Have you ever driven past the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts (PAC) on 5th Avenue and looked up? The next time you are at the stoplight at 5th and F, take a moment and look up. Inside the Skybridge connecting the Egan Center to the PAC is a beautiful work of art full of heart.
Cast in bronze and covered in crystal jewels, it was made by the artistic duo Shala Dobson and James Dault for the PAC’s 10th anniversary in 1999. The artists wanted to emphasize the connectedness the PAC has to the Anchorage community. The young circus boy has a secret inside, he has a velvet heart with the phrase “May the wise heart of the master always be centered in our youth” sewn in.
This piece holds even more heart though. The artists dedicated the piece to Jesse Withrow, a former student of Shala’s who was killed by a drunk driver on July 3, 2000, and Ken Haynes, an ironworker who was killed in an accident at his shop while working on the skybridge materials. They will forever live on in our theater and community.
About the Artists
Shala Dobson and Jim Dault are collaborative Alaskan artists based out of their home studio in Meadow Lakes where they work in a wide range of mediums such as drawing, painting, sculpture, and art installation. Shala Dobson was born in Alaska and taught art in the Anchorage School District for 23 years. During her teaching career she was voted Alaskan Art teacher of the year twice. She is a member of the National Arts Education Association and the National Museum of Women. Jim Dault was born in Anchorage and has collaborated with Shala Dobson on many 1% for Public Art Commissions in Anchorage and throughout the state. He has received numerous art awards and many of his pieces are on display in private collections.