by Paul R. Spitzzeri
In addition to the winning entry by Arthur Lin of Wedgeworth Elementary in the elementary school division of the City of Industry 60th Anniversary Art Contest, there were several other submissions. Today’s post highlights three of these that show what life in the city might be like in 2057.
Kaylee Schlotterbeck, who completed the fifth grade at Los Altos Elementary in Hacienda Heights, utilized a lot of color and imagination in her submission. Her work includes “Hover or Not Gas,” and in a few places shows hovercraft vehicles both airborne and heading to the station for refilling. At the bottom are standard vehicles on a roadway.
Below the station is”The Jetson’s Cafe,” which seems to show that Kaylee watches at least one ancient cartoon show from the 1960s! Next to that she has a “2017 Museum,” which, presumably has exhibits about what life was like forty years back. Especially interesting are the serpentine shape of the building and the green rings at the top.
There are both a “Time Travel” terminal and the “Time Travel Inn,” so, obviously, Kaylee believes humans will be able to jump back (maybe forth?) in time in a few decades. Dominating the center of her landscape is “Robotics Repair,” with the building appropriately shaped like a robot. Finally, there is the imposing and massive “Moon Room,” where, presumably, visitors get to experience what it is like to be on the moon.
Snow Shi, who finished third grade at Wedgeworth Elementary, also in Hacienda Heights, took a noticeably different approach in her conception of what the city will look like in forty years. Her vision of the City of Industry is not just retro, but way retro, as the buildings she foresees will mainly be castle and story-book influenced in their architecture.
Some of the structures appear to have cupcakes and gumdrops on them, so perhaps there are edible elements to these buildings? At the far left is one that looks very modern as if it has all-glass sides, but with a distinctive heart-shape to it and what appear to be wings coming out of the side. Again, lots of color is demonstrated in her work.
Lyon Shan, another Wedgeworth student heading into the fourth grade, uses bright, vibrant colors in his depiction of a very vertical city of the future with a wide variety of shapes and finishes. Note his cylindrical and rectangular buildings and the varied finishes, including a checkerboard one at the lower left. Lyon appears to be an Angel fan, though, if so, he’s disguising it a bit with a change of color!
Several of the buildings are labeled as factories, which is, of course, appropriate enough for an industrial city, but Lyon deserves extra kudos for making one of them, at the far left, a “Chocolate Factory.” After all, who wouldn’t want to have one of those in their city of the future?
Unfortunately, there can only be one winner in a contest, but Lyon, Snow and Kaylee are to be congratulated for using their artistic talents and abundant imagination in envisioning what the City of Industry will look like in forty years with their impressive works of art.
Next week, we look at some junior high/middle school submissions in the “Time Capsule Tuesday” series.