Bowman School Public Art Project

‍

AUGUST 21, 2019

Bowman School, an internationally recognized, Montessori-accredited school located in Palo Alto since 1995, today announced the completion of a new public work of art located in the concrete walkways of its new Learning Village site. Created by renowned artist Kamau Patton, in collaboration with Bowman students, the new art work was inspired by Maria Montessori’s 10 “Human Tendencies” and features stainless steel words and symbols embedded into multiple sidewalks allowing students, teachers and parents to literally touch upon these values every day as they enter and exit the school. The extensive project was curated by Jim Ricks and the art work will be officially unveiled at the grand opening of Bowman’s Learning Village site, located on Arastradero Avenue in Palo Alto, on September 7, from 2:00 – 5:00 pm.

‍

/ 01

The scale and proportion of the design are significant, with more than 25,000 square feet of space and more than 2,000 letters and symbols that can’t be seen in one viewing, but require walking through the campus to capture the full vision. The collaborative process between artist and students included every step of the process from the beginning design phase, through multiple iterations, going to metal fabricator, Chambers Art and Design in Oakland, and the final installment at the school.

“Creating a public art project of this magnitude and importance required an exceptional artist and Kamau was not only gifted from a creative perspective, but his commitment and method in working with our students and staff to truly collaborate was key to the overall success of this project,” said Mary Beth Ricks, Head of Bowman School.

‍

/ 02