Art – Walk Ashland

“Gift” – Public art at Library entrance

A gift to the artist.
A gift to the community.
In memory of Jack Hardesty.
Artist: Wataru Sugiyama.
Ashland Public Art series.

“There was an empty pedestal along the stairway. My daughter and I looked at the pedestal, and I saw an image there. Then my hesitation was gone.”
Wataru Sugiyama

Why it’s called “Gift”

This sculpture is called “Gift” because Wataru experienced being guided during the entire process of creating it. The gifts he received through this artwork also involved people. Making it brought him closer to his daughter. It also brought him together in shared mourning with his friend Alice Hardesty, who purchased the sculpture as a memorial to her late husband Jack (who was also Wataru’s friend).

Inauspicious beginning

The beginning of this meaningful process was inauspicious. Wataru told me, “A friend came to my studio and said, ‘Hey Wataru, the city is looking for a stone sculpture.’ I felt like kind of a beginner at carving stone, and just said ‘Thank you for letting me know.’ At that point I was perhaps 40% interested and 60% thinking I’m not going to do anything about it.”

At this time, in 2008, the Public Arts Commission (PAC) thought about installing a rotating sculpture gallery along the Calle Guanajuato stairway, which connects Calle Guanajuato with Granite Street. The idea was to have two or three sculptures on pedestals for a year or two, then sell those (or give them back to the artists) and change them out for two or three new ones. From Wataru’s story, it seems that they were considering a stone sculpture on one specific pedestal along the stairway.

Wataru visited the site with his daughter

Wataru’s friend had told him the location being considered for this new sculpture. Skeptical but intrigued, one day Wataru took his daughter, River Davis, with him to visit the site – and that made all the difference. His story continued: “One weekend, my daughter and I went to the site. I was just curious where it was going to be. When I saw it I remembered, when she was in elementary school, her teachers organized the kids and their parents to clean up the weeds right there. I had a good memory of that day, some kind of connection with the place.”

Empty pedestal…’no hesitation’

“There was an empty pedestal along the stairway. My daughter and I looked at the pedestal, and I saw an image there. Then my hesitation was gone.”

Inspired, he and his daughter went right from there to Leave Your Mark, a business on Highway 99 that sells many kinds of stones. “First I was looking for sandstone, a much softer rock,” Wataru said. “Unfortunately, they didn’t have any sandstone that time. A lady came over and said, ‘How about this one, a piece of granite? I know it’s really hard.’ It was really beautiful. Sandstone usually has one color, but granite has little bit different colors. It felt like the stone was waiting for me or something. There was no hesitation.”

There is that phrase again – “no hesitation.”

Describing his carving of Gift on the Oregon Art Beat television feature about him, Wataru said: “I start with a conversation with the stone. It guides me. That’s the best way to shape it. Until I hear that voice, I don’t want to touch it.”

Wataru first talked to me about the sculpture Gift as I visited him in his small Ashland studio. We were surrounded by many of his whimsical works I had seen at Hanson-Howard Gallery and other galleries. Here are photos of several.

Joyful elephants and other whimsical art by Wataru Sugiyama. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2021)

With an abstract, ‘you can carve forever’

He made the point that stone carving was relatively new to him, and creating an abstract sculpture was also relatively new to him. Here is how he expressed the learning curve and the frustration he felt.

"Gift" by Wataru Sugiyama — “Gift” by Wataru Sugiyama. Artistic view of the back of the sculpture and the library chimney. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2020)

“I started carving, the whole winter. It’s an abstract, so no answer. With these [Wataru pointed to animal designs in clay in the studio] I can have a little more answer, but abstract you can carve forever, because no obvious finishing point. One day, I was exhausted, kind of getting fever. I had been working outside every day carving, then a missed shot with my hammer and chisel made a scratch that gave me a kind of inspiration. That was, again, not my talent but an accident. That’s why I call the sculpture ‘Gift.'”

Influence of Machu Picchu

During the year he was working on Gift, Wataru had a chance to go to Peru, to Machu Picchu. “One day I went to the garden of the Pachamama,” he said. “I saw water running on a stone there. Seeing water go through rock inspired me.”

With its original setting near Ashland Creek, the Public Arts Commission had suggested “water” as a theme for the sculpture. With this inspiration from the trip to Peru, Wataru carved a flowing pattern from the top to the bottom of the piece of granite. I asked, “Tell me more about the theme of water.” “It’s not logical,” he replied, “but way, way high up in the mountain there, it’s like a water source at the top, right? Imagine a stream coming down here from the source, then going into the hole.”

Alice and Jack Hardesty

In May 2009, Gift was installed on the pedestal Wataru had visited with his daughter, halfway up the Calle Guanajuato stairway. As mentioned, it was intended to be a temporary installation. Just two months later, in July 2009, Alice Hardesty told the Public Arts Commission she would purchase Gift. According to the Commission minutes, “She offered the piece as a gift of public art to the City of Ashland. The piece is offered in memorial of her late husband and former city councilor Jack Hardesty.” The City Council accepted the gift of “Gift” to the city that August.

Wataru explained to me that he had been friends with Jack and Alice Hardesty for some years. Jack, a big fan of art, especially liked Wataru’s work. Alice told Wataru that Jack had left some money in an account, and that purchasing this artwork in Jack’s memory was a perfect use of the money.

Move to the Ashland Library

A couple years later, the Public Arts Commission developed plans for other art along the Calle Guanajuato stairway. Fast forward to December 2011. PAC commissioner Dana Bussell and Ashland head librarian Amy Blossom identified a permanent location for Gift near the rear entrance to the Ashland Library. Gift was installed there in June 2012. The sign on the sculpture says:

“Gift”
Wataru Sugiyama
In Memory of Jack Hardesty.
Art opens the eyes.

As Wataru spoke with me, he pointed to one spot that he said looked a little like eyes carved in the rock, and another spot that looked a little like hands praying.

Wataru’s deep emotional connections

Wataru has deep emotional connections with a few of his artworks, Gift among them. He said the sculpture turned out a lot like his vision on the Calle Guanajuato stairway, and that it was very meaningful that his daughter River had first looked at the empty pedestal with him.

“I have a lot of sentimental memories with my daughter in this sculpture. I told her, ‘Daddy cannot live forever. So when someday I go, if you want to see me, come over here. This is kind of my gravestone.'”

Wataru described how his art changed after his daughter grew up and he did not have to focus quite so much on making a certain amount of money every month. “Now, everything I do from my inner child. The more I enjoy, the more the art appeals to the people.”
Wataru Sugiyama

Watch an Oregon Art Beat video about Wataru

In this moving 10-minute segment from Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Oregon Art Beat show, Wataru talks about the making of Gift and also about his mother.

“Wataru, when did you become an artist?”

Wataru’s story is so unusual and so gripping that I’d like to share it with you in some detail. All you need to know as background is that Wataru grew up in Japan.

When I asked that question — “when did you become an artist?” — he replied, “I did not have any art experience when I lived in Japan. I used to be an engineer, helping build things like sewer pipes or tunnels for trains. Just smoking cigarettes, two packs a day, while I was drawing the blueprints. One day I got a call from the government, complaining that my lines were too thick. I thought, Oh my gosh, I cannot do this.”

“I felt like I needed to find what I really wanted to do with my life. I never consciously chose the path to become an engineer. I did it because my father recommended it. I didn’t know what else to do, so I just did it.”

“I finally got tired of working as engineer Monday through Saturday, go out drinking Saturday evening, then hangover on Sunday morning. There was no time for myself. One day I was sitting on the couch, and I heard a voice inside, ‘Wataru, are you sure you want to continue this?’ My answer was ready – ‘No.’ So I wrote a letter to the boss and told him I quit.”

“I wanted to study again, to look for something I really want to do with my life. I remembered that my favorite subject when I was in school was English. When I quit my job, I went to the private language institute in Tokyo.” For some reason, the receptionist told Wataru he could not study there full-time, but he could take night classes at the institute.

After three years of night classes at the private language institute, he met a woman who changed his life: Allis Cole. An American from Ashland, whose husband Philip Davidson was a Shakespeare actor, she encouraged Wataru to study English in America. As Wataru remembers the conversation, “She told me Ashland is very quiet, the right place for me.”

“Allis Cole was still in Tokyo when I came to Ashland, and I stayed at her husband’s house for a month or so. Then I went to school at SOU. First I had a speech/communication major because I really wanted to improve my English. Toward the end of the speech/communication major, I needed to take an art class, an elective to fill up my credits. That term I took a ceramics class. I was not interested in throwing the pots. I just wanted to make something with clay – and I really got into it! I wasn’t sure this was going to be my path, but I did like it.”

“So I kept doing it and doing it [art and sculpture]. Then school President Dr. Cox gave me a full scholarship to study art in graduate school at SOU. A second-generation Japanese American gave me a room and food while I studied. Still I needed to work as a janitor early in the morning, cleaning bathrooms. I got an M.A. in art.”

“After graduation, I rented a studio space at the same time I cleaned up at Mihama Restaurant. I felt kind of weird, because when I graduated, I got a summa honor. My parents even came from Japan to the graduation. Then a couple weeks later, I ended up cleaning the bathroom at Mihama.” Wataru laughed at his memory, then went on: “I felt like, it’s okay. I have to accept the reality, because I have to rent a studio space.”

For years, Wataru worked hard at his clay art. Well-known potter Jim Robinson was a mentor who introduced Wataru to art shows in Seattle, San Francisco, Sedona and many other cities. Little by little, people got to know his work and he supported himself through his art.

From clay to granite and marble

Wataru met local sculptor and expert bronze caster Jack Langford through a friend. I wrote about Jack’s work in the article “‘We Are Here’ Honors Native Americans (Bronze Replica, Part 2 of 3).”

Jack came to Wataru’s studio and looked at his work. He said, “Wataru, you’ve gotta carve stone.” Wataru thought Jack was crazy. His art was made with clay, not stone. But Jack dropped off one stone at Wataru’s studio. That piece of stone sat there for two years. Wataru laughed as he said, “Then one day, I started getting triggered, thinking I wanted to do something in different media. That was Jack’s influence.” Wataru has great respect for Jack’s capabilities as an artist, and thinks of him as expert with metal, wood, stone and more.

Wataru has been working with stone, as well as clay, ever since. Gift, of course, is carved of stone. The photos below show another one of Wataru’s creations, this one in marble.

Wataru Sugiyama art in marble, called “Bonding,” in the private collection of Raymond Barry.
You can see it on Clear Creek Drive. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2021)

Wataru Sugiyama art in marble, called “Bonding,” head detail.
(photo by Peter Finkle, 2021)

Wataru’s huge new artwork stirred my emotions

When I first stood before this nearly-13-foot tall sculpture, I had a mixture of emotions. First was surprise at how large it loomed above me and before me. After that, I was in awe of the detail I noticed carved into every surface, from the bottom to the top. Finally, when I settled down and stood quietly with the artwork, I felt a deep relaxation within me.

"May You Feel Peace Within" by Wataru Sugiyama — “May You Feel Peace Within” by Wataru Sugiyama, sculpted in clay – overview of artwork. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2021)

Jack Langford (on left) and Wataru Sugiyama (on right) with “May You Find Peace Within” towering over them.

Therefore, I was not surprised when Wataru showed me this drawing of the planned sculpture. It looks like he began working on it during February 2020. You can see where he later wrote his title for the sculpture: “May You Feel Peace Within.”

Wataru’s description of “May You Feel Peace Within”

In his description of the sculpture, Wataru wrote: “Although I don’t remember the exact moment I envisioned this sculpture, perhaps the image of an owl has been building steadily in my mind through the years. I’ve been sculpting in a small barn in the forests of southern Oregon for 15 years and have become quite close with a family of Great Horned Owls that nest in the rafters above my studio. Watching has always given me a sense of stillness and calmness even as the world around is far from that.”

owl in barn — This resident owl at Wataru Sugiyama’s art studio inspires his sculptures. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2021)

“The non-owl portions of this sculpture are influenced by the spirit of Kannon. She’s a Buddhist Bodhisattva, which means she has chosen to forgo her own enlightenment to stay behind and help everyone who suffers in this world. I believe she dwells within this sculpture.”

“Those two elements brought together became this anthropomorphic owl. I sculpted my feelings of compassion and love into this figure and now when I stand in front of it I feel a calming sense of compassion resounding from it. As a sculptor it would be my greatest joy if those who stand and face this sculpture also feel peace within, even just for a moment.”

Something about standing before this artwork does take me to a peaceful place within

Making a large bronze statue takes big bucks

Wataru envisions a bronze casting of “May You Find Peace Within” that will reside at an outdoor sculpture garden or museum. The challenge: making a large statue like this in bronze is very expensive. Wataru is raising money toward his goal. If you would like to donate a small amount, or if you could donate thousands of dollars towards the bronze casting, you can reach Wataru at his email address, listed below under References.

References:

Sugiyama, Wataru. His email address is watarusculpting@gmail.com.

Sugiyama, Wataru. Interview and personal communications, July 2021 and other dates.

Oregon Art Beat feature about Wataru Sugiyama, October 2020, Oregon Public Broadcasting. (You will find the link in the photo essay above.)

Quirky Sights in Ashland: Part 2

Look at these photos and SMILE.
Maybe even laugh!
20 photos – how many do you recognize?
More funny, strange and artistic sights & sites in Ashland.

Quirky, Greenmeadows Way — Welcome to “Schnozville” at 1090 Greenmeadows Way. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2021)

I can’t guarantee that you will be able to see all of these sights for yourself. Things change. I took the photos shown here over a period of four years, though many were taken in the last few weeks (summer 2021).

Walking through the Railroad District

Quirky — This looks like the most uncomfortable seat in the house. Spotted in an alley in the Railroad District. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2021)

Spooky and strange

Quirky, Halloween. — This household in the Railroad District is getting an early start on Halloween.
(photo by Peter Finkle, 2021)

Spooky and stranger

Not-spooky but strange

A bit of nature in the Quirky Ashland photo collection

Quirky, garden — I have seen many “raised bed gardens,” but this one takes the art of restful gardening to another level. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2020)

Quirky, Ashland Creek — Here’s a salmon swimming upstream in Ashland Creek, with a little help from a chalk artist. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2021)

Someone put a special painted rock in one of the North Mountain Park gardens.
(photo by Peter Finkle, 2021)

Classical pianist humor

Humor?

The Doors (no, not the late 1960s rock group)

Quirky, fence — This is one of the most unusual fences I have seen in Ashland. It’s another alley find.
(photo by Peter Finkle, 2021)

Tiny but mighty

If you liked these photos, check out “Quirky Sights in Ashland: Part 1” and other related photo essays.

“Hope You Smile” – flower mural on East Main Street

Colorful flowers brighten a fence.
East Main Street at Wightman Avenue.
Ashland neighborhood art.
Artist: Shea Cathey.

“Hope You Smile”

Between COVID-19 and wildfire smoke in the Rogue Valley, summer 2021 was a difficult one. We needed as many bright moments in our days as possible. This mural has been bringing smiles to faces and hearts since it was painted in June 2021. Whenever you drive, bicycle or walk along East Main Street, it is likely to brighten your day.

Every time I drive past the beautiful artwork you created on your fence it puts a smile on my face, no matter how I’m feeling or what I’m dealing with. Thank you for sharing some joy!
Anonymous. This note was placed in Jody’s mailbox, September 2021

The colorful flowers were born from the vision of homeowner Jody Johnson and artist Shea Cathey. Their intention from the beginning was to uplift community members who pass by, which is why Shea named the mural “Hope You Smile.” As you can see from the quote above, they are succeeding. I had the pleasure of talking with both Jody and Shea.

The origin story

I asked Jody when she first envisioned the mural. She told me this story: “My husband Mark and I moved here three years ago. Both of us love color, the brighter the better. When we moved in, the fence was weather-beaten, gray, and falling apart. We had it shored up and stained.

“After moving here, I missed my friends. I started volunteering at the Senior Center, helping with lunches. That’s where I met Shea. She is wonderful, a really giving person, and very talented. I’m not sure Shea knows how talented she is. Shea was doing art lessons and projects with the senior citizens before COVID shut all that down. After they shut down lunches at the Senior Center, Shea and I stayed in touch.

“Mark and I walk this neighborhood a lot. A couple houses down that way [she pointed toward Fordyce Street] have painted their fences. We thought they were really creative. Once we ate at the Mexican restaurant [La Casa del Pueblo on Siskiyou Blvd.] and they had a beautiful mural on the wall. I was thinking: I wonder if I could find out who did it, because I think our fence would be the perfect place for a mural.”

Fordyce Street, Ashland Oregon — Overview of the Jellyfish mural on Fordyce Street, painted by J. Mike Kuhn. This is one of the neighborhood murals that inspired Jody. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2020)

La Casa del Pueblo restaurant, dining room wall mural. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2021)

Offer to the artist

Jody didn’t find out who painted the mural at La Casa del Pueblo, but she already knew a good artist. She continued her story: “When COVID hit, Shea wasn’t as busy as she was before. We were out to lunch one day, and I said to her, ‘Would you ever be interested in doing a mural on my fence?’ And she was like, ‘Sure, that sounds like fun.’ Then she asked, ‘What do you want painted?’ I said, ‘You are the person with the talent and the artistic ability. I just like color, so I want something with a lot of color.’ Based on that, she made a drawing for me – and I loved it!”

See a photo of the original drawing below.

Mural by Shea Cathey — “Hope You Smile,” mural by Shea Cathey. This is the original illustration prepared for Jody and sent to the Mill Pond HOA. (photo by Shea Cathey, 2021)

Jody told me she thought of painting the inside of the fence, but she felt like that would be selfish. She wanted people to enjoy it as they drove by, and also to provide a colorful entrance to her Mill Pond neighborhood. Before painting could begin, she had to take the idea to the Mill Pond HOA (Home Owners Association) for approval. Almost everyone on the HOA board liked the drawing, so the mural was approved.

The humble artist

“I’m not sure Shea knows how talented she is.”
Jody Johnson

Shea Cathey grew up in a small Louisiana town. She has loved making art since early childhood. She took art classes in high school, and at 17 years of age one of her paintings was chosen for an exhibit at the Whitney Museum in New York. When she got to college, she studied nursing and let her art go for a while.

I asked, “When did you start thinking of yourself as an artist?” Shea replied, “There’s still a part of me that feels like I am pretending, even when I am teaching art classes, because I didn’t get a degree in art.” On the related subject of selling her paintings, she said, “Painting and drawing are things I enjoy so much that I feel weird charging people for it. That’s something that I know I have to get over.”

Shea and her husband had lived all their lives in Louisiana. A combination of introspection and difficult life lessons led them to consider moving. They researched nationwide for a state with a good scope of practice for nurse practitioners (her husband’s profession), a small town with a university, an open-minded area that supports art and artists, and finally a good school system for their four children. Where did they end up? Right here in Ashland.

The humble artist as excellent teacher

“I enjoy teaching people art because people who say, ‘I’m not an artist, I can’t even draw a straight line,’ end up taking my course, really liking it, and being proud of themselves. That makes me so happy!”
Shea Cathey

Since moving to Ashland, Shea has taught art classes through the Senior Center and OLLI, as well as in Bellview School classrooms and private lessons. She told me, “Pre-pandemic, I taught a free art class at the Senior Center once a month, called something like ‘Art with Friends.’ That class was always full.” Since COVID shut down in-person classes, she has taken on the challenge of teaching art on Zoom. It still works, but is not quite as satisfying.

I was moved by Shea’s description of her deep emotional connection with her art students.

“I enjoy teaching people art because people who say, ‘I’m not an artist, I can’t even draw a straight line,’ end up taking my course, really liking it, and being proud of themselves. That makes me so happy! So it makes me feel weird charging them. It seems like an experience that everybody deserves.”

The grateful artist

“I have a really awesome circle of friends here in Ashland, that I never had in Louisiana.”
Shea Cathey

Shea is grateful that her family lives in Ashland, and that she can share her love of art with people here. Her appreciation of the Ashland community led her to say “Yes” to Jody’s offer.

Late May and early June, when painting took place, had many days with temperatures in the 90s. Hence the sunglasses when I stopped to talk with Shea and take her photo on June 1st, a 99-degree day. Sitting in front of the south-facing fence, she cared for her body by limiting painting to morning hours as much as possible.

The painting process, step by step

The small drawing Shea created for Jody, which you saw above, was the template she worked from. She was right at home painting a fence, for two reasons. First, I was surprised when she told me, during our interview, that almost all of her studio paintings have been done on wood rather than canvas. Second, she likes to paint big things. Whether a studio painting, a mural on a bedroom wall or on a fence, she is comfortable going big.

Painting begins with paint. Shea likes to mix her own paint colors. Normally, she only buys the three primary colors – red, yellow and blue – plus black and white. Then she mixes any other colors she needs from them.

The first step was sketching outlines on the fence of the flowers and leaves. Sadly, I missed taking a photo of that step.

“While she was painting, so many people stopped to tell her how they loved it – and they still do. Especially when the farmers market is happening across the street, I can’t tell you many people have told my husband and me, ‘That makes us feel so happy.'”
Jody Johnson

Next came filling in the outlines with white paint, which acted as primer on the fence.

Then came color – lots of color. Seen from across the street, the colors seem to flow together, to complement each other. The photo below shows the almost-completed mural.

Seen up close, I enjoy the variety of colors in the flowers and leaves. Each bright flower seems to pop out of the fence on its own, saying “Look at me.”

As a final step in completing the design, Shea painted a white background between the flowers to help the colors stand out. She left the original orange-brown fence color top and bottom as a frame for the mural. The frame ties in with the colors of Jody and Mark’s house.

What kind of flowers are these?

What do you think?

I asked Shea. She told me she would call them ranunculus, or buttercups, though you could make an argument for peonies. I have peonies in my home garden and they don’t quite match the mural. I had to look up photos of ranunculus. When I did, I thought, Yes…that’s what the fence flowers are.

Ranunculus asiaticus bloom. (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Where to find “Hope You Smile”

You will find the mural on East Main Street near the corner of Wightman Street. Another landmark is the National Guard Armory, location of the Tuesday Growers & Crafters Market, which is across the street from the mural.

The design and colors of this mural provide an uplifting moment for drivers going by on East Main Street. The design also provides nearly endless fascination for pedestrians, who may be drawn to appreciate individual flowers, then walk on refreshed.

References:

Cathey, Shea. Interview June 2021 and other communications.

Johnson, Jody. Interview September 2021.

“Uplifting” – Art to inspire kindness

Large. Visible. Have you seen it?
Huge mosaic wall mural.
The artist shares hidden secrets.
Artist: Krista Hepford.
Ashland Public Art series.

“Yes, that’s how ‘Uplifting’ got its name,” Krista confirmed with a laugh.

Have you noticed it?

Uplifting, public art in Ashland, Oregon — Uplifting as seen from Siskiyou Blvd. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2021)

If you live in Ashland and drive a car, you may have seen this public artwork hundreds or perhaps thousands of times. But have you noticed it?

Fun story: How the artwork was named

I love it when reality is more surprising than fiction. This is one of those stories. Artist Krista Hepford received approval in early 2016 from the owners of 1668 Siskiyou Boulevard to install a mosaic wall mural on the side of their building. But she was stuck. She had ideas, but none seemed right for this spot, at this time. She knew she wanted to create something from discontinued ceramic tile samples.

“Then I saw a paint swatch at Bi-Mart, that yellow color,” Krista told me as she pointed to the wall. “That kinda looks like the creamy yellow of the Ashland Springs Hotel downtown. I like things to look like they belong. And the name of the paint swatch was – ‘Uplifting.'”

“No way,” I replied, incredulous.

“Yes, that’s how ‘Uplifting’ got its name,” Krista confirmed with a laugh.

She even showed me a photo to share with you.

Where you will find “Uplifting”

Uplifting is a large ceramic tile wall mural on the side of the Abbey Carpet & Floor (Carpet Mart) building, located at 1668 Siskiyou Boulevard. If you love chocolate, I’ll tell you it is next to Branson’s Chocolate shop. If you love Thai food, I’ll tell you it is across the street from House of Thai restaurant.

A hidden story

“Have you heard about one of those GPS games called Geocaching?,” Krista asked me as she reached into a hidden spot and pulled out an odd little container. I know very little about it, so she explained that people use an app to find hidden places or ‘treasures’ as they travel.

She went on, “This is an official geocache, and this is how I get a lot of compliments on my artwork. I knew that my artwork was away from downtown Ashland. My daughter was interested in geocaching, so we made this to attract people. Look at all these people who have been here, the most recent one on June 23^rd [the day before I interviewed Krista].” Both tourists and locals discover Uplifting through their geocaching searches.

Uplifting, public art in Ashland, Oregon, geocaching — This official geocache box and sign-in sheet is located at the Uplifting artwork. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2021)

How the wall and the dumpster “inspired” the artwork!

Before she thought of creating art on the wall, she was a customer of Abbey Carpet & Floor. The long blank wall on the side of the building, visible from Siskiyou Boulevard, was hard to miss. Plus it was a magnet for graffiti painters.

She went on to tell me, “I have an interior design degree, so I was remodeling my house and coming here to get supplies. I saw them throwing out marble and beautiful glass tiles. I asked and was told, ‘Well, they’re discontinued.’ So I said to Eric and Dan, the store owners, ‘Why don’t you put that stuff you’re throwing away on your wall instead? Show all that lovely stuff you have on the inside, on the outside.'”

At this point, Krista had no idea what image to put on the wall, just the inspiration to put something there.

She told them, “I could make a bird.”

“You could do that?”

“Yes, I could do that…or something.”

It turned out to be a very large “something.”

“This is my most prized piece that I’ve done.”
Krista Hepford

Challenges to overcome: first step, build trust

As Krista explained, “You have to build trust, right?” This happened multiple times in the art project, first with Eric and Dan of Abbey Carpet & Floor. They only knew her as a customer. They didn’t know what she could do, and here she was asking to take over the side of their building. To build trust, she had to pass a test. She explained, “First I had to build this awning for them. Once I built that, they thought, ‘Okay, she has some construction skills. She can do this.'”

“I hope the mural puts a smile on a few faces.
Eric Austed, co-owner of the building

I spoke briefly with both Eric Austed and Dan Leary, who own the building and store. Both expressed appreciation for Krista’s work ethic and for the finished artwork. They were impressed by her ability to navigate the city approval process, raise money for the project, hustle for donations of materials, recruit and train volunteer helpers, plus put in countless hours herself over a period of almost two years.

Eric summed up his feelings in a few words. “We are very grateful to Krista and to all the people who helped. I would hope the mural puts a smile on a few faces.”

Challenges to overcome: Public Arts Commission approval

Once she convinced Eric and Dan, she had to build trust with the Public Arts Commission (PAC). I was a little surprised, because Krista had been a commissioner on the PAC in 2013 and 2014. To be fair to the PAC, this was a large art project in a very visible location, so the commission wanted to make sure it would be done right.

When she presented her design to the Public Arts Commission in August of 2016, they were skeptical that she had the skills to create this large public artwork. They were also concerned that the indoor tiles she was saving from the dumpster would deteriorate in the hot sun. Krista explained that the whole point of the artwork was, “I want to save things from the dumpster.”

She returned to the PAC meeting of February 2017 with more details and got approval at that time. However, the commissioners required that she build the wall mural so that it was removable. This made the project more complex than just applying the mosaic tiles to the wall.

Uplifting, Ashland public art — This photo shows a detail of the steel structure that Uplifting mosaic tile boards are attached to. (photo by Krista Hepford)

Challenges to overcome: no funding

The PAC told Krista that they did not have any funding for this artwork, so she would have to raise the money herself. More allies appeared just as Krista needed them. First, the building owners agreed to supply the grout, cement, bolts, screws and hardware that she needed. Of course, they were already supplying most of the recycled tiles that Krista saved from the dumpster to use in making her mural. With that beginning, Krista felt comfortable to begin fundraising.

Another trust-building process was with the business and residential neighbors of the future artwork. She said, “I would not build something that people in the neighborhood didn’t want.” She made a computer generated illustration to show how the Uplifting mosaic would look on the side of the building. Then, along with her daughter, she took the illustration with a petition and knocked on every business and residential door in the immediate area.

“We showed them the mock-up and asked them to sign if they liked the art. We got 100%. Not a single person said, ‘No, I don’t want that.'”

Showing the mock-up to neighbors jump-started her fundraising. The acupuncturist across the street was a runner and offered to organize a 5K run to raise money for the artwork. Deena at Branson’s Chocolate next door offered to make custom chocolate bars for Krista to sell for fundraising.

Chocolate saved the day in another way

Krista knew a contractor at her church who agreed to help install the hardware to hold the heavy mosaic tile mural pieces. When he had a family emergency and had to withdraw from helping, she faced another challenge. Again, help came in an unexpected way. She told me, “I was selling those chocolate bars at the Grange Coop one day. Nelson Oostenink, the head of the Grange at the time, happened to be a contractor. He got interested in my project and said ‘I’ll help you out.’ He installed, welded and donated the hardware.”

Here is Krista with Nelson Oostenink. (photo by Andrea Carmichael)

Challenges to overcome: materials stolen

One more hurdle! After she had navigated the Public Arts Commission process, she got to the site one day to find that all the recycled ceramic tile display boards she had been saving behind the building for a year were gone, stolen. She had to start over, collecting and saving from the beginning again. She stayed positive, because “every hurdle that I hit, something good happened to change that. One of Abbey Carpet & Floor’s suppliers said, ‘We’ll start bringing you everything that we get rid of or discontinue,’ so my pile got bigger faster. It was actually even higher quality tile than I had collected before.”

How “Uplifting” was designed

Krista expressed again and again during our talk that Uplifting was a community project. From fundraising to construction to simple encouragement, many people chipped in to help her create this artwork.

Let’s go back to the beginning. You read the story above describing how the artwork got the name “Uplifting.” From that name, a design began to crystallize in Krista’s imagination. She explained how difficult the year 2016 had been for her, with so much negative news in the media. It weighed on her, the feeling she is only one person and she can’t do anything about it. “It started to overwhelm me,” she said, “and that mixed with finding the Uplifting idea led to this design as my reaction to all the negativity in the world. That’s why there are all different colors, because there are no races in here. Most of all, it’s about being kind to one another, reaching out to one another.”

The fingernails, the door and the window

I pointed to the glass tile fingernails that stand out. Krista surprised me by saying those were put together by kindergarteners and elementary school kids. Their participation meant a lot to her, because she wanted to involve the community.

The Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Medford donated the old door.

Here is some frustrated-artist humor from Krista on September 24, 2017: “Eeeeerrrrrrrg! Building a crooked window to look in perspective is a LOT harder than drawing one!!!” See photo below for the crooked window layout.

On September 27, 2017 Krista wrote: “Getting close to the finish line so that means…. energy and money is running low. Thanks to Trinity! My new volunteer who helped me work out the window. She was just traveling through Ashland and bought a mural candy bar at ShopNKart!”

What happened when Krista got bored

“I got bored right around here,” Krista said as she pointed to the lower arm. “This arm was the last piece. I needed to do something different to make this more interesting to me.”

“Look closely at it. You can see here is a child, and the child is pointing up at something. There is a butterfly, and the butterfly is flying towards a flower.” Making these playful touches brought the mosaic alive for her again.

Another financial angel

I described some of Krista’s fundraising joys and struggles above. That money covered the cost of everything in the artwork that was not donated. It did not cover her final months of work to build this huge art project. Another financial angel appeared, the Haines & Friends Fund, which offers stipends periodically to artists and art projects.

One of the fund directors saw a newspaper article about Krista’s art project and reached out to her. They suggested that she apply for a grant. Happily surprised, Krista applied and did receive funding. She told me, “That made a huge difference, in terms of support for the final three months of time I put into this.”

Non-financial angels

Krista described many other “angels” to me. “The real support is that every time I was out here working, there was someone keeping me going. Joggers going by yelled out, ‘Wow, we really love that.’ One time I was up there on the scaffold and a fellow came over and he sang a song to me (a Native American song). He said, ‘The universe is happy with you.’ Some people came over to say ‘Can we help?’ and I’d say ‘Here, grab a sponge and wipe down some tiles.'”

She felt like she was at the center of community building, right there in the parking lot on Siskiyou Boulevard.

Krista’s artistic journey

Krista has been an online art teacher and artist for many years, but she took a circuitous route to get here. She was raised in a musical family, and in high school felt pushed to meet her parents’ expectations to pursue music rather than art.

After high school, she studied accounting and went to work for General Motors. Later, she felt called to go back to college to study art and interior design. Since then, she has taught art in Arizona, Kansas, and for a while at Willow Wind school in Ashland, as well as online.

Other artworks by Krista

Krista made this COVID-19 themed collage in early 2020. It sold at the Rochester Museum of Art in April 2020. (photo by Krista Hepford)

Like Uplifting, the mosaic tile artwork below was made from discontinued tile samples. She describes it as “an inspirational tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughn and street music in general.” You can find it at her art web page.

When Krista sent me photos that give a sample of her other artworks, she also sent these words: “I no longer believe in making art simply for beauty or art’s sake. I feel that art should have form and function – as in… I need a chair so why not have it also be art – or art should have a deeper meaning. There is the joy of creativity, but for it to be art for the public, it should have a purpose beyond the artist’s joy.”

What does Uplifting mean to you?

Krista hesitates to assign a meaning to this artwork, because we each bring our own life experiences to it when we view it. She told me that some people see two people shaking hands. Others see one person reaching out to someone else who needs help. I see layers: human caring, spiritual symbolism and also new doors opening as we go through life.

What do you see?

The article headline: “Uplifting: art to inspire kindness”

We come full circle back to the headline of my photo essay. Krista hopes that her artwork will, in some small way, inspire people to reach out to one another with kindness. If you feel moved, please visit her benevolence website.

“I hope you will take the inspiration you have from this artwork and go do some good.”
Krista Hepford

References:

Facebook page for Uplifting.

Hepford, Krista. Interview and personal communications, June 2021.

Public Arts Commission. Meeting minutes.

Ashland & Guanajuato Murals: Sister City Public Art

“Las Calles de Guanajuato,” Guanajuato mural in Ashland.
Artist: Loreta (Laura Rangel Villasenor).
“Where Culture Meets Nature,” Ashland mural in Guanajuato.
Artist: Denise Baxter.
27 Photos.
Ashland Public Art series.

“This is a wall that brings culture, nations, cities and people together.”
Barry Thalden

“It’s clearly one of the most beautiful cities in the world.“

Guanajuato – panorama, 2008. (photo by Russ Bowling, Wikimedia Commons)

Here is the genesis of this beautiful mural. Kathryn and Barry Thalden were looking for a location for another mural after they had sponsored the spectacular mural at the Ashland Emergency Food Bank. Barry confessed to me: “In truth, we didn’t have a location and we didn’t even have a theme. When visiting Mexico in 2015, we decided to stop in Guanajuato for a couple days and see Ashland’s sister city for the first time. When we got to Guanajuato, we were literally blown away. It’s clearly one of the most beautiful cities in the world. When we got back to Ashland, we thought that the wall where you now see the mural would be the perfect location for a mural. It’s on Calle Guanajuato, and our sister city Guanajuato would be the perfect subject!”

University of Guanajuato, 2006 (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

“We knew the minute we saw those that she was our artist.”
Kathryn Thalden

Finding Loreta in Guanajuato

Barry and Kathryn Thalden went back in January 2016 to choose a Guanajuato artist to paint a mural in Ashland. Kathryn picked up the story: “Loreta was selling small paintings on the Plaza in Guanajuato, and we saw her work with buildings. She depicted Guanajuato in such a colorful way, and we knew the minute we saw those that she was our artist.”

Painting by Loreta — One of Loreta’s small paintings of Guanajuato from 2011. (from Loreta’s website)

Choosing Denise Baxter in Ashland

Reaching out to Denise Baxter again for help was a no-brainer for the Thaldens. As mentioned in the initial quote from Barry Thalden, they had experience with commissioning a large mural at the Ashland Emergency Food Bank on Clover Lane. Baxter was the artist who designed and painted that mural, called “Seasons of Gratitude,” in 2014. She also coordinated the project, including making the hundreds of little decisions that have to be made in a project of this size.

"Seasons of Gratitude" mural in Ashland — Detail of “Seasons of Gratitude” mural at the Ashland Emergency Food Bank, painted by Denise Baxter in 2014. (photo courtesy of Denise Baxter)

Based on their experience with Baxter, the Thaldens asked her to be project manager for the Calle Guanajuato mural, and she accepted. The artist from Guanajuato could not be expected to buy materials in Ashland, or rent scaffolding and lift trucks.

The Thaldens wanted the mural completed by July 4, 2016, when representatives of Guanajuato would be in town for their annual Independence Day visit to Ashland. That left only five months for the entire process, including the painting!

Ashland’s approval process can be very complex

I don’t want to bore you, but I think it is important to know how difficult it can be to get an art project approved in Ashland. Naturally, getting approval of the Public Arts Commission was the first step. Since the mural was to be painted on a building within the downtown Historic District, the Historic Commission also had to approve it. After that came the Parks Department and the Parks Commission, because the Calle Guanajuato corridor on both sides of Ashland Creek is one of our city parks. The city Planning Department had to give their okay to the mural. Finally, after all of those presentations and approvals, the Ashland City Council had to give their approval for painting to begin.

Was that everything? Well, almost. Prior to city approvals, the Thaldens and Baxter needed, and received, the okay of the building owner. Prior to painting, they worked out logistics with the Lithia Artisans Guild, whose members sell products from booths along Calle Guanajuato every weekend during the summer.

Baxter’s organizational skills

With the goal of completion before July 4, Loreta had only five weeks from start to finish once she arrived in Ashland. In order to smooth the process, Baxter did a lot of ground work before Loreta arrived. She drew upon her organizational skill set, completely separate from her artistic skill set. She found and outfitted a mobile art studio, got a permit for it to be located at the site, arranged for scaffolding and a cherry picker (boom lift). She got the wall prepped for painting, including a base layer of primer paint. Since a mural of this size is normally not painted by one person, Baxter chose five people to assist Loreta, two of whom were Southern Oregon University art majors.

Grid skills

Though Loreta had painted interior walls of houses, she had never tackled a huge exterior wall mural. With a mural this large, you have to first create a grid on the wall that matches the grid of the design on paper, which is a specific skill set. Fortunately Denise had these skills, so she assisted Loreta in creating the grid. For example, one inch on the paper design might correspond to one foot on the wall mural.

Of course, some of those grid squares were 15 or 20 feet off the ground. Denise laughed as she said, “We were given a picture of the mural with the grid drawn on it, so we were up there with rulers on the boom lift which none of us were really comfortable with at first.” I found it interesting to learn that the grid lines were drawn with waterproof chalk so that rain wouldn’t wash it away. And there was rain, as you will see below. When painting began, it was applied right over the chalk lines, so they disappeared from view.

"Las Calles de Guanajuato" mural in Ashland — This overview shows how large the “Las Calles de Guanajuato” mural is. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2020)

One professional approach to mural painting

Baxter described to me how a mural grid works. It’s a series of squares or rectangles. Let’s say the top left square on the wall is square number 1. You would look at the same square number 1 on the small drawing and paint what is in that square on square number 1 on the wall. Breaking it down this way, it is a step by step process.

1. Draw the original design on paper.

2. Draw a grid over the original design on paper.

3. Draw a corresponding grid on the mural wall.

4. Draw a line drawing of mural objects within each grid on the wall.

5. Paint blocks of color within the line drawings in each grid on the wall.

You can see the chalk lines that guided placement of the first blocks of color painted on the mural wall. (photo still from Nisha Burton movie, “The Walls We Create.”)

6. Paint to fill in the details of the original design on the wall.

Fun photo that shows two boom lifts plus two ladders all being used to make progress on the mural painting.(photo still from Nisha Burton movie, “The Walls We Create.”)

7. Go over mistakes with additional layers of paint, as needed.

Las Calles de Guanajuato mural, Ashland — This photo shows Loreta (wearing white) guiding an SOU student assistant painter. (photo still from Nisha Burton movie, “The Walls We Create.”)

To minimize mistakes, Baxter generally paints a mural top to bottom and back to front. For example, if the mural includes a sky, it would normally be at the top and in the background from the point of view of the person viewing the mural. That would be the place to begin painting. Then clouds or trees or buildings would start being layered (painted) over the sky and other blocks of color. People or scenes in the foreground of the mural, closest to the person viewing the mural, would generally be painted last. This is when smaller paint brushes are used to add fine details to a mural.

The day it rained

In the Nisha Burton video, assistant painter Carlos Barcuto said, “We were painting and it started raining. So the wet colors started running down over the rest of the painting, so we had to cover everything with plastic in two minutes in order to save the whole thing.” A female voice added, “I was out there with a towel going, ‘No, you will not ruin this part for me.’ Cause we already had so much of it done. We were working on the top middle part. It was awful.” Obviously, they did a great job of saving their work.

Before I wrap up the story of the Guanajuato mural painted in Ashland, I want to introduce you to the Ashland mural painted in Guanajuato.

Sister cities since 1969!

As you can see from the photo below, Ashland and Guanajuato celebrated 50 years as sister cities in 2019. According to Ashland’s Amigo Club website, “The visionary behind the ties between the two cities is known in Guanajuato and Ashland as Señora Chela, a professor emerita of foreign languages and literature at Southern Oregon College (now Southern Oregon University).”

Ashland-Guanajuato 50th anniversary sister city sign in the 2019 Ashland 4th of July parade. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2019)

Señora Chela Tapp-Kocks initially inspired student exchanges between the two towns’ universities. These grew to include a wide variety of social, cultural and people to people exchanges. She also helped the Thaldens work with City of Guanajuato officials during the mural project there.

Not just one mural in one city, but two murals in two cities

“Ashland residents, Barry and Kathryn Thalden, through their philanthropy envisioned and coordinated the idea of having two murals, one in each city, symbolizing not only the sister city relationship but the shared appreciation of the arts and culture fostering tourism and creating community pride.” The Ashland Chamber of Commerce described the powerful vision of the Thaldens in the above quote from their website.

A larger vision

The Thaldens vision was even larger than a focus on sister cities and the arts.

First, this mural honoring Ashland’s sister city Guanajuato was born and painted during an unprecedented attack on Mexicans by then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. During his June 16, 2015 presidential announcement speech, Trump had said, “I would build a great wall, and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me, and I’ll build them very inexpensively, I will build a great, great wall on our southern border. And I will have Mexico pay for that wall.” This was after he denigrated the Mexicans trying to seek asylum in the United States: “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”

In contrast, think about the words Kathryn Thalden spoke when the Ashland mural was painted in Guanajuato. She was quoted in the Ashland Tidings article of January 2018: “This is a different kind of wall between the U.S. and Mexico. These are not walls that separate, but walls that bring people and countries together in peace, love, and respect.”

Second, Kathryn pointed out to me that the mural points to something bigger than Ashland. This is one of the many ways art can expand our awareness and our humanity. She told me, “One of the things I love about the Guanajuato mural – not only the color and the vibrancy and the interest that it brings to the space – but also it points to something bigger than Ashland. We tend to live in a bubble in Ashland. This mural points to something outside of ourselves that we’re connected with, a whole different culture and different language, different ways of being than we’re familiar with. I think it creates an awareness that there’s more than just us.”

Art has a way of challenging us and helping us grow. This reminds me of a few lines from one of my poems.

Art uplifts my spirit
When I think I am too small.
Art challenges my self-image
When I think I am too big.
Peter Finkle

Mural in Ashland leads to mural in Guanajuato

Loreta’s mural in Ashland was completed on schedule and dedicated June 29, 2016. A little later in the article, I will share some powerful words Barry Thalden spoke at the dedication. First, I want to describe the genesis of a mural showing Ashland scenes that was painted in the City of Guanajuato. Barry told me, “After the dedication of the mural in Ashland on June 29th, several officials from Guanajuato came to Ashland, as they often do, for the 4^th of July. Kathryn and I had a conversation with one of the city council members. He said, ‘We should do this in Guanajuato,’ and we agreed. We said, ‘How do we do that?’ and he said, ‘I’ll handle the politics on my end.'”

That was an exciting offer. As with the mural in Ashland, there was a lot of groundwork to do. But “he really made it happen.” The Guanajuato city council approved the idea of a mural with an Ashland theme. They found a great location on a busy street named Paseo Ashland. In order to paint the mural at that location, a low wall was rebuilt higher and was then prepped for painting, all taken care of by the City of Guanajuato.

Because of their fruitful relationship with Denise Baxter, it was an easy decision for the Thaldens to hire her as the painter. “We hired Denise Baxter to go down there because she had done the murals in Ashland for us, and because she speaks Spanish. We did the same thing as in Ashland, but in reverse. Loreta was Denise’s assistant to pull together a team of students from University of Guanajuato to help produce the painting.” Kathryn added that “Guanajuato was so gracious during the whole process.”

Denise and Loreta

When I interviewed Denise, she spoke in glowing terms of her relationship with Loreta, both in Ashland and Guanajuato. “Loreta still says that I’m her angel because I saved her from that stressful [grid] experience. Likewise, she saved me so many times in Mexico. She was so fantastic when I was there. She did so much for me.”

Preparing for the mural in Guanajuato

The mural in Ashland is large, at 24′ high and 53′ long on the side of a building on the south end of Calle Guanajuato. The sister mural in Guanajuato appears even more massive because it is so long and so visible on a busy city street. It is 12′ high, 75′ long, and filled with vibrant colors. Baxter designed the mural with input from the Thaldens.

"Where Culture Meets Nature," mural in Guanajuato — Wall before painting of “Where Culture Meets Nature” mural in Guanajuato. Artist Denise Baxter and her daughter Aubrey are standing by the wall. The little girl happened to be walking by. (photo courtesy of Denise Baxter)

The mural is on one of the main streets entering Guanajuato. In order to paint it, they had to block off an entire lane of traffic on this main street. Because the regional Governor and the Mayor were both behind the project, they smoothed the way for all the details to be taken care of. The police were involved. The city even arranged for all-night security so that no one would touch the wall as it was being painted.

The Department of Transportation provided support. In fact, two men from the Department of Transportation were there every single day just to help. If Baxter needed food or a coffee, they got it for her. If she needed scaffolding moved, they took care of that. If she was up on scaffolding and dropped a towel on the sidewalk, they would be right there to pick it up for her.

“They spoke zero English but I just fell in love with those guys. They were the nicest people.,” she said.

Loreta helped prepare the site for painting. She had already gone through the same process two years before when she painted the mural in Ashland, so she knew what Baxter needed. She had a portable truck ready. She helped Baxter purchase the exterior house paint and brushes for the job when Baxter arrived in Guanajuato, and within 24 hours of arrival they were at work on the wall.

Painting the mural in Guanajuato

Baxter and crew only had 21 days to paint the entire mural. Denise Baxter’s daughter Aubrey was there to assist with the painting. In addition, Loreta found about a dozen University of Guanajuato art students to help. One issue Baxter faced is that the students rotated through the mural painting, depending on their class schedules. She couldn’t remember which student had been taught which skills involved in getting the paint on just right, which was challenging at times.

You have to delegate and trust

Baxter told me, “You have to delegate and trust.” The fact was that Denise Baxter did not have time to paint the entire mural, or even do all the touch up painting on 75′ by 12′ of wall. The students had to paint most of the mural, so Baxter took on the role of teacher and mentor much of each day.

As she put it, “I was trusting and teaching. I was probably painting two hours a day and the other six hours I was teaching.” Baxter saw them as angels, the way they gave their all to the project. She tried to find the strengths of each student artist and then helped them to grow their skills through the mural project.

The language difference added extra challenge to Baxter’s ability to teach the students. Only two of them spoke English. Denise does speak some Spanish, but trying to teach art techniques with her Spanish knowledge was a real experience. “They would laugh at me all the time,” she said, “and make fun of my attempts to communicate art concepts.”

Denise Baxter’s frequent helpers

This photo shows four of the most active student painters, plus Denise’s daughter Aubrey (wearing a green shirt) and the two Department of Transportation employees who brightened Denise’s days. The short, young woman being hugged by Aubrey was excellent at painting animals, such as the bumblebees. Other student painters were especially good at buildings, nature scenes and more.

“This mural is really about them, the people who helped me paint it. I was just a part of it. The people who worked with me are the real magic.”
Denise Baxter

Finished mural in Guanajuato

The photo below shows the dramatic size and location of Ashland’s sister city mural in Guanajuato.

The economic value of public art

Ashland is known as a cultural community, but the Oregon Shakespeare Festival overshadows other forms of art in our town – and rightfully so. I think it is time for other art forms, including the visual arts, to become more of a part of the economic engine of Ashland.

Writing this series of articles about art in Ashland, I have become aware that there is much more art here than I knew. Most residents, and certainly most tourists, have no idea that there are many more than 100 artworks available to view within the Ashland city limits. That number doesn’t even include the many beautiful galleries that are filled with art.

Speaking at the 2016 mural dedication in Ashland, Barry Thalden said something that really struck me as true. “When they uncovered the ruins in Pompeii, the things that were most prized were the murals and the mosaics. When we travel abroad, what do we look for? We take tours to see the art and architecture. That’s what’s significant. Art is important.”

Art is important to visitors. Art is also important to the community. It reflects who we are and adds beauty that brings a sense of pride.

When I spoke with Barry, he said that “The city is looking for ways to bring people to Ashland other than for OSF, including in the winter – and public art is still there in the winter. As an example, we’ve been told the Guanajuato mural is the number one ‘Kodak moment’ in Ashland because you can often see tourists taking pictures of their family in front of the mural. I don’t know if people come just for public art, but it is a reason that people enjoy coming.”

What motivates Barry and Kathryn Thalden to commission large artworks?

These two murals are not the Thalden’s only connection with art in Ashland. As mentioned above, they see the need to educate people about public art in Ashland. You probably don’t know that they created and printed the brochure, available at the Chamber of Commerce office, that lists 22 artworks in the City of Ashland collection.

Hopefully you do know about the Thalden Pavilion on Walker Street, either from attending an event there or just driving by. It is a gathering place on the SOU campus and is part of the SOU Sustainability Center. The structure itself is a work of art. In addition, Native American wood carver Russell Beebe was commissioned to create two 24-foot tall teaching poles. Between the two poles, a World Peace Flame was lit in 2018, only the second one established in the United States. Betty LaDuke artworks were added to the pavilion in 2021.

Thalden Pavilion, Ashland — This photo shows the 2018 Veterans Day gathering that was held at the Thalden Pavilion. Note the tall Anishinaabe teaching pole on the left, carved by Russell Beebe. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2018)

I wondered where the Thaldens love of art came from. Of the two, Barry is the most passionate about art philanthropy. He explained to me that his mother was a famous artist in Chicago, where he grew up. He said, “She was painting at a time when only men were recognized in the world of art. She had to break through that glass ceiling to become quite famous in Chicago as an artist. As my sister said, my mother would take me out of school to drag me down to the Art Institute in Chicago to show me great art. So I started appreciating art at a very young age. I only veered slightly from that to become an architect. And Kathryn’s background as a landscape architect is part of who we are as a couple.”

Location of the mural in Ashland

You can see “Las Calles de Guanajuato” mural when you are heading north on Winburn Way toward the Plaza. The sign in the photo below is at the corner where Calle Guanajuato meets Winburn Way, along Ashland Creek. Another way to spot the mural is to look for Skout Taphouse restaurant across the street from the large lawn at the entrance to Lithia Park. The mural covers the wall on the west side of the Skout Taphouse building.

Calle Guanajuato, Ashland — Calle Guanajuato street sign where it meets Winburn Way. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2020)

Giving credit

I’d like to give credit to the key people involved in bringing the mural “Las Calles de Guanajuato” to life.

Barry and Kathryn Thalden, envisioned the mural and supported it financially
Artist: Laura “Loreta” Rangel Villasenor, from Guanajuato
Coordinator: Denise Baxter, artist from Ashland
Artist assistant: Carlos Bracuto
Artist assistant: Victoria Johnson, SOU art student
Artist assistant: Adrian Chavez, student at North Medford High School
Artist assistant: Alexandra Garcia Eisenhardt, SOU art student
Artist assistant: Phil Huchings

I would also like to thank Nisha Burton for making the wonderful 13-minute movie called “The Walls We Create.” Here is a link to the watch the movie.

References:

Anon. “50 years of friendship – our sister city – Guanajuato, Mexico,” Ashland Chamber of Commerce. [accessed 11/30/2020]

Anon. “Sister city collaboration,” Medford Mail Tribune, June 29, 2016. (accessed February 2, 2021)

Anon. “Mural of Ashland to go up in Guanajuato,” Ashland Tidings, January 18, 2018. (accessed 3/13/2021)

Anon. “Mural of Ashland dedicated in Guanajuato,” Ashland Tidings, June 27, 2018. (accessed February 2, 2021)

Baxter, Denise. Interviews and personal communications, June 2020 and other dates.

Burton, Nisha. “The Walls We Create,” (13 minute movie), April 26, 2017, YouTube. (accessed December 2020)

Kessler, Glenn. “A history of Trump’s promises that Mexico would pay for the wall, which it refuses to do,” Washington Post, January 8, 2019. (accessed online 3/13/2021)

Thalden, Barry and Kathryn. Interviews and personal communications, January 2021 and other dates.

Turner, Mina. Personal communication, April 2021. Mina Turner is the current President of Ashland’s Amigo Club, which promotes our sister city relationship with Guanajuato.

Nourishing Our Community: Public Art in Stone on Lithia Way

Hard stone, tender words.
In memory of three Ashland community leaders.
Great location: Lithia Way and Pioneer Street.
Artist: Lonnie Feather.
Ashland Public Art Series.

“The basalt columns represent the strength of family and commitment to community. The embedded glass roundels include words of support…. This is about people; the people who make a difference in our lives.”
From the Public Arts Commission web page

Rock from Northwest quarries, worked by Oregon artist Lonnie Feather, in memory of three Ashland community leaders of the 20^th century. That is the artwork called “Nourishing Our Community.” It sits at one of the busiest intersections in Ashland, at the corner of Lithia Way and Pioneer Street.

This photo shows the location of Nourishing Our Community artwork by Lonnie Feather. It is at the corner of Lithia Way and Pioneer Street. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2021)

Why Lonnie jumped at the chance to do this commission

Lonnie Feather told me why she wanted to make this artwork for Ashland. “Community has always been important to me,” she explained. “It’s the heart of where we live.” Community, to her, is what makes a place, a town or city, thrive and grow. It encompasses family, neighbors, neighborhood, city and even beyond.

Nourishing Our Community, public art in Ashland, Oregon — “HOPE” detail of Nourishing Our Community artwork by Lonnie Feather. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2021)

She tried to capture the essence of community in the words and images that accompany the large stones of “Nourishing Our Community.”

HOPE
SUPPORT
CHERISH
NURTURE
ENCOURAGE
COMMUNITY

She loves public art because it’s out in the open, where it can be enjoyed by so many people and contribute to building a sense of community.

Everett Henry McGee made this artwork possible

In 2003, the McGee family contacted the Public Arts Commission (PAC) with good news. At his passing, Everett Henry McGee made a bequest in his will to fund a public art sculpture in Ashland. His wish was to honor members of the McGee and Neill families who had been especially active in Ashland community fraternal groups, business and politics through the 20^th century. I want to introduce you to the three men he listed in his bequest.

Let’s begin with Everett’s father. James McGee, born in 1877, was one of many Midwesterners to move to Ashland. In 1905 he and Ashland native Olive Wing were married in Portland. I guess she enticed the couple to settle in Ashland. James had trained as an osteopath, but may have practiced for only a few years. He became active as a merchant in Ashland, primarily in dry goods. He was part of the Beebe, Kinney and Drake store (where Brickroom Restaurant is now) and later founded McGee Dry Goods and Ready to Wear on the ground floor of the Elks Building. He was also one of the first to build at Lake of the Woods.

Talk about active, James was active in the Chamber of Commerce, Lithians, Masons, Shriners, Elk’s Club and Kiwanis Club, plus he was an early Oregon Shakespeare Festival supporter! He also served on the Ashland School Board and Ashland City Council. James and Olive had three children, all boys.

Everett McGee was born to James and Olive in Ashland, July 27, 1909. He followed in his father’s footsteps, both in the grocery business and in Ashland community involvement. Everett’s first grocery experience was one summer operating the store at Lake of the Woods. Moving his business to Ashland, he purchased the East Side Grocery at the corner of Morse Avenue and Siskiyou Boulevard. In 1942, he built the larger Market Basket grocery across the street at Siskiyou Boulevard and Beach Street. In 1942, Everett also began a decade as minister of the Church of Christ in Phoenix, Oregon.

Richard (Dick) Neill is the other family member memorialized by this sculpture with a theme of community. Life brought them together when Everett married Dick’s sister Donzella in 1931. Dick was co-owner with Everett of Market Basket and of Pioneer Village by the Old Ashland Armory, as well as sole owner of Plaza Grocery from 1957 to 1961.

Dick was a community leader in Ashland for many years. He was instrumental in getting the Ashland Community Hospital built. After four years on the City Council, he was elected Mayor in 1953 and served until 1968 – that is 16 years as Mayor! He found time to be a member of the Ashland Elks Lodge, Masons and Shriners, in addition to serving as a state-level director of both the League of Oregon Cities and the Independent Grocer’s Association of Oregon.

Highlights of the Public Arts Commission request for proposals

Here are two sentences I like a lot from the Ashland Public Art Commission’s request for proposals. “The McGee & Neill families have nourished and helped to sustain this community both literally – through their business – and figuratively through their lifelong service to the community. Therefore it is appropriate that we continue this tradition by nourishing the community with a beautiful piece of art that enhances a very visible area at the corner of two important streets in the downtown area.”

As I read about the grocery careers of father and son McGee and Dick Neill, my imagination took off and I envisioned the sculpture in a community garden. Then I read the Public Arts Commission minutes from October 2004 and learned that “Nourishing Our Community” was almost placed in front of the Ashland Food Coop store. That would have been appropriate for a memorial to community and grocery store owners! In the end, it was decided to place the sculpture on public property at its current location, which makes sense for an artwork owned by the City of Ashland.

Lonnie Feather’s proposal to PAC

Based on this illustration that Lonnie submitted to PAC in 2005, she was awarded the commission to create the Nourishing Our Community public artwork.

The challenge of working with stone

“To think about and create a public art piece involves so many parts of the brain.”
Lonnie Feather

“It was an exciting commission for me,” Lonnie told me. “I had never worked in stone. I just loved the idea of the permanence of the stone pillars, carving into them and adding the glass elements. I wanted to make it interesting to walk around the artwork, for people to consider the meaning of words like ‘support’ and ‘community.'”

artist Lonnie Feather — Lonnie Feather created the lettering for Nourishing Our Community. (photo courtesy of Lonnie Feather)

“All of it was a fun challenge for me. I got to put the hard hat on to work with the stone. I had to call the truck to bring the large stones over to my studio. Then in Ashland to be involved in digging the hole and the installation. That whole process was so fun for me: thinking out the logistics, how to do it, what’s safe, what fits the Ashland community, what’s the aesthetic I’m going after. To think about and create a public art piece involves so many parts of the brain.”

She came to Ashland a couple times to meet with the Public Arts Commission. She also had meetings with the public in Ashland, both to present her idea and to hear from Ashlanders.

Installation and dedication of the artwork

Lonnie hired a company to help install her stone sculpture. They sucked the dirt out of the hole where it is located. About one-third of the height of the stones is underground, so we see only the top two-thirds. The hole was filled with layers of gravel, concrete and dirt to stabilize the sculpture.

The artwork dedication took place on June 12, 2006.

The meaning of Nourishing Our Community

“I wanted to represent the circle that builds thriving, compassionate community.”
Lonnie Feather

To Lonnie, both the feeling and the practice of community are essential for a town to not only survive, but also to thrive. The practice of community can be very practical, she said. “It’s about how people solve problems, how they decide about what to build or not build, how they want their community to look. I think it’s important in this day and age that we get back to the idea of what is our community.”

In a deeper way, it’s about the connections we have with each other on multiple levels. “How do we support each other? How do we honor each other? How do we cherish what we have?” In her inner vision and in her art, she sees community reflected in circles. One small circle is the family unit. Most people care deeply about their family. Branching out, the circle gets bigger. Do people also care deeply about their neighborhood and city, and participate in helping them be good places to live? “Then it blows up to, how are we taking care of our planet?” Definitely the big picture!

You will notice that the glass insets are circles. Lonnie said, “Using hands, I tried to represent the human to human connection in those circles of glass.”

How an artist was created

“In my family, it was never called ‘art.’ It was just part of our lives.”
Lonnie Feather

Before art can be created, the artist has to be created. When I asked Lonnie how she became an artist, she immediately gave credit to her family. She grew up with a father, grandmother and grandfather who all created objects of utility and beauty as part of their daily lives. Then she surprised me when she added, “In my family, it was never called ‘art.’ It was just part of our lives.” Her father enjoyed drawing and sculpture. His many woodworking projects were both practical and beautiful. For example, when the family needed a sofa, he designed and built one from the ground up – from initial sketches to final upholstery.

Her grandmother taught Lonnie about making candles and creating delicious food. When Lonnie was in high school, her grandfather took a class in stained glass. She told me, “I looked at him doing that and thought, ‘That would be fun.’ So he set up a table in his basement, and we got to make little stained glass ornaments together.”

In her 20s, she decided to make art more of her life. She opened up a little stained glass business: taught classes, sold supplies, did private commissions.

It wasn’t until she studied glass art for two summers at Pilchuck Glass School that she began to think of herself as a “professional artist.” This was a turning point in her life, when she decided glass would be her specialty going forward. In the decades since then, she got an art degree at Portland State University and she has continued “growing and making and thinking and exploring” in order to stay creative. She grows through traveling. She finds inspiration in nature, which she brings back into the studio and incorporates into her current artwork.

Lonnie lives and works in Portland, Oregon, where she was also born and raised. Her website ( https://www.lonniefeather.com/#/ ) describes her “variety of mediums and techniques which include painting on glass, glass sandcarving, cast glass, murals, mixed media with glass, wood carving and stone sculpture.”

Other artworks by Lonnie Feather

Here are several selections from her lifetime of artwork.

Artwork by Lonnie Feather — “It Begins Within the Circle” consists of two large artworks at the RCC/SOU Higher Education Center in Medford. The artist is Lonnie Feather. (photo from Oregon Percent for Art website)

I am very impressed by the two large pieces (photos above and below) that were installed on the first floor and third floor of the RCC/SOU Higher Education Center in Medford in 2008. Lonnie told me: “The title, ‘It Begins Within the Circle’, reflects the idea again about the circle of community and life in the beautiful southern Oregon valley. I combined two techniques in glass – the colored areas are sandblasted and painted on plate glass and the clear is a relief with cast glass with a design reminiscent of swirling water as the beginning of that circle.”

The example below shows some of her current work. She combines her love of water color painting with cast stone. Part of her series Dreams of Water, this piece is called Roots of Life.

Closing words

The corner of Lithia Way and Pioneer Street has pluses and minuses as a place for public art. On the plus side, its location between the large Lithia Way parking lot and Oregon Shakespeare Festival (as well as East Main Street) means that thousands of people see the sculpture every day. On the minus side, this spot is far from meditative! It is not a spot that draws you to linger for a while and appreciate the artwork. Too much concrete and asphalt.

Nevertheless, I encourage you to slow down the next time you walk by this corner. Walk slowly around the powerful stones that are likely to be here for many human lifetimes. As you read the word “HOPE,” try to feel the hope that Lonnie Feather put into this art. Reflect on the words carved into stone to encourage thriving, compassionate community.

References:

Anon. Obituary for Everett Henry McGee, Oregon Obituary and Death Notice Archive, at GenLookups.com. (accessed April 19, 2021)

Anon. “Request for Proposal: McGee-Neill Memorial Sculpture, Nourishing Our Community, March 23, 2005,” City of Ashland.

Anon. Minutes of the Public Arts Commission, City of Ashland website, October 15, 2004 and other dates.

Anon. State of Oregon Art Collection, Percent for Art program. (accessed May 12, 2021)

Feather, Lonnie. Interview and other communications, April 15, 2021 and other dates. Thanks to Lonnie for sharing her photos with me.

Feather, Lonnie. Link to her website.

Ashland Streetscape and Hills: Senior Project Public Art

How Ashland High senior project became public art!
Downtown on Enders Alley.
Artist: Nicole (Nick) Shulters.
Ashland Public Art series.

“A lot of people have their high school senior project, and it’s like, one and done. You don’t really think about it again. But this is something that will be on the wall for a very long time. It’s pretty cool to have left my mark, so to speak, on the place that raised me.”
Nicole (Nick) Shulters

What inspired this artwork?

As Nicole (called Nick) and her father Dan walked to the Bloomsbury Coffee Shop from his Dan’s Shoe Repair shop on Second Street back in 2011, they took the shortcut along Enders Alley. She was a senior at Ashland High School, struggling to come up with an idea for her senior project, a 100-hour-plus educational commitment. Her father looked at the “grungy looking wall” on the alley side of his shop and said, “Why don’t you do a painting on here for your senior project?”

Ashland Streetscape and Hills, public art — Nick was painting blocks of color on June 20, 2012. (photo by Dan Shulters)

Why Nick said “Yes” to her father’s idea

Nick told me that she was motivated and inspired by Ashland High School art teacher Mark Schoenleber. As she put it, “I was really into art at the time, partly because Mr. Schoenleber created a really positive, uplifting environment that made you want to be around, even if you weren’t necessarily ‘artistic.'” So much so that she took nearly a dozen art classes from him during her high school years. She laughed as she explained that art was one of the few classes that students were allowed to repeat at Ashland High and she took advantage of that.

She loved creating art and decided it would make an interesting and enjoyable senior project. Little did she know what she was getting into.

A “nick of time” story about the shop

Dan’s Shoe Repair opened here in 2003, when Dan Shulters moved from Corvallis to Ashland. The shoe repair shop is now run by Jerry Carpenter under the name Ye Olde Cobbler Shoppe. Jerry co-owned a cobbler shop for many years in the Midwest, but had to leave the partnership. Not long after, on a below-freezing spring day, he complained to his sister about the 10-degree temperature and said he wanted to live somewhere warmer. Five minutes later, his sister called him back to say she looked online and found Dan’s Shoe Repair listed to be given for free in a small town in Oregon. Jerry told me he looked up the temperature in Ashland that day and it was 70 degrees! That convinced him to check it out. He flew out to Ashland, clicked with Alise and Dan, and bought the lease and equipment for $50.00 a couple days later (just three days before everything would have been taken to the dump!). It was a WIN-WIN, plus it kept Alise and Dan from losing their reputations and breaking their lease. Jerry enjoys his new shoe repair business in Ashland. Selling the shop allowed Dan and Alise, who moved to Malawi in May 2018, to return on time. Dan’s story is described in brief at the end of this article.

The original brick building now has a less than perfect stucco exterior. When it was painted a few years ago, Dan decided to leave some of the exposed brick visible. To me, that choice adds to the charm of the exterior.

Exposed brick at the former Dan’s Shoe Repair shop, now Ye Olde Cobbler Shoppe. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2020)

Nick’s learning experience with the Public Arts Commission (PAC)

“A lot of people don’t realize the process you have to go through to get something like this approved.”
Nicole (Nick) Shulters

As a high school senior ending her 12 years of compulsory schooling, Nick thought she had chosen a relatively easy senior project. She loved art. She knew how to paint. She had a good spot to paint a mural, not too small and not too large, about 230 square feet.

“What ended up being painted on the wall was very different than the original design that I presented to the Arts Commission,” Nick told me. She had been doodling and sketching San Francisco style skylines, probably because she dreamed of going to college there after growing up in the small town of Ashland. She also incorporated bright colors and abstract elements within the initial design ideas, similar to her illustration shown below.

PAC meeting September 2011

Everything changed when she attended the Public Arts Commission (PAC) meeting on September 16, 2011. She began to learn how different public art is than art created for oneself or for a private client. After she presented her idea to the commission, PAC asked her to prepare all of the following information and come back to their October 2011 meeting. From the minutes:

“Square footage and demarcation of the wall.
Wall texture and condition and how you intend to prepare the wall for paint (wall prep, priming etc.).
How you will physically execute the painting e.g. scaffolding, lift requirements, placement of orange cones, caution signage for vehicles and pedestrians etc. How much space will you need from the wall into the alley? The City will need to know this information to determine if the alley should be closed to vehicles, for safety reasons, during the time you are working.
Paint specifications.
Anti graffiti and UV coating.
Explanation of your vision.
Color sketch of your proposed vision.
Timeframe (how long will this take from start to finish?).”

PAC meeting October 2011

It was no longer the “relatively easy senior project” she had envisioned. However, she was committed to doing it right, so she made her next presentation at PAC’s meeting of October 21, 2011. The commissioners liked everything she presented except the design. From the PAC minutes of that meeting: “Generally the commission feels the design of an urban landscape is not appropriate for Ashland….” They asked her mural to reflect an “Ashland, small town” look.

One commissioner suggested she ask for guidance from a nationally known muralist named Robert Beckmann, who lived in Ashland at the time. It was Beckmann who painted the portrait of Shakespeare on the Bard’s Inn wall. In conclusion, the minutes state: “PAC has delayed approval of the mural until Nicole returns to the November meeting with a revised design.”

PAC meeting November 2011

Nick did have a short meeting with Robert Beckmann. She remembers him as being very kind. For the November 21, 2011 PAC meeting, Nick presented a new design that incorporated Beckmann’s suggestion to add the hills of Ashland behind the buildings. The PAC liked the design changes and approved them.

But her challenges were not over yet.

PAC and City Council meetings January/February 2012

There was still the matter of public comments to consider, which happened at the PAC meeting of January 20, 2012. Letters had been mailed to 53 properties within 300 feet of the mural site. Comments were received both for and against the mural. Here is a comment I found a bit humorous, from the PAC minutes: “The other negative comment was from a neighbor in a private home who did not want to look out her window and see the mural. Per photos provided by Mr. Shulters [Nick’s father], it does not appear the mural is visible from her home.”

Finally, Nick’s mural was approved by the PAC on January 20, then by the City Council on February 21 – the culmination of a months-long senior project learning process that was past 100 hours of work before painting even began.

Lessons Learned

During our interview, I acknowledged the challenge of the public art process and expressed the hope that “you will be able to apply all those lessons you learned.” She replied, “So far, the experience has done me well. I had that naiveté that it’s going to be ‘one and two and done,’ which is not the case. That’s a lesson that was happily learned earlier on in my life rather than later.”

Finally, the painting

Painting happened in June 2012, the week after she graduated from high school.

The first day required thoroughly cleaning the wall, then applying a coat of off-white primer to the wall. The second day, she outlined the buildings and mountains with black spray paint.

As with other murals, the next step was painting blocks of color for the buildings, hills and sky.

During the fourth day, she added detail, shading and touchup to each section. The final step was a clear sealant over the entire mural.

For the wall, she used exterior grade house paint. She laughed as she told me that her initial small mockups had been done with shoe polish spray paint from her father’s shop!

“It was definitely a fun experience, something I’m glad I did.”
Nicole (Nick) Shulters

The artist shared two “secrets” with me

A favorite highlight, when I am able to interview a living artist, is learning something brand new about the artwork. Something in plain sight that I just didn’t see. Here are two “secrets” I learned from Nick.

I got my first surprise when she said, “If you’re facing down Second Street [north] looking at the hills from the mural location, it’s supposed to match up with the hills on the painting.” Here are two photos, with a sliding bar between them, so you can decide for yourself if she succeeded.

The second “secret” involved the three dimensional nature of the artwork. Her father suggested that she incorporate the fan unit that sticks out from the concrete wall into her mural design. The strong fan vents fumes out of the shop. The cobbler shop requires good ventilation for the repair work done there, so the fan unit was essential to keep intact. She made the fan unit into one of the buildings.

Nick’s childhood art influences

Nick said, “I think the main thing that inspired me was that my mom used to do a lot of water colors. There is one painting my mom still has of dolphins swimming in the ocean. I remember always looking at it and wanting to be able to articulate on paper something that people can easily understand.”

Dolphin water color by Nick’s mother Susan Rugh, March 2000. (photo courtesy of Susan Rugh)

Her parents told her that she traced cereal boxes as a young kid. She graduated to sketch books, where she drew scenery and what was around her to pass the time. She didn’t grow up spending hours on her phone with Instagram and TikTok. She feels fortunate that her parents encouraged her to find creative ways to stay busy, including drawing, painting and learning mechanic skills.

Why Nick’s father left Ashland for Malawi, Africa

I am a sucker for stories of people “finding their purpose.” Dan first visited Malawi in 2015. From the beginning, it felt like home to him. He said in a 2018 Locals Guide interview, “Suddenly all of my skills that I have been learning all of my life had a purpose.”

Here is a brief description of Dan and Alise (his second wife) Shulters’ humanitarian work in Malawi, one of the poorest countries in Africa – and the world. Building on his knowledge of shoe repair, Dan is helping people in the villages near his home there to set up micro-enterprises. During 2020, around 40 Malawian entrepreneurs began to operate their own tiny shoe retail businesses. In a recent Locals Guide interview, Dan and Alise said that “the shoe sales saved several families in their homes with food to eat when their jobs disappeared [due to COVID restrictions].” You can learn more about their work in Malawi at the non-profit group’s website

References:

Schoenleber, Mark. Interview, March 2021.

Shulters, Dan (interviewed by Shields Bialasik), “Dan Shulters is moving to Malawi. Where is that?,” Locals Guide, August 28, 2018.

Shulters, Dan and Alise (interviewed by Shields Bialasik), “Steps4Malawi, end of year update,” Locals Guide, January 1, 2021.

Shulters, Nicole (Nick). Interview and other communications, April 27, 2021 and other dates.

A WalkAshland VIDEO! (Painted Utility Boxes video tour)

Peter leads a Railroad District art + history walk.
Video by Sailor Boy Media.
Here’s how it happened. Ashland Public Art video.

If you want to go straight to the video, click the image below. If you want to read my story about how the video came to be, keep reading.

In the video, you will meet artist Ann DiSalvo

Ann painted two of the utility boxes we will see on our video tour, including this one showing the swans that used to live in the Lower Duck Pond at Lithia Park.

Painted utility box, Ashland — Utility box on A Street near Fourth Street as it was being painted by Ann DiSalvo in 2009. (photo from Public Arts Commission presentation prepared by RavenWorkStudio, 2009)

In the video, you will learn Ashland history highlights

Here is one of the spots we visited during the video walking tour.

Both photos show the building at the corner of A Street and First Street. The photo on the left shows the Ashland Natatorium in 1909. It was a block-long building with two enclosed spring-fed swimming pools and room for community dances, events and parties. It closed in 1919, then reopened from 1931 to 1977 as Twin Plunges, which had two side by side outdoor pools. On the right, in 2021, is the popular Ashland Food Co-op grocery building at the same site.

Ashland Food Coop — Both photos show the building at the corner of A Street and First Street. The photo on the left shows the Ashland Natatorium in 1909. It was a block-long building with two enclosed spring-fed swimming pools and room for community dances, events and parties. It closed in 1919, then reopened from 1931 to 1977 as Twin Plunges, which had two side by side outdoor pools. On the right, in 2021, is the popular Ashland Food Co-op grocery building at the same site.

My photo essay led to this video

On February 3, 2021, I published an article about painted utility boxes in the Railroad District. I learned that in 2009 Ashland’s Public Arts Commission had initiated this project to brighten the town by commissioning artists to paint some of the drab, dark green utility boxes. It was a good story. I did research and found “before and after” photos of all seven utility boxes that were painted in July 2009. I walked the streets and took my own photos, then published the story as a photo essay. CLICK HERE to see that photo essay.

Keegan Van Hook said, “Are you interested…?”
I said, “Yes!”

Videographer Keegan Van Hook read my article and was intrigued by the possibility of turning my photo-essay walk into a video walk. After asking him a few questions and seeing some of his work, I replied with an enthusiastic “Yes.”

A graduate of the Southern Oregon University Digital Media program, Keegan founded Sailor Boy Media with his friend Tripp White. They have an active website and YouTube channel that specializes in video interviews with local people on issues of the day. CLICK HERE to visit their website.

Filming the video

I met Keegan and Tripp at 11:00 am on February 24 to film the video. Keegan asked me questions and Tripp did camera work. I had notes with me, but I spoke extemporaneously at each utility box and at our historical sites. We walked and talked for two hours, including having the bonus interview with artist Ann DiSalvo.

After the filming, I sent Keegan several historic photographs that enrich the video’s Ashland history sections. Tripp and Keegan edited the two hours into an enjoyable, educational and interesting 24 minute video. Here, again, is a link to the video on YouTube. Thanks for watching, and I hope you enjoy it.

References:

Sailor Boy Media website

Teen art brightens Orchid Street & Rose Lane

See three flowery fence murals.
Meet two high school student-artists.
Photo essay with 24 photos.
Ashland Neighborhood Art series.

Orchid Street is lined with mature trees that provide summer shade. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2020)

Orchid Street and Rose Lane are two short streets in the Fordyce neighborhood. After I saw the beautiful murals on Fordyce Street, I decided to walk more of the neighborhood.

Why I got excited

I walked Orchid Street and Rose Lane twice – once in September 2020 by myself and again in April 2021 with my wife Kathy. Where Rose Lane ends at Orchid Street, I spotted bright, beautiful colors during my September walk – another mural on a fence! I was excited. I took photographs and made a mental note to try to meet the mural artist sometime. That time finally came in March 2021, when I learned this mural was a collaboration of two young artists.

Bright yellow daffodils in front of yellow sunflowers, spring 2021. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2021)

Genesis of the sunflower fence mural

When I met the artists Reed Pryor and Ainsley Gibbs, I learned that both are high school seniors this year (2021). Reed is at Ashland High and Ainsley at St. Mary’s High. Both love art. Reed’s parents asked them in July 2020 to add some color to the yard by painting this fence. Reed explained, “My parents lived in France for a couple of years. They were really into the sunflower fields. My dad is a big fan of the Tour de France, which shows great drone shots of riders going through these massive fields of sunflowers. It’s just so beautiful. I think that was the inspiration.”

Reed asked his girl-friend Ainsley, a serious student of art, to help him with the project.

Ainsley Gibbs (left) and Reed Pryor pose with their sunflower mural on Orchid Street. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2021)

The sunflower mural process

Step 1: The wood on this fence was weathered, cracked, and soaked up paint. That made it challenging to end up with bright colors. They decided to begin with a thick coat of primer on the fence, which prepared the wood for the sunflower colors to follow. The primer made a big difference to the quality of the finished art.

Step 2: They sketched their sunflower design on the fence.

Step 3: They added blocks of green color for the leaves. For the flower petals, they began with blocks of white. By doing that, they hoped the next coat of bright yellow would stand out more.

In-process photo of the sunflower mural. (photo by Reed Pryor, 2020)

Step 4: Ainsley described the detail work as the fun part. For the final stage, they blended colors and focused on the beauty of each flower.

Orchid Street — This is how the sunflower mural looked soon after it was painted in July 2020. (photo by Reed Pryor, 2020)

Sunflowers in front of sunflowers

I asked how long ago they painted the fence. Reed replied, “We did it in July of 2020. Actually, in the summer we have sunflowers growing right here.” As he pointed close to where we were standing, he continued, “Last summer the sunflowers grew really tall and blocked the view of the mural from the sidewalk. It was funny, because when summer went and we took them out, then people started noticing the sunflowers behind on the fence.”

Sunflowers growing in the yard in front of painted sunflowers, summer 2020. (photo by Reed Pryor, 2020)

Having sunflowers growing in the front yard was an advantage during the final stage of painting. As they painted the detail of each flower petal, the two walked over to the real sunflowers a few feet away to study color patterns and gradients!

Lifelong love of art

Ainsley explained that her love for art has been heavily influenced by her schooling. She said, “I went to Siskiyou School, which is a Waldorf school, from 1^st grade through 8^th grade. Classes are focused around art. We did a lot of drawing, painting and calligraphy. That’s when I started developing my skills because I practiced every day. For example, in Biology we would be learning about cellular respiration and we would make a very realistic drawing of the process. During these years, art became a part of my life. When I went to high school, I took some art classes and I continued to paint, mostly watercolor portraits. As I get ready to go to college, I think art in some form is in my future.”

I asked Ainsley to send me several samples of her recent artwork. The watercolor below particularly moved me, both for the emotions it captures and for the thoughtfulness of the concept.

Artist description of the painting: “This portrait is my sister Bria and her friend Samara. It’s from my AP Art portfolio, in which I have explored the theme of human interaction in a world with COVID-19. The subjects are in their own happy world amidst the glaring headlines and drama of the newspapers.” (photo of her watercolor painting, by Ainsley Gibbs, 2021)

Reed was humble about his skills, but he has also loved to make art for most of his life. As he went through the public schools, art received very little focus. His main artform is sketching with pencil. He would like to become an architect, a career that would combine his interests in art, science and engineering.

Neighborhood pocket park

There’s a small, practical, privately owned neighborhood pocket park at the intersection of Orchid Street and Rose Lane. It looks like a great spot for neighbors to gather for a picnic or to catch some summer rays.

This privately owned pocket park at the intersection of Orchid Street and Rose Lane is a place for neighbors to meet. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2021)

Orchid Street sights that brought me smiles

I don’t have other special stories to tell about Orchid Street. But as I walked the block in September and again in March, I saw small sights that brought a smile to my face. Here are some of them.

This small front yard owl struck my fancy. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2021)

Whimsical, colorful yard art brightens Orchid Street. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2021)

Quiz: Is this a snake, an artwork or a tree root? (photo by Peter Finkle, 2021)

According to homeowner Karen, this turtle family came all the way from Florida to find a happy home in Ashland. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2021)

They are slow, so they’ll probably be in just about the same place when you come by for your neighborhood walk. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2021)

Rose Lane murals

The most colorful sights on Rose Lane are also due to Ainsley and Reed. Nearby neighbor Curly liked their sunflower mural so much that she asked them to paint a gate mural in her yard. She trusted them to choose a beautiful design.

Truth is stranger than fiction

Ainsley laughed as she told my wife and me how she and Reed chose the design. Looking through Pinterest flower images, she found a colorful poppy picture that she scanned and saved. She asked Reed to bring one or two poppy images that he really liked. What happened? He brought her the same image she had chosen for the design! Come on…is this a sappy movie or is this real life? I guess the saying “truth is stranger than fiction” applies here.

Based on that internet image, they drew a colored pencil sketch. Here’s a look at their sketch for the first gate design.

Ainsley Gibbs and Reed Pryor based their first Rose Lane mural design on this sketch. (photo by Peter Finkle, from illustration by Ainsley and Reed, 2021)

When they showed the homeowner Curly their design for the gate, she heartily approved it. Then she told them, “I don’t have just one gate. I have two you can paint.” They decided to keep the same theme of poppy flowers for the second gate, but with a slightly different look.

This is how the first gate mural looked just weeks after it was painted. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2021)

Detail photo of the first Rose Lane poppies mural. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2021)

The wood was much less weathered here than on their sunflower mural, so the whole process went more smoothly. They didn’t have to use nearly as much primer for the base coat. They outlined their poppy designs in chalk and painted a layer of white where the bright green, red and yellow paints would follow. This helped the bright colors to pop more on the rough wood.

The gate on the other side of Curly’s house provided a slightly larger area to paint. I love the extra artistic touch of a white picket fence and a white arbor entry, which emphasize the deep reds and greens of the flower mural.

Welcoming arbor entry to the second Rose Lane poppies mural. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2021)

What the neighbors say

My wife and I were able to speak briefly with Curly when the artists showed us the murals at her house. She loves the way the paintings turned out. She’s not the only one. Neighbors have been telling Curly that they feel uplifted just seeing the colorful flowers as they walk by. Ainsley and Reed are leaving a positive legacy behind as they get ready to depart for college in the fall.

Other Rose Lane sights

Rose Lane is only one block, but my wife and I found some details to stop, appreciate, and photograph.

This yard will be full of colorful flowers through springtime. The iris, lavender and others accent a curving, rock-edged path to create sweet harmony.

Rose Lane, Ashland — Deep purple iris and flowering cherries brighten this scene on Rose Lane. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2021)

Is this a miniature Christmas tree? The ornament is still on it. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2021)

This may be the most lush blooming manzanita bush I have ever seen. It is spectacular. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2021)

Columnar English Oak

Found at the intersection of Rose Lane and Orchid Street, this is the largest Columnar English Oak in Ashland, according to arborist Casey Roland.

Columnar English Oak. You can see the shape of the tree in a different way when it’s not covered with leaves. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2021)

I was fascinated with the “design” of the tree. In my photo below, I tried to capture a sense of the vibrancy of all those upright branches bursting out of the lower trunk.

Detail photo of Columnar English Oak shows the unusual way its lower branches head skyward from the trunk. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2020)

I hope you have enjoyed exploring more of the Fordyce neighborhood with me. As we continue to walk, I can’t guarantee you more murals on the local fences, but I’m sure we will find more creativity and beauty.

If you enjoy art, please read my photo essay about the large, colorful murals on Fordyce Street

If you haven’t yet read my article about the six large, colorful murals on Fordyce Street, here is a link to see it.
https://walkashland.com/2021/02/28/fordyce-street-from-sawmills-to-art/

Also in the neighborhood

In the autumn of 2020, I walked nearby Old Willow Lane, a short street filled with interesting yard art. You can read the Old Willow Lane photo essay at this link. https://walkashland.com/2020/10/17/old-willow-lane-photo-essay/

References:

Gibbs, Ainsley and Pryor, Reed. Interviews during March and April, 2021.

“We Are Here” Honors Native Americans (Part 3 of 3)

(Part 3 of 3: Wood carving at SOU Hannon Library,
stories from 2012 to 2020)

38 photos!
How the 20′ tall sculpture was moved.
Every carving on sculpture described.
Quotes from Grandma Aggie.
Ashland Public Art Series.

Summary of “We Are Here” – Parts 1 and 2

“We Are Here” is a sculpture that honors the First Nations of the Rogue Valley. In addition to a sculpture, it has been called a wood carving, a Spirit Pole and a Prayer Pole. The bronze replica is located where North Main Street and Lithia Way meet, a very visible location just one block from the Plaza.

This article (Part 3 of 3) is about the original wood carved prayer pole, which was moved from North Main street to Southern Oregon University Hannon Library in December of 2012. This map shows the location of Hannon Library.

"We Are Here" Ashland — Map showing location of “We Are Here” in the Hannon Library of Southern Oregon University. (map from Google)

“I felt very honored to work with Matthew Haines and Russell Beebe, and it was a great honor to be able to do this for our people, for the Old Ones.”
Grandma Aggie

Local attorney and arts patron Matthew Haines funded the wood carving after he felt a calling to have it made. Russell Beebe, of Anishinaabe Native heritage, was the sculptor (wood carver).

Russell Beebe (standing) with Matthew Haines (right) and Grandma Aggie at the “We Are Here” dedication in 2006. (photo from the Russell Beebe collection)

Grandma Aggie performed ceremonies for the tree and then the Prayer Pole, including at the original September 30, 2006 dedication. Within a few years, Beebe and Haines realized that the soft alder wood of the sculpture would deteriorate irreparably if it continued to be exposed to the elements for many years. There was only one way to save “We Are Here” — to move it indoors. But that meant losing this visible, public location for an artwork that honors Native people of the Rogue Valley.

Bronze sculpture artist Jack Langford was hired to make a bronze replica of the wood prayer pole. Because of the size and complexity of “We Are Here,” it took 55 small flexible molds to capture every detail of the wood. Each of the 55 flexible molds was transformed in a multistage process into heat-resistant fused silica molds. These were filled with molten bronze at 2,000 degrees F, after which the 55 bronze pieces had to be fit together seamlessly. The entire process took Langford nearly a year. The bronze replica was installed on North Main Street in May 2013.

“We Are Here” alder carving moved, December 18, 2012

On December 18, 2012, “We Are Here” was moved from North Main Street to the Hannon Library of Southern Oregon University. Ashley Powell, co-chair of the SOU Native American Student Union, smudges before it is lifted from its site on North Main Street. (photo by James Royce Young)

Matthew Haines had asked Grandma Aggie’s permission for a bronze replica of “We Are Here” to replace the wood sculpture outdoors at the “Ashland Gateway” location. She said yes and suggested that the original wood statue be moved to the Hannon Library at Southern Oregon University. The City and University agreed, and the move took place on December 18, 2012.

As a photo description of that snowy morning put it: “A fresh snowfall caused the lifting crane to be one hour late. The schedule, planned to the minute, became completely irrelevant and we were on Indian time the rest of the day. It was a beautiful morning.”

This photo shows “We Are Here” being lifted from its site on North Main Street. *(photo by James Royce Young)*

The crane lowered it onto a huge steel-railed rolling dolly, where it was tightly chained on a flatbed truck for transport to SOU Hannon Library. I spoke with Dan Wahpepah, who coordinated the move. He said that “We Are Here” was strapped in the U-shaped dolly with come-alongs on both sides, so they had flexibility to maneuver the large statue through the library doors and then on to the new base installed in the library. Come-alongs are winches that incorporate ratchets for better control. Once in the library, it was bolted to a hinge on the concrete base and then lifted. Lifting it upright from the dolly took careful planning, clear guidance, chains, strong ropes, three wooden poles and many strong hands.

“We Are Here” being moved into the Hannon Library of Southern Oregon University. This photo shows the invocation before the final lift into position at Hannon Library. *(photo by James Royce Young)*

“We Are Here” being moved into the Hannon Library of Southern Oregon University. This photo shows one of the two pulling teams on the second floor. *(photo by James Royce Young)*

Wahpepah told me the move followed Native American traditions. With an important move, it is traditional to stop four times to honor the four directions. Assisting Wahpepah were community members and students of the SOU Native American Student Union.

A new base for “We Are Here” at library

“We Are Here” in the Hannon Library of Southern Oregon University. This photo shows the 5,000 pound concrete base being moved into position. *(photo by James Royce Young)*

A new base was created for the library location of the “We Are Here” wood prayer pole, beginning with a 5,000 pound foundation of concrete. After “We Are Here” was in place on this concrete, Jesse Biesanz began the process of adding a round dome of mortar and river rocks to complete the prayer pole base. He had a short window of time in January to complete the project, when students were on break.

“We Are Here” in the Hannon Library of Southern Oregon University. This detail shows Jesse Biesanz creating the base mound of river rocks. *(photo by James Royce Young)*

He experimented with different colored mortar mixes to find a warm color that would complement the color of the wood. At the bottom, he began with rectangular stone. Then he inserted river rocks of various colors and sizes. Finally, he embedded four animals carved in sandstone at the four cardinal directions of the base.

A gift to the artist.A gift to the community.In memory of Jack Hardesty.Artist: Wataru Sugiyama.Ashland Public Art series.

Why it’s called “Gift”

Inauspicious beginning

Wataru visited the site with his daughter

Empty pedestal…’no hesitation’

With an abstract, ‘you can carve forever’

Influence of Machu Picchu

Alice and Jack Hardesty

Move to the Ashland Library

Wataru’s deep emotional connections

Watch an Oregon Art Beat video about Wataru

“Wataru, when did you become an artist?”

From clay to granite and marble

Wataru’s huge new artwork stirred my emotions

Wataru’s description of “May You Feel Peace Within”

Something about standing before this artwork does take me to a peaceful place within

Making a large bronze statue takes big bucks

References:

Look at these photos and SMILE.Maybe even laugh!20 photos – how many do you recognize?More funny, strange and artistic sights & sites in Ashland.

Walking through the Railroad District

Spooky and strange

Spooky and stranger

Not-spooky but strange

A bit of nature in the Quirky Ashland photo collection

Classical pianist humor

Humor?

The Doors (no, not the late 1960s rock group)

Tiny but mighty

If you liked these photos, check out “Quirky Sights in Ashland: Part 1” and other related photo essays.

Colorful flowers brighten a fence.East Main Street at Wightman Avenue.Ashland neighborhood art.Artist: Shea Cathey.

“Hope You Smile”

The origin story

Offer to the artist

The humble artist

The humble artist as excellent teacher

The grateful artist

The painting process, step by step

What kind of flowers are these?

Where to find “Hope You Smile”

References:

Large. Visible. Have you seen it?Huge mosaic wall mural.The artist shares hidden secrets.Artist: Krista Hepford.Ashland Public Art series.

Have you noticed it?

Fun story: How the artwork was named

Where you will find “Uplifting”

A hidden story

How the wall and the dumpster “inspired” the artwork!

Challenges to overcome: first step, build trust

Challenges to overcome: Public Arts Commission approval

Challenges to overcome: no funding

Chocolate saved the day in another way

Challenges to overcome: materials stolen

How “Uplifting” was designed

The fingernails, the door and the window

What happened when Krista got bored

Another financial angel

Non-financial angels

Krista’s artistic journey

Other artworks by Krista

What does Uplifting mean to you?

The article headline: “Uplifting: art to inspire kindness”

References:

“Las Calles de Guanajuato,” Guanajuato mural in Ashland.Artist: Loreta (Laura Rangel Villasenor).“Where Culture Meets Nature,” Ashland mural in Guanajuato.Artist: Denise Baxter.27 Photos.Ashland Public Art series.

“It’s clearly one of the most beautiful cities in the world.“

Finding Loreta in Guanajuato

Choosing Denise Baxter in Ashland

Ashland’s approval process can be very complex

Baxter’s organizational skills

Grid skills

One professional approach to mural painting

The day it rained

Sister cities since 1969!

Not just one mural in one city, but two murals in two cities

A larger vision

Mural in Ashland leads to mural in Guanajuato

Denise and Loreta

Preparing for the mural in Guanajuato

Painting the mural in Guanajuato

You have to delegate and trust

Denise Baxter’s frequent helpers

Finished mural in Guanajuato

A gift to the artist.
A gift to the community.
In memory of Jack Hardesty.
Artist: Wataru Sugiyama.
Ashland Public Art series.

Look at these photos and SMILE.
Maybe even laugh!
20 photos – how many do you recognize?
More funny, strange and artistic sights & sites in Ashland.

Colorful flowers brighten a fence.
East Main Street at Wightman Avenue.
Ashland neighborhood art.
Artist: Shea Cathey.

Large. Visible. Have you seen it?
Huge mosaic wall mural.
The artist shares hidden secrets.
Artist: Krista Hepford.
Ashland Public Art series.

“Las Calles de Guanajuato,” Guanajuato mural in Ashland.
Artist: Loreta (Laura Rangel Villasenor).
“Where Culture Meets Nature,” Ashland mural in Guanajuato.
Artist: Denise Baxter.
27 Photos.
Ashland Public Art series.

Hard stone, tender words.
In memory of three Ashland community leaders.
Great location: Lithia Way and Pioneer Street.
Artist: Lonnie Feather.
Ashland Public Art Series.

How Ashland High senior project became public art!
Downtown on Enders Alley.
Artist: Nicole (Nick) Shulters.
Ashland Public Art series.

Peter leads a Railroad District art + history walk.
Video by Sailor Boy Media.
Here’s how it happened. Ashland Public Art video.

Keegan Van Hook said, “Are you interested…?”
I said, “Yes!”

See three flowery fence murals.
Meet two high school student-artists.
Photo essay with 24 photos.
Ashland Neighborhood Art series.

(Part 3 of 3: Wood carving at SOU Hannon Library,
stories from 2012 to 2020)

38 photos!
How the 20′ tall sculpture was moved.
Every carving on sculpture described.
Quotes from Grandma Aggie.
Ashland Public Art Series.