Anna Valentina Murch

Anna Valentina Murch was born in Dumbarton, Scotland, as the only child of Norman Robbins Murch and Valentina Gordikova Murch. Her father, a naval commander, established a charity for women and children following his retirement. Murch's mother, originally from St. Petersburg, met her husband in Shanghai during World War II. Subsequently, Murch's mother became an actress in London and played the role of Annushka in a film adaptation of Anna Karenina (1948), which was released in the same year as Murch's birth. Murch was raised in London. She attended Croydon College of Art and earned degrees from the University of Leicester and the Royal College of Art in London (1973). She also did graduate work at the Architectural Association in London (1974-1974). == Career ==

In 1976, Murch moved to San Francisco and had a live-work studio at Project Artaud. From 1983 to 1992, she taught at various institutions, including the San Francisco Art Institute and at the University of California, Berkeley. In 1990, she had a residency at the Exploratorium. In Miami, she designed Water Scores, a public plaza with inclined waterfalls. She was part of a team that was commissioned to help with the design of the St. Louis Metro. One of her last designs was Archipelago, a courtyard for the trauma center at San Francisco General Hospital. In 2010, Murch gave an oral history interview to the Archives of American Art. ==Notable works==

• Waterscape (installed in front of San Jose City Hall, 2005) • Skytones (Seattle, 1998) • Confluences (Seattle) • River Wrap (Portland) • Oasis (Brea, California, 2006) • Umbra (Charlotte, North Carolina) • Archipelago (San Francisco) • Folded Light (Santa Fe, 1985) • Light Passageway (St. Louis, 1993) • Cycles (New York City, 1997) File:9th_Street_Station_03.jpg|alt=Image of Umbra, 9th St Station, Charlotte, North Carolina|Umbra, 9th St Station, Charlotte, North Carolina. Anna Valentina Murch and Douglas Hollis designed this train stop as a white canopy with curved blue glass windscreen, inspired by Charlotte's historic textile industry. File:Garden_Park_(1997,_Murch)_2.jpg|alt=Image of Sculpture Garden Park, Eden vale Garden Park, 1997|Garden Park, Eden vale Garden Park, 1997 File:Tilikum Crossing's First Light (21264044709).jpg|alt=Image of Tilikum Crossing's First Light ceremony 2015|Image of Tilikum Crossing's First Light ceremony 2015 File:Fountain at San Jose City Hall.jpg|alt=Image of Waterscape fountain at San Jose City Hall|Waterscape fountain at San Jose City Hall == Personal life ==

In 1988, Murch married fellow environmental artist Doug Hollis. == References ==