RACC Press Releases
June 23, 2005
Artwork for the Multnomah Building Arrives on Saturday, June
25th
The Regional Arts & Culture Council is pleased to announce that the Percent
for Art project for the Multnomah Building will be installed on Saturday,
June 25th, beginning at noon. Walla Walla artist Wayne Chabre was selected in fall
2003 from a field of 120 applicants from across the country. The artwork, entitled
Connections, was funded by Percent for Art dollars set aside in 1999 from the
county’s purchase and remodel of the Multnomah Building, 501 SE Hawthorne.
Chabre has designed and fabricated two 14’H x 5’7”W x 4”D
bronze bas-relief panels to flank the main entrance of the building. The principal
goal for public art at the site was to boost the building’s personality
while engaging viewers and respecting the existing architectural features. “I
am excited to see this artwork being installed depicting various scenes of
our beautiful county,” said Commissioner Maria Rojo de Steffey, Multnomah
County’s liaison to the Regional Arts & Culture Council.
The panels represent the rural and urban communities as well as the industrial
and business communities, reflecting the diversity found within Multnomah County.
The imagery is done in a lighthearted way and though it is recognizable and
accessible, it is not completely literal nor an exact representation. The artist
has depicted many of the features of the county’s beautiful natural environment
and has used images of bridges, roads and water as metaphors for the county’s
many governmental functions. Bridges are featured as central design elements
on the urban panel, symbolizing how the county “bridges” many diverse
communities, facilitating cooperative action and successful societal functioning.
The water imagery represents the flow of commerce and arts in the community.
In the rural panel, the arterial (county) roads are depicted as supporting
urban life by conveying the goods from the rural agricultural base and also
provide access to the dramatic beauty of the Columbia Gorge scenic preserve.
Salmon are represented as the best known wild species in the network of environmental
stewardship in which the county plays an important ongoing role. These panels
also suggest Portland’s connection to the Pacific Rim. The oblique reference
to the Asian scroll is highlighted in the rural composition, with its mountain,
falls and Vista House at Crown Point.
Wayne Chabre is a noted northwest artist and native of Walla Walla, Washington.
He has specialized in garden and architectural sculptures for over thirty years.
He has completed nearly twenty-five public commissions that can be found throughout
Oregon and Washington. In 2001, he completed two large bronze sculptures for
Tri Met’s Interstate Light Rail at the Albina/Mississippi Station. In
1996, he designed and executed all elements for the Families’ Courtyard
at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. More information on his work can
be found at www.waynechabre.com.
Throughout 2005, Multnomah County and the City of Portland celebrate the 25th
anniversary of their respective Percent for Art ordinances. These are administered
by the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC), which helps weave public
art throughout communities, reflecting a diversity of populations, artistic
disciplines, and points of view. RACC is currently presenting an exhibit Celebrating
25 Years of Percent for Art: 1980-2005 in the Portland Building lobby exhibition
space (1120 SW 5th Avenue) – a photographic display of over 500 artworks
generated by the Percent for Art Programs. A free Public Art Walking
Tour map/brochure
to over a 100 public art pieces in Portland is now available at Portland area
visitor centers, through RACC’s website at www.racc.org, or by calling
RACC at 503.823.5111.
Through vision, leadership and service, the Regional Arts & Culture
Council works to integrate arts and culture in all aspects of community life
Back to RACC Press Release page
View 2004 News Archives
Request RACC Press Releases via email. Contact: Mary Bauer, mbauer@racc.org
RACC Staff to Contact
Jeff Hawthorne
Director of Community Affairs
503.823.5258
jhawthorne@racc.org
Mary Bauer
Communications Associate
503.823.5426
mbauer@racc.org
| 
