Half Moon Bay artist selected for SF hearts program

“San Francisco has always been this really significant cultural and creative hub in my life, and I've always admired the work that the mission of the Zuckerberg General Hospital has done,” Delott said. “I had seen the hearts before, but never connected them to the hospital.”

The art pieces will be auctioned off at an annual gala Feb. 6, said Jenna Casey, San Francisco General Hospital Foundation director of communications.

The hearts program originally began in 2004 and the gala auction tradition started not much later, in 2006 — and all proceeds from sales of the hearts supports equity and innovation at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, Casey said.

“Any heart that you see out in the city is a symbol of a past donation to the hospital. So if you see them, for the exception of the ones in Union Square, any one that you see anywhere else, someone purchased it once upon a time and installed it for the public to enjoy,” she said.

Miniature, tabletop-sized hearts are largely purchased for private residences, but more than 100 of the sculptures can be spotted in yards, office buildings and public parks throughout the city and the Bay Area at large. A full map of the hearts can be found here.

Hearts range in typical price from $5,000 to $100,000, Casey said, and have been created by a diverse array of artists.

Delott submitted three templates of her work for the S.F. Hearts project in the summer, she said. The design that was selected came from a painting of hers called “Hidden Gems,” and she was then tasked with remaking that design onto the heart itself.

“As an artist, it's a big challenge, but it's also a wonderful opportunity to work in a different medium,” she said. “For me, it was a very exciting project.”

The public art project also connects people of all kinds to the work of the hospital foundation, Delott said.

“It really is like a magnet. They think it's an incredible thing that you got this great heart, you’re an artist, your work is on this, but it also draws them into the work that the foundation is doing, which I think is really amazing,” she said. “It's like a heart magnet.”

The program has become a beloved intersection of public health and public art as well as an important fundraising opportunity for the hospital, which services all of San Francisco and northern San Mateo County, Casey said.

“We are the pediatric center for everyone who needs us. We are the emergency center for everyone who needs us. So we are really there for whoever you are, regardless of your situation,” she said.

For Delott, who grew up in Indiana, the diverse landscape of the Bay Area and the coast serves as a constant inspiration for her vital, vibrant artwork. Having that artwork as part of the hearts program creates another level of purpose and joy, she said.

“There's an extra energy to it. It's not like, ‘oh, I'm doing my work. I'm painting my everyday painting that sparks joy in me.’ This has another purpose to it,” she said. “It's going to take on a life of its own. Once it leaves my house or my studio, it becomes part of the fabric of San Francisco.”

holly@smdailyjournal.com

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