Astoria River Trail Sculpture Walk (ARTS Walk)
In 2004, AVA contracted with the firm of chadbourne+doss (Astoria and Seattle) for a feasibility study of the Astoria River Trail Sculpture (ARTS) Walk. Working closely with the City of Astoria, the Port of Astoria, the Tongue Point facility and the general community, the firm documented current and proposed development, property owners, and physical characteristics of the waterfront from the Port to Tongue Point; and identified potential sites for the Sculpture Project along the entire five-mile Trail.
chadbourne + doss then prepared a series of presentation materials designed to graphically summarize their work for community input and discussion. The presentation materials featured a wall of digital photographs taken from the north, the east, the south and the west, every 75 paces along the entire 5-mile River Trail. The 5-mile trail was divided into nine areas, each with its own distinct set of features. An exemplary photograph was presented for each area.
Another wall held a series of detailed topographical illustrations of the River Trail, again divided into the nine areas. Together this series mapped the area and graphically illustrated the topography, historical sites, physical characteristics, major landmarks and other features.
A box of sticky red dots was placed at the beginning of the wall, and viewers were asked to place a dot on places they felt could be appropriate for a sculpture.
In 2004, AVA contracted with the firm of chadbourne+doss (Astoria and Seattle) for a feasibility study of the Astoria River Trail Sculpture (ARTS) Walk. Working closely with the City of Astoria, the Port of Astoria, the Tongue Point facility and the general community, the firm documented current and proposed development, property owners, and physical characteristics of the waterfront from the Port to Tongue Point; and identified potential sites for the Sculpture Project along the entire five-mile Trail.
chadbourne + doss then prepared a series of presentation materials designed to graphically summarize their work for community input and discussion. The presentation materials featured a wall of digital photographs taken from the north, the east, the south and the west, every 75 paces along the entire 5-mile River Trail. The 5-mile trail was divided into nine areas, each with its own distinct set of features. An exemplary photograph was presented for each area.
Another wall held a series of detailed topographical illustrations of the River Trail, again divided into the nine areas. Together this series mapped the area and graphically illustrated the topography, historical sites, physical characteristics, major landmarks and other features.
A box of sticky red dots was placed at the beginning of the wall, and viewers were asked to place a dot on places they felt could be appropriate for a sculpture.
chadbourne + doss also provided a hand-painted map of the trail on a 10-foot architect's table, covered with plexiglas, on which viewers could place a mark at spots they considered appropriate for a sculpture.
The materials were on display at AVA Gallery for two weeks in February/March 2005.
Phase 1 of the ARTS Project included the commission and installation of the first in a planned sequence of sculptures along the Trail. AVA envisioned this project as an opportunity for regional artists to do interpretive and site-responsive installations celebrating and revealing the peninsula’s natural, cultural and industrial qualities in ways that can be appreciated in all the conditions that dramatically confront and expose us.
The ARTS Project was administered and evaluated by the AVA Steering Committee, including Larry Taylor, Scott Reuter, Cynthia Price, and Daren Doss. Their responsibilities included: pre-planning; assessment; goal-setting and planning; implementation; and monitoring and evaluation. The Steering Committee conducted evaluations at project milestones, conducted annual project budgeting and post-project evaluations to assess the success of the process and the sculpture installation, and continued its dialogue with the community. The evaluation process included interested citizens, advisory groups, individual interviews, group meetings and presentations.
To ensure artistic integrity and the appropriate conceptual direction for the ARTS Walk, an experienced Advisory Committee was established. The panel consisted of architects, an art historian, arts educators, a community representative, and established artists. The Committee included: Margaret Blake, Ed Carpenter, Lisa Chadbourne, Bill Ittman and Rebecca Rubens. The Advisory Committee crafted the final Call for Artists, establishing site selection criteria, and creating a limited pool of high-quality artists to be reviewed for the work. A Request for Qualifications asked artists to send their qualifications and examples of work to be reviewed by the Advisory Committee. Of the responding artists, three were selected to publicly present their qualifications to the Advisory Committee and the community at large. The Advisory Committee, with input from the public, selected the final artist for the first sculpture installation: Jim Fink, for his Luna Phaser.
We are grateful to THE WINTERCROSS FOUNDATION for its grant of $3,000.00 in support of the ARTS Project.
The materials were on display at AVA Gallery for two weeks in February/March 2005.
Phase 1 of the ARTS Project included the commission and installation of the first in a planned sequence of sculptures along the Trail. AVA envisioned this project as an opportunity for regional artists to do interpretive and site-responsive installations celebrating and revealing the peninsula’s natural, cultural and industrial qualities in ways that can be appreciated in all the conditions that dramatically confront and expose us.
The ARTS Project was administered and evaluated by the AVA Steering Committee, including Larry Taylor, Scott Reuter, Cynthia Price, and Daren Doss. Their responsibilities included: pre-planning; assessment; goal-setting and planning; implementation; and monitoring and evaluation. The Steering Committee conducted evaluations at project milestones, conducted annual project budgeting and post-project evaluations to assess the success of the process and the sculpture installation, and continued its dialogue with the community. The evaluation process included interested citizens, advisory groups, individual interviews, group meetings and presentations.
To ensure artistic integrity and the appropriate conceptual direction for the ARTS Walk, an experienced Advisory Committee was established. The panel consisted of architects, an art historian, arts educators, a community representative, and established artists. The Committee included: Margaret Blake, Ed Carpenter, Lisa Chadbourne, Bill Ittman and Rebecca Rubens. The Advisory Committee crafted the final Call for Artists, establishing site selection criteria, and creating a limited pool of high-quality artists to be reviewed for the work. A Request for Qualifications asked artists to send their qualifications and examples of work to be reviewed by the Advisory Committee. Of the responding artists, three were selected to publicly present their qualifications to the Advisory Committee and the community at large. The Advisory Committee, with input from the public, selected the final artist for the first sculpture installation: Jim Fink, for his Luna Phaser.
We are grateful to THE WINTERCROSS FOUNDATION for its grant of $3,000.00 in support of the ARTS Project.