CRANE: A Temporary Monument in Five Movements
Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, San Francisco | October 9, 10, 16 & 17, 2026
CRANE transforms the Shipyard’s nearly 500-foot gantry crane into a temporary public monument through projected archival photographs, moving light, original music and community voices. Unfolding in five movements, the work honors generations of Shipyard workers, especially the African American families who helped build Bayview Hunters Point.
As CRANE’s lead historian, Stacey Carter brings decades of Shipyard research, her photographic archive and ongoing work with Bayview seniors to the project. Created in collaboration with Ian Winters, Elaine Buckholtz, Evelyn Ficarra and William Rhodes, the work combines archival imagery, oral histories, spoken word performances by Bayview seniors and singing by the Dr. George W. Davis Senior Center Choir to bring the Shipyard’s people and stories into view at monumental scale.
Presented by Shipyard Trust for the Arts (STAR), CRANE is the culminating event of the San Francisco Arts Commission’s 2026 Shaping Legacy season of temporary monuments.
Experience the work:
All four performances stream free at crane.video starting at 7:45pm PST
Ticketed watch parties take place October 9 at Zaccho Dance Theatre and October 16–17 at Hunters Point Shipyard Artists Building 101. Performances begin at 7:45 p.m.
Event details and tickets
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| CRANE TEAM: Ian Winters, William Rhodes and Stacey Carter photographed by the San Francisco Arts Commission for their Shaping Legacy Temporary Monuments Grant Team members not shown are Elaine Buckholtz & Evelyn Ficarra |
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CRANE Project Team
Produced and Directed by:
Barbara Ockel Project director and producer who conceived CRANE and assembled the artistic teamand institutional support behind the project. Through Shipyard Trust for the Arts, sheleads its development, partnerships, fundraising, and implementation.
Artistic Team
Elaine Buckholtz Light installation artist specializing in large-scale, site-specific installations that illuminate outdoor monuments, cathedrals, and industrial structures. Her work creates immersiveenvironments that respond to place, scale, and history.
Stacey Carter Artist and historian focused on the history of Hunters Point Shipyard. Her work combines archival research, historic imagery, and public engagement to bring forward the stories oflabor, community, and industry embedded in the site.
Evelyn Ficarra Composer and sound artist whose work explores memory, place, and collective listening. She creates layered sound environments using field recordings, voice, and experimentalcomposition.
William Rhodes Visual artist and community collaborator known for socially engaged projects that centerstorytelling and lived experience. Through his quilt projects, he has documented HuntersPoint Shipyard history in depth, and he is a key connector to the main senior center in Bayview Hunters Point.
Ian Winters Media and installation artist working with video, projection, and large-scale public environments. His work integrates technology and storytelling to activate architecturalspace and engage audiences in immersive visual experiences.
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SHIPYARD HISTORIES
Hunters Point Shipyard History Quilt Project
Shipyard artists Stacey Carter and William Rhodes
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| Installation view Shipyard History Quilt Project by Stacey Carter & William Rhodes, 2024 |
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Over the past year, Shipyard artists Stacey Carter and William Rhodes have worked with seniors from the Bayview Hunters Point community to preserve the history of the Hunters Point Shipyard through the Shipyard History Quilt Project. Seniors participated in history workshops at the Dr. George W. Davis Senior Center, exploring the contributions of African American workers during key moments in the shipyard's history. Through these sessions, participants examined historic photographs, newspapers, and shared personal stories, uncovering deep connections to their families and community.
Stacey Carter, artist and shipyard historian, contributed historic photographs along with the stories behind them, which deeply resonated with the senior community. William Rhodes transformed this imagery, along with personal stories from participants and their portraits into elements of the quilts through his artistic process. The project culminates in a series of quilts crafted by William Rhodes and the seniors, each telling the unique stories of the shipyard. Historic documents and video interviews by Stacey Carter add context and preserve community voices and experiences.
At the heart of this exhibit are stories of resilience and determination. The African American men and women who came to Hunters Point Naval Shipyard seeking jobs played a vital role in the war effort, often working under perilous and discriminatory conditions. Their efforts not only helped end World War II but also laid the foundation for the civil rights movement. Today, their descendants remain integral to the Bayview-Hunters Point community, now recognized as San Francisco’s African American Arts and Cultural District.
About the Artists
Stacey Carter A shipyard artist since 1998, Carter has transformed her studio into a mini-museum, offering tours focused on the shipyard's history, with information on the challenges faced by the Black workforce. A painter of the urban environment, she was drawn into the shipyard's history through her artistic exploration of its historic buildings.
William Rhodes A STAR Artist-in-Residence and director of the intergenerational art program at the Dr. George W. Davis Senior Center, collaborates with local seniors to turn family stories into community quilts, creating artworks that celebrate the history and resilience of African Americans.
Support Acknowledgement This exhibit is made possible by grants from the California Arts Council and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, the San Francisco Arts Commission, the Zellerbach Family Foundation, and California Humanities.
We would also like to thank Bayview Senior Services for their collaboration and contributions.
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