Client: The City of Morgan Hill

Location: Morgan Hill, CA, United States

Completion date: 2016

Artwork budget: $212,500

Project Team

Artist

Gordon Huether

Gordon Huether Studio

Industry Resource

F+H Construction

F+H Construction

Overview

Tarantula has a diameter of approximately 12 feet and the glass panels for Poppy Jasper measure 26'H x 19'W and 26’H x 11'W. The total art budget for these two art pieces is $425,000, the biggest art investment in Morgan Hill's history.

Goals

‘Tarantula’ is designed to be whimsical, colorful and cheerful. The annual migration of tarantulas, who are native to Santa Clara County, is celebrated in Morgan Hill at Henry Coe State Park each October with the ‘Tarantula Festival’. The 'Tarantula' installation subverts the tarantula’s fearsome presence by reimagining it as an amusing, three-dimensional arachnid crawling up the façade of the parking structure’s Fourth Street entrance. The installation is composed of hundreds of vintage-style headlights for the spider’s body and is adjoined by eight vibrantly red powder-coated waterjet cut aluminum, outstretched legs. 'Tarantula' is not only a playful addition to the Parking Structure, but also celebrates nature’s beauty through artwork that radiates with light and color.

Process

Gordon Huether Studio was part of a design and build team that submitted a proposal package in response to the City of Morgan Hill’s request for proposals for the parking garage. The design team, made up of Gordon Huether Studio, F H construction and WMB architects, worked closely with the City of Morgan Hill to ensure a successful project outcome.

Additional Information

When the renderings of the proposed 'Tarantula' artwork were initially released to the community it created a lively web of conversation. En par with Huether's belief that good public art stirs conversation, 'Tarantula,' has already become a beloved and iconic public art piece in the city of Morgan Hill.