From 1964 to the 90s, people driving down Interstate 80 in San Francisco were greeted by the Emeryville Mudflat Sculptures, a series of ever-changing, anonymous sculptures built from scraps and spare parts that had accumulated in the San Francisco bay over the years.
These sculptures were boundary breaking for public art in their time. They were made by everyday people who wanted to participate in the sculpture garden; " most of the people who fabricated the sculptures would have not called themselves "artists" at all."
Due to the muddy, salt marsh that the sculptures sat upon, they were constantly changing, decaying, and being rebuilt. The impermanence of the sculptures was part of the fun.
The sculptures, which towered over anyone standing next to them, depicted all sorts of things such as animals, letters made from wood scraps that spelled out "END WAR", a giant dragon, dinosaurs, and so much more. As the surrounding area became more developed and the need for space grew, the sculpture garden sadly came to an end in the 90s.
I love the DIY, heartfelt look to all of these structures and wish they were still around today. This kind of mysterious and unexpected public art makes me a million times more excited than a lot of the more polished looking sculptures I see while walking through the city. The world needs more art like the Emery Mudflat Sculptures.
