Battery Powered

Home Land Security Art Exhibit Fort Winfield Scott

Modern artwork discovered inside a gun battery? Voices coming from within an old military installation? It’s not Stranger Things. The Presidio’s historic military structures overlooking San Francisco Bay have been transformed into a stellar exhibition by 18 contemporary artists from around the world.Event Security in Arizona is presented by the FOR-SITE Foundation in collaboration with the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and the Presidio Trust. It’s free to visit. Themes encompass social change, national security, identity, and the common human experience.

Comprising the Nike Administration Building, three batteries, and the Fort Scott Chapel, exhibits are connected by a well-marked coast-hugging trail. So in between viewing art, you get a show from nature too. Rugged coastline butts up to the Pacific, with an impressive view across to Point Bonita Lighthouse on the western tip of the Marin Headlands—the entrance to the Golden Gate. The Golden Gate Bridge is so close it’s as if you can touch it (instead, people do selfies). A small snapshot of the myriad offerings: Colorful duct tape drawings depicting airport security procedures pair with a neighboring circular installation of thousands of items confiscated by the TSA at San Francisco International Airport.

There’s also a giant gatelike structure glittering with gold-plated beads (four years in the making!). Don’t miss the Fort Scott Chapel, with its signature red steeple. Long closed to the public, it has re-opened for the exhibition, with an installation inside. The yellow faux stained glass (that would be plastic!) and weathered hardwood floor blend old-school ambience with avant-garde interpretation.

Home Land Security is free to visit. It runs until December 18, 2016, at Fort Winfield Scott at Langdon Court. Directions and parking. No dogs. Photos 1 (top), 4 & 5 (gallery) by Robert Divers Herrick

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Bear Hug

    This 5.5-mile loop through Coyote Lake-Harvey Bear Ranch County Park explores one of the newest segments of the acclaimed Bay Area Ridge Trail, one redolent with trees ranging from madrone and manzanita to buckeye and blue elderberry (with a bubbly post-hike bonus).

    View
  2. Field of Light at Sensorio in Paso Robles

    Light This Way

    Hidden in the bucolic hills of Paso Robles lies one of the greatest light shows on earth. The lighted art exhibition, Sensorio, is as if the rainbow magic of the aurora borealis was plucked from the sky and planted in the fields.

    View
  3. Bikers and walkers on the Bay Area Ridge Trail with the Golden Gate Bridge behind them

    National Park City Walk

    See San Francisco the way locals do by hiking the Presidio, a national park right in the city! Wooded trails, secluded beaches, and epic views of the Golden Gate Bridge feature on this 5.5-mile out-and-back on the Bay Area Ridge Trail. It’s a lovely slice of the City by the Bay.

    View
  4. Hike top Angel Island Mount Livermore San Francisco Bay

    Good Heavens

    The 4-mile hike to the top of Angel Island offers Bay-mazing scenery. Some people claim you get a five-bridge view: Richmond-San Rafael, Bay, Golden Gate, San Mateo-Hayward, and Dumbarton bridges.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Sponsored

    Tram to Cool Treks

    Elevate your fun, getting whisked from palm trees to alpine wilderness on the world’s largest rotating tramcar. The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway transports you up and away on a 2.5-mile scenic route from the desert floor to the refreshing wilderness of Mount San Jacinto State Park.

    View
  2. Coming Up Roses

    Looking to spice up your hiking life? Give your partner a rose—Mount Rose! The 10-mile out-and-back peak hike goes up to one of the grandest views in all of Lake Tahoe. Get ready f

    View
  3. A group of people clamored around the summit marker at Mission Peak in the Bay Area

    Your Mission Is Less Crowded

    Mission Peak is one of the Bay Area’s most popular mountains, with many hikers climbing every weekend. Skip the crowds with this 6-mile loop up the less-traveled southern route.

    View
  4. Bucks Up!

    Come on in, the water is beautiful. Whether you like swimming, kayaking, stand-up paddling, or heading out on a bigger boat, Bucks Lake is a high mountain haven that’s easy to access, blissfully uncrowded, and surrounded by sandy beaches, picnic areas, pines, and aspens.

    View