KCC Completes The Flow of Education Outdoor Sculpture

Klamath Community College recently put the finishing touches on its first outdoor art sculpture.

The installation, titled “The Flow of Education,” is located in front of the Work Skills Technology Center and is designed to function as an irrigation system that waters the land below it. The sculpture stands more than 20 feet tall and consists of seven pipes topped by shallow bowl-like dishes. The sculpture is connected to KCC’s existing irrigation system. Irrigation water will be intermittently pumped into the tallest center pipe and overflow from its dish will stream into dishes atop the shorter pipes, and then down to the native plants sown in the landscape below.

“The central pipe is KCC,” explained KCC Outreach Coordinator Jared Dill. “The opportunity KCC provides flows to the students, the community, businesses, and the economy of Klamath Falls and beyond.”

The concept was designed by a 10-person Art on Campus Committee, consisting of Joseph Long, Jared Dill, Beth Stiller, Paula Pence, Bill Raul, Megan Baker, Stanley Pence, Sydney Oden, Rick Ball, and Jan Goodyear.

“In addition to its beauty and the visual impact it has made on campus, what makes this project significant is that much of the work — from concept to fabrication to installation — was all done in-house,” said Long, who chaired the committee.

After the concept was solidified by the committee and the materials were procured, KCC welding students
fabricated the towering structures under the guidance of welding instructors Matt Walter, Tammy Chandler, and Rick Howland.

“The work that everyone did to make this all come together for KCC is phenomenal,” Long said. “This installation is a signature piece of art for KCC.” Long explained that the pipes are intentionally not painted to take advantage of natural oxidation processes. “Allowing the pipe to naturally rust will add visual depth and character,” he said. The Flow of Education project was funded by monies from the Phase II capital construction project, in which the Work Skills Technology Center and Founders Hall were built. Phase II was funded by grants.

The project was also made possible by generous donations of materials from FX Luminaire and Ewing irrigation, and design services from ZCS Engineering and Architecture.

“We greatly appreciate the support of our community and community partners. They enabled the committee to complete this project below budget,” Long said. “The ingenuity of the KCC welding faculty and students and the in- house KCC facilities management and the crew were outstanding. The success is all theirs.”

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