SUMMER CAMPERS IN SAN FRANCISCO’S Golden Gate Park did not expect they would be painting with corn tortillas and a repurposed tire with a famed Mexican artist. But that’s exactly what happened earlier this week, and they were excited to learn to test their skills and see the new art installations across the park.
Children from the Joseph Lee Recreation Center, a community spot in the Bayview District, enjoyed a sunny afternoon in Golden Gate Park while participating in a printmaking workshop led by Mexico City-based artist Betsabeé Romero. She showed one group of children her process of creating unique images at a small workshop while park staff showed others Romero’s new pieces installed on Monday across the park’s promenade.
Golden Gate Park’s new public art installations made by Romero are created from repurposed materials. She uses brightly colored paints, traditional Mexican serapes, and rubber tires with carvings to depict images of Mesoamerican culture. Figures of Mexica (Aztec) jaguar warriors formed a circle around the opening of the tires.
Bright gold and white contrasts with the dark color of the tires that are stacked across the promenade. A shiny sphere stood tall, made up of reused metal discs painted and arranged to look like small suns.
Romero has made a name for herself by taking unconventional materials to, in her words, “re-signify” the original purpose of the items that are often considered trash. She said she doesn’t practice one strict medium, but making sculptures made out of tires has become something she is known for.
She grew up in Mexico City, studied fine arts in Paris, and has gone on to work with institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City as well as sharing her passion for art with children.
Romero wanted to show the kids how fun it could be to express themselves and how they didn’t have to use a standard brush and canvas to paint but could use unconventional things like tires.
“I used a knife to cut images into the tires,” said Romero. “When printmaking, I want to incorporate images of things found in the park. To make it feel like it connects with the place it was made.”
Non-toxic paint was rolled onto Romero’s carved images of branches and flowers in the tire’s rubber. She then took a corn tortilla and pressed it onto the surface and after pulling it off an image of a golden flower was copied onto it.
“Wow, really with tortillas? We use that to make tacos!” said one excited camper.
After the demonstration, hands shot up instantly as Romero invited the kids to give it a shot.
“You want to press the tortilla on to the groove, not slide, press and pat,” she said.
After everyone got a turn, they placed their circle canvases on the table to dry momentarily before using brushes to paint around the edges.
Another group of campers went around to look at Romero’s sculptures the park had installed the day before.
Romero pointed to her new installation as an example of a unique and rare opportunity. She said creating art for public spaces is different than pieces kept behind ropes in museums because it has to be made to be durable.
Golden Gate Park is one of San Francisco’s most visited green spaces and is constantly changing to reflect the diverse makeup of the city, according to Recreation and Park spokesperson Daniel Montes. He said over 24 million people visit each year and his department has been ramping up partnerships with artists and musicians to make the public space more attractive, even finding ways to fund the initiatives through different means.
Montes said the department worked with local nonprofits — Illuminate and also BUILDING 180 and the Sijbrandij Foundation — who covered the cost of Romero’s installation among others.
“When we fill the promenade with art, we’re looking for things that are fun, interactive, spark conversation, and also fit with the San Francisco values of equality, respect, access,” said Montes. “Betsabeé really checks all those boxes.”
Montes said the collaboration with Romero has been great because her signature style of using tires and then telling a story of pre-Columbian history is inspiring to see. He said the Recreation and Park Department is excited for those coming to the park this weekend for the Dead & Company celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Grateful Dead and the Outside Lands concerts who will get to see her pieces.
“This year we are ramping up the events. The music, the art, and the spaces,” said Montes. “We want to improve the visitor experience every year.”