Photo by DON NELSON
Creative encounters A guide to the valley’s outdoor public art BY A SHL E Y LO DATO
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any outdoor spaces in the valley adorned with easily accessible public art. Here are a few examples. ■ METHOW RIVER POEMS Located in six spots overlooking the Methow River and its headwaters deep in the North Cascades, the Methow River Poems invite visitors to experience the watershed through the words of the late Poet Laureate William Stafford. Commissioned by the U.S. Forest Service in 1992, the seven poems pay tribute to the landscape and character of the 44
Methow Valley. Visit www.methowarts.org/williamstaffordmethowriverpoems2020.
■ SPRING CREEK RANCH TRAILHEAD The Spring Creek Ranch Trailhead (formerly the Winthrop Town Trailhead, at the junction of Highway 20 and Twin Lakes Road) doesn’t get a lot of action in the summer, but it is well worth a visit just to see the two murals. Sponsored by the Methow Valley Nordic Club as part of its ongoing efforts to make trailheads more appealing, the mural “Winter in the Methow” was designed and painted by high school art students guided by artist Tori Karpenko
through Methow Arts’ Artist-inResidence program. The individual scenes were inspired by historic images from the Shafer Historical Museum and contemporary pictures showing how people live, work, and play during winter in the Methow Valley.
■ METHOW VALLEY WILDLAND FIREFIGHTERS MEMORIAL The memorial to Methow Valley Wildland Firefighters rests in the Mack Lloyd Park near the Winthrop Barn. Built by metal artist Barry Stromberger, the sculpture honors the 17 men and women who have lost their lives protecting
the Methow Valley from wildfire since 1929. Wildland firefighting is integral to the history and culture of the Methow Valley, and the statue stands as a tribute to all ground and aerial firefighters; past, present and future.
■ RICHARD BEYER SCULPTURES Richard Beyer’s cast aluminum “The War of the Frogs and the Cranes” sits at Chickadee Trailhead, en route to Sun Mountain Lodge. A collaboration by Liberty Bell High School students, the piece is at first mystifying, as your eyes sort out legs, wings and beaks. Another Beyer piece, “Grandsons Carrying Summer 2021
