Background
Jo Hanson was born on August 1, 1918 in Carbondale, Illinois.
Jo Hanson was born on August 1, 1918 in Carbondale, Illinois.
Hanson obtained a Master of Education from the University of Illinois and a Master of Fine Arts from San Francisco State University.
She moved to California in 1955, first living in Marin County, before settling in San Francisco in the early 1970s where she purchased and restored Nightingale House, located on Buchanan Street to landmark status. Hanson died at her home, of cancer, on March 13, 2007. As an extension of her work on the Nightingale House, Hanson set out to address the litter on her street.
Her commitment to sweeping the sidewalk outside her home evolved into a public art project and city-wide initiative against littering.
Her work was known for incorporating the detritus she collected while sweeping. She also played a key role in saving the murals of Coit Tower and the restoration of the murals at Golden Gate Park"s Beach Chalet.
In 1990 Hanson conceived of and initiated the establishment of the Artist in Residence Program at Recology. The residency assists artists who use discarded materials in their art and raises public awareness about recycling.
Its launch coincided with the introduction of curbside recycling in San Francisco due to state legislation passed in 1989.
To date more than 100 artists have participated in the program including Estelle Akamine, Jim Growden, Susan Leibovitz Steinman and William Wareham. Recology has also influenced the development of similar programs such in Philadelphia and Portland.
Foreign six years during the 1980s Hanson was a vocal member of the San Francisco Arts Commission pushing for the inclusion of underrepresented artists of in the city"s art collections, specifically women and people of colour.