Art

We've been passing by this objet d'art every weekday on our way to the Oncology Radiation department (thank you all for your encouragement and prayers). It was finally unwrapped, but the plate was not, so I have no information as to it's name or creater. This bronze sculpture sits in the new courtyard being built at Salem Hospital.

The Cow and the Cat

Near the children's play area in Bush Pasture Park.

Our Liberty Bell

This reproduction of the Liberty Bell is one of 53 cast in France in 1950. It stands at the west entrance to the Capitol. Given to the government by seven metal companies, they served as the inspirational symbol of the U.S. savings bonds drive. After the bond drive was completed, the replicas were presented to each state, as well as Alaska and Hawaii (which were not yet states), Washington D.C., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

The dimensions and tone are identical to original Liberty Bell when it rang out in 1776.

More Wall Art

More doctor office art. Salem Clinic has an abundance of Pacific Northwest-inspired photos and sculptures adorning it's walls. This one done in metals depicts Mt. Jefferson in the Oregon Cascades.

Circuit Riders

Beautifully detailed statue on the east grounds of the State Capitol.

Sculpture

This is one of an interesting pair of sculptures outside the Dept. of Forestry Administration building on east State St. The plaque was gone (metal thieves no doubt), but I was able to find that the creator was Anne Storrs, that it is made of cast concrete and called 'Cone'. When I inquired at the building next door, a gentlemen told me it represented the cone of a Douglas Fir tree, though it is upside down. (??) Below is a photographic representation of said cone.

Galaxy

At the front entrance to the Marion County Courthouse Square is a whimsical wind sculpture, called "Galaxy" created by Andrew Carson (perhaps inspired by Tinguely/Saint Phalle?).

Beaver Family

The delightful sculpture "The Capitol Beaver Family" was created by Kenneth M. Scott and sits in Willson Park just west of the state capitol under a beautiful Sequoia Redwood tree.

• "The American Beaver (Castor canadensis) was named Oregon state animal by the 1969 Legislature. Prized for its fur, the beaver was overtrapped by early settlers and eliminated from much of its original range. Through proper management and partial protection, the beaver has been reestablished in watercourses throughout the state and remains an important economic asset. The beaver has been referred to as “nature’s engineer,” and its dam-building activities are important to natural water flow and erosion control. Oregon is known as the “Beaver State” and Oregon State University’s athletic teams are called the “Beavers.”" [Oregon Blue Book]

Beware

I don't know who's idea this was, but it can be a little disconcerting when unexpected. Lurking downtown in the alley around the corner from Whitlock's on Court St.

Memorial to the CCC Workers

When the 32nd U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt took office in 1933, he was faced with the challenge to immediately begin a revitalization of the nation's economy after the "great depression". His plan was not to dole out aid, but to create jobs to give back to American workers their pride in their ability to earn a living. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was part of President Roosevelt's "New Deal." Roosevelt proposed to recruit thousands of unemployed young men to battle the erosion and destruction of the nation's natural resources. More than any other "New Deal" agency, the CCC is considered to be an extension of Roosevelt's personal philosophy. My own father as a teenager, worked for a time with the CCC in my home state of Ohio.

You can read more <here>.

Located on the State Department of Forestry campus, E. State Street.

On the run

This sculpture graces the entrance to the Salmon Run condomiums on High Street. The building is adjacent to Pringle Creek which is a spawning ground for the Chinook Salmon. As many as 1000 adult Chinook make their way here each fall where each female will deposit an average of 5000 eggs. The eggs hatch in 2-4 months and in the spring the young make their way down to the Willamette, then the Columbia River, then to the Pacific Ocean. They are known to migrate as far north as the Bearing Sea.

Wood Sculpture

This beautifully carved buck stands outside the Sportsmans Warehouse just east of I-5 at Hwy 22.

Playground Sculpture

"A Parade of Animals" on the Capitol grounds. 1991 by Peter Helzer.

Sampo

Standing 30-feet tall, this sculpture by Lee Imonen is fashioned from old-growth red cedar salvaged from a fire in Roseburg and galvanized steel. "The Sampo" is a reference to Finnish mythology, the Kalevala, in which gods create a magical harvesting mill, to help the people work with the land. It stands in the courtyard of the State of Oregon North Mall Office complex between Summer and Winter streets.

Information from the Oregon Arts Commission.

On this day in history...

Oregon was admitted to the Union, February 14, 1859 -- 149 years ago.



One of the reliefs sculpted in marble at the main entrance of the state Capitol in Salem. This one depicts Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and Sacagawea.