Did you know that the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts is home to 26 labyrinths? No? All you need to do is look up. 

Labyrinths are mazes that have been used since ancient times, most famously as the home of the ancient Greek beast, the Minotaur. You’ll find the labyrinths of the PAC are a bit less frightening. Installed during building construction in the 1980’s, artist Ed Carpenter designed 26 labyrinths made of marbles designed to represent the artist’s journey. Carpenter created each of these 52x60” labyrinths to be an actual maze with a path from the outside to the center, or the heart of the soul of the artist. 

To create these pieces of art, Carpenter used plastic grids, each of which had 3,120 potential marble openings. It is estimated that over 75,000 specially designed marbles were used for this project! Once each design was complete, copper sheeting was used to cover the grid openings that were to be blacked out, and chemicals were used on the copper to create the black patina.  

Unique labyrinths are found across the entire building. There are 14 in the South Lobby, 4 in the Grand Hallway, and 8 in the North Lobby. The next time you visit the PAC, look up and enjoy the art that surrounds you.