by Paul R. Spitzzeri
As noted in the last post in the “Time Capsule Tuesday” series, there were a dozen submissions from John A. Rowland High School in Rowland Heights for the City of Industry’s 60th Anniversary Art Contest. This is the second of two posts highlighting those works and includes four pieces. Unfortunately, the names of the student artists were not included with the submissions.
The first work has many of the same futuristic elements as many other submissions, but they’re all, of course, different and distinctive. In this case, the several buildings depicted have curved walls and/or roof lines and there are varying window types and decorative components. Notice the curving roads leading to the structures.
The second piece looks to be an advocate for more greenery in the landscape with shrubbery not just at street level next to what looks like office or retail space, but also on the roofs. Rooftop gardens and landscaping is a benefit in terms of beautification, but also for efficiency as rainwater can be collected to water the plants and the presence of the plants helps keep the interiors of structures cooler when the weather is warmer.
The third work has the title of “Blueprint of City of Industry 2057” and shows the shape of the city when viewed from a map, with the furthest western portions being near El Monte (top left) and Pico Rivera and Whittier (lower left) and the eastern extremity being near Diamond Bar, Walnut and Pomona. The Puente Hills are shown to the south, but there are also some very interesting elements to the work, including a tent at the lower right, supplies being sent by rocket rather than train (right of center), and the use of virtual reality at the left center. Finally, that might be the Homestead at the center, where there are two structures. If so, kudos to the artist for including us!
Finally, there is a diorama of sorts in the form of a towering tree surrounded by or fenced in by impressionistic silhouettes of structures. On the surface of the board from which the tree projects are flowers and leaves as well as a quote from Albert Einstein: “Look deep into Nature and you will understand everything better.” The student artist also included a separate piece of board with the simple statement “Remember Nature?” on it.
This is the final post on the nearly three dozen submissions to the art contest, with artists from 3rd to 12th grades participating. While there had to be only three winners, all the students who took the time to create their pieces are congratulated and thanked for taking part. For those of them who will be around in 2057, it’ll be interesting to see what the city will look like in comparison to their renderings on their pieces!