Sacramento County’s Paul F. Hom Primary Care Center (PCC) opens its doors to community members who need the medical care and other services provided at the facility.  But the doors do not open onto a cold, impersonal environment.  Rather, visitors to the facility find themselves surrounded by a wide assortment of artwork, often depicting very familiar scenes.

Installed as part of the Art in Public Places program, the pieces are the work of 28 local artists.  The program brings art into places that are accessible to everyone. 

While construction of the facility was underway, an art selection committee researched and chose the pieces that would be displayed at the center.  Committee representatives came from the local community, the Art Commission, the developer, and the Department of Health and Human Services.  They constantly kept in mind that work they chose had to display excellence, reflect the population served at the center, and fit within the project budget. 

The finished collection is the work of local artists.  It reflects the cultural diversity of the surrounding community.  Many of the pieces depict the neighborhood and the local area.  The artists used a range of media to create the finished works, including painting, tile mosaics, enamel on paper, textiles, photography, and sculpture.

The most visible piece in the collection is “Primary Belief,” the wheel of color located outside in the turret at the corner of Stockton and Broadway.  Bright and eye-catching, this sculpture by artist Jack Nielsen is made of bronze and steel, and is coated with durable plastic.  The front is composed of a central focus surrounded by brightly colored concentric circles and diagonal rays.  Colorful parallel lines ring the side, while perpendicular black and white lines cover the back.

Inside the building, more than 60 works of art can be found in lobbies, hallways, and waiting areas.  The collection includes both commissioned and non-commissioned works.  The artists sold their works for this Art in Public Places display at a significant discount over what they might have obtained through a gallery. 

The permanent collection of art housed at the Primary Care Center is possibly the largest concentration of Art in Public Places artwork in the Sacramento area.  It certainly caught the attention of the "Sacramento News and Review."  They described it as, "...overall, the most surprising collection of public art in town--in a place where you'd least expect it...If you never cared about public art before, this collection may change your mind."