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FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2015
Vol. CXXIV, No. 94
OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE CITY OF TACOMA Devoted to the Courts, Real Estate, Finance, Industrial Activities, and Publication of Legal Notices
Published Published Since Since 1890 1890
Tacoma Dome
33 years later, Vincent Fremont recalls Warhol's Tacoma connection
By Todd Matthews, Editor Thirty-three years ago, Vincent Fremont was managing Pop artist Andy Warhol's New York City studio when a commission landed on his desk and intrigued both Fremont and his boss. The City of Tacoma was building a $28 million indoor arena, and $280,000 was set aside for public art. While the building was under construction, the City convened a panel of art experts to attract high-profile, blue-chip artists to submit art proposals. Warhol was one of several artists asked to create original art for the Tacoma Dome. Whether it was the dollar amount ($4,500 to submit a proposal; $280,000 if the proposal was selected) or the scale involved (Warhol envisioned the Dome's 260,000-square-foot roof as a giant canvas for his art) that piqued Warhol's interest is still unclear today, but the artist created an original design for Tacoma and directed Fremont to submit the work. On Jan. 26, 1982, Fremont wrote a simple, twopage proposal to officials at Tacoma City Hall. "Andy Warhol would like to see the Tacoma Dome as a large flower," he wrote. "The center of the flower would be at the top of the Dome with large wide petals covering the circumference of the Dome. The design of the flower is a composite of different flowers that Andy has put together to make it a unique flower from the imagination, a flower's flower." The letter included an acetate version of the flower, as well as questions about how to install the art. "How the giant flower is to be mounted on the Dome still has to be worked out," wrote Fremont. "There are different materials that could be used, like fiberglass with epoxy paint, enamel coated sheets of lightweight material, vinyl, ceramic tile, porcelain, et cetera. The flower could be made here or completely fabricated in Tacoma with the participation of its citizens as indicated in the design phase literature sent to us." In the end, four artists—Stephen Antonakos, Richard Haas, George Segal, and Warhol—created art for the Dome. Antonakos CONTINUED envisioned a roof painted ON PAGE 2 RIGHT: The Pop artist Andy Warhol was commissioned in the early 1980s to create original art for the Tacoma Dome. Warhol submitted this acetate version of a flower he designed for the iconic arena's roof. (IMAGE COURTESY CITY OF TACOMA)
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