in the name of park "improvements."
Picture, for example, the 100 wide steps into Pacific Heights' Alta Plaza Park as a good candidate for a tile-job. Wondering when the rest of the Lincoln Park stairs will be completed (off 33rd Ave. & California up to the golf course and a trail to Lands End).
More pix: 11 through 22. Alongside the 148 steps are nicely tiered plantings. At the top is a micro-labyrinth and view: pics 23, 24.
Lastly, a couple of THEN pix from 2006: pix 25, 26.
The other tiled stairway in this 'hood is a few blocks from here, Moraga/16th, 2005, 163 steps. At the top, the long zigzag stairway to Grandview Park's summit invites you to continue your upward climb.
At the newly completed Hidden Garden Steps (16th Avenue, Kirkham to Lawton) you'll see individual names (first two pix), businesses, parks and groups, and what I liked best, the messages: pix 3 through 10. Photos don't do it justice; visit this in person if you can.
No doubt there are plenty of people out there who'd enjoy participating and who also could afford to do so (wish I could). Not only could various neighborhoods create their own mosaic masterpieces, but also some of our parks. How much better to improve and beautify an urban park by turning their public stairways into works of art than is the present destructive trend of unnecessary tree-felling and otherwise messing excessively with Ma Nature in the name of park "improvements."
Picture, for example, the 100 wide steps into Pacific Heights' Alta Plaza Park as a good candidate for a tile-job. Wondering when the rest of the Lincoln Park stairs will be completed (off 33rd Ave. & California up to the golf course and a trail to Lands End).
More pix: 11 through 22. Alongside the 148 steps are nicely tiered plantings. At the top is a micro-labyrinth and view: pics 23, 24.
Lastly, a couple of THEN pix from 2006: pix 25, 26.
The other tiled stairway in this 'hood is a few blocks from here, Moraga/16th, 2005, 163 steps. At the top, the long zigzag stairway to Grandview Park's summit invites you to continue your upward climb.
1. Adah Bakalinsky's Tile
2. Marian Gregoire's Tile
3. Messages and names
4. I agree!
5. Honoring Cesar Chavez
6. Message Mushroom
7. Me too!
8. Stairclimbers Tile
9. Trails of Beauty
10. For Sara the Squirrel
11. Foot of Hidden Garden Steps
12. Lots to look at and read
13. Closer-up
14. Garden Flowers
15. Rainbow Swirls
16. Cute Critter
17. Go see this in person!
18. And take any little kids you may know!
19. Big Blue Flower
20. Plenty of garden flowers here
21. The wall near the top as it looks now
22. Down the stairway
23. Top of the stairs
24. View of part of Golden Gate Park in distance
25. THEN: 2006.
26. THEN: 2006
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