Eyes on the Promenade: Art on Golden Gate Park’s Newest Public Space
3:35 PM PDT on September 23, 2022
A Doggie Diner head, part of an art installation taking shape on the JFK Promenade. Photo: Ben Davis. All other pics Streetsblog/Rudick unless indicated
The San Francisco arts nonprofit Illuminate is creating what it calls the "Golden Mile Project" along the JFK Promenade in Golden Gate Park. "We want to make this less like a road, and more like a place to hang," said Illuminate Founder Ben Davis, during a Thursday tour of new art installations going in on a promenade full of cyclists, pedestrians, and families. "Look at the energy here, we want to bring art, concerts, and make it feel like a place for people."
This fast-moving effort, which brings a tapestry of civic groups, diverse artists, and community partners, will reveal the promise and potential of the newly minted former roadway – turned promenade – which became permanently car-free in April per a San Francisco Board of Supervisors vote. A November ballot measure now threatens this oasis.
Temporary activations will include 12 large-scale street murals, live music on two stages every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, a weekend beer garden, grand pianos in the middle of JFK, the addition of 100 golden Adirondack chairs, coffee kiosks, street games, culinary delights, storyboards, street performers, and more. Visitors to The Golden Mile Project will be immersed in a whimsical kaleidoscope of art, music, food, play, relaxation, and beauty.
The lead image is of a Doggie Diner head, leftover from a now-defunct chain of Bay Area restaurants. There are also street murals getting painted all over the Promenade.
We joined artist @MaxEhrman on #JFKPromenade tonight to help paint his mural & it was THE BEST.
As indicated in the above Tweet from Walk San Francisco's Marta Lindsey, the artists are looking for volunteers to help paint the murals.
A street mural midway through installation. The white on the left is primer. Photo: Streetsblog/RudickA street mural midway through installation. The white on the left is primer. Photo: Streetsblog/Rudick
As noted, there's more coming. Illuminate will install two pianos along JFK Drive—one at Conservatory Drive West and the other between Stow Lake Drive and East 14th Avenue. And below is a photo of a couple of the chairs they're preparing for the Promenade:
Yellow chairs getting prepped for the JFK Promenade. Photo: Ben DavisYellow chairs getting prepped for the JFK Promenade. Photo: Ben Davies
Meanwhile, the Rec and Parks department is grinding off street markings and adding a new top coat of smooth asphalt.
Rec and Parks crews are cleaning up the asphalt.Rec and Parks crews are cleaning up the asphalt.
Of course, not everybody was happy, including in this hilariously curmudgeonly post forwarded by advocate Brian Halperin:
Mayor Thao Tweets "It's time to reach a critical juncture where tragedies don’t catalyze improvements." But when and how will we know if the city has really reached that point and is serious about safety for all road users?