A Massive New Mural at Fort Mason Brings Otherworldly Colors to the Water’s Edge
When Leah Rosenberg arrives at a new location for a public artwork, she might spend up to a month studying the light, the natural environment and how the colors change depending on the time of day. Only then does she concoct a vivid palette that transforms a wall or building into something otherworldly.
“[Color is] an attraction, it gets attention,” Rosenberg says. “And then it is a tool to talk about deeper and important things. I think one of the important things now is to figure out how to be in the world and to treat each other well.”
The San Francisco-based artist has created numerous large-scale installations, including pieces for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the San Francisco International Airport. Her latest project transforms 18 loading docks at Fort Mason with a mural inspired by the sunrise, sunset and moonrise on the waters of the Bay. It’s called The Sea is But Another Sky, and its vivid oranges, seafoam greens and aquatic blues follow visitors as they make their way through Fort Mason’s former military buildings to the water’s edge to take in the stunning view.
“A lot of the colors might seem a bit fantastical when, you know, it’s like a neon orange sun spot,” Rosenberg says. “But that actually happens when you’re looking and you see there’s a burst of a fluorescent.”
Sometimes her inspiration isn’t literal at all, Rosenberg continues. “The way that we name moons, right? The pink moon, the blue moon. I was going with [how] all the places we find color are not just how we see it, but also in writing and language and feeling and music.”
The mural, which will be up for a year, was commissioned by the Fort Mason Center for Arts and Culture as part of its programming geared towards its 50th anniversary in 2027.
When the center opened in the ’70s, it hosted eclectic events including a Tahitian cultural celebration and a sculpture-making collaboration in the parking lot. While things quieted down during the pandemic, “the program since that moment has been constantly trying to dial up the intensity of arts experiences,” said Chief Curator and Director of Programming Frank Smigiel.
The opening reception for The Sea is But Another Sky takes place Sept. 17 during Fort Mason’s free art walk. Rosenberg and Spiegel will give a talk about the mural, and nearby exhibitions and performances will activate the entire campus, including the group show 250 Years, Indigenous Futures at Haines Gallery, a new installation by Muzae Sesay and Alexcia Sundra in the gatehouse gallery run by FOR-SITE, and a performance by hip-hop artist Niko Otis.