This summer, Ridgway residents may have noticed new sculptures springing up around town, without explanation. But they’re not staying forever, and one of them is scheduled for removal early this week.
The temporary outdoor exhibit – including sculptures by Colorado artists Alison Cooper, John Murphy and Sean Guerrero – was installed in July, in collaboration with Public Art Ridgway Colorado (PARC). Murphy’s piece may be uninstalled Monday because of damaging weather conditions, but the other two will stay through September, possibly for longer.
The inspiration for this temporary outdoor art exhibit came from in Bombay Beach, California, where the three artists were participating in the yearly summer Bombay Beach Biennale. This art exhibition is a community-oriented celebration where artists gather to display their pieces, offer workshops, perform and share their creativity.
The Biennale was founded in 2015, mainly to bring awareness to the Salton Sea ecological crisis. Cooper sent a video of her Biennale piece to Pam Kraft, the president of PARC, and said Pam was impressed. “Pam was like, ‘Great! Can we do something like this here?’ ” Cooper got the other artists on board, they chose the theme, and it all happened in a whirlwind.
PARC used $1,000 in grant money from Ridgway’s FUSE main street and creative district committee, and the statues were installed last month.
‘Headwaters of the Colorado River to Nothing’
Dog walkers, farmers market attendees and park goers may have noticed Murphy’s “Headwaters of the Colorado River to Nothing” standing tall on the western side of Hartwell Park. The sculpture features a big metal windmill, with gauges, valves and spigots protruding from a singular pipe standing on a base with the western states outlined on it. It overlooks a forest of hands, all reaching up from the base in anguish.
Photo courtesy Alison Cooper
This piece, which took 400 hours to make, is packed with representation and meaning. The windmill is an “iconic western image of water,” said Murphy. All the hardware tapping from just one pipe represents big businesses overusing their share of the water, and the pipe is rising from a dried-up crack in the form of the Colorado River. All the hands reaching up represent the common people. “We’re losing our voice,” he said, “and our rights seem to be being depleted by big businesses.”
‘Migration’
Eatery 66 diners have gotten the opportunity to see Sean Guererro’s “Migration.” situated near the restaurant’s patio. Made of completely found and recycled materials, this old-fashioned airplane is made of an ironing board, antlers, wooden planks, scrap metal and other found objects sourced from all around the country.
Photo courtesy Alison Cooper
His piece is a metaphor for migration: that of animals, indigenous cultures, and modern people and communities. “We all have to get along with each other,” he said, “and we should also respect the ones that were here before, like the Utes that are still present with us.”
‘Wishing for water’
Cooper’s interactive piece, “Wishing for Water,” has attracted wishers of all ages, plus rubber ducks, drawings, coins and feathers. This fountain temporarily located in front of the Firehouse building on the west side of Hartwell Park is made of sustainable materials. It features a giant Barbie doll dressed up in pink tulle and a cowboy hat, perched on a spinning globe with silver beaded strings dangling off it.
“There’s no point in going out and buying new stuff,” she said, laughing, “Especially if you’re doing something that’s addressing climate change.”
Photo courtesy Alison Cooper
People have approached her Barbie fountain, thrown coins in and sent a wish flying as well. “I realized it’s really important for people to make wishes,” she said after receiving so much positive feedback from passersby. This piece has been even more impactful for the community than she had anticipated.
“If it inspires a few people to step out of their comfort zone and get engaged in art then we’ve achieved something,” she said. The artists are hoping to make these summer art installations annual.
Chloe Kiparsky is the Plaindealer’s intern. She is a senior at Ouray High School.
