Boone Sculpture Garden at Pasadena City College
1570 E. Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, Ca 91106
Contact: Dr. Grover Goyne (Dean, External Relations)
Tel: (626) 585-7065
Fax: (626) 585- 7934
e-mail: gcgoyne@paccd.cc.ca.us
web site: www.paccd.cc.ca.us

The act of gardening was perhaps the beginning of community itself. Designs based upon survival, worship, pleasure, and the hereafter have given cultural definition to communities since early civilization.

In setting aside prime space for a sculpture garden, Pasadena City College is reaffirming this tradition. Of particular importance is the "frame" of this location. Surrounded by buildings dedicated to the arts, sciences, and physical education, it is a garden framed by inquiry and exploration. The college community itself is varied and reflective of its district. The program, in response to its student body, is open and flexible.

The design is based on these qualities. The term "sculpture garden" is used loosely. Just as artists constantly expand the the definitions of sculpture, this design is garden, commons, ampitheater, and forum. The entire site, upper plaza, and lower are one entity.

The built forms imply motion, change, and flexibility. The larger forms, those of the plaza, and ampitheater, seem to spin and rotate on an axis. This movement causes the other forms to respond as if in a vortex. Viewed from above, at plaza level or from surrounding buildings, they become a constellation or a galaxy.

Standing at plaza level, one has an overview of the entire garden. The plaza is composed of two rotating trellises; each provides shade to seat walls. Seat walls are at the circumference of the plaza as well as its interior. This provides seating as well as an open, large, central space which can be used for festivities, gatherings, or functions. All seat walls contain lighting. Trellis support can also be a source of light. Lighting also appears at ground level in arc forms.

The channel of water, approximately 450 feet long by 3 feet wide, begins at plaza level within a sliver-shaped seat wall. It cascades to ground level where it becomes a three-foot-long cut channel that stitches upper and lower plazas together. It is a life force as well as the drawn line upon which spheres spin.

The ampitheater, approximately 90 feet in diameter by 8 feet deep, provides a site for presentations, performances, music, experimentation, collaboration, and student improvisation.

Path systems connect buildings, parking, sculpture, ampitheater, and plaza while also meeting ADA requirements. They are composed of various materials.

Landscaping at present is primarily grass, crushed stone, gravel, shade trees, and low water-tolerant plantings.

This design provides an open flexible stage. This is its most important quality. It has, within its forms and arrangement, the ability to grow and convert itself to the demands of the community. Its three central forms - plaza channel, and ampitheater - hold down the design, anchor it, so that paths, areas for intallations, sculptural forms, and site works can move and breathe.

At night, the sculpture garden converts its forms into a glowing stellar drawing through a series of ground plane lighting, side- wall lighting in the channel, path lighting, and lighting in plaza and ampitheater. This is a sculpture garden that is form by day, and night.

This is a garden planted by artists and tilled by the community it nourishes-Pasadena City College.

Hours: 7a.m. to 10p.m. daily.

Parking: $1 daily parking permit.

Restrooms and food service adjacent - during college hours.

Jody Pinto

Jody Pinto

Jody Pinto

Jody Pinto

Jody Pinto