Hubbell-Pacific Portal
|  |
Hubbell is Not Just a Telescope
Tip of the Week: June 21, 2008
Every culture, in every time, artists have always been the weather vanes, the truth-tellers, the bearers of beauty, and the ones who make visible the invisible values of their world." -Cay Lang
Once you see a Hubbell, you will understand his work's infectious
popularity. There is no better way to get the full expression of the
artist than to see and experience his beautiful and imaginative creations. James Hubbell is a reknowned artist and San Diego's own. Like Niki De Saint Phalle, his public art is all around San Diego. Finding his work is half the fun, seeing and touching it is the other half. Hubbell's artistry is mixed with his humanity. To that end, he created the Ilan-Lael Foundation, a nonprofit arts and education foundation that promotes cross cultural exchanges with other nations.
As an artist, part of Jim's vision is creating, but he goes beyond that with his passion for cultural exchanges.
San Diego has been the beneficiary of one of those exchanges with the "Pearl of the Pacific." A project in conjunction with the Port of San Diego, Pacific Rim Park and the Ilan-Lael Foundation. In 1998, it took 30 days, architectural students from four countries, a crew of many of others from varied backgrounds, and a pretty cool spot on Shelter Island, to create this gateway park. Let us tell you, even if you aren't crazy about schlepping around to see art, you can't beat this location.
Short on time? Wanna save gas? You can see these three Hubbell pieces wham bam:
- Pacific Portal at Shelter Island
- Pacific Spirit at Shelter Island
- Pearl of the Pacific at Shelter Island
Map
The "Pearl of the Pacific" is part of the Pacific Rim Park Project intended to build bridges rather than splits within our global community. Currently, there are four parks, all tying to the Pacific Ocean and Pacific Rim. There is another park in the planning stages to be created in 2009. They hope to
create one park per year eventually including 30 countries in the project. Each park has a pearl in its midst which, symbolically, adds to the string of others in the Pacific Rim region. It is a means to connecting us all, one to the other.
A visit to the Pearl Fountain will show the Chinese, Mexican, and Russian influences. Look closer and one can see the park's tile work which reflects the countries of the Pacific Rim. Take the kids and have them point out the various elements that make up this unique and beautiful piece of art.
Hate to do this to you, but we have too much information on Hubbell for just a "TIP," you can find out more about James Hubbell...
| 
