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On November 29 2011, the exhibition On Display in Orange County: Modern and Contemporary Sculpture opened to the public in a pop-up gallery in the South Coast Plaza Penthouse. On view without admission charge through January 2, 2012, the exhibition revealed the fascinating process of commissioning and creating 12 remarkable sculptural works that are now on display in Orange County in the South Coast Metro area, an important corridor for art between Segerstrom Center for the Arts and South Coast Plaza.

Organized by independent curator Bonnie Rychlak, former curator at the Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum along with Sean Saint-Louis and Lamar Sulaka of Orange County Films, the exhibition explored how a number of these site-specific works were created—from conceptual sketches and blueprints to models and finished sculptures—and offered a context that deepens the experience of viewing the sculptures themselves, which are all located within easy walking distance. Photographs, artist’s renderings, maquettes, time lapse film and video work as well as archival materials survey these works, made by a roster of sculptors that includes some of the most influential artists of the twentieth century: Jean Dubuffet, Joan Miró, Alexander Calder, Isamu Noguchi, Richard Serra, James Huntington, Charles O. Perry, Tony Smith, Henry Moore, George Rickey, Aiko Miyawaki, Richard Lippold and Marion Sampler.

“From Richard Serra’s scale model of his incredibly large Connector sculpture, to the photographs of  Joan Miro’s Oiseau, this exhibition explores the fascinating and often lengthy process through which the artists create sculptures that were commissioned to embellish public spaces,” stated Ms. Rychlak. “This contextual exhibition of iconic post-war-era sculptures is a public invitation to learn about and enjoy these impressive works of art on display at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts and South Coast Plaza.”

The sculptures featured in the exhibition were purchased or commissioned by Henry T. Segerstrom, Managing Partner of C.J. Segerstrom & Sons, to be displayed publicly and made accessible to pedestrians visiting or working in Orange County.

“I am delighted that so many people will be able to learn about the creative process behind these wonderful works of art and then simply walk over to see sculptures themselves,” stated Henry T. Segerstrom, the cultural philanthropist who for more than 30 years has been building the cultural landscape of Orange County. “This exhibition reflects our ongoing and deep commitment to bringing top-tier art to enrich the lives of those living, working and visiting in Southern California.”

During the run of the exhibition, visitors joined docent-led walking tours of the artworks.

While most sculptures featured in the exhibition are installed at the nearby Segerstrom Center for the Arts Community Plaza, Tony Smith’s massive 800-pound white marble sculpture Fermi has been relocated and placed just outside the exhibition gallery.

The South Coast Plaza exhibition is in line with the Segerstrom Family’s on-going efforts to chronicle artistic advancement in Southern California and coincides with Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945-1980, an unprecedented region-wide collaboration of more than 60 cultural institutions, coming together to celebrate the birth of the Southern California art scene.

On Display in Orange County: Modern and Contemporary Sculpture draws from the Segerstrom Foundation’s vast collection of twentieth century art. One of the collection’s key sculptures explored in the exhibition is Richard Serra’s Connector, a monumental 64-foot-tall steel sculpture. While Serra’s sculpture actually towers outside the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, a 23-inch-tall model accompanied by drawings and photographs allow visitors to imagine how Serra conceived of the massive tower. Another fascinating story explored in On Display in Orange County: Modern and Contemporary Sculpture is the genesis of Richard Lippold’s Firebird, a soaring architectural sculpture that dominates the Grand Arch wing façade of the original performing arts center.

Opening festivities for the exhibition include a late-afternoon gallery reception inside the exhibition as part of the Pacific Standard Time Orange County and Long Beach Focus Weekend on December 3 and 4. As a sponsor of the initiative, South Coast Plaza will also provide free shuttle buses to carry visitors among participating museums and galleries. The weekend celebration of art also includes a host of special programs, including free or discounted admission to participating museums and curatorial exhibition tours. In addition to the South Coast Plaza and the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, the focus weekend programming partners include Chapman University’s Guggenheim Gallery, the Orange County Museum of Art, the Laguna Art Museum, the University Art Gallery at University of California Irvine, the University Art Museum at California State University Long Beach, the Long Beach Museum of Art and the Museum of Latin American Art.

On Display in Orange County: Modern and Contemporary Sculpture is made possible through the generous support of presenting sponsor South Coast Plaza. [Insert Tiffany’s sponsorship language].

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About Segerstrom Center for the Arts

The roots of Segerstrom Center for the Arts date back to 1974 when South Coast Plaza, a Segerstrom family partnership, donated land in Costa Mesa, California, to an outstanding young theater company, South Coast Repertory (SCR), for construction of a new home. Encouraged by the meteoric success of SCR in the 1970s and early 1980s, South Coast Plaza gifted a 5-acre site adjacent to SCR to an embryonic community cultural group, Orange County Music Center (later renamed Orange County Performing Arts Center — OCPAC), for construction of the 3,000 seat multi-purpose Segerstrom Hall.

The outgrowth of these initiatives was the establishment of Segerstrom Center for the Arts, as officially announced in 1999 with a new gift of six acres of land. Set aside by the donors for the creation of a multidisciplinary arts center, the land was to be used for a major expansion of South Coast Repertory, the construction of a world-class concert hall and the development of a distinguished visual arts facility. These six acres have now become the site of the expanded South Coast Repertory, which opened in 2002; the beautiful 2,000-seat Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, designed by Cesar Pelli, which opened in 2006; an arts plaza, featuring the Richard Serra sculpture Connector; and a parcel of 1.64 acres for the future home of the Orange County Museum of Art, which is being designed by Thom Mayne and his firm Morphosis and is scheduled to open in 2016.

About South Coast Plaza

South Coast Plaza is Southern California’s ultimate shopping experience with over 280 boutiques and department stores attracting visitors from around the world. It is recognized as one of the nation’s most luxurious shopping destinations for fashion, jewelry, home furnishings, spa services, and dining. South Coast Plaza is located in Orange County, California within minutes of Southern California’s finest beaches, museums, theme parks, and golf courses, and is adjacent to the world-renowned Segerstrom Center for the Arts. For more information, visit www.southcoastplaza.com or telephone (800) 782-8888.