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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Ashland parks director offers up new public pool option ... Top tree expert coming to Ashland ... End of the pipeline? Well, maybe … ... Ashland parks director offers up new public pool option ... Top tree expert coming to Ashland ... End of the pipeline? Well, maybe … ... ILLAHE STUDIOS & GALLERY Prominent local gallery to close at end of month Owner-founder Sue Springer to remain in Ashland, work out of home studio Comment By John Darling For the Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Daily Tidings Posted Oct. 15, 2014 at 4:54 PM By John Darling For the Daily Tidings Posted Oct. 15, 2014 at 4:54 PM » RELATED CONTENT • Exhibit features diverse sculptures • Area artists welcome $50,000 in grants • Art and community come together • Prettier Plaza • A new take on the human form • 'Miss Mosaic' beautifies valley • Peace gets a second chance • Peace Fence to gain new life as Peace Wall • Sue Springer goes to Washington » Social News Illahe Studios & Gallery , a longtime presence in Ashland’s Railroad District , will close at the end of October, leaving owner Sue Springer free to continue her work in her home studio as a mosaic tile artist. Springer migrated from Illahe on the lower Rogue River, arriving in Ashland in 1991. She had her gallery and studio on A Street and moved seven years ago to her present site at 4th and B Streets. She put up new displays monthly, held poetry readings and other artistic and civic events and has been a main fixture on First Friday art walks . Her shop has been on the market for some time but, she says, with no takers. “It’s one of those bittersweet things,” Springer reflected. “I’m looking at new opportunities. Change is always good and I’m looking forward to traveling, too.” Springer is a major presence in public art. She executed the Peace Wall in front of Ashland Library after vandals in 2008 tore down the fabric panels on an impromptu Peace Fence along the railroad tracks by A Street. Each panel had been photographed, allowing Springer to duplicate it. She did the compass rose at North Mountain Nature Park and, a decade ago, the meandering tile sidewalk on Calle Guanajuato, reflecting the adjacent Ashland Creek. The area was devastated in the 1997 flood and the art helped redefine it as a park and thriving commercial zone. “That’s my favorite, on the Calle. I’ve always been in love with it,” she notes. “It was the first piece of public art that Ashland funded and the Public Arts Commission was great to work with. It was a new concept and they gave me a lot of freedom. It’s held up really well.” Decorative and functional, the work depicts plants, fish and birds that live along the creek and, she says, offers you something new to catch the eye each time you visit it. A native of Los Angeles, Springer moved to Oregon early in her life, earning a bachelor’s degree at University of Portland and her master’s at University of Oregon. “Ashland was always my place to come,” Springer says, adding that she relocated here 23 years ago to have quality schools for her children, now grown. “I’m 67. What I do involves a lot of heavy lifting, hanging new shows every month. It’s hard,” she says. “I want to continue doing commissions, travel and be healthy.” The disappearance of Illahe will leave a gap in the Railroad District but, says Springer, she’s seen the area evolve into “a vital part of Ashland,” rich in galleries, restaurants and businesses and expects it to continue on that path. John Darling is a freelance writer living in Ashland. Email him at [email protected]. By John Darling For the Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Daily Tidings Posted Oct. 15, 2014 at 4:54 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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