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Columbia River Gorge BIG ART Outdoor Gallery
In its sixth exhibit, the Hood River BIG ART Outdoor Gallery consists of 18 sculptures on loan from artists, and nine permanent sculptures. Through a competitive process, artists are selected to exhibit their sculptures around the downtown Hood River area for a period of about two (2) years.
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2024-2026 Sculptures
1. Two Sides to Every Story
Ed McCarthy
Renton, WA
Ed McCarthy is a sculptor living and working in Washington state. His abstract metal sculptures are influenced by built and natural environments, as well as the human figure. Often colorful and whimsical, many of his works emanate from simple geometric forms. His sculptures can be seen in several public installations around the Puget Sound.
Sponsor: Infinite Graphix
Site: 1103 12th Street
$7,500
2. Lacunae
Catherine Daley
Windsor, CA
Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Catherine Daley is an interdisciplinary artist who enjoys combining non-traditional materials into her artworks. Nature is a source of inspiration for Catherine while her deep background in photography as a former photojournalist informs her artwork in capturing the effects of light. She is a board member for the Pacific Rim Sculptors Group, a chapter for the International Sculpture Center.
Sponsor: Best Western Plus - Hood River Inn
Site: 1108 E. Marine Drive
$9,800
4. In the Meadow Where She Lay
Jen Fuller
Portland, OR
Jen Fuller is a glass artist living and working in Portland, Oregon. Her work explores the interplay of light, form, and transparency, drawing inspiration from the natural world and the quiet intricacies of everyday life. Often ethereal and organic in appearance, her sculptures highlight the delicate yet resilient nature of glass as a medium. Fuller’s installations have been featured in both public and private spaces throughout the Pacific Northwest, where they invite viewers to pause, reflect, and reconnect with their surroundings.
Sponsor: Doppio Coffee and Henry & Nan Fischer
Site: 310 Oak Street
$12,000
9. Remembering Lee
MacRae Wylde & Mark Nilsson
Hood River, OR
Hailing from Boston, MacRae Wylde attended Colorado College, School at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, College of Santa Fe, International School of Art in Umbria, Italy and the Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building. Fascinated by architecture, engineering and construction, MacRae has been building sculptures since a child. With recycled steel from locale structures, he develops bold statements reflecting community and the environment.
Sponsor: Port of Hood River
Site: 2nd & Riverside Drive
$16,000
5. Dew Drops
CJ Rench
Hood River, OR
Originally from Illinois, CJ Rench is a self-taught industrial engineer and designer. He creates large scale abstract metal sculpture for both public and private collections. His work has been exhibited in Palo Alto, Colorado Springs, Napa, Orlando, Denver and Aspen to name only a few. CJ recently completed a skate park installation jointly commissioned by the Seattle Parks and Recreation and Red Bull that explores the intersection of art, athleticism and imagination.
Sponsor: Thread
Site: 212 2nd Street
$16,500
6. Manifest
Ben Stover
Text . . .
Sponsor: City of Hood River
Site: 650 Portway Avenue
$22,200
7. Circle Bench
CJ Rench
Hood River, OR
Originally from Illinois, CJ Rench is a self-taught industrial engineer and designer. He creates large scale abstract metal sculpture for both public and private collections. His work has been exhibited in Palo Alto, Colorado Springs, Napa, Orlando, Denver and Aspen to name only a few. CJ recently completed a skate park installation jointly commissioned by the Seattle Parks and Recreation and Red Bull that explores the intersection of art, athleticism and imagination.
Sponsors: Dickinson & Pickhardt Families and
Reed & Reed
Site: 400 Portway Avenue - West
$16,500
8. Perch
Mike Suri
Portland, OR
Mike Suri was born and raised in the California Bay Area and began sculpting directly in metal and other materials at the age of 16. Since moving to Portland, Oregon, in the late 1990’s Mike has established a design and fabrication business focused on executing commissions and speculative works large and small, public and private. His works can be found throughout the region.
Sponsor: Jane Duncombe & Jay Sherrerd
Site: 400 Portway Avenue - East
$28,000
9. Inspiration
Joseph Rastovich
White Salmon, WA
Building and creating things is in Joseph's blood and on his mind at all times. He was raised by two professional artists and has been immersed in the art world his entire life. Being unschooled, Joseph was allowed to escape conventional curriculum and delve into philosophy, physics, nature, health, spirituality, aesthetics, and creativity among many other things. All of which are the basis of his artwork. He is heavily influenced by the environment, simplicity, balance, and symbolism.
Sponsor: Port of Hood River
Site: 2nd & Riverside Drive
$5,000
10. Trillium
Matt Cartwright
Portland, OR
Matt Cartwright is a designer and fabricator who has worked within many different communities. Much of his work is created with an organic geometry in mind. With development of structural, sculptural or mechanical elements, Matt is guided by mathematical and scientific axioms that appear in nature. He is most prolific with steel but also likes to work with found or reclaimed materials, wood or concrete. Matt is interested in seeing how things can be rearranged and combined to enhance or evoke emotion.
Sponsor: Columbia Area Transit
Site: 1st & Riverside Drive
$15,000
12. Rotating Art Installation
An opportunity for sculptors: space available for temporary rotating installations. Contact CJ Rench at cjrdesign@gorge.net
13. Columbia Gorge Morning
Cathleen Rehfeld
Hood River, OR
Cathleen Rehfeld is one of the premiere landscape, figurative and still-life painters of the region and sells her work internationally. She completed her BFA from the University of Texas at Austin and attended Gage Academy. Cathleen has studied with several well-known masters and now instructs throughout the Pacific Northwest. Cathleen is the founder of the annual Pacific Northwest Plein Air Event, Columbia Gorge Arts & Culture Alliance and a former long-time board member of the Columbia Center for the Arts. Her work is shown locally at the 301 Gallery.
Sponsor: The Griffin House on the Columbia River Gorge
Site: 300 E. Port Marina Drive
NFS
Permanent Sculptures
3. Future commissioned artwork
Sponsored by Hood River Taqueria
Hood River, OR
Silver Crackle Fossil
Lin McJunkin & Milo White
Conway, WA
Seattle-born metal sculptor Milo White and San Francisco-native glass artist Lin McJunkin formed a collaborative team 8 years ago to create work that integrates their aesthetic and technical strengths. The intricate cut-outs in Milo’s layered metal structures, filled with Lin’s colorful cast glass, invite interplay with natural and artificial light. The effect of human behavior on our environment is often a focus of their work.
Sponsor: Columbia River Insurance
Site: 606 State Street
$18,000
