Institution

The smaller diamond shapes, or “God’s eyes” as the artist calls them, is a reference to the similarly shaped Mexican folk craft and votive object. The profusion of these “eyes” served as the inspiration for the title. Argus, from Roman poet Ovid’s Metamorphosis, had one hundred eyes and imprisoned a lover of the Greek god Zeus. Hermes, Zeus’ son, decapitated Argus by first lulling him to sleep with a song. For Westfall, this narrative represents the triumph of the arts as Hermes was only able to overcome Argus by employing music, the most abstract of the arts. As a distinguished alum from the Department of Art and College of Creative Studies, Westfall wanted to celebrate the arts and his alma mater through this mural. A museum purchase, the work exists as a design and set of instructions from the artist that detail how the painting should look and be executed. For this reason, Argus can be installed anywhere, indoors or out, as long as the artist’s instructions regarding its composition and installation are followed. In this way, the painting is both site- specific and flexible. Argus acts as a beacon in the distance to the Museum visitors, further emphasizing this portion of the campus as an artistic, creative center, and represents yet another example of contemporary artistic practice in the Museum’s collection.

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Stephen Westfall’s formalist approach to art examines line, color, and shape rather than representational images. Consequently, his works are colorful, geometrically-abstract paintings, such as Argus. This complex composition keeps the viewer’s eye moving in an attempt to determine a predictable order of colors (which does not exist) and to identify all the myriad shapes and patterns that make up the work, from squares, triangles and diamonds to X’s and zig zags. Sustained examination of the composition also reveals an optical effect in which the diamond shapes appear to shift between receding into, and projecting out of, the plane of the painting. 


Argus By Stephen Westfall

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The plaza in front of the Art, Design &amp; Architecture Museum is the starting point for this tour. The first 8 stops on the tour are all within the Arts Building complex, and easily accessible along paved paths. As you walk through the building courtyards, you will notice other pieces of art, some permanent and some temporary. Throughout the school year, some art classes allow for displays of art which incorporate the walls, stairwells, courtyards, and other features of the building into various artworks.Art and design pieces are part of the outdoor spaces: a pergola in the Museum courtyard was designed as part of the Smith and Williams exhibit in 2014 and creates a shady spot to sit; the large picnic table in the Art History courtyard was designed by a former student; benches and lounge chairs are also sculptural pieces of art. And throughout campus there are many signs, plaques, and informational panels describing various historical and artistic points of interest.

The University of California, Santa Barbara campus has a wide variety of outdoor sculptures and visual art pieces located throughout the main campus. Many of the art pieces are located near the Art, Design &amp; Architecture Museum, which is where this virtual tour begins. The Museum is centrally located on campus, near the base of the iconic Storke Tower (the tallest structure on campus). When visiting the UCSB campus, parking can be limited and there is always a fee, so plan accordingly. Also of note if visiting for the first time, bicyclists and skateboarders have the right-of-way in their designated paths; look carefully when crossing bike paths during your walking tour.

The jewel in the crown of the AD&amp;A Museum's holdings is the Architecture and Design Collection (ADC), one of the largest and finest architecture and design archives in North America. The ADC is essential for studying the built environment of Southern California from the late 19th- through the mid-20th­centuries and includes the work of such renowned architects as Albert Frey, Irving Gill, Cliff May, Rudolph M. Schindler, and Kem Weber, among others. Of particular regional interest are the archives of George Washington Smith and Lutah Maria Riggs. Mirroring the diverse cultures that have informed the maturity of the West, archival items range from nineteenth- and twentieth-century historical revival architecture to modernist designs, including the impact of industrialization and technology on design and construction.Fine Arts collection includes the Morgenroth Collection of Renaissance Medals and Plaquettes, the Sedgwick Collection of Old Master Paintings, the Feitelson Collection of Old Master Drawings, the Ken Trevey Collection of American Realist Prints, the Fernand Lungren Collection, and a growing collection of contemporary artwork in all media. Contemporary holdings focus on artists active in California, particularly in the Santa Barbara community. The AD&amp;A Museum also features significant holdings in photography, including an extensive collection of vintage daguerreotypes, tintypes and ambrotypes from 1840-1880 as well as works by Muybridge, Weegee, William Wegman, Gary Winogrand, and Carrie Mae Weems. In addition, the art collection is strong in ethnographic objects.

In a serene setting alongside a Pacific lagoon, the Art, Design & Architecture Museum at the University of California, Santa Barbara provides intimate access to art. Through rotating installations of its permanent collections along with special exhibitions and programs, the AD&A Museum is both a teaching museum, committed to the development of critical thinking and visual literacy in support of the University’s goals of education, research, and service, and a resource for the wider Santa Barbara community. 

UCSB Art, Design & Architecture Museum 

Fletcher Benton was born in 1931 in Jackson, Ohio and received his B.F.A from Miami University in Oxford, built his art career in San Francisco where he died in 2019. Famous for his large bronze or steel sculptures, Benton creates sculptures of all sizes, focusing on geometric shapes and patterns. He began his artistic career in painting, as a sign artist and expressionist painter in the 1960’s. Like other artists of his time, he wanted to expand from the 2D mediums into kinetic sculpture, and by the 1970’s he shifted to focus solely on stationary sculpture out of bronze and steel. One of his most famous series was titled Alphabet Series in the 1970’s deconstructing and abstracting letters of the alphabet in a wide variety of colors. His works have been characterized as “gravity-defying” and are meant to be viewed from all angles.

Standing just outside the AD&A Museum, this abstract sculpture by Fletcher Benton titled: Folded Circle T and Arc, created in 2012 forms interesting shapes out of Cort-Ten weathering steel that casts a harsh contrast to the green grass surrounding it. Gifted by Dr. Yoel Haller and Eva Haller, a married couple with Mrs. Haller a philanthropist and Trustee of the University of California Santa Barbara, it fits within the sculptural landscape of campus with its modern and industrial character. Be sure to walk around this sculpture and find different angles, there is no one way to view this piece of art! 

Fletcher Benton's Folded Circle T and Arc, 2012 

Growing up in Pasadena California, Isabelle Green came from a family with architects, namely her grandfather Henry Mather Greene. With multiple degrees under her belt, from art to botany at UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, and University of Oregon, Isabelle Greene worked as a botanical illustrator before becoming a registered landscape architect and establishing her business Isabelle Greene &amp; Associates in 1982. As someone who grew up in Southern California with the arid mountains and coast, she had a close relationship with the landscape, pulling on this knowledge for her later work and drawings. As an artist who combines plants and artistry, her work is a reflection of a love for the specific ecosystem of Southern California by using plants that work with the drought prone climate of Southern California.  By having this rock in front of the AD&amp;A Museum with her initials stamped into it, it quite literally represents Isabelle Greene’s work and legacy in the Santa Barbara area and her impact on the field.

Just outside the museum stands a large rock that appears at odds with the manicured landscape of the UCEN Courtyard. This rock, however, was placed there on purpose by Isabelle Greene. Looking closer, a set of initials is carved into the rock, a subtle placement on the back of the rock. The initials spell the name of a prominent female landscape architect in Santa Barbara: Isabelle Greene. A pioneer in a field dominated by men, Isabelle Greene is highly accomplished, creating many of the beautiful landscapes dotted around the local Santa Barbara area, for private and public use. Projects like LotusLand in Montecito and prominent private residences make up only part of her career in Southern California. She is known for creating beautiful landscapes and designs using native plants which are sustainable, drought-tolerant, and beautiful.

Sandstone Rocks by Isabelle Greene

As one of the foremost kinetic sculptors, George Rickey forged a body of work over four decades that brought him international acclaim. In his approach to sculpture, Rickey focused on the natural power of the wind and then constructed simple forms to move under its influence. Geometric and lyrical, his stainless steel arrangements slowly rotate in space, making the wind visible. Completed two years before Rickey’s death, Annual Eclipse VI is an excellent example of how he activated and balanced his works through the interaction of meticulously-engineered counterweights and bearings, pendulums, gravity, and air currents. The relationship between the two circles is orderly as a result of Rickey’s precise geometry and mechanics, as well as random in response to forces of nature. Annular Eclipse VI is one of the artist’s final achievements, emerging from a lifelong relationship with wind, time, space and form.

Just to the left of the Art Museum looking out over the lagoon stands the gleaming stainless steel sculpture, interacting with the natural elements including the sun and breeze coming from the ocean. The whimsy of this piece fits in with UCSB’s upbeat atmosphere and environment, connecting to the location beyond aesthetics.


Annular Eclipse VI by George Rickey 

The smaller diamond shapes, or “God’s eyes” as the artist calls them, is a reference to the similarly shaped Mexican folk craft and votive object. The profusion of these “eyes” served as the inspiration for the title. Argus, from Roman poet Ovid’s Metamorphosis, had one hundred eyes and imprisoned a lover of the Greek god Zeus. Hermes, Zeus’ son, decapitated Argus by first lulling him to sleep with a song. For Westfall, this narrative represents the triumph of the arts as Hermes was only able to overcome Argus by employing music, the most abstract of the arts. As a distinguished alum from the Department of Art and College of Creative Studies, Westfall wanted to celebrate the arts and his alma mater through this mural.  A museum purchase, the work exists as a design and set of instructions from the artist that detail how the painting should look and be executed. For this reason, Argus can be installed anywhere, indoors or out, as long as the artist’s instructions regarding its composition and installation are followed. In this way, the painting is both site- specific and flexible. Argus acts as a beacon in the distance to the Museum visitors, further emphasizing this portion of the campus as an artistic, creative center, and represents yet another example of contemporary artistic practice in the Museum’s collection.

Bernard Rosenthal, or Tony Rosenthal, created this piece during a period of his artistic career focusing on Abstract Geometric Sculptures in the 1960's. Rosenthal gained notoriety for his public sculptures, creating intriguing and monumental pieces out of bronze, steel and concrete. Born in 1914 in Illinois, Rosenthal took sculpture classes at the Chicago Art Institute before becoming an assistant to Alexander Archipenko, who was known for applying Cubism to sculpture. Rosenthal's works can be found in major cities across America, including Los Angeles, New York, Miami, and Philadelphia. The sculptures emphasize the materials they are made of, with strong lines and curves that reflect the environment they are placed. The 1960's saw the rise of these dynamic, metal and abstract public artworks meant to be seen from multiple perspectives. The material of the sculpture itself, whether it was bronze or steel, was a common key focus. The pieces interrupted people as they went about their day, causing them to look again at the environment around them with a closer eye. Keeping this piece in mind, consider how this wall sculpture can be in dialogue with the larger abstract piece standing just to the right of the museum on the grass, as they were both created during this 1960's public sculpture era.

Positioned just below a set of steps in the Art Museum courtyard, in between the Westfall and Gottlieb murals, this bronze piece stands out against the lighter wall behind it. Created in 1965, the sculpture is an intriguing mix of industrial and organic forms. The chunks of bronze at certain angles look like rocks, while at others recall scrap metal that emphasizes the material it is made of. 

Enjoy this piece from different angles, does it remind you of anything else? 

Untitled by Bernard Rosenthal 

In Against Forgetting, as in other works, Gottlieb incorporated various symbols throughout. Though not regionally associated, the artist made sure to include a specific type of flower, the Semper Augustus. In the 17th century these flowers were among the most valuable commodities in the world. Indeed, their market is said to have created the first economic bubble. By including such flowers Gottlieb underscores the link between nature and financial gain. Another symbol is the large arrow on the left of the composition, an allusion to graphic design elements in sales ads. Its inclusion signifies how certain plants and animals (leopards !) are commodified in contemporary culture. Just as surprising are the other emblems in the work which are related to chance or luck, such as playing cards, dice, and wishbones. They indicate the werewolf, willful disregard society displays towards the environment. As the artist states: “I want students, faculty, staff, and campus visitors to consider the importance of the plant kingdom and how its survival and ours are inextricably intertwined.”

A digital print made of vinyl, aluminum over panel, acrylic and ink, this large and fragmented mural wraps around the hallway in the Arts Building. Look above at the ceiling and around the mural to find smaller parts scattered around the building! 

Accomplished painter and draughtswoman, Penelope Gottlieb has focused her artistic practice on studying and depicting threatened and extinct native plants. At first glance, Gottlieb’s colorful, cartoon-like images read as joyful, upbeat scenes. A closer look, however, reveals plants in an epic battle with invasive species often gaining the upper hand and subsuming the native ones. For this outdoor installation, a first for the artist, she focused on historical, regional flora. The large yellow flower on the far right of the mural is Potentillia multijuga, which once grew in the Los Angeles area. Diplacus brandegeei, now extinct, was found on the Channel Islands, which are visible from this location in the distance. The flower is pictured growing on a hybrid tea rose stem on the wall opposite the main composition.


Against Forgetting by Penelope Gottlieb 

Primarily interested in the physical and perceptual interaction between the viewer and the work of art, Mowry Baden constructs interactive structures that favor participation over visual impact. His works bridge the gap between art and the social sciences; behavior, movement, and perception are explored through relationships arising between the viewer, the sculpture, and the environment. Baden who was originally from Los Angeles creates sculptures in Canada to this day. His works try to provoke a self awareness in the participant and interrupt the way we move and interact with our environment. To fully experience the site-specific work, you are invited to walk along the elevated ramp. How does the work psychologically and physically challenge your expectations? Does the structure’s relationship to its surroundings alter your experience of the site?  *Please walk on this piece with caution*

A piece easily missed, this wood, stone, concrete and aluminum ramp overlooks the rear of the Art’s Building towards the parking lot, a logical conundrum as it is a ramp to nowhere. Hidden from view in the overgrown bushes surrounding it, this work also tends to blend into its background creating mystery within itself. When visiting this interactive piece, consider looking for other pieces around UCSB’s campus that are hidden or less visible, there is a surprising amount of outdoor art on the campus!  
 


Mowry Baden's  Untitled

Up Ended, one of Clement Meadmore’s earlier works, is a complex blend of artistic vocabularies. Throughout his career, Meadmore experimented with the torsion, curve, smooth surface, and underlying geometry, Up Ended is similar to other Minimalist works of the 1960’s. Similarities could be drawn between this work and the likes of Richard Serra’s public art installations working with metal. The rigid material and blunt-squared ends contrast sharply with the work’s fluid curves and evocative hollows, creating a dynamic tension between ordered stability and gestural movement. Meadmore also cites both Constructivism and Expressionism as art movements that have influenced his work. The volume and poetry of Up Ended invite viewers to explore their own physical and interpretive relationship to the piece.

Almost invisible in front of the Art Building despite its large size, Up Ended by Clement Meadmore stands at the entrance of the Arts Building, on a pile of stones and flanked by palm trees and is made of cor-ten steel and Black paint.

The work was originally displayed near North Hall, but was moved into the shady front of the Art Building. The piece announces the Art Building and is as austere as the dark concrete and cinderblock walls of the Art Building, blending in almost seamlessly. However, the work also contrasts with the horizontal and vertical lines of the Arts Building with its curves, emphasizing the impressive skill to create the smooth curve. 


Clement Meadmore's Up Ended 

This kinetic sculpture is certainly not the first for artist Peter Logan, who has created other kinetic sculptures similar in shape to this one, utilizing a narrow and skinny cylindrical model similar to the appearance of sticks. Logan grew up in the United Kingdom and received his art education there, creating his first kinetic sculptures in 1968. His first creations used electricity to be controlled and had precise and determined movement, whereas his later pieces worked with wind to create more organic and free-form performances. Similar forms to the ones used in Flying Pencils are used in his body of work during the 1990’s, creating tall, slender and unobtrusive sculptures usually in a silver color. His works tend to draw attention to and highlight the beauty of the location by interacting with the natural elements such as wind or sun of the site. In doing so, Logan works within the modern artistic tradition of kinetic sculpture which was first pioneered in the 1920’s. This tradition is rooted in experimenting with mathematics and aesthetics in order to move past the static limitations of sculpture, pushing the boundaries of tradition and into further abstract representation. As a whole, Logan’s pieces balance engineering and art to create kinetic sculptures that interact with the environment around them, and in this case, the UCSB campus.

Located just outside of Ellison Hall to the north of the Davidson library, this kinetic sculpture titled Flying Pencil Sculpture by Peter Logan in 1996 is extremely apt for its location on campus. Made out of stainless steel and aluminum, these red and blue pencils are balanced on top of each other to look as though they are weightless and defy physical logic. Interacting with natural elements on campus, the pencils move to create a dynamic and whimsical sculpture.

 As told from the UCSB Museum accession notes, the pencils: “are a symbol of harmony between nature and technology, and a whimsical reference to the ongoing academic and creative work on campus.”


Flying Pencil Sculpture by Peter Logan

But why choose the pyramid shape? Generally considered to be symbols of unity and strength, the pyramid could be used in the context of when it was placed on campus to represent the class of 1984’s spirit and ambition. Graduating in a year of the Olympics, the pyramid could be a nod to the unifying message of what the games represent. In this way, the contrasting natural stone and fabricated metal of the pyramid work to compliment each other as different representations of resilience. Be sure to walk around the whole of the sculpture to see all angles of the pyramid, what do you think the class of '84 saw in this sculpture? The 1984 Summer Olympics were held in Los Angeles, with sporting venues spread out across the metropolitan area. The rowing and canoeing competitions were held at Lake Casitas in Ojai and the Olympians were houses 30 miles north at the UCSB campus. The Olympic Village housed 800 athletes and 400 support staff in the two-story dorms (Santa Cruz, Anacapa, and Santa Rosa Residence Halls) and also contained training facilities.

Located near the Eternal Flame, between Ellison Hall and the Davidson Library, the Peace Garden is an intriguing mix of metal and stone that creates this peaceful space. Dedicated in 1984 by the graduating class that year, it’s plaque reading “Dedicated by the Class of 1984 in hopes for international peace in the Olympic year.” Created by David Trowbridge, an American artist, this piece is one that stands out and disrupts the green grass.

Peace Garden 

Gifted by the UCSB class of 1968, the Eternal Flame is a three pronged sculpture that has a series of plaques on each of the “legs”. Each plaque displays a quote from each of the men honored, memorializing their ideas. The flame also resonates with the eternal flames that are near the gravestones of each of them, in Arlington Virginia and in Atlanta Georgia, bringing that symbol onto campus as if to bring their spirit onto campus as well. With this in mind, the Civil Rights Movement these men supported hit home especially at UCSB, with the occupation in 1968 of North Hall leading the establishment of the Department of Black Studies on campus. In times since, there have been re-lighting ceremonies as the eternal flame goes out periodically as it struggles with the wind natural to the UCSB environment, and yet still represents a key time in UCSB history and larger events nationally. If the flame is lit when you see it, please be cautious when approaching it, and feel free to read the plaques as they are presented.

Right in the middle of the walkway between the library and Ellison Hall, the Eternal Flame is a monument to Civil Rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr, President John F. Kennedy, and his brother Robert Kennedy who were assassinated within a 5 year time span. The eternal flame as a symbol is used in a variety of contexts to represent eternal life or the spirit and ideas of those that have passed, keeping them “alive” in the form of the flame. In light of the civil rights activism that occurred on campus during the 1960’s, including the 1968 occupation of North Hall protesting the racism athletes experienced, the memorial fits within UCSB campus and its history.

Eternal Flame 

Dr. Ernest Shaw is a self-taught sculptor, as well as a psychiatrist who practiced in Kingston, New York. He began sculpting in 1973, and this piece, Ruins V, was completed in 1978. Steel columns and curves are welded into complex configurations that integrate equilibrium and expansion. Developed in tandem with his interests in Buddhism, meditation, and mind/body therapies, Shaw's work reflects mindfulness and challenges habitual ways of perceiving.Ruins V is 110 inches by 86 inches, red painted steel, and was a gift to the Museum collection in 1978 by Mr. and Mrs. Don L. Gevirtz. Accession number 1982.24.

Three sculptures by Dr. Ernest Shaw dot the campus of UC Santa Barbara. The first one is located in front of the Physical Sciences North building, adjacent to the Chemistry Building, and facing the wide green expanse of the East Lawn. The sharp, angular metal sculpture contrasts with the classically styled Post-Modern building by Robert A.M. Stern. the art piece had previously been sited closer to the Library, but is now tucked away closer to the building.

Ruins V by Ernest Shaw

Dr. Ernest Shaw is a self-taught sculptor, as well as a psychiatrist who practiced in Kingston, New York. He began sculpting in 1973, and this piece, Shongon XXIII, was completed in 1978. Steel columns and curves are welded into complex configurations that integrate equilibrium and expansion. Developed in tandem with his interests in Buddhism, meditation, and mind/body therapies, Shaw's work reflects mindfulness and challenges habitual ways of perceiving.Shongon XXIII is 194 inches high x 42 inches wide, red painted steel, and was a gift to the Museum collection in 1978 by Mr. and Mrs. Don L. Gevirtz. Accession number 1982.22.

Three sculptures by Ernest Shaw dot the campus of UC Santa Barbara. This one is located along the main walkway between the Library and Girvetz Hall. Its prominent location at one of the busiest pedestrian areas of campus would be quite striking if it were not partially hidden behind a lamppost. This area is known as the Arbor Mall, named after the convenience store which sits at the north end of Gervitz Hall. During the school year, it is a major gathering place for various clubs and organizations-- many set up tables and booths to encourage membership in various groups.

Shongon XXIII by Ernest Shaw

Dr. Ernest Shaw is a self-taught sculptor, as well as a psychiatrist who practiced in Kingston, New York. He began sculpting in 1973, and this piece, Ruins VII, was completed in 1978. Steel columns and curves are welded into complex configurations that integrate equilibrium and expansion. Developed in tandem with his interests in Buddhism, meditation, and mind/body therapies, Shaw's work reflects mindfulness and challenges habitual ways of perceiving.Ruins VII is 141 inches tall and 86 inches wide, Black painted steel, and was a gift to the Museum collection in 1978 by Mr. and Mrs. Don L. Gevirtz. Accession number 1982.23

Three sculptures by Ernest Shaw dot the campus of UC Santa Barbara. This one is located in front of the most recognizable structure on campus, Storke Tower. Situated in the grassy lawn, next to the main bike path, it is in one of the most prized locations on campus. With tens of thousands of students biking, walking, and skateboarding within feet of the sculpture, it is one of the most seen pieces of art on campus.

Outdoor Sculptures on the UCSB Campus

Argus By Stephen Westfall

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Additional Information