San Francisco is home to some truly spectacular members of the National Park system—including one of our favorites, Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA), which houses Alcatraz. It seems like the parks are always offering cool new programs, many of which lean towards the arts.
Bold artistic exhibits from the likes of modern dancers and activist-artist Ai Weiwei have made their way into the Bay Area's National Park locations; an impressive feat considering the scope and the size of the tax-payer funded National Park Service. In fact, you can currently check out a new Alcatraz art installation that challenges long prison sentences through math and football jerseys. There's some serious art going on in the National Parks.
In celebration of the National Park Service's 100 year anniversary, the GGNRA has created and released four short videos entitled, "100 Years of Art in the Parks." Like nearly everything the GGNRA and NPS does, these videos are great and you should watch them all. The videos were produced by BAYCAT, a local non-profit that employs under-served communities. Each video explores a different aspect of artistic expression within our country's National Park system, from the experiences of America's youth exploring art within San Francisco's Presidio to a powerful spoken work piece by poet Trey Amos.
Of the foursome, our favorite video might be "21st Century Parks." San Francisco features prominently in this four-minute look at much of the truly impressive and ground-breaking art that takes place within the National Park System. These videos demonstrate how the GGNRA and the National Park Service are nailing it when it comes to blending our parks with art. Thanks Uncle Sam!