Paul Ramírez Jonas
Artist in the Public Realm









 
We Make the Treasure, 2014





︎︎︎


   


    MATERIALS:  Crane, rowboat, ghost of the Bee’s Wing, buttons, copper discs, US pennies, crayons, custom minted coins, the public.

   
    In 1863 the schooner the Bee’s Wing sank as she returned to San Francisco. This piece asks us to imagine that the Bee’s Wing has been found next to the Exploratorium. This work offers multiple ways to participate. The public may spot the outline of the ship emerging from the bottom of the sea. They may use a crane to interact between the bay and a row boat loaded with some of the Bee’s Wing’s cargo. The rowboat is a place to find, exchange, and value a cargo comprised of buttons, copper discs, US pennies, crayons in the shape of pennies, and a custom minted coin.  All of which will be available to take, trade, and exchange. We Make the Treasure asks that the public assigns value to this treasure. 


    We Make the Treasure is in keeping with the Exploratorium’s long tradition of participation, engagement and wonder; and it is a continuation of the artist’s own interest in these very same things.