Wisdom of Place Spirit Walk: Urban Exploration and Art Making
Downtown San Francisco
Saturday, August 29th: 10 AM - 1 PM
Join landscape architects Elizabeth Boults, and Chip Sullivan for a magical journey in search of the genius loci – the spirit of place – as we explore two iconic San Francisco plazas through drawing, field sketching, and collaging.
Gain insights into the creative forces and hidden currents of nature as we weave through the historic urban fabric. We'll start at the Sydney G. Walton Square, designed by Peter Walker in the 1960s to evoke an alpine meadow in the heart of the Embarcadero Center, and conclude at Levi's Plaza, a corporate campus designed by landscape architect Lawrence Halprin and inspired by the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Elizabeth and Chip will guide the group through the modern landscapes, providing prompts and instruction as we fill our sketchbooks. To open the workshop, participants will be invited to create a personalized oracle card, with materials provided by the instructors. (See Wisdom of Place, published by Elizabeth and Chip for more information.)
No sketching experience is required to register for this spirit walk. The workshop is open to artists at all levels, from beginners to professional designers. The first 20 registrants will be provided with a complimentary sketchbook.
Detailed instructions on meeting point and schedule will be provided upon registration. Please note that this event will include a walk from Sydney G. Walton Square to Levi's Plaza. Registration is limited, but a waitlist will be opened if the event meets capacity.
About our instructors:
Chip Sullivan is an artist and professor emeritus of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning at University of California, Berkeley, who has devoted his career to promoting landscape architecture as an art form. Chip has earned national and international recognition for his expertise in landscape representation as well as innovative energy-conserving design. He is a
Fellow of the American Academy in Rome, the American Society of Landscape Architects, and the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture.
Elizabeth Boults is a licensed landscape architect and educator with over 25 years of professional and academic experience. Her areas of focus are landscape history, representation, and site design. She is a SITES Accredited Professional who maintains a landscape design practice founded on promoting environmental consciousness and ecological narratives. She is senior lecturer in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at University of California, Davis.
Together they have co-authored Illustrated History of Landscape Design (Wiley, 2010), Wisdom of Place: A Guide to Recovering the Sacred Origins of Landscape (ORO Editions, 2024), as well as Wisdom of Place: Elements of Sacred Landscapes oracle deck (ORO Editions, 2025). In 2026 they co-led spirit walks at Ruth Bancroft Garden and with ASLA at Presidio Tunnel Tops.
Cancellation Policy: Please notify us at info@cglhs.org if you need to cancel your registration so that we can notify the next person on the waitlist. Full refunds will not be granted after Aug. 22.
Photos provided by Elizabeth Boults, Chip Sullivan, and Janet Grayck. From top to bottom: students sketching during a spirit walk; a handfull of oracle cards from the Wisdom of Place tarot deck; Levi's Plaza in 2026; past urban spirit walk; co-instructors Chip and Elizabeth.
