In 1973, Henry T. Segerstrom and his family selected the architectural firm Gruen & Associates to design and build South Coast Plaza, the largest shopping center in California. To complement and enhance the design, the firm suggested that a skylight be a part of the overall architecture of the area called Jewel Court and recommended the work of the artist and graphic designer Marion Sampler, who had been working for Gruen & Associates. when the Segerstroms viewed the proposed design for the dome, they immediately commissioned it. The installation of the stained glass ceiling was set into the roof of the building. It continues to dazzle the public and bring color and light to this central hub of South Coast Plaza. Perhaps one of the least-known designers, Sampler worked for Gruen & Associates (formed in 1946 in Los Angeles) his entire career, but he also partnered with Anita Berry. Their company, Anita Berry and Marion Sampler Design, counted the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood as its major client. Four of Sampler's work are held in the collection of the California African american Museum (CAAM), received as gifts from art collector and former trustee of the Los Angeles Country Museum of Art, Leon Banks.
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