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45 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, March 24, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend February 21, 2005 Public art gets a boost in Ashland Ashland Public Arts Commission debuts Mexican-inspired tile mosaic downtown By VICKIE ALDOUS for the Mail Tribune ASHLAND — Art lovers are hoping the installation of a tile mosaic near Lithia Park will mark the beginning of an era of support for public art in Ashland. The mosaic is the first project shepherded by the Ashland Public Arts Commission, formed two years ago by the Ashland City Council in response to concerns about the lack of public art in town. Ashland is famous for its performing arts, and its dozens of galleries are also gaining recognition. "Obviously, Ashland is very strong in all of those," said artist and commission member Bruce Bayard. "What’s interesting to me is that public art doesn’t reflect that. So many towns have less cultural richness, yet they have amazing things going on in the public realm." Aside from a few traditional examples — such as the "Iron Mike" pioneer statue on the Plaza, Lithia Park’s Abraham Lincoln statue and a relief near the Ashland Chamber of Commerce — there is little public art to interest, please or startle passersby. Advertisement The devastating 1997 flood wiped the slate clean along Ashland Creek through Lithia Park and behind Plaza businesses. The tile mosaic to be installed this summer by Sue Springer, artist and owner of Illahe Tileworks and Illahe Design Studio & Gallery in Ashland, will mark the end of several years of laborious reconstruction. The mosaic will adorn the ground of an overlook at the top of a recently replaced flight of stairs leading from Calle Gaunajuato along the creek to Granite Street above. "The nature of the overlook is that you can see the creek, the calle and the back of shops on the Plaza," Springer said. "You get the whole vista of town. It will be a place to stop and reflect." The water-themed mosaic will feature a great blue heron, frogs and steelhead trout done in the style of pre-Columbian Mexican art. The design is a nod to the location along the creek and also recognizes Ashland’s close bonds with its sister city, Guanajuato, Mexico, Springer said. The arts commission worked with the Ashland Parks and Recreation Commission and the Lithia Artisans Guild on the project. Supporters received a donation in memory of the late Arnold Krigel, one of the first Ashland public arts commissioners, and fund-raising efforts are ongoing, according to Bayard. The post-flood reconstruction along the calle included the installation of two pedestals for rotating displays of sculptures, a wall niche for a sculpture and space for artistic panels or ironwork in the staircase railing, he said. The public arts commission is eyeing a number of spots around Ashland for public installations. The City Council agreed to earmark sites for art in the center traffic island between the town’s main fire station and the Ashland Public Library. The wall in front of the library and a space near Evo’s Java House also could host public art in the future, according to Bayard. The public arts commission also is considering various funding strategies for projects, ranging from proposing that 1 percent of city construction budgets go for art to using a portion of city hotel taxes, he said. And like all cities that support public art, Ashland will grapple with how to select art that is not so people-pleasing that it evokes only yawns, but also is not so controversial that it simply angers citizens instead of challenging them. "It’s a really wonderful dance to do," Bayard said. "It remains to be seen how well we do it." Donations for public art can be sent to City of Ashland Public Arts, c/o Ann Seltzer, 20 E. Main St., Ashland, OR, 97520. Vickie Aldous is a reporter for the Ashland Daily Tidings. Reach her at 482-3456. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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