Heartless Haight

San Francisco is currently in the midst of "Hearts in San Francisco," a public art exhibition where large heart statues are on display at key locations around the city. This is not a new idea: my hometown Washington, DC is currently in the midst of Pandamania, and the "Cows on Parade" shebang in Chicago in 1999 kicked off the whole temporary public art phenomenon.

We all agree that this public art is delightful and raises money for worthy causes. My beef: there is no heart statue in the Haight-Ashbury.

"That's ridiculous!" you exclaim. "Why, Haight-Ashbury was home to the Summer of Love in 1967 and has served as a beacon for hippies and anti-war activists around the world! Its name is synonymous with free love and free food and free thought (and heavy drug use)! By golly, they even tried to rename Haight Street Love Street! Of course they have a heart! Right on the corner of Haight and Ashbury!"

Enlightened readers of SuperMattalica, I agree with you. San Francisco doesn't. There is no heart statue on the corner of Haight and Ashbury--there is no heart statue in the Haight at all! You have to walk all the way down to the Panhandle to see the nearest heart, which is basically mired in the median strip of a major intersection.

Extraordinarily lame, yes yes yes.

I called up the Hearts in SF people to ask them why there is no heart on the corner of Haight and Ashbury. Their response: there were concerns that the hearts might be defaced by the locals. It's a legitimate concern. BUT: there are hearts in many other defacing-prone areas of the city, including the corner of Market and Castro and parts of the Mission. Don't you think there's an artist out there willing to throw his heart statue into the Haight-Ashbury forge, to come out improved and blessed as only this neighborhood can do? I bet yes.

A call to arms! Pick up your telephones! Bother the people at Hearts in SF as I did, being reasonable but insistent in your demands for a Haight-Ashbury heart! Bother our elected representative, Supervisor Matt Gonzalez, who not only carries major street cred from narrowly losing the last mayoral election but also is a major supporter of the arts and should theoretically jump on this bandwagon like it was the last train to Mayorville!

Your heart will thank you!

Hearts in SF: 415-651-1811, info@heartsinsf.com
Matt Gonzalez: 415-441-7630, matt.gonzalez@sfgov.org