ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : A Pioneering Step for the Arts

For a place whose most recognized artwork might be the statue of John Wayne at the airport named for him, Orange County is spreading its wings in the display of public art. First, one of the county’s largest landowners has disclosed a plan to levy a fee on builders that will make artworks part of the public landscape.

Second, if the County Board of Supervisors approves a $250,000-per-year art plan for the airport’s new terminal Dec. 22, one of the county’s most visible locations would become a center for the fine arts and the performing arts under a plan financed primarily by airport user fees.

Under the first proposal by Foothill Ranch Co., a subsidiary of Hon Development, nearly all companies that plan to build in their 2,700-acre, $2-billion planned community in South County will be required to contribute 1% of their construction costs to an art fund to place murals, sculpture and other art in the community.

Developers, of course, have commissioned artworks in the past. Eight years ago, developer Henry T. Segerstrom commissioned prestigious artist Isamu Noguchi to design a rock sculpture garden in the South Coast Plaza Town Center corporate courtyard.

But the Foothill proposal apparently marks the first time in Southern California that a developer has taken the initiative in proposing a full-fledged arts program. Most such programs are imposed on developers by government agencies such as the city of Brea, whose public arts program so far has produced more than 90 artworks.

Foothill’s precedent-setting program comes at a time when the housing market has slowed and prices are rising--by no means reassuring trends for building investors who hope to recoup the added cost of artworks. And there is always a question of whether the public will find the art worthy.

But, as Hon Development executive Gerald E. Buck, who came up with the idea for the arts program, said, the company seized a unique opportunity to do something special. Hon is to be commended.