Swimming Through The Air

With turned head and raised arm, a female freestyle swimmer takes a breath and strokes the metal undulating water of a ‘stationary mobile’ at the entrance of the Dolores Bengtson Aquatic Center.  A flying bird paces the swimmer through the brass, bronze, copper, and steel water patinas. It is accented with lacquer paint. The two and three-dimensional sculpture is 7 feet tall, 19 feet long, 1 foot deep, and weighs about 2,500 lbs. It was commissioned by the City of Pleasanton for $80,000 and installed in 2001 at 4455 Black Avenue.

In January 2000, over 40 artists answered the request for a proposal from a selection committee composed of a representative from the Parks and Recreation Commission, Civics Arts Commission, sports and swimming community, and citizens at large.  Four finalists were selected. The selection committee communicated to each artist the desire to develop an art piece that would be harmonious with the award-winning architectural design of the Aquatic Center.  The Center has a 50-meter Olympic-sized pool, a 25-meter “L-shaped” lap pool with an attached diving well and two 1-meter diving boards, and a shallow pool with a waterslide. Each of the artists produced a model of their proposal and displayed their maquette at the Pleasanton Public Library from December 18-January 31, 2001.  The public was invited to comment on the proposals. At the end of January, William Ware’s “Swimming Through The Air” was selected.

William Ware attended Baylor University in pre-med and began his career doing illustrations for Physiology and Biology. His commercial art experience took him to Palma De Mallorca, Spain, where he met and was inspired by the works of Juan Miro. Moving to New York, Ware became an illustrator and featured cover artist for the Saturday Evening Post and accepted corporate and public commissions. His work is in numerous public and private collections throughout the United States including the Seven Bridges Foundation in Greenwich, Connecticut, and the Nascar Museum in Indianapolis, Indiana. Eventually, he settled in Palm Desert, California where his sculptures can be found all over the Coachella Valley.

Jan Coleman-Knight