Sacramento Supervisors Waste More Money
Sacramento County supervisors today approved on a 3-2 vote a 56-foot long, red fiberglass rabbit for Sacramento International Airport’s planned new terminal building. The rabbit would soar across the terminal’s four-story atrium hall towards baggage claim below, where waits a sculpted stone suitcase with a swirling liquid vortex on its surface. The artist is Lawrence Argent, an art professor at the University of Denver.
Arts leaders and artists called it a great addition to the local art scene, a piece that will put Sacramento and its airport on the map. The rabbit is estimated to cost $767,000. A breakdown of the sculpture costs, provided by the artist, include $500,000 for materials and fabrication of the rabbit and an additional $42,000 for fabrication of the suitcase. Shipping the rabbit to Sacramento will cost nearly $15,000. Installation will cost another $15,000. An additional $17,000 would go to buy and install lighting for it; and $10,000 for the invisible cables it’ll hang from. Argent estimated his artist fee at $127,800.
By county ordinance, airport officials are required to spent a certain percentage of the new terminal’s construction costs on art. Guess who passed that county ordinance? Yup our own supervisors. Now in this economy the supervisors are forced to spend $800K. Money that could really do some good in the region.
