“I feel lucky to work in place that not only values art, but allows its employees to contribute to the beauty of the building.” – FOX 50’s Glenn Dion
The artist: FOX 50’s Glenn Dion stands beside his panoramic photo of the Raleigh skyline taken from the Dorothea Dix campus. The piece is now on display as the backdrop for the lobby of CBC’s headquarters on Western Blvd.
The backdrop behind the reception desk at CBC’s headquarters on Western Blvd now has a new look. On Thursday, July 16, 2015, the scene changed from a large-scale photograph of the WRAL Gardens to a panorama of downtown Raleigh from the viewpoint of the Dorothea Dix campus.
FOX 50 Creative Services Producer Glenn Dion took the photo after volunteering for the assignment.
“WRAL Station Manager Jim Rothschild sent an email asking if anyone would be willing to get a shot from Dorothea Dix that showcased the Raleigh skyline,” explained Dion. “I thought it sounded like a fun project, and after getting a general idea of what they were looking for, I went out one afternoon to get the shot.”
CBC President & CEO Jim Goodmon came up with the idea for the photo art after the City of Raleigh finalized the contact to purchase the Dix property on May 5, 2015. The Council of State voted unanimously to approve the state’s sale of the 308-acre campus to Raleigh on that date.
Goodmon was an integral part of the campaign to support converting the Dix hospital campus into a park rather than having the land fall prey to more commercial development. The Dorothea Dix Mental Hospital announced plans to close about a decade ago. As one of the Dix Visionaries, Goodmon helped spearhead the battle to keep the campus as a green space for the capitol city.
The CBC art committee plans to rotate the large-as-life photographs behind the glass wall in the lobby at least quarterly. To follow the spring garden photo, Goodmon suggested a view from the Dix campus.
“The lobby wall is unique and we wanted the city to be positioned in a certain way, so I shot with a lot of wiggle room,” explained Dion. “I knew the image needed to be huge, so I took a sequence of 4-5 pictures then stitched them together in Adobe Lightroom.”
Dion walks past his work every day as he goes through the CBC lobby.
“It’s pretty cool seeing something I shot so big,” said Dion, “and I feel lucky to work in place that not only values art, but allows its employees to contribute to the beauty of the building.”
About Glenn Dion
Dion minored in photography at Appalachian State University, and continued to learn as a producer for Appalachian’s University Communications Department. He says, “Boone’s a great place to learn photography. The mountains offer a beautiful and diverse landscape year round, and working for the university gave me access to amazing opportunities, like shooting on Grandfather Mountain at sunrise.” Dion joined the staff of FOX 50 in March 2014.
Thanks to FOX 50’s Gayle Hardy for these capcom photos.
On Thursday, July 16, 2015, the lobby of CBC’s headquarters on Western Blvd gets set to change from a WRAL Gardens backdrop to a new Raleigh skyline photographed from the Dorothea Dix campus.
On Thursday, July 16, 2015, the lobby of CBC’s headquarters on Western Blvd gets set to change from a WRAL Gardens backdrop to a new Raleigh skyline photographed from the Dorothea Dix campus.
The WRAL Gardens photograph is removed from the display wall behind the lobby desk, making way for new art on Thursday, July 16, 2015.
Installation of the new photography begins in the lobby of CBC’s headquarters on Western Blvd on Thursday, July 16, 2015.
Installation of the new photography continues in the lobby of CBC’s headquarters on Western Blvd on Thursday, July 16, 2015.
Installation of the new photography continues in the lobby of CBC’s headquarters on Western Blvd on Thursday, July 16, 2015.
Art installer Ryan works to mount a photograph of the Raleigh skyline, taken from the vantage point of the Dorothea Dix campus, on the wall of the CBC lobby on Thursday, July 16, 2015.
Installation is complete. A photograph of the Raleigh skyline taken from the Dorothea Dix campus now hangs in the lobby of CBC’s headquarters on Western Blvd.
Installation is complete. A photograph of the Raleigh skyline taken from the Dorothea Dix campus by FOX 50’s Glenn Dion now hangs in the lobby of CBC’s headquarters on Western Blvd.
The artist: FOX 50’s Glenn Dion stands beside his panoramic photo of the Raleigh skyline taken from the Dorothea Dix campus. The piece is now on display as the backdrop for the lobby of CBC’s headquarters on Western Blvd.
