August 2020

Earlier this year, the old J.C. Penney building on Evergreen and Main was completely renovated and converted to The Quinn by local developer Cascadia Development Partners. The vertical signage serves as a nod to the historic sentiment of the building, while a full renovation includes expanded window lines, a new energy efficient heating/cooling system and ADA accessibility throughout. Not to be overlooked, was the inclusion of art.

“Cascadia has been supportive of the arts in downtown Vancouver since it completed its first office building renovation in 2014 and we will continue to provide opportunities to local artists in our future projects,” said Scott Lindgren of Cascadia. The Quinn was to be no different, so they turned to Anne John for advice and help in implementing their art strategy. Anne is a prolific and well-known artist in the region. With the encouragement and support of friends, Anne John opened Art At The Cave in 2017.

Anne brought the idea back to the gallery and ultimately commissioned local glass artist Andrew Lueck to create and install a sculpture for the Main street entrance and foyer, “We decided we needed something with a street value impact, rather than just a large painting. We felt a large glass sculpture with around the clock lighting would really fit the bill, so we reached out to Andrew Lueck of Firehouse Glass.”

Greg Lueck and Rebecca Seymour opened Firehouse Glass in 1999. Their son Andrew manages and works in the space which offers art glass, demonstrations, classes, as well as custom work. “When I (Andrew) was approached in February, I immediately recalled a painting I’d made in high school. I had always envisioned it as something else – something 3-dimensional. This seemed like the perfect application.”

In addition to his work at Firehouse, Andrew is a father of 5 who has been working independently on a remodel of his house. He also does odd jobs for friends and family. Amidst juggling these responsibilities, Covid-19 erupted and created additional considerations. After a pause, and the sorting out of fixture and chandelier details, the installation was completed on August 4th.

Anne shared, “It has been a few months in the making, but I am very excited to see it come to fruition. Andrew has kept me abreast of his plans and process via notes, drawings and photos. I really just let him do his thing. I don’t particularly feel it is necessary to prod an artist with ideas of my own.”

Andrew has done all the glass work and fabrication himself, with exception to the electrical/lamp parts in the chandelier and the glass sheet at the base. The sculpture weighs approximately 165 pounds and uses color LED lights and glass spheres to create an ethereal and calming effect, inspired by the growing light within that arrives with inspiration.

The piece, which is currently untitled, can be viewed day or night from the street. Just pull up to The Quinn on Main Street in downtown Vancouver, and enjoy the inspiring glow of creativity, made possible by community collaborations and an investment in the arts.

Posted: August 19, 2020 by Sharon Svec