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Star Grid by Gary Simmons
Photo CreditBrian Forrest
Star Grid
Photo CreditBrian Forrest

Star Grid

Artist
Year2016
Classification painting
Medium enamel paint on fiberglass panels
Credits Commissioned through the Art in Architecture Program
Fine Arts Collection
U.S. General Services Administration
Location

  • Gary Simmons wrote this description of his artwork for the U.S. Courthouse in Los Angeles:


    “I selected the courthouse lobby as the location for my work, because it’s the building’s thoroughfare.  It’s important to me for the art to be accessible to everyone who enters the building.


    “I designed the work to compliment the architecture of the courthouse.  The lobby provides tremendous natural light as well as a very high ceiling.  My paintings were conceived to work with these architectural elements: to both enhance and be enhanced by the building’s structure and design.


    “Given that entering a courthouse can be a stressful experience, I hope that my artwork provides respite, or a moment of peace, in which the viewer can experience a sense of hope and solace.


    “Shooting stars are a recurring icon in my work because, for me, they conjure feelings of hope, acts of dreaming, contemplation of the future, and nostalgic memories of childhood.  My hope is that my work will do what shooting stars do: cause those hurrying to and fro during their work day in the courthouse to stop for a moment and pause.”