Approximately 130 people turned out on Monday, February 27 for “A Conversation with Women from Cal Poly Pomona Landscape Architecture”. Held as part of the Cal Poly Pomona Department of Landscape Architecture’s 60th Anniversary celebrations, the department hosted a screening of the documentary “Ruth Shellhorn: Midcentury Landscape Design in Southern California.” The documentary was followed by a panel discussion with its creator, Kelly Comras, a landscape architect and CPPLA alumna.
The event was an inspiring conversation with women alumni from across many generations, including CPPLA alumnae: Sara Abed, Jennifer Birkeland, Natasha Harkison, Tori Kjer, Kiku Kurahashi, and Eileen Takata. The panel examined the evolving role of women in landscape architecture and highlight the contributions of decades of CPPLA alumnae. 2016 Ruth Shellhorn Scholarship winners Amanda Flores and Dwen-Dwen Wang shared their perspectives as current seniors in the program.
Ruth Shellhorn’s influence in the field of landscape architecture can not be overstated. During World War II she worked on the Shoreline Development Study, which established restrictions on oil drilling in Santa Monica Bay and informed the goals of the California Coastal Act. Her many works include such iconic examples as Bullock’s department stores, the University of California-Riverside, and perhaps her most well-known commission, the landscape design for Disneyland.
