Washougal WA — Art lovers and the entire community are invited to help welcome the newest piece of public art in Washougal. “WATER,” created by Wendy Armstrong, will be celebrated at a dedication ceremony on Saturday, December 1 at 1pm at the art’s location on the corner of Main and Pendleton Way in downtown Washougal. A reception will be held immediately following at Washougal Coffee Corner. The event is hosted by Washougal Arts and Culture Alliance.
WATER is the final piece of the four-part ELEMENTS series of artwork (Earth, Wind, Water and Fire) created by artists of “Women Who Weld,” for the Washougal Parks Board of Commissioners. This piece was made possible through a generous donation from Kind Heart Free Spirit Foundation.
The ELEMENTS project began several years ago when Suzanne Grover and Janice Ferguson of the Parks Board approached Women Who Weld to create an art piece at Steamboat Landing Park. Originally the plan was for each Element to sit atop the tall pilings of the Steamboat Landing Park dock, but after a flood occurred that would have placed the art located there in danger, it was decided that the Elements would be located around town; separated by distance but linked by a common theme.
EARTH was installed in September of 2013 at the entrance to the Pedestrian Tunnel under Hwy 14. It was created by Sharon Warman and sponsored by Washougal resident and Park Board member, Shirley Scott. WIND, created by Kathy Willson, was funded by a collaboration of Washougal residents and the Dick Beaver family and was installed in Beaver Park in April 2015. FIRE at Steamboat Landing was created by the husband and wife artist team, Jennifer Corio and Dave Frei in 2016. Mayor Molly Coston sponsored the piece as a tribute to her late husband, Phil Harris, Executive Director of the Two Rivers Heritage Museum, in recognition of his love of the rich history of the local area.
After WATER, the next public art to be welcomed to Washougal is a mural to be placed on the outside wall of the public library once the area is prepared for display. It celebrates Washougal’s Betsey Ough, also known as Princess White Wing, by Native American artist Toma Villa.
WACA is currently raising funds for a full-sized bronze bear sculpture from gorge artist Heather Soderberg. For more information about WACA, how to become and member and their efforts to bring public art to Washougal visit their website at www.washougalarts.org.
