Walking Tour: Pitzer College, Part 2

Perfect pair

As seen in the first of my posts from Pitzer College, gorgeous succulents are in abundance and allowed to shine … landscaping and display inspiration is everywhere! But, I found that inspiration most exciting when art entered the equation. Who knew that an abstract mural and succulent plantings would look so perfect together? Or that graffiti splash and succulent dash could coexist so peacefully? I’ve always found the presence of rusted metal a natural in the succulent garden and Pitzer peppers its desert displays with sculptural doppelgangers that are charmingly rough … let’s check out what happens when juicy leaves meet art.

Student work

Created by students, to showcase both the control of using stencils and the looseness of paint drips, this mural is on the east wall of Mead Hall that faces Pitzer Road. I love the colors and the abstract nature of the design … the energy afforded by both are terrific foils for the sturdy sculptural structures of the succulents planted before it.

Message board

Something to say? Write it on the wall! The graffiti tradition lives large here on this west wall of Mead Hall. Student messages overlap and create a moving and everchanging billboard of concerns and topics. The way the colors become muted as they’re painted over, and the hotter colors of the newest graffiti, really excite against the more-structured succulent planting in front of it.

Forefront

I found an interesting photograph of this mural from July of last year which shows not only the artwork looking very differently, but the landscape as well. Click here for a surprising look back.

Loosely colorful

This more strident, and relatively new, graffiti mural plays nicely with the more graphic and complex shapes of the cacti and succulents facing it. The combination of mural and succulents is really speaking to me and I wonder just which wall of the Rancho should get this treatment … and should it face the public street? Would some creation of mine facing out, invite contributions from passersby? Would I find the presence of graffiti on one of my walls, on a mural of mine, as exciting as seen here? Interesting questions to ponder as I find the time to do a combination mural/planting area of my own …

Technicolor dream

Gracing an inward-facing wall of Mead Hall, this extravagant 1997 mural is titled ‘Interhueman’. Painted by Mexican-American muralist Paul Botello, with student help, it has all the hallmarks of Mexican style murals: strong, muscular imagery, fantastic colors and a swirling energy. Although there is no succulent interaction here it’s too beautiful not to show. Ready for sculpture? …

Metallica

Wandering among the desert plantings we encountered these sculptural pieces: Fanciful metal creatures, organic ceramic forms and almost 2-dimensional representations of succulents in rusted rebar. Subtly placed, at first I almost miss them … but soon I start to seek them out. Though playful, they serve to elevate the landscaping design and point up the sculptural presence of the plants themselves by echoing them. Again, very inspiring … Now, I need to find a friendly welder with a supply of rusty rebar and a willingness to follow my directions, so I can have some sculptures of my own … Craigslist will probably provide just the right craftsman …

As you can certainly tell by now, our visit to Pitzer College was both enjoyable and inspirational. We plan to be back when the threat of rain isn’t an issue and there’s time to take it all in. The art of landscaping, art combined with landscaping, and the inimitable natural beauty of succulents, are available here for in-depth study — talk about higher learning!

Learn more about Pitzer College on their website here. To view a flickr album of past and present campus murals, click here. Watch a short interview with muralist Paul Botello here.