Obelisks

Pine Tree Obelisk, S.G. Walton Sq

Rooftop, 343 Sansome St

Rincon Center

for Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Vibrant Colors

I often lunch in the shadow of a curious and colorful obelisk, found in the park near work. The construct reminded me of another obelisk in another nearby lunching spot, this one in one of the city’s many rooftop public spaces. I wondered if they were from the same artist. And, after a little research, I was able to confirm shared  ancestry and locate their sister; a third obelisk, also nearby. So, mapping out a jogging route, I had the opportunity to visit all the three of artist Joan Brown’s public space contributions.

abridged, from Startle contributor, Kyla Crisotomo:

In addition to being a nationally-acclaimed artist, Brown was also a medal-winning swimmer, though she was not always successful in her endeavors. In 1975, she participated in the Alcatraz Swim in which brave souls swim from Alcatraz Island to the cove of Aquatic Park. In the end, fourteen out of the twenty-three women who participated made it ashore. Unfortunately, Brown was not one of them and instead of winning a medal, she got hypothermia.

Towards the end of her life, Brown revisited her spirituality and developed an interest in ancient cultures and mysticism, eventually embracing a New Age belief system. She considered Sathya Sai Baba— the modern Indian spiritual leader (or scam artist depending on what you believe)— as her spiritual guide. Unfortunately, in 1990 Sai Baba spiritually-guided Brown to Puttaparthi, India to install her obelisk piece at the Eternal Heritage Museum in honor of his sixty-fifth birthday. During this time, the museum was still under construction, and a turret inexplicably became loose, fell, and crushed the poor artist at the age of fifty-two.