Ebb & Flow River ArtWalk

Winning Proposals Announced

Arts Council Santa Cruz County announces the winning proposals for the Santa Cruz River ArtWalk, a temporary public art exhibit and experience that will be unveiled on the Santa Cruz Riverwalk on June 6, 2015.

The Santa Cruz River ArtWalk is part of the Ebb & Flow River Arts Project, a yearlong arts and educational initiative that is celebrating and enlivening the San Lorenzo River and the Tannery Arts Center. The artists and projects selected for the ArtWalk are:

Jamie Abbott, Lynn Guenther, Roy Holmberg & Rose Sellery as Team Avifauna for “Birder’s Bridge” – Water Street Bridge Four large metal sculptures of birds that live in and along the river bank: Great Blue Heron, Red-tailed Hawk, American Crow, and Anna’s Hummingbird. Birds will hang from light poles on a bridge.

Linda Cover & Shelly Skye for “Creature Banners” – Gateway Plaza – Eight student art banners depicting creatures that live in and along the San Lorenzo River.

Ann Altstatt & Joshua Muir for “Metal Ghosts” – By Kaiser Arena – A diffuse metal sculpture, taking the form of a series of ghostly silhouette images, referencing characters from the river’s past.

Kirby Scudder for “Upstream” – Soquel Bridge – Lit sculptures of Coho Salmon and Steelhead Trout on the side of the bridge.

Timerie Gordon & Charlie Prograce of Nielsen Studios Architecture & Design for “Fishing Rods” – Bridge to SL Park – Larger than life steel “fishing rods” attached to the edge of the bridge dangling towards the water remind us of simpler times.

Suzanne Schrag for “River Quest” – Duck Pond & environs – River Quest Living Treasure Hunt to find four costumed characters that represent various aspects of the river and the life forms that depend upon it. Participants collecting tokens from all four return to home base and collect a prize.

Bridget Henry for “Beaver Dam” – Back of 504 Front – Black and white woodcut mural at the access point near Surfrider Café.

Geoffrey Nelson for “Guardians of the River” – Pedestrian Bridge with two larger-than-life sized glowing statues depicting an Ohlone man and woman gazing out at the river from their perch at the top of the arch on the pedestrian bridge.

Kyle Lane-McKinley, Chelsea Wills, Madeline Lane-McKinley for “Field Guide” – Everywhere – A mobile story collecting unit. Participants will be invited to document personal reflections about the history and ecology of the San Lorenzo River.

Danielle Williamson for “Go As A River” – Under Soquel Bridge – This video projection, shown at night, encourages viewers to ponder the future of water issues.

The Ebb & Flow River Arts Project, an initiative spearheaded by Arts Council Santa Cruz County, is designed to increase the level of stewardship and understanding of the San Lorenzo River; raise water literacy; encourage use of the River Walk; energize the Tannery Arts Center campus; and increase economic activity through use of the river and campus through the arts. Ebb & Flow includes community-built temporary and permanent public art, dynamic educational programming, and a kinetic sculpture parade on June 6, 2015 that will culminate with a daylong celebration at the Tannery Arts Center for arts and river revelers alike.

Project collaborators include the City of Santa Cruz Economic Development, the City of Santa Cruz Arts Commission, the Tannery Arts Center, the Tannery World Dance & Cultural Center, artists Kathleen Crocetti and Anna Oneglia, and the Coastal Watershed Council’s San Lorenzo River Alliance.

The Ebb & Flow project is funded through a grant from the California Arts Council’s Creative California Communities program, and through support from the City of Santa Cruz. More at artscouncilsc.org/ebb-flow/.

In its 35^th year, the Arts Council’s mission is to promote, connect, and invest in the arts in order to stimulate creativity and vibrancy in Santa Cruz County. artscouncilsc.org

Projects supported by the California Arts Council’s Creative California Communities program represent a wide range of arts disciplines, and aim to revitalize neighborhoods through the arts, foster new arts engagement, stimulate tourism, create jobs for artists, invest in young people, and build relationships between local arts, business, and government entities.