When Was The Last Time You Visited The Rock?

I learned about the name, “The Rock” Alcatraz Island is often referred to, in the movie “The Rock” starring Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage. We first visited the island over 30 years ago when we first came to San Francisco. Last week, we returned, to see the exhibition of the works of the well-known Chinese artist, Ai Weiwei. If you are not interested in Chinese art, his name might not be familiar to you. He became well-known worldwide not only as a great artist, but also as a vocal critic of the Chinese government. As a result, he was detained for 81 days in 2011 and is still not allowed to travel abroad.

The idea to create an exhibition in the former prison was the brainchild of the curator Cheryl Haines. Unfortunately, Ai could not visit Alcatraz during the planning of the exhibition. One of the installations shows portraits of 175 people from around the world who have been detained because of their beliefs or affiliations. Ai calls them “heroes of our time”. All the portraits are constructed from LEGO™ bricks. With this project, the artist aims to expand our understanding of the “purpose of art, which is the fight for freedom”.

The trip to Alcatraz not only gave us an opportunity to see the creation of the legendary artist, but for a brief time to see the island. (We only had time to visit the exhibition, and we are planning to come back.)

We live in a remarkable city. San Francisco is known for many attractions and thousands of tourists visit the city and “The Rock” everyday. There are those who take a 15 minute boat ride to visit an important part of our city’s history. Today, Alcatraz Island is part of the Golden Gate National Parks. It served the army as a fortress and military prison and as the Department of Justice’s maximum security federal penitentiary. There are many interesting stories that surround “The Rock”, which housed many famous inmates—like Al Capone and Robert “The Birdman” Stroud.