If you follow us on Instagram (if you don’t you’re missing out), you’ve been lucky enough to get a peek at the two public art installations that have gone in our Bend, Oregon neighborhood over the last few weeks. We are honored to have worked with two local artists and commissioned new pieces of art for Discovery West.
The first installation consisted of clever mosaic tile representations of the Discovery West logo’s orange pinecone. Created by Rochelle Schueler of Wild Rose Artworks, eight pinecones now are on display on the bridge entering into the Bend, Oregon neighborhood. Rochelle says about her artwork, “I am drawn to linear abstraction because it eliminates details and allows the focus on essential elements. In my art, I use simple lines, curves, angles, and color to define voids and create movement, flow and energy.” You can see this ethos in her stylized interpretation of our logo on the bridge at Skyline Ranch Road and NW Crossing Drive.
Underneath the bridge, in the pedestrian underpass, visitors will see an entirely different kind of public art. Layered stencil portraits of our Women of Discovery by Bend, Oregon artist Douglas Robertson. He says, “My art is inspired by philosophical ideas, current events, personal challenges, nature, and much more, I reflect upon how I want to visually express this subject matter and then execute that vision.” We love his ‘expression’ in creating the representations of some of the brave women after whom we’ve named many of our streets in Discovery West. Doug talks a little bit about why public art is important for “place making” and for people in an interview with local TV station KTVZ.
We believe public art adds vitality to communities and fosters some of the ideas upon which we’ve built Discovery West: fostering a sense of belonging, enhancing quality life and contributing to a sense of “discovery.” We hope that the community will come out and enjoy these new public art installations when Discovery West opens later this summer.