Arts & Entertainment

Comments (0) Best Spot to Leave Kids Nearly Unattended - 2007

James Turrell's Three Gems Sculpture

James Turrell\'s Three Gems Sculpture

James Turrell's Three Gems Sculpture

50 Hagiwara Tea Garden (at Martin Luther King Jr.)

San Francisco, CA

415-752-4227

Map & Details>>

Created specifically for the northwest corner of the de Young Museum's Osher Sculpture Garden, Three Gems, is the first of several "skyspace's" by James Turrell. Though this glorified cement hole in the ground's artistic qualities are debatable, we can't overstate its role as a great place to keep kids distracted with minimal supervision. The sculpture is in essence a simplified walled maze. A main entrance corridor branches out into two pathways that meet in a circle, with an entranceway to the aforementioned light chamber on the opposite side. This means that adults can stand and chat at the entranceway while the kids run around in the interior. The stupa has acoustics that turn shouts and squeals into shuddering echoes. The kids have no escape but to return to the entrance, so adults can nearly ignore them as they sprint around hooting and hollering until they tire out, usually around 40 minutes. Hip art tip: Catch tourists inside making like they're in some sort of Buddhist meditation chamber. The kids' racket will drive them out within 90 seconds. Extra art points: For an additional 20-30 minutes of offspring distraction, create more family-friendly conceptual art by giving your own three gems Silly String inside the sculpture.

Download our Free Best Of App

Write Your Comment

*indicates required fields. Please enable browser cookies before filling out this form. All reader comments are subject to our Terms of Use. By clicking Add Comment, you acknowledge that you have reviewed and agree to these Terms.

Comments may take a few minutes to process and appear on the site. Please do not click the "Add Comment" button again while your comment is being added.

  • *
  • *
  • *
  • *

    (The four characters are not case sensitive):

Search Best Of Awards

for free stuff, concert and dining info & more!

Best of Award Graphics

Browse Voice Nation
  • Voice Places

    Voice Places

    Discover restaurants, nightlife, travel, shopping...

  • VOICE Daily Deals

    VOICE Daily Deals

    Get 50 to 90% off every day on restaurants, movies, massages...

  • Best Of

    Best Of...

    More than 10,000 of the BEST things to eat, drink, and experience

  • My Voice Nation

    My Voice Nation

    Join the Village Voice community and get exclusive deals and info

  • Happy Hour

    Happy Hour

    Your local Happy Hour guide at your fingertips

or

Log in or Sign up

Social Connect:

Use your favorite account to access My Voice Nation.


Use your My Voice Nation account to log in:





Forgot password?
or

Sign Up or Log in

Social Connect:

Sign up for My Voice Nation with your preferred network.


Sign up for a My Voice Nation account:



Privacy policy