Crystal News

The Crystal Foundation, the philanthropic arm of national manufacturer Crystal Window & Door Systems, recently unveiled a special outdoor art exhibit at its Riverside, CA, production facility. The modern art creation The Tree of Hope is an homage to the sport of baseball with an eye toward environmental consciousness and world unity. With a shape evocative of a large Christmas tree, the art installation fosters Holiday thoughts of peace, love, and hope, especially meaningful in these stressful times.

Crystal Foundation Chairman Thomas Chen, who is also the Founder and Chairman of Crystal Windows, is a patron of modern art and has supported many artists and their work in the past.

I feel the true hidden value of this contemporary work is the incredible international response to Lin's invitation to donate baseballs to the project. Countries from around the world are represented here in the spirit of unity and hope, as its lighting ushers in the Holiday season and the New Year. – Thomas Chen, Crystal Foundation Chairman

The Tree of Hope is a 20-ft. tall structure with an 8-ft. diameter base comprised of baseballs from around the world and illuminated by 10,000 energy efficient LED lights. Over 40 countries have contributed 25,000 baseballs, some new but most used in actual games from Little Leagues to the Major Leagues. Professional U.S. teams such as the Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, and New York Mets have donated baseballs for this project, along with teams from Canada, Latin America, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Europe, and more, with many of the balls signed by entire teams and even a few baseball greats. Symbolizing the unity and positive energy that art and sports bring to the world, the Tree of Hope project was several years in the making from concept to installation.

“As a longtime supporter of the arts, I am very pleased to sponsor the Tree of Hope and its creator, Lin Shih-Pao,” said Crystal Foundation Chairman Thomas Chen. “I feel the true hidden value of this contemporary work is the incredible international response to Lin's invitation to donate baseballs to the project. Countries from around the world are represented here in the spirit of unity and hope, as its lighting ushers in the Holiday season and the New Year.”

The Tree of Hope debuted at Crystal's headquarters in New York in late 2019 and has since been exhibited at the Crystal facility in Northeast Pennsylvania and its subsidiary facility in St. Louis, MO. The Tree of Hope was originally planned for exhibit at the baseball events during the 2020 Olympic Games in Japan. Unfortunately delay of the Olympic Games by a year and pandemic restrictions forced the cancellation of the Tree of Hope Olympic plans.

World-renowned Taiwanese artist Lin Shih-Pao, who brings thought-provoking works of avant-garde art to life from discarded and recycled materials, is the Tree of Hope creator. Mr. Lin is also the artist-in-residence at Crystal Park, Thomas Chen's and The Crystal Foundation's 200-acre art and nature preserve in Dutchess County, NY. Mr. Lin has exhibited extensively throughout Japan, Taiwan, and New York; he studied art in college in Japan and at graduate school at NYU. Mr. Lin's latest solo exhibition The Golden Age opens this month at historic Flushing Town Hall in Queens, NY.

The Tree of Hope will be on display through 2023 in the front parking lot at the Crystal Pacific Window & Door Systems' facility, located at 1850 Atlanta Avenue in Riverside, near the intersection of I- 215 (Riverside Freeway) and CA-60 (Moreno Valley Freeway). The illuminated Tree of Hope can be viewed from Atlanta Avenue and the parking lot anytime, day or night. All visitors are welcome; those entering the employee parking lot and company grounds are urged to be aware and cautious of cars and trucks transiting the space.

The Crystal Foundation was established almost 20 years ago by the Chen Family to support art, culture, and educational initiatives.