New county building may also turn into an art destination

Dale Chihuly created this blown-glass arrangement on the ceiling of the Bellagio Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. Chihuly's work, albeit on a much smaller scale, will grace the atrium of the new San Joaquin County administration building, which is due to be completed in the middle of next year. (Courtesy photograph)

New county building may also turn into an art destination

By Ross Farrow
News-Sentinel Staff Writer

Thursday, May 22, 2008 6:32 AM PDT

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Have you ever been to the Bellagio Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip and looked up at the ceiling in the lobby?

There's a colorful piece of blown glass created by world-renowned artist Dale Chihuly. On a much smaller scale, you will soon be able to see his work once the new San Joaquin County administration building is completed.

The Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 on Tuesday to allocate $1.6 million for art projects in the county administration building under construction at San Joaquin Street and Weber Avenue.

The artwork will include:

• An atrium art piece made of blown glass that Chihuly will create. The art piece, measuring 9 by 6 feet, will be amber, gold, green and pale blue. This alone will cost $225,000, plus another $75,000 for site preparation, installation, engineering, foundation construction and shipping.

• A water feature outside the entrance will be created by Laddie Flock, who owns Natural Rock Formations in Lockeford, landscape architect Jeff Gamboni of Stockton and artist Scott Runion of Stockton. Cost is $200,000, plus a $1,000 honorarium to all artists who responded to the request for proposal. Annual maintenance cost is $1,500.

• A county seal in etched glass measuring 10 feet in diameter. It will be along the secondand third-floor walls. The seal will incorporate an agriculture and water theme. Cost is up to $70,000.

New building at a glance

Location: Southeast corner of San Joaquin Street and Weber Avenue.
Stories: 6.
Size: 250,000 square feet.
Cost: $109 million.
Estimated completion date: May 2009.

Source: San Joaquin County

Who is Dale Chihuly?

Dale Chihuly, who has been commissioned to create a blown-glass sculpture for San Joaquin County's new administration building, has works on display all over the world.

In Northern California, Chihuly will have a large Persian chandelier and other artwork on display from June 14 through Sept. 28 at San Francisco's de Young Museum. He will also have a saffron neon tower in the museum's Pool of Enchantment and a yellow orb 15 feet in diameter called Yellow Sun in the Court of Honor at San Francisco's Legion of Honor.

Internationally, Chihuly's works can be seen in England, Spain, Holland, Monaco, Italy, China and Canada.

Born in 1941 in Tacoma, Wash., Chihuly was introduced to glass while studying interior design at the University of Washington. He later enrolled in a glass program at the University of Wisconsin.

In 1971, Chihuly co-founded Pilchuck Glass School in Washington state, which attracts students and teachers from throughout the world.

Source: de Young Museum, Diane Farris Gallery

"I believe we are going to create a destination just to see the art," Supervisor Leroy Ornellas said Tuesday.

The county included 1.5 percent of the building cost dedicated to art, said Gabe Karam, the county's capital projects director. Many cities and counties allot about 2 percent of construction costs to artwork, Karam said.

In Lodi, developers are charged 2 percent of the project cost for the city's Art in Public Places program.But in the county's case, San Joaquin County — also known as county taxpayers — is the developer, so the money for the artwork is coming from the public coffers.

While county artists are being used for the water feature, the Board of Supervisors chose Chihuly because his work is known all over the world, Karam said. The atrium piece will gain in value in future years, he added.

In addition, local painters' works will have paintings hung on the first, second and sixth floors. Selections haven't been made yet, Karam said.

Contact reporter Ross Farrow at rossf@lodinews.com.

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