Local Arts In Action

UVAA Member Artist Cheryl Weese wins at the Wildfire Pottery Show!

UVAA Member Artist Cheryl Weese won the Best in Show Sculptural Award at the Wildfire Pottery Show in Bend with her Black Bird Sculpture! Congrats to Cheryl from all of us at UVAA! Keep it up!

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UVAA Gets a Fish Out Front

Artist Kim Blodgett created a mosaic-covered salmon to grace the entryway of the UVAA building! Come by and check it out! Sculpture design was done by Dean Allison.

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The Oregon Birthday Banner Project was a success!

Thanks to Marie Rasmussen and many dedicated volunteers, the art of 39 artists (many of them UVAA members) made this project possible! All the art on the banners depicted subjects from Oregon to celebrate the Sesquicentennial (150 year anniversary) of Oregon statehood. The banners were exhibited on the outside entryway during the 21st Annual UVAA Summer Arts Festival and then moved to the streets of the Roseburg Town Center for Graffiti Days (July 8-12) and continued to hang until the conclusion of the celebration on September 26. All of the banners were for sale and the proceeds helped to support the Umpqua Valley Arts Center.

The original funding for the Banner Project was provided by the City of Roseburg through funds that promote tourism.

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UVAA partners with local artist Renee Richardson to beautify and inspire!    April 2008

This mural was created by the students of Eastwood Elementary School, under the supervision of Artist Renee Richardson. Cindy Towers, a third grade teacher at Eastwood, was determined to bring a project to the school that would reflect the unique attributes of Eastwood. Renee was commissioned with funds from a grant from the Umpqua Valley Art Center, the Parent Teacher Organization of Eastwood School and the Student Council.

The children were asked to draw pictures of what they envisioned when given the three themes of the mural: The Fish Hatchery, the Nature Trail, and the Duck Pond.  Renee took all the ideas and put them together depicting the themes.  Every child broke tiles of different colors and glued them on a fiberglass mesh.  The Student Council, which consists of  two representatives from each intermediate class, made all the clay pieces.  Renee attached the mesh onto the frame and grouted it.

Fish Hatchery - The students of Eastwood School raise salmon from fry and release them into Deer Creek each year to stimulate the return of the salmon run.

Nature Trail - There is an extensive trail system around the  school where students learn in open classrooms about the special ecosystem in the area, including wildlife and plants.  By using an authentic Native American house on the grounds the students also absorb Indian culture.

Duck Pond - Children learn about aquatic life, insects and the water cycle through activities at the pond.  Scooping up buckets of water, the children examine their collections through microscopes to understand the balance of nature.

Kudos to Renee Richardson for having the ambition and creativity to see this project through for our local children.  There may be more to come, too!

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Welcome Back Hebe! Honoring our past.....1908-2007

The original Hebe Fountain was a joint project of the 1895 Mental Culture Club (now known as the Roseburg Woman's Club and the Women's Christian Temperance Union). Providing water for horses, dogs and people, the fountain stood in the intersection of Cass and Main Streets. The dedication of the fountain took place on September 30, 1908. On April 3, 1912, a runaway team of horses struck the fountain flinging the statue on to the street. As part of a Roseburg Town Center historic restoration it was decided to replace the Hebe Fountain and put it in Eagles Park, a site that had been considered in 1908. The original sculpture was created by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770-1844). The contemporary Hebe sculpture was cast from molds made from the original figure which now stands in the Thorvaldsen Museum in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Hebe Fountain was re-dedicated in Roseburg on September 30, 2007.

Our eternal gratitude goes to Marie Rasmussen for sharing her knowledge, time, effort, labor, dedication and unending perseverance to see this project through to its completion.  The following artists are credited for literally "giving of their hands and hearts" in the reconstruction of this beautiful statue: Marie Rasmussen, Ted Isto, Dick Worthey and Tom Pappas.