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SCULPTURE GARDEN

Our Sculpture Garden at  Recology San Francisco  is a private, three-acre facility that includes  sculptures made by former artists-in-residence. Due to construction at the facility, the garden is temporarily inaccessible.

Sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture

In 1992, under the direction and design of  Susan Leibovitz Steinman, Recology San Francisco built the sculpture garden on a hill overlooking San Francisco Bay. The land functions as a buffer between the SF Transfer Station and the adjacent residential neighborhood, known as Little Hollywood. It was previously a field of ivy and ice plant. In 1994, the garden was dedicated to the memory of Joseph Johnson, former director of the Solid Waste Management Program of the City & County of San Francisco. Joe was also an artist and an important advocate for the formation of the Artist in Residence Program.

The garden path is made from recycled concrete salvaged from the Embarcadero Freeway when it was damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake. Bricks that line the path came from a building on Mission Street, and many of the plants in the garden were rescued from the garbage and brought back to life using Recology compost.

Wild Apples for Jowild_apples-1

An experiment in biodiversity, Wild Apples for Jo is a bed of apple trees grown from seed. The garden installation is dedicated to the memory of Artist in Residence Program founder Jo Hanson and created by Susan Leibovitz Steinman. The installation includes five trees growing in a star shape, mimicking seeds inside an apple. The trees were planted in large oval troughs filled with rose quartz and native grasses, surrounded by five antique French doors rescued from a South San Francisco hotel.

wild_apples-2

Wild Apples for Jo was inspired by Sweet Survival-Urban Apple Orchard II at the Sonoma County Museum in 2006-2008. The original Urban Apple Orchard I was commissioned by the San Francisco Arts Commission in 1994-1995 and sited on Market Street. It was located just a few blocks from Jo’s house, and was a favorite destination for her. This is our memorial to Jo Hanson–to her life, her work, and her spirit.

Gardener in Residence

The goal of the Gardener in Residence Program (GIR) was to bring awareness to the importance of native plant restoration, water conservation, and the value of compost as a soil amendment.  Our focus was on educating the public about sustainable landscape design techniques that are essential for reducing water usage and attracting native wildlife, such as bees and butterflies. Using the garden as a platform for educational outreach, we encouraged dialogue about these environmental issues.

The Gardener in Residence Program provided experienced local gardeners and landscape designers with access to the Recology Sculpture Garden for site specific projects. The Program ran from 2015-2016.