Outside Lands Artists in Residence
Founding Curator, 2026
Outside Lands has long celebrated visual art alongside music, food, and culture, creating memorable installations, murals, performances, and creative experiences throughout Golden Gate Park. Outside Lands Artists in Residence (AIR) builds on that tradition through an annual commissioning program that invites Bay Area artists to create original, site-responsive works for the festival.
The invitation-based program celebrates artists whose work reflects the creativity, diversity, and imagination of the Bay Area while encouraging them to expand their practices into the unique setting of Golden Gate Park. Through sculpture, installation, and immersive public art, Outside Lands AIR creates new ways for audiences to experience contemporary art within one of the region's largest cultural gatherings.
Christine conceived, developed, and launched Outside Lands Artists in Residence, the festival’s visual arts commissioning program. She established its curatorial vision and program structure, selected participating artists, and oversees commissions from initial concept development through contracting, budgeting, fabrication, installation, and presentation.
Maria A. Guzmán Capron
Tree Dancers
2026
Outdoor textile installation
Commissioned for the inaugural Outside Lands Artists in Residence program.
Suspended high among the trees, Tree Dancers transforms the canopy of Golden Gate Park into a place of celebration. Monumental textile figures appear to dance overhead, inviting festivalgoers to pause, look up, and experience the landscape in a new way. Inspired by the towering cypress and eucalyptus trees that define the park, the installation celebrates Outside Lands as a place where people come together through music, art, and shared experience.
Maria Alejandra Guzmán Capron's practice explores identity, belonging, and the layered experiences that shape who we are. Raised by South American parents in Italy and now based in the United States, she uses textiles as both material and language, constructing richly patterned figures that reflect memory, adaptation, and the many ways identity is continuously formed. Created specifically for Outside Lands, Tree Dancers brings these ideas into the public realm, using movement, color, and collective celebration to create a joyful expression of connection.
Maria A. Guzmán Capron and Seth Capron
Bay Benches
2026
Powder-coated aluminum and Monterey cypress
Commissioned for the inaugural Outside Lands Artists in Residence program.
Bay Benches is a collaborative project by Maria Alejandra Guzmán Capron and Seth Capron that transforms public seating into an opportunity for connection. Blending sculpture, design, and function, the benches invite visitors to rest, gather, and become participants in the artwork itself.
Building on Guzmán Capron's ongoing exploration of anthropomorphic forms, each bench depicts reclining figures whose bodies become places to sit, pause, and share conversation. Their vibrant colors draw inspiration from the landscape of Golden Gate Park and the energy of Outside Lands, while their relaxed postures reflect the simple pleasure of listening to music outdoors alongside friends and strangers alike. Constructed from powder-coated aluminum and Monterey cypress sourced from around the corner in the Presidio, the benches are designed to endure the park's coastal environment while creating welcoming places to gather throughout the festival.
Oliver Hawk Holden
Bison & Ranger Ruth
2026
Fiberglass, steel, and paint
Commissioned for the inaugural Outside Lands Artists in Residence program.
Oliver Hawk Holden presents sculptural landmarks inspired by the history, character, and evolving mythology of Golden Gate Park and Outside Lands. Blending the visual language of Americana, roadside attractions, public monuments, and festival spectacle, the works transform familiar icons into playful public experiences.
Bison pays tribute to the historic bison herd that has called Golden Gate Park home for more than a century, reimagining one of the park's most enduring symbols as a larger-than-life gathering place and festival landmark. Ranger Ruth celebrates one of Outside Lands' most beloved figures, honoring the people whose warmth, enthusiasm, and dedication have helped shape the festival's culture over the years.
Together, the sculptures celebrate the stories, characters, and traditions that make Outside Lands unique while contributing to a growing collection of festival artworks. Designed for future reuse and expansion, the works reflect the festival's long-term vision of building a visual legacy that evolves alongside Outside Lands