Anna Valentina Murch
Dissolving (0867), 2008
Dissolving (0808), 2008
Dissolving (0879), 2008
Dissolving (0869), 2008
b. Scotland, 1948
d. San Francisco, CA, 2014
Education
1971–73
Royal College of Art, London, England
1973–74
Architectural Association, London, England
Teaching
1991–2014
Professor of Art, Mills College, Oakland, California
Awards
2008
Confluences, Americans for the Arts Public Art Network Award
2007
Water Scores, Americans for the Arts, Public Art Year in Review
Honor Award, US General Services Administration, United States Courthouse, Fresno, California
2006
Waterscape, Americans for the Arts, Public Art Year in Review
2005
Danforth Chair, Mills College Oakland
1996
Design for Transportation National Award National Endowment for the Arts, Washington DC, The Metrolink Design Collaboration
1995
Presidential Design Awards, Federal Design Achievement Award, Bi-State Development Agency/Arts in Transit
1994
Merit Award for Excellence in Architecture, St. Louis Chapter of the American Institute of Architects
1992
Artists Fellowship, California Arts Council
1987
SECA Award, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Solo Exhibitions
2008
Dissolving, Brian Gross Fine Art, San Francisco, California
1987
Voyages, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, California
1986
Ways In, Ways Out, Kala Institute, Berkeley, California
Khiya Gallery, San Francisco, California
1985
Folded Light, Center for Contemporary Arts of Santa Fe, New Mexico
1981
The Crack, 80 Langton Street, San Francisco, California
1980
Runaways, Works Gallery, San Jose, California
Tectonics, Center for the Visual Arts, Oakland, California
Selected Group Exhibitions
2006
A Private Look at the Public Art of the Carnival Center for the Performing Arts, Miami Herald, Art Basel, Miami Beach
2004
Sacatar Artists, Gallery Acbeu, Salvador, Brazil
2002
Parallels & Intersections, San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, California
1990
All for One Earth: Artists & Ecologists in Collaboration, SOMAR Gallery Space, San Francisco, California
Art from the Exploratorium, World Trade Center, New York, New York
1989
Memory, Mincher Wilcox Gallery, San Francisco, California
Designing Visions: The Metro Link Artists, Forum, St. Louis, Minnesota
1987
On the Horizon: Emerging in California, Fresno Arts Center & Museum
1985
Art Department Faculty, Worth Ryder Art Gallery, University of California, Berkeley
Dealer’s Choice, San Francisco Airport, San Francisco, California
A Summer Place, Sarah Rentschler Gallery, New York, New York
The Use of Shadow in Contemporary Art, Bruce Velick Gallery and Gensler Associates, San Francisco, California
1984
Art Department, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, California
1982
Illuminated Sculpture, Berkeley Arts Center, Berkeley, California
14 Proposals for Battery Hill 129, UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design, Berkeley, California
Illuminated Sculpture, In conjunction with the International Sculpture Conference through the Berkeley Arts Center
1981
Three Sculptors: “Edges,” Kaiser Center Sculpture Gallery, Oakland, California
1980
Sculpture in Public Places, San Mateo County Arts Council Invitational
1978
Two-Person Show: Installations, Southern Exposure, San Francisco, California
Four Bay Area Artists, College of Notre Dame, Belmont, California
18 Bay Area Women: “Inside Outside,” The Women’s Building, Los Angeles, California
1977
Holiday Exhibition: “Art for Giving & Collecting”, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, California
Variations on the Sculpture Idea, Center for the Visual Arts, Oakland, California
Four Californian Artists: Sculpture Now, Inc., Max Hutchinson Galleries, New York, New York
1976
The Women’s Free Arts Alliance, London, England
1974
Cockpit Theatre, London, England
1973
Tent Installation, Computer Arts Society, Edinburgh Festival,
1972
Environmental Media Exhibition, Royal College of Art, London, England
Commissions
2006
Confluences, Lobby Ceiling Installation, King County Office Building, Seattle, Washington
La Fiesta Plaza, Brea, California
Water Scores, Wave Ramps and Benches connecting Dolores and Sanford Ziff Ballet Opera House and the Carnival Symphony Hall , Performing Arts Center Plaza, Miami, Florida, Commissioned by Miami-Dade Art in Public Places
2005
Waterscape, for San Jose Civic Center Plaza In Collaboration with Douglas Hollis, Artist,Through the Public Art, Cultural Affairs Division, City of San Jose, California
Once Upon a Time in Fresno, US Federal Courthouse, Fresno, California, Commission by General Services Administration
2003
Arroyo Suite, a series of elements creating a passageway MGM Tower, Constellation Place, Century City, Los Angeles, Commissioned by Urban Retail Properties for Cultural Affairs Department, City of Los Angeles
2001
Nine San Francisco Ecologies, 525 Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco Art Commission
2000
Gravity, a series of sculptures in the Vestibule, US Mission to the United Nations New York, General Services Administration
2001 Conceptual Design Approval
1998
Skytones, a time based light volume sculpture
Third Avenue Arcade and Recital Hall Lobby for Benaroya Hall, Commissioned by Seattle Arts Commission and Seattle Symphony with support from Seattle City Light
Cycles, The Courtyard, Queens Civic Court, Percent for Art Program of the of New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York City Department of Design and Construction
Design for Embarcadero Metro Stations in collaboration with Sasaki Associates, San Francisco
1996
Edenvale Garden Park, Hayes Renaissance Conference Center, San Jose, California
Design for Rockridge Branch Library through City of Oakland Cultural Arts Division with Community Group and Marquis Associates, Architects
1995
Sky Dance, Grand Hall, New Denver Airport, CO
1993
Light Passageway, Metro Link, Washington University Medical Center Tunnel, St. Louis with Austin Tao Associates, Landscape Architects & Robert Banashek, Electrical Engineer
Design for Memorial Union North Courtyard, University of California, Davis, with Hargreaves Associates and Douglas Hollis
One of 6 Artists for Design Team with Engineers & Architects for 18 Mile long St. Louis Metro System. which included bridge piers, tunnel stations and station canopy, Design team funded by The National Endowment for the Arts
1992
Everett Arbor, Everett Community College, Washington, Washington State Arts Commission
1989
Chaotic Chains, The Exploratorium, San Francisco, California
1988
Railway Suite, Cal Train, Santa Clara Station, California Arts Council
1987
If Wishes Were Fishes We Would All Cast Nets, Suspended Light Sculpture for Ferrucci Junior High School, Puyallup, Washington, Washington State Arts Commission
Artist in Residence
2003
Sacatar Foundation, Bahia, Brazil
1999
The American Academy in Rome
1989
The Hirsch Farm Project, Hillsboro, Wisconsin
1988–89
The Exploratorium, San Francisco
1986
Djerassi Foundation, Woodside, California
Selected Bibliography
2008
Public Art / A World’s Eye View: Integrating Art Into the Environment throughout the World pg. 180-195 pg. 200-201, published by ICO ISBN 978-4-931154-32-2
Catherine Mason: A Computer in the Art Room: The Origins of British Computer Arts 1950-1980, Published by JJG Publishing
2007
Design Awards, U.S. General Services Administration, US Federal Courthouse Fresno CA. P.06 -09
2006
UC General Services Administration, Federal Courthouse Fresno, California
From Vision to Reality: Public Art at Carnival Center for the Performing Arts. Miami Dade County P. 24 - 29
The Culture of the Structure, directed by Konstantia Kontaxis, film commissioned by Miami-Dade Art in Public Places
Scott Johnson: The Big Idea, Criticality & Practice in Contemporary Architecture
Shawn Bean: “Center of Attention. The Miami Performing Arts Center”: Florida International Magazine
2005
John King: Chronicle Urban Design Writer, “Half-baked dome Mayor's insistence on rotunda detracts from new San Jose City Hall” San Francisco Chronicle
Kelly Flaherty Curley: “Groundbreakers, ” p.39: Silicon Valley
Brad McKee: United States Courthouse, Fresno California, Catalogue
Catherine Mason: “Anna Valentina Murch’s Tent at Interact” Bulletin of the Computer Arts Society – Northern Hemisphere, Page Sixty Two, Special Terminate Cache Issue:
Jack Fischer, Mercury News, Outside, “A parade of floats and a large, cooling water feature will adorn plaza”
2004
Jusina Marinho e Cesar Romero, Correio Da Bahia, Salvador, Brazil “Arts Plasticas Interacao Plural Galeria Acbeu e Fundacao Sacatar Promovem exposicao com artistas estrangeiros
2003
Robert Bersson, Responding to Art: Form, Content and Context, McGraw Hill ISBN 0-697-25819-X Chapter 10, “Architecture and Community Design,” p. 26
2002
Mark Johnstone and Leslie Aboud Holzman, Epicenter: San Francisco Bay Area Art Now Chronicle Books, San Francisco, ISBN 0-8118-3541-3 “Anna Valentina Murch, ” pp.166–169
Garrison Roots, ed., Designing The World’s Best Public Art, Images Publishing, Australia. ISBN 1-8647008-2-3 “Anna Valentina Murch, ” pp. 82–91
1999
“Skytones” Art in America, Public Art in Review
“The Embarcadero, San Francisco, California, ” Land Forum 01, pp. 60–63
Virginia Kent Dorris, “Queens Civil Courthouse, Queens, New York, ” Architectural Record, pp.114–116
1998
James Corner, “Light Passageway, ” pp. 61, 156; and “The Landscape Project, ” p. 35, Designed Landscape Forum 1, Pacemaker Press. ISBN 1-888931-12-4
Public: Art: Space: Pierhead Liverpool P. 84 – 85 Merrell Holberton Publishing London, ISBN:1-85894-048-6
Seattle Arts: Volume 21 No. - 2 , A Seattle Arts Commission Publication, Benaroya Hall Opening
Kristian F. Kofoed, Seattle Weekly “Art for our sake; Art—in all its forms— may be Benaroya Hall's most significant civic contribution.”
“Anna Valentina Murch, Cycles 1997, Queens, New York” Sculpture Vol. 17 No.6, Commissions
1997
Peter Whoriskey, The Miami Herald “The Seven. This Diverse group of artists was chosen from among
“PAC Makes Final Artist Selection”
1996
Sally B. Woodbridge, “A Time and a Place” Anna Novakov, “Veiled Extracts, ” Veiled Histories Conference, Public Art Review
Process Architecture, 128, Hargreaves: Landscape Works Memorial Union North Courtyard, p.120–123 Material appears in English & Japanese
1995
“Denver Airport’s Dawn to Dusk Sky Dance” World Architecture, Issue No, 40
Dick Egner, “Oak Grove Design OK’d for Park” “Oak Grove to Reflect Edenvale History” San Jose Mercury News
Mary Voelz Chandler, “DIA’s ‘SkyDance’ Moves Sight and Subconscious, ” Rocky Mountain News
Stephanie Sanders, “Artist Taps Community for Edenvale Project Ideas” San Jose Mercury News
1994
Jean-Edith Weiffenbach: Art Journal, “What Bay Area?”
Tanya Yatzeck, “Metro Link Rail, St. Louis: A Design Team Collaboration” Maquette, International Sculpture Center
“A Curious Alliance: The Role of Art in a Science Museum” Exploratorium publication
“Rockridge Voters Want This One, ” Daily Pacific Builder “Rockridge Branch Library, ” Progressive Architecture
“Artists Design St. Louis Metro” Art World section, Art in America
1993
“Light Passageway, ” St. Louis Post Dispatch, West End World
“Light Passageway, ” St. Louis Post Dispatch
Channel 2 Evening News (ABC)
Channel 5 Evening News (NBC)
Mary Voelz Chandler, “Artistic project plays on light at the new Denver airport” Rocky Mountain News
Virgil Tipton, “Glass Brightens Tunnel Vision, ” St. Louis Post Dispatch
Patricia Ravarra, “Artists and Architects in Collaboration, ” Oakland Artscape
1992
“Design for Carnegie and Armory Park Blocks” Tucson Arts District Newsletter
Tessie Borden, “Firm unveils plans for amphitheater, landscaping in Armory Park area, ” The Arizona Daily Star
1991
Jeff Huebner, “Unlimited Visibility: Public Art at the New Denver Airport, ” Public Art Review
1989–90
Louise Steinman, “The Underworld Perspective of an Environmental Artist, ” Contemporary Architecture Volume II; Lausanne, Switzerland
1989
Beth Wilcox, “ Creating Art at Artpark, ” Sculpture
Dorothy Burkhart, “Three Who Broke Barriers, ” cover story, San Jose Mercury News
1988
“Conversations with Artpark Artists, ” Arts in Buffalo
Ellen S. Comerford, “A Touching Diversity in Artpark Projects, ” Niagara Gazette
Nancy D’Ambrosio, “Bay Area Artists, ” Horizon
“A Study in Light & Shadow, ” Landscape Architecture
1987
Phoebe Bradley, “The Short List, Art”, Bay Guardian
David Wright, “Installation by Murch”
1986
Graham J. Beal, “SECA Art Award 1987 Anna Valentina Murch” Catalogue, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Ann Seymour, “Favorite Art Picks Around Town” Center Voice, San Francisco Chronicle
David S. Rubin, “Anna Valentina Murch at Khiva, ” Art in America
1985
MaLin Wilson, “Engaging Artist Invites Viewers to Join Her on Higher Ground, ” The New Mexican, Pasatiempo section
Francis Butler, “Shadow in the Visual Arts, ” American Craft
1983
“Video Time Distance”: Audio Visual Installations in Western Australia, The Art Gallery of Western Australia
1982
80 Langton Street: Documentation Catalogue for Presentations from May 1981 through April 1982
“Project Sculpture, ” Catalogue in conjunction with the International Sculpture Conference, Oakland
Who’s Who in American Art
1981
Janice Ross, “Gallery Round Up, ” Oakland Tribune
1980
Guest Speaker, KPFA-FM: “Sculpture in Public Places”
Dorothy Burkhart, “High Season in Full Swing at the Galleries, ” San Jose Mercury News
Janice Ross, “Sculpture with Light and Sound, ” Oakland Tribune
Video Shown at Venezia Biennale, Venice, Italy
1979
Video Shown at Centre Pompidou, Paris, France
Guest Speaker, KUSF-FM: “Fine Arts Spectrum”
1978
Eric Hellman, “Materials Made Alive, ” Artweek
Joanne Dickson, “Sculpture Displays Tough Elegance, ” Palo Alto Times
Ruth Askey, “Inside and Outside the Women’s Building, ” Artweek
1973
“Travels with McGill, ” Evening Standard, London, England
Collections
Joan Eckart Residence, San Francisco, CA
Hargreaves Associates, San Francisco, CA
Sidney and Nancy Unobsky Residence, San Francisco, CA
The Fashion Institute, San Francisco, CA
Roselyne C. Swig, Art Source, San Francisco, CA