Wander the halls of Levi’s Stadium, and you’ll encounter all the expected sights: branded swag at the team store, peach cobblers and poke nachos at the concession booths, a fleeting glimpse of Sourdough Sam, perhaps — and paintings.
Joe Montana passes to Jerry Rice in full canvas glory — painted by Bart Forbes — in one corridor. Three fans cheer from the bed of a pickup truck in a triptych by artist Ben Alexy. And down by the luxury suites, you’ll find a stunning final flyby over Candlestick Park by Tom Mosser.
That intersection of football and fine arts comes courtesy of Sports and the Arts founder Tracie Speca-Ventura, who first saw the possibilities as a teenager, walking into a Southern California art gallery for the first time.
“It was a sports/arts gallery — only one of its kind — and something in me just clicked,” she says.
It was the winter of 1989, and the student athlete at Cal State Northridge had just landed her first arts-related job at the gallery in Sherman Oaks.
“I was organizing my first art opening with the L.A. Kings a couple months later and having the time of my life,” says Speca-Ventura, who played tennis at CSUN. “I was 19 years old.”
Three years later, she launched her own company, Sports and the Arts (SATA), on the Central Coast. The San Luis Obispo-based company designs, curates and implements large-scale art collections at sports venues across the country, from the 49ers’ Levi’s Stadium to the Green Bay Packers’ Lambeau Field. SATA has worked with the New York Yankees, the Miami Marlins, the Minnesota Vikings and recently, the Golden State Warriors, who wanted to liven up Chase Center in San Francisco.
But with more than 200 original works by 23 artists, the art collection at Levi’s Stadium is something special. Naturally, we had questions.
Q How did you become interested in art?
A I grew up around sports with a very sports-centric family. I always have been visual. And when I walked into the gallery, I instantly understood the visual impact of storytelling and art. A way to create powerful moments celebrating sport and the athlete. Capturing the moments of ecstasy, agony and celebration through movement and energy.
Q How did you get that first gallery job?
A When I first walked into the gallery, I told the owner, “I don’t know a lot about art, but I know a ton about sports, and I can sell anything.” Confidence of a 19-year-old. And I jumped right in.
Back then, I loved the job so much, I would have done it for free. Meeting and working with both the artists and athletes, it was exciting and so interesting. They all came from different environments and had great backgrounds and history. The common thread was how passionate and dedicated the artists and athletes were to the pursuit of their crafts.
Q Can you tell me what Sports and the Arts does in a nutshell?
A SATA works with our clients to create a customized collection of works — art, photography, graphics, sculpture, etc. — that bring their walls to life. We include the local area and people from all walks of life, as well as the sport/athletes themselves, in installations that captivate with storytelling and powerful content.
Q How comprehensive is one of these projects?
A Our research and development can take a couple years for each specific project to unearth stories, unique visuals and allow the time to build robust environments throughout the buildings. We cull through thousands of images and styles before making final selections and finding the voice of the area.
Q How do you decide which themes and works to pursue? Does it change from team to team?
A Team involvement is key, and we partner with each client to set tone, style and concepts from day one. Many of our creative presentations unlock new ideas and paths to explore. The artwork portion of each building project becomes a celebratory experience (that) represents the team, area and artists in a positive and powerful manner.
Q How does the particular city or region factor into the design?
A Engaging the local elements is paramount in our storytelling. Celebrating the history with music, regional environmental aspects, stories of the past and, of course, sports are a way to bring the community together.
Q Paintings and arenas are an unexpected combination. Why does a sports venue need art?
A With huge walls and space available in these venues — blank canvases – it is a privilege to lay the template for the audience. We use the word “storytelling” a great deal, as it describes the moments, installations and ability to walk throughout the corridors and engage the viewer in a dynamic way.
Sure, you could hang a bunch of jerseys up, but it would be stale, get old. Our interest is to create a museum-level experience throughout the venue and have the fans always seeing or catching something new when they walk the building — layering elements and ideas, so the fan wants to come back for more.
Q What kind of feedback do the teams get from the public — the sports fans — once a project is finished?
A How do you engage the superfan? Give them images, stories and ideas they have forgotten or did not know exist. The public embraces inclusion of community works, local people and ideas and has been so complimentary of our installations.
We’ve had people find older photos of family members, areas and moments that touch the heart strings and make the venue much more personal — all by coincidence and discovery.
Q How did the relationship with the Niners unfold?
A We were thrilled to team with the Niners and Levi’s Stadium. With the move to the Santa Clara venue (in 2014), the Niners wanted to embrace the Northern California environment and really celebrate the region. Engaging local artists and photographers to celebrate the team and history was an exciting project. We brought in elements from the 1800s to the present day.
Q We’re all obsessed with the Niners of the 1980s Niners — Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott. Did you have to work hard to limit the amount of ’80s memorabilia?
A Celebrating the rich history of the team with not just specific players but also moments in time is visually impactful. (We were) focusing on certain players and their success, obviously, but also featuring old program artwork from the early days, celebrating the bygone era. It is a tapestry of decades and moments.
Q We’ve talked about football, of course, but you’ve worked at Chase Center, too. Can you tell us about that?
A Chase Center was a great project to work on with the contemporary feel of the building and the inclusion of music, culture and team. We included many local artists — and the Warriors championship teams were a pleasure to showcase.
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