Sweet, a stainless steel sculpture by Wayne Zebzda, was dedicated at Aiea Public Library on September 29, 2016. Attendees at the dedication ceremony included First Lady, Dawn Amano-Ige, Representative Sam Kong, State Librarian Stacey Aldrich, and artist Wayne Zebzda and family. The ceremony included a koto performance by Darin Miyashiro and speeches by Matthew Brown, District Administrator, West Oahu and Hawaii; Stacey A. Aldrich, State Librarian, Hawaii State Public Library System; Bonnie Arakawa, Art Advisory Committee Member; Jonathan Johnson, Executive Director, Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, Wayne Zebzda, the artist, and Tina Takamoto, Branch Manager, Aiea Public Library, and Chair, Art Advisory Committee. The blessing was performed by Reverend Shawn Yagi and joined by members of the Art Advisory Committee.
The Aiea Public Library is located on the site of the former Aiea Sugar Mill. Sweet considers the site’s history and uses a simple sugar molecule as its inspiration. In chemistry terms it is referred to as glycolaldehyde (C2H4O2) and considered to be one of the building blocks of life on Earth and in the cosmos. The mirrored metal orbs symbolize individual atoms and are meant to reflect the library and its role as an information hub for the community to research and explore life’s mysteries. The artist, Wayne Zebzda, was selected by an Art Advisory Committee, who also assisted with the selection of a location, the medium and theme of the work of art, and review of the design proposals. For more information on the Art in Public Places Program and commissioned works of art, please visit the Commissioned Works of Art page.
This article was originally published in the November 2016 issue of the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts eNews email newsletter. To subscribe to eNews, sign up here.