Crazy creations
By Michelle Fitzhugh-Craig
If you’ve been to San Francisco’s Exploratorium, chances are you’ve seen Scott Weaver’s work.
Weaver is the creator of “Rolling Through The Bay” — an abstract “sculpture” of San Francisco made entirely of toothpicks and Elmer’s Glue.
It highlights many of the City’s landmarks and famous streets and also has some of Weaver’s favorite childhood memories. It pays homage to his family who has called the area home since the mid-1800s.
From the Lombard Street, cable cars and the Golden Gate Bridge — the pieces that started it all — to Japantown’s Peace Pogoda and the Ferry Building clock tower, it all jumps out at you quickly, making it pleasantly overwhelming. Looking closer, I’m able to see the Painted Ladies, Chinatown and pieces that pay homage to the Golden State Warriors and their 2022 championship win.
Oh yeah, the rolling part.
Throughout the exhibit there is a system of ping-pong ball tracks, which Weaver drops balls into one via 15 entry points so that your eye is drawn to not only their motion weaving through the display, but the more detailed features of the exhibit, as well: Tiny crabs near Fisherman’s Wharf, the native plant life peppered throughout the city and even the Redwood trees that line the base of Mt. Tam’s outline, which I had never noticed before. The intricacies are amazing and at the same time made me want to know more about the man behind the art. So I asked.
Weaver is part of five-generations of San Franciscans — the original family home located at 518 12th Ave. And yes, he is happy to point out the toothpick house and street where everything began. I found out it was in 1969 at age 9 that a fourth-grade project first grabbed his attention to create with wood. He added ramps and balls to it and found it kept him busy and was something that “blew his friends’ minds.”
It wasn’t until 1974 that the then 14 year old began building what is now RTTB. Weaver says he wanted to trigger a feeling of nostalgia in those who remember searching the Hidden Pictures page of “Highlight’s Magazine,” sitting in the waiting room during doctor office visits.
“Finding Waldo” is what came to my mind.
When he married Rochelle, his wife of 34 years, instead of birdseed thrown at the end of the ceremony, guests tossed toothpicks, which he gathered up and broke into smaller pieces to create a 3D toothpick heart inside his depiction of the Palace of Fine Arts. When the sun hits exactly right, the heart’s shadow can be seen on a nearby Exploratorium wall.
Weaver has worked for about 49 years on the installation in total, logging more than 6,400 hours and using around 170,000 toothpicks. He continues to add new items, including the Salesforce Tower, which took about four months to finish and consists of 4,621 pieces of toothpicks, and has a ball inside that spirals 18 times. Next up: The Chase Center.
Weaver spends every other Sunday at the Exploratorium, narrating the ball tour and pointing out some of the personal tributes he’s created. These include the four clock towers that can be found around the City, which capture the birth times of his son, mother, wife and himself.
The creation is unique, interesting and dare I say inspiring. However, like many works of creativity, is only a veil covering a deeper story filled with history, self-expression and emotions, which — at least for me — provides a new respect and appreciation for the diversity of art. I enjoyed the display as much as, if not more than, my grandkids.
Weaver worked 37 years for Lucky’s Stores as a Produce Manager before moving to Sonoma Regional Parks for four, where he retired. He’s run numerous marathons, is a juggler and has made friends with people from around the world, many who have gifted him with toothpick variations to incorporate into his exhibit. He’s been on TV all over the globe and won first place in 2014 for his Rohnert Park “Christmas castle” on ABC’s “The Great Christmas Light Fight.” Today, Weaver is 63, but prefers to say he is 15 and three quarters, since he is a Leap Year baby.
Although not the largest toothpick creation, Weaver says other creators claim “Rolling Through The Bay” is unofficially the world’s largest kinetic toothpick sculpture. I look forward to visiting Weaver and his exhibit again soon, and I was so moved by our conversation that I asked: Looking back at that young boy who started it all — what would you say to him knowing what you know now?
The question — and answer — took us both by surprise and audibly, it emotionally hit him hard, helping me better understand what makes “Rolling Through The Bay” so special to so many: “If you have a dream, believe in yourself, no matter what others are saying. Have confidence within yourself to stick with something and keep going.”
This comes from a man whose dad left “on a trip” when he was 7, heard nothing from him for eight years, dealt with substance abuse and now is proudly 24 years sober. And Weaver says he has no intention of stopping what he’s doing.
Just when I thought I had experienced all “Rolling Through The Bay” had to offer, I learned that like Weaver and his dream, there is always more.
MICHELLE FITZHUGH-CRAIG is an award-winning journalist who is the owner of MFC3 Media and publisher/founder of shades Magazine (shadesmagazine.com).
She’s president of the Exceptional Women in Publishing’s board of directors and a three-term board member for the National Association of Black Journalists. Fitzhugh-Craig is the mother of four grown children and five grandchildren. She lives in Oakland.
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