San Francisco's Treasure Island to Become Largest Public Art Park

Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island in San Francisco Bay are set to become the largest public art park in America, and possibly the world, after authorities approved a major public art project last summer following twenty years of environmental cleanup. The project mandates completion of the first three major works by 2020 at Waterfront Plaza, Building One Plaza on Treasure Island, and Yerba Buena Hilltop Park. Finalist artists include Ai Weiwei, Chakaia Booker, and Pae White for Building One Plaza (budget $1 million); Ai Weiwei, Antony Gormley, and Jorge Pardo for Waterfront Plaza Commission ($2 million); and Booker, Andy Goldsworthy, and Hiroshi Sugimoto for Yerba Buena Hilltop Park. Ai Weiwei, known for large-scale social-themed exhibitions, previously staged a public art show in New York titled "Good fences make good neighbors" for the Public Art Fund's 40th anniversary, with 300 works across the city. He also had a 2015 exhibition "Large" at Alcatraz maximum-security prison, strengthening his ties to San Francisco. The article also mentions public art controversies in Rome, including Arnaldo Pomodoro's work near the Colosseum and William Kentridge's mural on Lungotevere, as well as the Popstairs project by street artist David "Diavù" Vecchiato featuring actresses on staircases.