Welcome to Costa Mesa’s Arts District Sculpture Tour

One of Southern California’s best-kept secrets is an art walk in Costa Mesa featuring contemporary and modern works by internationally renowned sculptors. The sculptures are integral to the vision of the Segerstrom family, founders of South Coast Plaza, of creating a cosmopolitan center in Orange County where the arts and commerce come together and flourish.

Spend a morning or afternoon exploring this incomparable public art collection.
 

Parking

The closest parking structure to the beginning of the art walk is the Plaza Tower Parking structure located on Anton Boulevard and Park Center Drive. Enter via Park Center Drive, across from The Westin South Coast Plaza.

The closest parking to the end of the art walk is the parking lot right outside of Macy’s or the South Parking Structure at South Coast Plaza. Parking in either of these locations is free.

Walking Directions

 
Park and exit the Plaza Tower parking structure onto Park Center Drive. Head down Park Center Drive and cross Anton Boulevard. Pass Specialty’s Café and turn left on the palm tree-lined path. Continue walking and you are at the edge of 1 California Scenario.

    

1. California Scenario

 Isamu Noguchi, 1982

Recognized as one of the country’s preeminent sculpture gardens and an iconic public space, Noguchi’s masterpiece sits between two office towers. The garden’s design symbolizes elements of California’s geography, while the piece Spirit of the Lima Bean speaks to the agricultural heritage of the land and the artist’s relationship with Henry Segerstrom, who commissioned the work.

      

Head past Spirit of the Lima Bean. To the right of the Comerica Bank building just before TGI Fridays is 2 Sun Ribbon.

      

2. Sun Ribbon

Claire Falkenstein, 1980

Located between California Scenario and Anton Boulevard, the artfully orchestrated stripes of the stained-glass windscreen create a playful counterpoint to vertical rise of the adjacent buildings.

      

Passing TGI Fridays, walk toward Anton Boulevard. Once you’re on the corner of Anton Boulevard and Avenue of the Arts, cross the street and turn left, walking north on Anton Boulevard. Make a right turn after passing Park Tower sign right before Pizzeria Ortica. Walk straight. Before reaching Samueli Theater, you will arrive at 3 Utsurohi 91.

       

3. Utsurohi 91

 Aiko Miyawaki, 1991

Located between the Samueli Theater and Plaza Tower, the sculpture is a site-specific piece commissioned for the entry court to Cesar Pelli’s stainless steel tower. The sculpture’s chromium steel loops serve to frame details of the architecture and plaza (designed by Peter Walker), while each column includes one of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac.

    

Pass Utsurohi 91 and Samueli Theater and head toward Segerstrom Center for the Arts. The 4 Connector will be on your right. Go inside Connector.

   

4. Connector

Richard Serra, 2006

Rising majestically on the plaza between Segerstrom Hall, Orange County Museum of Art, and the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, the 65-foot-tall steel sculpture by renowned American sculptor Richard Serra symbolically and visually connects the art and architecture of the cultural campus.

    

Walk away from Avenue of the Arts toward the entrance of Segerstrom Hall, which will be on your right. Once you reach the front of the center, you will be underneath 5 Firebird. For a closer look, take the spiral staircase up to the second level of the center.

     

5. Firebird

Richard Lippold, 1986

The gold, red, and silver sculpture soars through the iconic arch of Segerstrom Hall. Seemingly suspended in the air, the 60-foot-tall aluminum and stainless-steel sculpture named for a famous ballet integrates artistically and architecturally with the performing arts hall.

    

Once on the second level, head toward the Center Tower Parking Structure. On your right, you will find 6 Reclining Figure.

     

6. Reclining Figure

Henry Moore, 1981

The stately figure reclines at the upper entrance to Segerstrom Hall, designed by landscape architect Peter Walker. The sculpture, which was a gift to Segerstrom Center for the Arts by a major support group, The Angels of the Arts, includes elements of abstraction and realism that frame and accent the public spaces of the arts plaza.

   

Head down the ramp across from Reclining Figure. On the right, you will be able to spot 7 Sun Glitter and 8 Jonah and the Whale down below.

   

7. Sun Glitter

Carl Milles, 1932

A bronze mermaid rides a dolphin through the spray in this work at Center Tower. Known as a master of fountains, the Swedish sculptor’s work is rare in California, but often occupies prominent public spaces in Sweden, the Midwest, and the East Coast.

8. Jonah and the Whale

Carl Milles, 1931

The focal point of a water feature at the base of Center Tower, the whimsical work features Jonah emerging from the mouth of the whale. The two bronzes by Milles are visible from the walkways around the building, as well as the club on the lower level.

    

Continue down the ramp and enter Center Tower. In the lobby, you will find 9 Oiseau.

     

9. Oiseau

Joan Miró, 1981

Perched in the lobby of Center Tower, the fantastical bronze bird by the Spanish surrealist brings to physically imposing form the sublime bird-like figures common in his paintings.

    

Take one of the three elevators to the left of Oiseau down to the C level of the building. Once you reach the C level, you will find 10 Fermi.

   

10. Fermi

Tony Smith, 1975

The white marble sculpture named for the Nobel Prize-winning scientist Enrico Fermi suggests the complex yet elegant structures found in nature.

    

Take the elevators back up to the lobby level and exit Center Tower the way you entered. Turn right and walk down the ramp toward the intersection of Park Center Drive and Town Center Drive. Turn right onto Park Center Drive and walk toward the wooden bench. Before reaching the bench, turn right and you will find 11 Four Lines Oblique Gyratory-Square IV moving with the wind.

   

11. Four Lines Oblique Gyratory-Square IV

George Rickey, 1973

The stainless-steel kinetic sculpture interacts with the breeze in a Center Tower courtyard. The 24-foot-high piece is visible from a walkway  between the tower and a parking structure, offering an elevated view of how Rickey’s art moves in concert with nature.

    

From Four Lines Oblique Gyratory- Square IV, walk back to Park Center Drive. Head back to the intersection of Park Center Drive and Town Center Drive. Cross Town Center Drive, past Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Continue past South Coast Repertory, and on your right you will see 12 Night Shift.

12. Night Shift

Jim Huntington, 1982

The 30-ton granite and steel sculpture is set in the green park between South Coast Repertory Theater and The Westin South Coast Plaza. The object at first may appear as if the architecture of commerce and culture developed around it. But like the setting, it is a combination of natural and built spaces that define the public space.

   

Continue down the concrete path toward the brightest structure in sight 13 The Ram.

   

13. The Ram

Charles Owen Perry, 1979

Trained as an architect, the sculptor of the 20-foot, 7-ton bright yellow steel piece of art next to Park Tower was inspired by the geometry of natural forms. The colorful, curving, and eye-catching sculpture is popular with diners, guests at the hotel, and those enjoying the public spaces around South Coast Plaza.

   

Enter Park Tower through the glass doors located to the left of Vaca. Once inside, turn left and in the elevator lobby you will find 14 Tour Aux Jambes.

14. Tour Aux Jambes

 Jean Dubuffet, 1973/1980

The monolithic structure of entwined forms is in the lobby of Park Tower. The modernist glass canopy of the lobby designed by architect Helmut Jahn adds light to the sculpture’s surroundings, highlighting the colors and contours of the French sculptor’s work.

   

Exit the building in the way you entered and head toward Unity Bridge. Cross the bridge and enter South Coast Plaza. Head past Victoria’s Secret toward Carousel Court. Make a right and head toward Macy’s. Once you’ve reached the balcony between Harry Winston and Cartier, you will find yourself in Jewel Court. Look up and view the 15 Jewel Court Dome.

    

15. Stained Glass Dome

Marion Sampler, 1973

The kaleidoscopic stained-glass dome that brings light and color to Jewel Court has become an iconic symbol of South Coast Plaza. The  magnificent skylight made of 7,200 pieces of glass is an early example of the many works of art, architecture, and design commissioned by South Coast Plaza’s owners.

 

To return to the Plaza Tower parking structure, exit the shopping center through the exit in between Bloomingdale’s and Seasons 52. Head toward Bristol Street on Anton Boulevard. Cross Park Center Drive and turn left. You will be at the entrance of the parking structure.

 

Notable Mentions

NEPTUNE WATER SPOUTS
The Olympian god of the sea is an apt choice for artist Betty Davenport Ford’s elaborate waterworks, Neptune Water Spouts. Outside of the lobby of The Westin South Coast Plaza are seven identical ceramic Neptune heads spouting water into the pools below.
Located behind the lobby of The Westin South Coast Plaza.

SPATIO
The three pieces, “The Story Teller,” “Upstage/Downstage” and “Herald,” were designed by Jason Meadows. Meadows created this trio especially for South Coast Repertory, with the intention of bringing the theater into the outdoors. These pink, purple, blue and silver sculptures not only invite the audience to continue their theatrical experience, but also provide patrons with a place to sit on sunny days.
Located at South Coast Repertory

CONSTELLATION
Four stories above the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall lobby is a stunning piece of architectural jewelry. Three hundred individual strands of highly polished stainless-steel form a circular pattern 40-feet in diameter. The strands are in graduated lengths, the longest reaching 40 feet. The combination of elements results in an intense sparkle that is reflected in the polished surfaces and glass.
Located in the lobby of the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall.

THE BRIDGE OF GARDENS
Spanning Bear Street to connect South Coast Plaza’s Crate and Barrel/Macy’s Home Store Wing to the east side of the Plaza. The Bridge of Gardens is constructed of stainless and galvanized steel, with a partially covered canopy. Designed by Kathryn Gustafson, a Paris-educated landscape designer and environmental artist

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