2006 ART IN PUBIC PLACES AWARD

The Architecture Foundation of Orange County (TAFOC), announces that artist Richard Serra and patron-of-the-arts Henry Segerstrom will jointly receive the 2006 Art in Public Places Award for the new sculpture, Connector, at the new Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa. This annual award is part of a program to acknowledge and encourage outstanding public art in Orange County.

Connector consists of five twisted, sinuous steel plates that stand together, forming a hollow structure that visitors can walk into and through. The steel plates are fused at the top, leaving a pentagonal opening to the sky. Up close, the surface of the steel is painted beautifully by natural oxidation and weather, leaving a complex pattern. At 64 feet tall and 360 tons, the structure is an impressive focal point between the new concert hall and the Performing Arts Center.

The award recognizes the aesthetic qualities of the work while also acknowledging the considerable technical aspects of its installation and the patronage of Henry Segerstrom.

This year, The Architecture Foundation of Orange County will also present two Awards of Special Recognition for two additional, important public art endeavors. One award recognizes The Great Picture, a photograph on canvas exposed and developed in one of the airplane hangars at the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station. On July 12, 2006, the six photographic artists of The Legacy Project (www.legacyphotoproject.com) unveiled the world's largest photograph at a reception held inside the world's largest camera. This magnificent photograph is three stories high by eleven stories long and provides a panoramic view of a portion of the former military base that is destined to become the heart of the Orange County Great Park. The photograph may be exhibited again in May. The award will go to the six photographers: Jerry Burchfield, Mark Chamberlain, Jacques Garnier, Rob Johnson, Douglas McCulloh, and Clayton Spada.

The other Award of Special Recognition is given to artist Gerard Stripling, for Repose, a metal piece that stands on a narrow peninsula in Treasure Island Park, Laguna Beach. Five metal arcs are arranged to recall the rock formations and ocean waves below.

The award recipients were among several Orange County public art projects nominated and discussed by a five-person jury based upon goals and criteria established by The Architecture Foundation of Orange County. Jurors included: James Curtis, Landscape Architect at EDAW in Irvine; Tony Delap, Artist and educator; Marc Pally, Artist and Art Program Consultant; Connie Glenn, former Director of the University Art Museum at California State University, Long Beach and; Ruth Meghiddo, AIA, TAFOC Board Member and Architect.

The awards will be presented to recipients on October 21, 2006, as part of the American Institute of Architects Orange County annual awards program to be held at 7 Degrees, Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach.