Giant Sea Serpent Sculpture Unveiled in Golden Gate Park

A Magical Encounter in Golden Gate Park

Hannah Macauley and Alex Zaldastani were taking their dog, Ruby, for a walk through Golden Gate Park when they stumbled upon an unexpected treasure. Resting along the JFK Drive pedestrian promenade was Naga, a 100-foot sea serpent that had been a highlight of Burning Man 2024. The sight brought back memories of the festival, and for Macauley, it was a moment of pure joy.

"I thought we'd never see it again," she said, stopping her walk to join a growing crowd of admirers. "That's the most magical thing about San Francisco. You are out walking and you stumble upon your favorite things."

Naga is set to become even more enchanting in the coming days. Rainbow Falls, a 50-foot manufactured waterfall, will be activated to fill the pond where the sculpture sits. The grand opening will feature bubbles and mermaids, followed by a night lighting ceremony on July 28. The artwork, located at the western end of the promenade, is expected to draw visitors from all over, especially those who make the trek downhill from the de Young Museum.

James Mitchell, a resident of the Outer Sunset, has been watching the progress of Naga with his two young sons. On Sunday, the family stopped to take in the view, with the boys immediately heading toward the dry lakebed. Mitchell reminded them not to play on the sculpture but allowed them to climb the hillside at the dragon’s tail for a better look.

"It's going to be super cool when they put the water back," he said, expressing excitement about the upcoming changes.

Even with its concrete base fully exposed, the spectacle was enough to cause a traffic backup during AIDS Walk San Francisco as people posed for group photos and selfies. Some likened the scene to the Loch Ness Monster, with lights.

Firefighters from Station 23 in the Sunset also stopped to take a look, marveling at the unique installation. Mike Crehan, a firefighter, joked about what might come out of the tail, saying, "I hope it's not fire." However, artist Cjay Roughgarden, who designed Naga, noted that dragons, not serpents, deal in fire. "Sea serpents don't breathe fire, they blow bubbles out of their nose, obviously."

Roughgarden, who owns a metal fabrication shop called Element 26 in Richmond, took a year off work to focus on the construction of Naga. The sculpture, named after a species of mythical Southeast Asian protectors, is assembled from five separate humps, each made of a steel frame and mesh, covered by aluminum scales painted teal. More than 5,000 scales were hand-shaped by a small team of volunteers, totaling over 250 people.

The project, which took three years to complete, was funded entirely by Roughgarden's credit card. She estimates the total cost at $350,000, though she notes that paying everyone would have added up to around $2 million.

Ben Davis, founder of the public art organization Illuminate, saw a rendering of Naga at a cocktail party and knew it would fit perfectly in the park. He brought it to the attention of Rec and Park General Manager Phil Ginsburg, who approved the installation for the greenish pond before it was even built. Illuminate helped raise funds and is responsible for presenting all the temporary public art on the Golden Mile of JFK Drive, which is closed to auto traffic.

After its premiere at Burning Man, Naga became the largest public art installation in the history of Golden Gate Park. Davis, who has been involved in art in the park since the Summer of Love 50th anniversary psychedelic light show in 2017, described Naga as a breathtaking work of art. Ginsburg praised the installation, noting that it is the largest art installation on the JFK Promenade.

The conversation surrounding Naga will continue this fall with the completion of a second part of the installation: a shipwreck to be built off to the side. Fundraising for the shipwreck, titled "The Captainess," is ongoing, with a goal of $250,000. The project will be installed in October by Stephanie Shipman and Jacqulyn Scott.

The full title of the work is "Naga & the Captainess," and it tells a complex story worthy of a graphic novel that Roughgarden has in mind. "Naga is friendly, but he'll sink your ship if you're doing the wrong thing, like a good protector does," she explained. "I hope he helps bring back some of the spirit of the old San Francisco, to help people step out of the mundane."

For Beth Ludwig and Margaret Campos, who drove in from Walnut Creek after reading about Naga on social media, the experience was worth the trip. "We like seeing the sculptures from Burning Man around the Bay Area," Ludwig said, expressing mild disappointment at finding the artwork uncompleted. "We'll come back," she said. "A lot."