Creative encounters

Photo by DON NELSON

A guide to the valley’s outdoor public art

BY ASHLEY LODATO

Many 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 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

Water to their Herbs,” is located in the Twisp Commons park, outside the Methow Valley Community Center. A prolific Northwest artist, Beyer’s sculptures reflect the character of the places they inhabit. Visit https://okanogancountry.com/poi/the-war-of-thefrogs--the-cranes-chickadee-trail; https://okanogancountry.com/poi/ grandsons-carrying-water.

■ BEEEST

Hovering above the Twisp Commons park, “Beeest,” Barry Stromberger’s giant metal yellowjacket, was created from the bodies of three cars embedded in the banks of the Methow River. When the Methow Salmon Recovery Foundation, in collaboration with the state Department of Natural Resources, launched a river cleanup and recovered about 40 old cars – “Detroit riprap” – Stromberger repurposed two black vehicles and a yellow Plymouth Cranbrook, welding them together to create the giant yellow and black predatory wasp, a nod to the insect that is allegedly the namesake of the town of Twisp. Visit www.methowarts.org/beeest-1.

■ TWISP GATEWAYS

Recently completed art installations can be viewed from Highway 20 at each end of Twisp. The works were created on a commission from the Town of Twisp by local artists Craig and Perri Howard. The installations, called “Mountain Home,” are intended to provide a visual welcome to people entering town. The artwork evokes the feeling of mountain ranges that provide the backdrop for Twisp and the Methow Valley.

■ ENTRO

One of the 80 sculptural metal spheres fabricated by the late Bernard Hosey as part of his “Spheres” series, “Entro” sits at TwispWorks near the Methow Valley Interpretive Center. “Entro” delights from all angles, featuring geometric shapes, a relationship between positive and negative space, steel girders, and even a human face.

■ TWISP ART PANELS

A series of 3-foot by 6-foot art panels installed on buildings in Twisp celebrate the history of Twisp and connect residents and visitors to its priorities: agriculture, commerce, community, farming, foodways, forestry, history, recovery, recreation, relaxation, rivers, and vibrancy. Designed by artist Hannah Viano, the powder-coated steel panels will be installed in June 2021 in the downtown corridor. For panel location map and more information visit www.methowarts.org/ twisp-creative-district-art-panels.

■ HOMESTREAM PARK

Homestream Park, adjacent to the Methow River bridge in Winthrop, is dedicated to the rivers and fish of the Methow Valley, and to the native people, past and present, who have called this place home for thousands of years. Located on 2 acres of riverfront, the park includes a trail with benches along the river, inspiring sculptures by renowned Native American artist Smoker Marchand, and a public gathering area with shelters, picnic tables, interpretive signs, and a kid’s lookout topped with a carved wooden osprey by local sculptor Bruce Morrison. Visit www.homestreampark.com. NORTH AMERICA'S LARGEST CROSS COUNTRY SKI AREA

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