REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Action to Receive Artwork Donation from the Santa Clara City Library Foundation and Friends
Report
BACKGROUND
On November 15, 2016, the Santa Clara City Library Foundation and Friends (SCCLFF) received a donation of an artwork entitled “The Sky Way,” an original painting by the artist Chen Wan Shan, valued by the artist at $60,000 at the time of the donation.
Chen Wan Shan was born in China in 1962. A graduate of The Academy of Fine Art of China in 1985, and a teacher at Tsinghua University in Beijing, his paintings and sculptures have been exhibited frequently in museums and public venues in China, including a solo exhibition at The China National Museum of Fine Art. After moving to New York City in 1992, his later work became heavily influenced by his experience as a Chinese immigrant, reflecting a special interest in social equality and the environment.
The artist shared the following thought about The Sky Way, preserved on the painting’s placard: I look toward the heavens where the mountains meet the sky, there I see the sacred home of my people. I can’t help but notice the sacrifices we have made in the name of progress. I want to connect the material world with that of the spiritual. Lamenting what was lost yet still imagining what is possible in the future.
The original donation agreement to SCCLFF (Attachment 1), dated November 15, 2016, stipulated that The Sky Way would be displayed to the public for at least five years. The Sky Way has been seen by millions of visitors to the Central Park Library over nearly ten years, displayed above the main lobby staircase.
DISCUSSION
On October 20, 2025, the SCCLFF Board (“the Board”) voted to approve the donation of The Sky Way to the Santa Clara City Library. The donation letter from SCCLFF to the City of Santa Clara (Attachment 2) specifies that the SCCLFF wishes to donate the painting to the Santa Clara City Library and expects that it remain part of the Library's art...
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