‘Take Flight’ Sculpture Commemorates College’s 50th Anniversary

The student fence panel project and sculpture garden are an ongoing endeavor of the Visual and Performing Arts Department, which provides advanced students the opportunity to create large-scale, outdoor public art. It is a long-term project, taking many years to accomplish, and involves students from incredibly diverse backgrounds and artistic interests. It also engages the public in an immediate and enduring appreciation of art, serving to beautify the Cerro Coso Ridgecrest campus thoughtfully.

The Cerro Coso Art Department chose to commemorate the college’s 50 years with a new addition titled “Take Flight.” The Two-Dimensional Design class of spring 2024 designed and fabricated the panel to create the illusion of linear perspective on a two-dimensional plane. The panel depicts a hand sketching on paper symbols of Cerro Coso Community College. The students incorporated an optical illusion with an infinity symbol representative of the power of continuous learning, interlocking Cs for Cerro Coso College, and an F-35 representing the college motto “Take Flight” and the same jets that cruise above Cerro Coso.

The new sculpture complements the landscape and other works of art in Cerro Coso's sculpture garden, a top destination for photographers and visitors at the college.

Caption: CC President Dr. Sean Hancock (far left) with panel artists (l to r) Yoko Murata, Benjamin Nguyen, Katie Merrill, Erica Palmer and Wyatt Marvin pose with the “Take Flight” sculpture at the CCCC sculpture garden.