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Jamestown, Rhode Island – Rhode Island-based architectural glass artist Paul Housberg has designed a site-specific, permanent public art installation for the Grand Lobby of The George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Theater, a brand new performing arts center in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. Sponsored by the Salt Lake City Public Art Program and titled Ribbons in Time, this project references the region’s geological strata as well as the time-based nature of theater, dance, and music. The theater, designed by world renowned architect Cesar Pelli, is now open to the public and serves as a beacon of creative light and energy for the city’s Main Street.
Ribbons in Time consists of over 100 high lites, each 4’ x 8’, of bent, tempered, and laminated glass panels with colored interlayers comprising the balustrades of the second and third floor balconies of the lobby. Housberg notes, “In treating the railing panels, I considered the holistic experience and interplay between the familiar (the ritual of going to the theater) and unfamiliar (the new experiences that come with every show). The intent ultimately was to create flowing ribbons of color that enhance the elegant yet festive atmosphere of the lobby.” The installation’s colors were inspired by the blues and grays of the Great Salt Lake, the yellows and oranges of local sunsets, and the golds and pinks of nearby canyons. The sequence of colors emphasizes the curvilinear and sculptural nature of the balconies. The installation is visible through the building’s façade and illuminated at night, beckoning to passers-by and drawing visitors into the theater. Ribbons in Time also is 1 of 100 projects (out of more than 2,400 submissions) to be featured in New Glass Review 38, the annual survey of glass in contemporary art, architecture, craft, and design published by The Corning Museum of Glass, in Spring 2017.
The George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Theater celebrated its grand opening in October 2016 and is Salt Lake City’s newest performing arts center. This state-of-the-art venue features the 2,500-seat Delta Performance Hall, an intimate black box theater, event and rehearsal spaces, a 6-story Grand Lobby, an outdoor plaza, and a galleria which connects the theater to the adjacent 111 Main Office Tower. As part of Salt Lake County Center for the Arts, the Eccles Theater’s various spaces host national touring Broadway, concerts, comedy and other popular entertainment events, as well as innovative local performances and community events. To learn more about the Eccles Theater, please visit https://artsaltlake.org/venue/eccles-theater.
Paul Housberg is internationally recognized for his inventive applications of glassworking technologies in architectural settings, including hospitality, corporate, healthcare, public, and residential spaces. Central to his work are the tactile qualities of glass and the expression of its materiality. Born in New York City, Housberg studied painting early in his career, but was drawn to glass for its atmospheric color. After receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts degrees from the Rhode Island School of Design, he studied in England with Patrick Reyntiens, a pioneer in contemporary stained glass. Later, as a Fulbright Scholar, Housberg pursued his art at the International Center of Glass Research (CIRVA) in Marseilles, France. He has created art glass installations for Princeton University, Mayo Clinic, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Temple Adath Israel, and California State Teachers’ Retirement System Headquarters (CalSTRS), among others. Housberg currently lives and works in Jamestown, Rhode Island. To learn more about Paul Housberg, please visit https://glassproject.com.
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