Client: Yamhill County Commissioners

Overview

I was commissioned to create art for the new Yamhill Transit Center. The final piece is a concrete pillar clad with carved relief sculptures and ceramic tile. The 32 circular designs depict wildlife, agriculture, iconic structures, and historical scenes from Yamhill County, Oregon. The pillar helps bring awareness of the richness and diversity of the county's resources and history to the Transit Center's riders and visitors. The piece is 8' 10″ tall and 1' square.

Goals

The transit center construction was complete by the time the artwork was commissioned so I did not have the opportunity to integrate the artwork into the building structure itself. Instead I chose to place the artwork in the open sidewalk area where passengers waiting for bus connections could view the piece from any side. I chose the pillar format in which I could present 32 square feet of art on a compact 1' square footprint.

Process

I worked closely with the McMinnville Downtown Association Committee for Public Art and its Chairman Steven Rupp, especially in the initial phases of the project, to develop a design that would effectively represent the county in the artwork. Later I was given design feedback by the Yamhill County Commissioners. I also collaborated with the contractor who built the transit center to determine a safe location for the pillar and who also built the concrete foundation for the piece. I also worked the County permitting department and the local Head Start facility where I gave a demonstration to 3rd graders.