Here’s a quick look at what we accomplished together in 2013:
Big Art for Small Towns
In 2012, BRAF launched our new initiative, Big Art for Small Towns. A collaboration with the Burning Man Project and the City of Fernley, Nevada, this project was awarded BRAF’s second National Endowment for the Arts grant, an Our Town grant, in the amount of $75,000.
This two-phase project will happen over the course of two years. In the first phase BRAF and the City of Fernley conducted a Request for Proposals, and selected two projects for temporary installation in a new city-owned park in Fernley. The two works are scheduled to be installed in late spring of 2014.
BRAF is pleased to announce the two selected projects; the Bottle Cap Gazebo by Max Poynton and Andrew Grinberg, and Rockspinner, by Zachary Coffin. Originally made for the Burning Man event, both of these projects enact our goal of sharing the economic and cultural benefit of the event with its greater community.
The second phase of the project is underway. The City of Fernley and BRAF have selected a lead artist who will collaborate with the Fernley residents to create an original public artwork that reflects Fernley’s character, heritage, and culture. The lead artist and upcoming project activities will be announced shortly.
Urbanauts
The Urbanauts project was a collaboration between BRAF Civic Arts artist Sean Orlando, Matthew Passmore of BRAF grantee Rebar, in residency at the de Young museum and in association with BRAF. The artists considered the ways urban inhabitants related (or didn’t) to the largely unseen mechanical systems, societal constructs, and cultural imperatives that mediate and structure life in the built environment.
In June of 2012, the Urbanauts team began by mapping a range of sites, from small to large-scale, providing a glimpse into unseen infrastructures, including the de Young Museum, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, and the broader Bay Area. Over the course of the fellowship, these sites are explored, examined, documented, and discussed, and will inform the design of a sculpture series that is based on the aesthetics of urban infrastructure. The series culminated in an unique closing reception in October, 2013; an interactive, participatory event showcasing their explorations, inspired creations and live performances. Co-produced by BRAF, this event was free and open to the public.
Raygun Gothic Rocketship
May of 2013 saw the deinstallation of the beloved Raygun Gothic Rocketship, by Sean Orlando, Nathaniel Taylor, David Shulman, Alan Rorie and their talented crew, 5 Ton Crane. After much public acclaim and two permit extensions, the San Francisco community, BRAF and our collaborators, the San Francisco Port Authority, finally had to say goodbye to this unforgettable, spectacular work of art that stood on San Francisco’s Pier 14 for the last two-and-one-half years.
Towering at 40 feet tall and weighing 13,000 lbs, this aluminum and steel feat of engineering evokes the pop culture imagery of 1930’s and 40’s science fiction. While clearly a poignant commentary on yesterday’s idea of tomorrow, the Rocketship’s sheer artistry enchants, delights, and suspends disbelief. The installation first landed at Burning Man 2009, and has subsequently appeared at NASA Ames for Yuri’s Night, and at Maker Faire.
We bid the crew adieu with a roisterous “Launch Party” in March, 2013, complete with a crowd of several hundred Rocketship devotees, Dj’s, dancing, costumery and the shenanigans we’ve come to expect from this fun-loving collective of artists and craftspeople. It was an absolute pleasure working with this crew for so long and we wish them the best on their continuing journey!
