Pokey Park

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The life-size Harbor Seal sculpture by Pokey Park sits on the ground and welcomes kids to approach and touch it. A wildlife sculptor with a penchant for detail, artist Pokey Park brings her whimsical, yet lifelike pieces to the stairway alcoves of the main building. As part of the early creative process, Park based her designs on review sessions conducted with patients at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford to select animals reflective of the California ecosystem. A harbor seal red-legged frog, and kit fox are just a few of the creatures positioned to greet children and families as they enter the glass lobby expanse of the new building. Park’s tactile approach and love for detail was sparked at an early age, and is in part what earned her the nickname Pokey from her uncle. “He would pick me up from my house and take me out for walks, and I moved too slowly, because I wanted to stop and touch everything. So he started calling me Pokey. I still do that.”