Art Glass

Rather than use conventional stained glass for the portico window wall in its entirety, the artist opted to employ a glass lamination technique first perfected in France during the late 1950's and early 1960's, in which individual glass elements are directly attached to existing glazing.  This approach allows for a design that effectively acknowledges the window wall as a whole in a manner that a piecemeal or partial stained glass cannot.

"Art Glass" conveys a sense of interaction between the Federal judiciary system and the daily life of the surrounding community.  In acknowledgement of the importance of the new western portico and window wall as a penetrable face to the public, Smith created an aesthetic focal point that does not impede views into or out of the building; rather, approximately 6,000 glass lenses, 1 3/8 inches in diameter, and 1,200 two-inch glass squares were inserted into the glass wall in linear and curving patterns.  The glass squares are diachronic, meaning that they shift in apparent color according to the angle form that they are viewed.  Thus, the movement of people around and through the building becomes an important part of the aesthetic experience of the art.  While the transparency of the wall is preserved, the twinkling, elusive art captures attention and draws the viewer to the Courthouse  for closer inspection or introspection.