Saturday, January 17, 2026

ArtCenter Will Open Hillside Campus for Poppy Planting to Honor Eaton Fire Anniversary

An image of California Poppies at ArtCenter’s Hillside Campus in Pasadena. [ArtCenter photo]

The free community event connects the college to Altadena’s grassroots effort to restore the state flower to fire-scarred land

A Pasadena art institution is inviting the community to help spread a blanket of bright poppies throughout the foothills of West Pasadena.

ArtCenter College of Design will host a free poppy-planting event on Saturday, January 24, where attendees will scatter California poppy seeds across the college’s Hillside Campus in the San Rafael hills. The gathering, called “Planting Seeds: Remembering the LA Fires,” will remember the first anniversaries of the massively destructive Eaton and Palisades wildfires.

It’s part of the Great Altadena Poppy Project, a grassroots effort led by longtime Altadena resident René Amy to sow 250 million poppy seeds across fire-impacted properties.

Amy, who lost his home and his wildflower seed business in the fire, launched the project in November.

“Folks need hope these days; I know that I do,” Amy said in an earlier interview. “California poppies exemplify beauty, grace, and resilience.”

For ArtCenter, the connection is personal. Many faculty, staff, students, alumni, and neighbors experienced profound loss in the fire, including homes and irreplaceable belongings, according to the college.

The California poppy holds particular significance for Altadena. In the early 1900s, poppy fields covered the area so densely that visitors called it the “Altar Cloth of San Pasqual.” Tourists traveled from across the country to see the golden blooms carpeting the foothills.

“There’s good reason why Altadena has streets named Poppyfields and Las Flores,” said Veronica Jones, president of the Altadena Historical Society. “Our area was actually a tourist destination before it was fully developed.”

The state flower, which became California’s official floral emblem in 1903, is known for thriving in challenging conditions.

“Come springtime, when these bloom, every California poppy on planet will stand and bloom in solidarity with those in Altadena,” Amy said. “And to me that means an awful lot.”

The ArtCenter event runs from 10 a.m. to noon at the Sinclaire Pavilion on the college’s Hillside Campus, 1700 Lida St. in Pasadena. Participants are encouraged to wear closed-toe shoes and long pants for the planting. The event is free and open to all ages.

More information is available at artcenter.edu/connect/events/planting-seeds.html.