A sense of arrival
They've got the corner of NE Grand and Hancock all ripped up again. No doubt another piece of "gateway" art is about to be installed. They recently finished putting one of these in over in the Parkrose neighborhood, where Sandy meets I-205. Unlike the ugly stuff that often passes for public art these days, the Parkrose immigrant statue is kinda cool.
But newcomers to Portland need something more to let them know that they've arrived in a special place -- a welcoming monument of some kind with the immortal words of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson:
"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked."Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat. "We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here."
If they take up a collection for something like that, we'll be at the front of the line to donate.
| Posted at 6:48 AM | Permalink |
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Comments (17)
Here's the PDC's plan
http://www.pdc.us/ura/convention_center/heritage-markers.asp
Posted by Found It | December 10, 2011 7:46 AM
I like Jack's idea, but he needs to add the Mad Hatter with Sam or Randy's mug along with the Cheshire Cat.
Posted by Portland Native | December 10, 2011 8:20 AM
Excellent! And how about one of Mock Turtle in front of the PPS HQ? For the plaque:
"Reeling and writhing, of course, to begin with, and then the different branches of arithmetic -- Ambition, Distraction, Uglification, and Derision."
Posted by Mojo | December 10, 2011 8:49 AM
How about a swap?
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Posted by genop | December 10, 2011 9:33 AM
What a dork- sorry, in the habit of just pasting screen shots, doesn't work. That was the famous "Black Bird" a huge ugly birdlike enormous papier - mache ---- Crow.
Posted by genop | December 10, 2011 9:39 AM
Sam and Randy as Tweedle "Dumb" and Tweedle Dee?
Oh! The possibilities!
Posted by Portland Native | December 10, 2011 10:27 AM
How about "Welcome to Potterville"?
Posted by Mr. Grumpy | December 10, 2011 11:26 AM
The immigrant statue was privately funded. The Rossi family spearheaded the efforts.
Posted by Michelle | December 10, 2011 11:35 AM
I feel much better about our public art installations after seeing the one in front of our rental digs near the beach in Nice. It involved 128 tons of concrete, for a base that supports 70 tons of steel. It rises a mere three stories from the ground, comprising seven vertically stacked 90 foot steel beams, resembling gigantic matchsticks without their heads. They are propped at irregular intervals against one another, in a staggered semi-circular arrangement that brings to mind a teepee that might have been erected following a night of heavy communal libation. The base has floodlights and a plaque, recording the dedication of the thing, in the presence, no less, of the president of La Republique, Mr Nikolas Sarkozy, and (insert here names of soon to be totally obscure city and regional functionaries), ...gasp....get ready...to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the annexation of Nice to France, from Italy!
Suddenly the European debt crisis became crystal clear.
Posted by Gaye Harris | December 10, 2011 11:47 AM
Vive la France....soon coming to Portlandia!
Posted by Portland Native | December 10, 2011 12:00 PM
...and those of us who didn't consider ourselves mad anyway will have been turned into mad by staying here.
For those who would say leave if you don't like it, the words to do so and the reality of doing so are not as easy, but I am sure many are in works of planning to do just that if this insanity does not stop.
Posted by clinamen | December 10, 2011 12:10 PM
"Nighttime interest," indeed...
Posted by TomR | December 10, 2011 12:15 PM
Meanwhile out in Lents... We can't get potholes on PBOT streets or flooded major intersections fixed - with our own URA monies. We are getting @#*! $#@*@$!! gateway markers that cost nearly 500K for two slaps of composite plastic. Yay! Feels so good to know we have smart decision makers holding our money!
Posted by Mizzz | December 10, 2011 12:57 PM
This morning's Big O read was a real downer - after being thoroughly depressed by the sports section, I read that there is not only a strong likelihood that the Streetcar/MAX downtown-to-Lloyd Center fareless square will start charging in 2012 but that nobody has any idea where the money to maintain the eastside streetcar network is going to come from.
Not surprised, just depressed. It's all a "work of art."
Posted by NW Portlander | December 10, 2011 1:34 PM
....or a Work in Progress for public viewing.
American Heritage Dictionary:
work in progress
Home > Library > Literature & Language > Dictionary
n., pl., works in progress.
A yet incomplete artistic, theatrical, or musical work, often made available for public viewing or listening.
Posted by clinamen | December 10, 2011 2:35 PM
Not surprised, just depressed. It's all a "work of art."
That's how they are justifying those solar panels at the TriMet South Mall Terminus.
"It's just a work of art." It isn't intended to recoup any costs.
I rode by it on Friday on my morning bus ride to work and pointed over there before our bus turned off of Broadway and onto 6th. It was blocked by a row of trees that partially exist because of the slope downward to the retaining all alongside I-405. And the solar panels point southwest, where there's also a really big hill... That thing might get, two, three hours of direct sunlight, if that...and nobody will look at it.
Posted by Erik H. | December 11, 2011 8:49 AM
Madness will most likely prevail this Wednesday in our council chambers as they have before them to approve a proposed non-mission critical pipe at Bull Run, so while the lights are twinkling all around us to make us feel good and think all is fine -
Leonard, the water bureau and council will simply not stop spending money. One way or another we have madness in the method by PWB that has been set up to keep spending and in the process to keep making unnecessary and detrimental changes to our good system for other’s financial benefit.
Apparently, the “method” by the PWB has been planned step by step, and this Wed. another very big step is being put on the council agenda to approve another big chunk of money of $31 million and more. If approved on Wednesday, the action could possibly introduce non-native species into our drinking water by bringing in equipment for construction on this project. This would be escalating the damage to our present system.
The PR assuring us that with the variance all is well is just that, PR. All is not well, and as these planned steps unfold, it will become more apparent that our bureau and our council have not at all been the good stewards they should have been. Can they be trusted this Wednesday to do what is in the best interest of the public here?
________________________
http://www.portlandonline.com/auditor/index.cfm?c=26997&
Office of Management and Finance
1371 Accept Guaranteed Maximum Price of $31,552,701 from Advanced American Construction, Inc. for the construction of the Bull Run Dam 2 Tower Improvements Project (Previous Agenda 1336; Procurement Report- RFP No. 110465) 20 minutes requested
Commissioner Randy Leonard
Position No. 4
Water Bureau
1372 Amend contract with Black & Veatch Corporation to increase compensation and scope of work for Bull Run Dam No. 2 Tower Improvements (Previous Agenda 1337; amend Contract No. 37587) 15 minutes requested
Posted by clinamen | December 11, 2011 3:18 PM