by Bob Johnson
As a journalist, one is expected to know a little bit about a lot of things. Those who ultimately specialize in sports, government, the arts, etc. then are expected to pick up and retain extra knowledge in their field of choice. A reader can spot a fake — or perhaps “miscast expert” might be a kinder term — a mile away, and it does neither the writer nor the publication any good to have egg dripping down their face or front page. (Warning: Do not use raw egg as a do-it-yourself face mask. Dermatologists say that although it can provide temporary skin tightening, it also can present serious skin and general health risks. What type of risks? You’d have to ask your dermatologist. Remember, I know a little about a lot of things, not a lot about raw eggs as a face mask.)
With the “journalist as a generalist” in mind, I’d like to devote this month’s column to the world of art. Specifically, public art in the Inland Northwest. My interest in public art can be traced to the 15 years I lived in Chicago at the beginning of the millennium.
Each day as I’d walk to work, I passed through Federal Plaza, which is home to a mass of metal arms that had been painted red. To my eye, it looked kind of like a giant, drunk spider that had fallen into a hundred spilled barrels of Cabernet Sauvignon.
Turns out the 53-foot-tall “spider” actually is a flamingo, which accounts for its official name: “Flamingo.” According to the Choose Chicago website, “Flamingo” has “curved lines contrasting dramatically with the steel and glass Mies van der Rohe buildings that surround it. Though weighing 50 tons, ‘Flamingo’ features an open design that invites you to walk under and around it. ‘Flamingo’ was unveiled in 1974 and remains one of Chicago’s most distinct icons.”
Distinct? Certainly.
Icon? If they say so….
There are metal monstrosities — uh, I mean pieces of art — all over Chicago, and I can’t say that I ever looked at one and thought, “Wow, that’s pretty cool.” More often, a look of bewilderment would take over my face.
Things changed for me in 2004 when Millennium Park opened just a block from the office building where I worked — ironically, right across Michigan Avenue from the Chicago Art Institute. The park was supposed to open in 2000 to coincide with the dawn of the new millennium and, as many were predicting, the end of civilization. But like so many construction projects in Chicago, it was delayed by late bribe deliveries to city officials and delayed under-the-table payoffs to union bosses. (Note: Nothing in the previous sentence is true, to my knowledge, but it’s certainly within the realm of possibility.)
Millennium Park features two very cool pieces of public art. Because I am no art expert, I take you to the city of Chicago website for descriptions:
“Designed by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa, the ‘Crown Fountain’ is a major addition to the city’s world-renowned public art collection. The fountain consists of two 50-foot glass block towers at each end of a shallow reflecting pool. The towers project video images from a broad social spectrum of Chicago citizens, a reference to the traditional use of gargoyles in fountains, where faces of mythological beings were sculpted with open mouths to allow water, a symbol of life, to flow out. Plensa adapted this practice by having faces of Chicago citizens projected on LED screens and having water flow through an outlet in the screen to give the illusion of water spouting from their mouths.”
And while the “Crown Fountain” is cool, “Cloud Gate” — affectionately referred to by locals as “The Bean” — is even cooler. Back to the city of Chicago website:
“‘Cloud Gate’ is British artist Anish Kapoor’s first public outdoor work installed in the United States. The 110-ton elliptical sculpture is forged of a seamless series of highly polished stainless-steel plates, which reflect Chicago’s famous skyline and the clouds above. A 12-foot-high arch provides a ‘gate’ to the concave chamber beneath the sculpture, inviting visitors to touch its mirror-like surface and see their image reflected from a variety of perspectives. Inspired by liquid mercury, the sculpture is among the largest of its kind in the world, measuring 66-feet long by 33-feet high.”
My only addition to that description would be: “Imagine being able to take a selfie of yourself taking a selfie.”
Chicago was a place where I loved “The Bean” but felt ignorant about the other art. Always on the lookout to make a buck, I even considered developing a website on which people who are equally clueless about art could upload photos of pieces in their hometown or that they encountered during their travels. I may still tackle that project one day. My working URL is: “iguessijustdon’tgetart.com.” Or, to provide an ironic twist, perhaps I’ll use dot-art for the domain extension. How does “iguessijustdon’tgetart.art” sound?
I’m happy to say that the Inland Northwest has no shortage of public art. Better still, it’s art that this art amateur can understand and enjoy.
For instance, the rural town of Chewelah is a designated “Creative District” – a “defined area where art, cultural, social and economic activity takes place.”
One need not look far, or even exit their car, to enjoy the murals that can be found around the town. My favorite, for no other reason than I’ve written about wine for 40 years, is called “Wine Barrel Room,” which was completed by Sherine Roth in 2016. During our drive through town, the lovely Michelle liked “Huckleberries,” a Traci Manley work completed in 2021.
If you go to chewelahcreativedistrict.org, you can download and print a “Chewelah Mural Tour” map.
Spokane’s Riverfront Park, which some have called “an urban oasis” with “the largest urban waterfall in the country,” is known for its Bloomsday sculptures that cumulatively are called “The Joy of Running Together.”
Kids flock to “The Childhood Express,” a giant, absolutely not-to-scale Radio Flyer wagon that doubles as a slide.
If you happen to be into interactive art, “The Garbage Goat” is for you. Designed as an environmental statement for the 1974 World’s Fair, it’s a goat made from steel that will “eat” small pieces of garbage after one presses a button to its right.
That’s just a sampling of the public art in Riverfront Park.
In North Idaho, there are several animal sculptures placed in front of businesses along Highway 41 in Rathdrum, and the city of Hayden just installed new benches on two main thoroughfares. They’re made from repurposed wind turbines and feature themes developed by local artists. Not to be outdone, the city of Coeur d’Alene commissioned a new “Welcome to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho” mural downtown.
And how about those paintings on utility boxes all over the region? In this art amateur’s opinion, it’s some of the most colorful, vibrant, creative artwork around. It’s like encountering a delightful surprise around every corner.
Wine. Fruit. Animals. Flowers. People. A red wagon.
These are all concepts an art amateur can understand. I’m always in awe of people who have talent in an area for which my genes were allotted none. The fact that these sculptures, murals and other pieces are pleasing to the eye is just a bonus.
Although he has no artistic talent, Bob Johnson has won 103 national awards for his writing, while his wife, Michelle, is an award-winning photographer. Bob welcomes criticism, kudos and general comments at bjibob@aol. com.
