Grace Cathedral: Artist in Residence
“The Truth About Climate Change”
San Francisco, CA
During my six-month artist residency at Grace Cathedral titled “The Truth About Climate Change”, I was commissioned to make environmental art in conjunction with the 2018 United Nations Global Climate Action Summit. Leaders from all over the world descended on San Francisco and the Cathedral to tackle new climate policy and commitments.
I created a rotation of installations, group activities and exhibitions over six month to celebrate and encourage our connection to nature and our commitment to the care of the earth.
Press
“Grace Cathedral in San Francisco to play prominent role in Global Climate Action Summit,” Episcopal News Service
Interview about the artist residency experience: The Forum with Sukey Bryan
Installations, Activities, and Exhibitions
Water Without
“Water Without”, a temporary installation of cascading water down the grand staircase of Grace Cathedral, was my inaugural project as Artist-in-Residence in environmental art.
A photograph of Burney Falls printed on paper was wheat pasted with the assistance of volunteers (the glue crew!) across 60 feet width of the steps. Burney Falls, sacred to Northern Californian native peoples and declared by Theodore Roosevelt to be “the eighth wonder of the world”, flows constantly, independent of rainfall or season, from ground water that pours out of the cliff face.
I designed the piece to be a surprising, refreshing and uplifting experience to pedestrians, tourists, neighbors, business folks, and cablecar and car traffic on this busy corner at the top of Nob Hill. Burney Falls with its continual flow is an apt image to speak of our dependence on life-giving water and the primacy of water in our environmental response.
Details
Water Without
Photography on paper, wheat paste
13’h x 60’w,
2018
Artist-in-Residence
Grace Cathedral, San Francisco
Earth Window
2 banners, each 30’ x 15’
I divided the iconic NASA photograph of the earth into 2 banners and hung them dramatically over the Cathedral rose window during the Global Climate Summit.
It was a beacon for the urgent efforts needed to move away from fossil fuels, and an expression of our love for our beautiful blue home.
Color Me Colossus
Stacked Waves
Ceramic sculptures | each 49 x14”
I created 2 sculptures of ocean waves to fit in doorway niches. Glazing was a community project as a part of the contemporary music service, the labyrinth walk and coffee hour.
The hands of over 100 people contributed to the artwork, adults and children alike, some thinking about the importance of the ocean, a prayer of thanks, or a wish for improved health for the ocean as they add their brush strokes.
Green Fuse
12 photographs on paper | each 36’ x 2’
I photographed leaves of California native Black Oak and blew them up to a huge size as banners on the columns of the cathedral.
Installed for the multi-faith service that kicked off the Global Climate meeting, “Green Fuse”, with giant green leaves the size of a person, elevated the humble power of plant-life and the importance of keystone species.
Hawk Mobile
Shrinky-dink, metal and string | 10’ wide
Each student at the Cathedral School, (kindergarten through 8th), made a drawing on a shrinky-dink about the life of a hawk, the school mascot, focusing on either a physical characteristic or an element of the hawk’s and ecosystem.
After shrinking the dinks in my oven, I strung the translucent rectangles into a mobile in the shape of a 10’ hawk which hangs in the school library. Made by over 270 boys, “Hawk Mobile” celebrates their school and shows the interconnectedness of the hawk’s world.
This group project embodies the idea that small individuals acts add up to something big- a key aspect of climate efforts.
Fire Within
12 oil on wood panels
I installed the 12 panels of “The Fire Within”, in a variety of arrangements and spaces in the cathedral during a month of Pentecost which is symbolized by a flame. The painted panels depict wildfire as refining and restorative.
The California environment relies on seasonal fires for a renewed, fertilized and rebalanced ecosystem. The piece also expresses the human capacity to burn with a passion for love and truth.
Water Front
Climate Banners
Fabric
Finally, in the last weeks, I was asked to create banners for the multi-faith service using common environmental symbols for food, transportation, sustainable energy and global cooperation. I was inspired by the beautiful quilts of Gee’s Bend, Alabama.
The banner’s led-off processions by people of Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Hindu faith dedicated to combatting climate change.