When it was installed on the western span of San Francisco's Bay Bridge, the jaw-dropping public art installation "The Bay Lights" was only slated to stay lit for two years.
The 1.8-mile, 25,000 LED light sculpture — which officially lit up in March 2013 — was installed as a temporary piece to celebrate the bridge’s 75th anniversary. Now, after a successful two-month fundraising campaign, the sculpture will become a permanent fixture.
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The nonprofit Illuminate the Arts announced Wednesday that it has raised a whopping $4 million (including a $2 million matching grant by a local philanthropist) to keep “The Bay Lights” as a permanent installation.
Part of the funds will go toward replacing the current lights, which are controlled by several Mac Minis mounted within the bridge, with a new set designed to withstand weathering in the San Francisco Bay.
Funds will also go toward re-installation. According to The New York Times, the lights will be temporarily removed for maintenance.
The crew’s aiming to have the lights back up in January 2016, in time for Super Bowl 50.
"It’s really become part of the fabric of the Bay Area,” the artist, Leo Villareal, told the San Francisco Chronicle recently. "It creates a sense of community; it inspires conversation. I’ve said that it’s kind of a digital campfire.”