Spirit Gate

Downtown College Prep at Hester
San Jose, CA

• Bill Gould & Glen Rogers
• Fabrication & Installation by Lizard Skin Studios &   Brian’s Welding
• Funded by a Public Art in Communities Grant by the San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs
• Completed in 2000

Gould and Rogers were awarded a Public Art in Communities Grant by the San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs forSpirit Gate as a result of an open competition. Rogers worked with students to choose “power words” that are cut into the eight-foot circular steel gate. Two stucco columns embedded with bands of broken tile mosaic create an asymmetrical balance to this structure. The elementary students drew colorful images of orchards and farming; while the Lincoln High School students then helped the younger students translate the drawings into the final mosaics based on local history. “Spirit Gate, a celebration of life and learning, is a ceremonial gateway that serves to bridge Hester School and its community. Located at the front entrance of the school on the Alameda, it has become a new landmark for San Jose.” —Sunset Magazine