Valley of Light

Government Center | 2021

Betteravia Government Center CA Arts Council Grant North County Percent for Art Santa Maria

Metal tree-like sculptures with colorful, illuminated shapes on their branches stand near a modern Santa Barbara County building at dusk. People are gathered nearby, and autumn trees are visible in the background.

A row of modern white sculptures with glowing blue and purple lights stands outside a Santa Barbara County building at dusk; people walk along the sidewalk nearby, beneath red-leaved trees lining the path.

A row of white, tree-shaped sculptures with colorful, translucent panels stands along a sidewalk outside a modern Santa Barbara County building, with people gathered near chairs and trees with autumn leaves in the background.

Sculpture with white metal branches and glowing green and blue blade-shaped lights, set outdoors in Santa Barbara County, framed by trees with dark red autumn leaves at dusk.

Art installation outside a modern building in Santa Barbara County at dusk, featuring pole structures with glowing blue and purple lights shaped like flames, lining a pathway near trees adorned with autumn leaves.

Art installation in Santa Barbara County featuring tall, tree-like metal structures with glowing, colorful LED lights at the ends, set against a dusk sky, with trees and streetlights in the background.

A modern metal sculpture in Santa Barbara County resembles a tree with three branches, each ending in a leaf-shaped form glowing with purple and blue lights, set against a dusky evening sky.

Project Overview

Honoring the ecological and agricultural abundance of Santa Maria Valley, “Valley of Light” is made of seven tree sculptures whose branches have brightly colored leaves. At night, the leaves light up with LEDs to project fields of color into the environment. The sculpture is powered by sun energy stored in the solar panels at the Betteravia Government Center, which also powers the campus buildings and electric vehicles.

This project was made possible by the County of Santa Barbara’s Percent for Arts Program, California Arts Council, and the City of Santa Maria.

Medium: Sculpture – Acrylic and Stainless Steel

About the Artist(s)

Nancy Jo Ward

Nancy Jo Ward is a Santa Maria based media artist and educator whose work merges digital tools with traditional techniques to create expressive, contemporary portraiture. With a background in fine art and graphic design, her layered approach blends hand-drawn elements, AI-generated imagery, and analog materials like paint, foil, and ink to explore identity, emotion, and transformation.

Nancy Jo holds a Master of Arts with Distinction in Fine Art Digital from the University of the Arts London and a BFA with Honors from the School of Visual Arts in New York. She currently teaches art and design at Allan Hancock College, where she shares her passion for visual storytelling and creative technology.

Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including recent shows in Tokyo, Milan, and Los Angeles. In 2024, her video piece Aura received an award at the Concorso d’Arte Donne in Rinascita in Italy.

Ward’s public art installations reflect her commitment to accessibility and innovation, inviting viewers to connect through vibrant color, layered textures, and nuanced digital narratives.

Website