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April 2022 Newsletter

Golden Connections

Dave Frei and I recently installed our latest public artwork, Golden Connections, in Ashland, Oregon. The theme of the project was to highlight the significance the railroad made to the transformation of Ashland in the late 1800’s when Southern Pacific chose the town as a main stop between Portland and San Francisco, as well as a full-service maintenance yard. When the final track was laid in Ashland after completing the railway over the winding Siskiyou Mountains, it marked the completion of the railroad around the entire country. A big golden spike moment!

Setting Golden Connections in place as train passes by.

Along with celebrating this transformative time in Ashland’s history, we also chose to use the sculpture to honor the Chinese men who did the backbreaking work to build these tracks despite discrimination and without recognition. Portland Chinese scholar, Professor Jiyu Yang, painted seven Chinese calligraphy characters that we then traced and put into digital form to be laser cut into the spike. The seven characters translate to “Today, with regret, we offer our belated gratitude.”

One side honors the Chinese workers.

We worked with several people in the Chinese American community as well as people who have devoted their lives to the understanding the history and stories of Chinese immigrants — historians, archeologists, anthropologists, professors, authors, etc. Their insights helped ensure we developed a respectful and truly meaningful message. We are deeply grateful for everyone’s openness and generosity in sharing their knowledge and stories. Most notably, we collaborated with Ashland resident Meiwen Richards who told us many stories about the Chinese railroad worker experience, the language, culture, and history.

The other, the railroad.

A dedication is being held noon on April 23rd at the sculpture site, Railroad Park in Ashland. All are invited. Make a road trip and come join us!

Dave Frei will follow up with a future post detailing his process of building this sculpture. Stay tuned.

Filed Under: April 2022 Newsletter, Members Author: Jennifer Corio

RACC Grant Awarded to PNWS!!

We’re thrilled to announce that PNWS has been awarded a RACC Make/Learn/Build Grant to fund Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Training for our arts organization!  Yay!!!

2021-22 Make|Learn|Build Grant awards (Round 4): https://racc.org/2022/04/01/2021-2022-makelearnbuild-grants-round-4/

We are incredibly grateful to RACC for providing this needed funding that will move our organization forward in creating a more welcoming space for BIPOC and under-represented sculptors, and will lay the ground work for developing long lasting partnerships with BIPOC artists, arts communities, schools and arts organizations.

We look forward to collaborating with diverse groups of artists to create a more cohesive art community, enriched by learning from each other and building together. Our intention is to build a framework for incorporating diversity, equity and inclusion throughout our organizational structure and membership.

PNWS board and committee leads will train with Nicole Lee Consulting (NLC) and their partner organization, Inclusive Life (IL), combining group training and deeper course work, beginning in May, 2022.

If you would like to learn more, or be part of this training, please contact Alisa Looney, DEI Committee Chair at alisa@alooney.com.

Filed Under: April 2022 Newsletter, Blog Author: Alisa Looney

PNWS Launches the NEWS PNWS for Member Conversation and Information Sharing

Bob Deasy proposed we develop a text-based forum for members to share thoughts, ideas, and discuss topics, pose questions, and seek advice. It’s a great way to stay connected and informed. This month, we launch our new NEWS PNWS. All members have access. Conversation topics will be member-driven. In addition to improved communications we will also be able to document knowledge for future reference.

Conversations for our upcoming Creative Collaborations should be visible soon so everyone can follow the progress and contribute to the development of these pieces.

— Here are the key features of the Idea Exchange. 

— Your forum tab is accessed through our website

— See your topics and replies under the forums tab

— See a count of topics and replies from your profile

— Control subscriptions and favorites from your profile

To access the NEWS PNWS conversations, choose the “Visit Forums” tab on your profile page. It’s just below your photo and description.

Filed Under: April 2022 Newsletter, Blog, March 2022 Newsletter, Newsletter Tagged With: article Author: Chas Martin

Price Sculpture Forest Guided Tours on International Sculpture Day

In celebration of International Sculpture Day on April 30, Price Sculpture Forest is offering guided tours of the park’s sculpture collection by its founder.  The backstory behind how the Sculpture Forest was created will be provided and then highlights from the story of every sculptor and sculpture in the park will be discussed.  The stroll is intended to be interactive by encouraging questions and discussion with participants.

The Sculpture Forest is set in a century old native forest habitat interspersed with sculptures by artists from the Pacific Northwest, across the nation, and international.  It is both a sculpture park and wildlife preserve, where art enhances nature and nature enhances art.

The tour will travel 0.7 miles on a smooth forest walking path, half flat and half on a slope.  Appropriate attire for outdoor walking in the day’s weather is of course recommended.

Participants must be pre-registered at https://scufor.org/guidedtour.  To learn more about Price Sculpture Forest, please visit https://SculptureForest.org.

Filed Under: April 2022 Newsletter, Blog, Newsletter Author: Scott Price

Who’s Doing What: April 2022

Here’s what our some of our incredible members are doing this month.

Bob Deasy and Connie Colter are collaborating for the Creative Collaborations show. Here’s the starting point, a brown onyx stone starting weight 127 pounds. The plan is to place Connie’s figures into the space Bob creates in the stone.


Cobalt Designworks, aka Dave Frei and Jennifer Corio installed their latest piece, “Golden Connection” in Ashland recently. Dedication will be April 23. All are invited to attend. Read the first part of the story of this incredible piece.


From Carole Murphy is one amongst the 15 to 20 other pieces that are in process. Recycled paper clay, bone, nature, steel and wood is a partial listing of components. Carole speaks to the incredible variety of pieces we are made of and go through to get to where we are.


Maria Wickwire’s simultaneous solo show opened at the Smith and Vallee Gallery in just in time for the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival! The show runs through May 1st. See the virtual tour.


New work from Phil Seder – welded steel, wood, copper and stone.


Karen Russo along with Jason Green have a show at Uno E Richter Atrium Gallery in the Coos Art Museum from April 29 through June 25. In sculpture and painting, Karen Russo and Jason Greene express energy and emotion through texture and mark making that reverberate a call and response collaboration with nature.


The City of Olympia has selected two pieces by Robert Gigliotti for installation at Percival Landing for their 2022-2023 season. The work will install in late June. The two are Germination and Quantum Leap. The outer ring of Germination represents the earth, the stainless ball a seed, the upper blades are sprouts and the curved shapes at the bottom are the roots. Quantum Leap is a depiction of an electron moving from one space to another.


Filed Under: April 2022 Newsletter, Blog, Newsletter Author: Chas Martin

Kilnloading

My kiln is being loaded with some of Andy Kennedy’s recent work. We are both interested in exploring the use of local clays as glazes in a cone 10 firing. Claybanks abound in all the nearby rivers, and each has a distinctly unique signature so there is room for much exploration.

Filed Under: April 2022 Newsletter, Members Author: Russell Ford

Resiliency and Adaptability: A Conversation with Sam Cobb

Sam Cobb

Our March 23rd zoom meeting was a conversation with multidisciplinary sculptor Sam Cobb who works in the commercial and entertainment fabrication industries. When not working for the industry, Sam makes kinetic sculpture and participates in various creative hijinks with her art collective: Dark Arbor Lodge.
Sam discussed resiliency and adaptability: what it takes to work in the commercial and entertainment fields, as well as how those traits carry over into furthering her personal art.

Filed Under: April 2022 Newsletter, Events-Past, Members Author: Bob Deasy

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Who’s Doing What: March 2023

By Chas Martin

Member meetup and Studio tour March 29

By Bob Deasy

PNWS material and intangible

By Andy Kennedy

Coming to the Southeast Portland’s Goat Blocks in early summer

By Bob Deasy

The Rewards of Transition

By Chas Martin

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Pacific Northwest Sculptors
4110 SE Hawthorne Blvd #302
Portland, OR 97214
president@pnwsculptors.org

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Tualatin Valley Creates
International Sculpture Center

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