New public art unveiled in Kenton District

Local artist Mauricio Saldaña stands before his granite sculpture of a hand holding a book especially created for the Kenton District. (All photos by Brian Foulkes)

Posted:

11/16/10

Updated:

11/23/10

On November 18,  Mayor Sam Adams, PDC, PBOT, ODOT, RACC, the Kenton Neighborhood Assoc., and the Kenton Business Assoc. celebrated the completion of the N. Denver Avenue Streetscape Project at N. Denver & Kilpatrick Street. As part of the revitalization project, a number of public art pieces were installed.

RACC commissioned local artist Mauricio Saldaña to craft a hand-carved and polished granite sculpture depicting a hand holding a book. The book opens to pages that feature historic buildings in Kenton, various modes of contemporary and historical transportation, popular landscape features and other whimsical and imaginative details that make the neighborhood unique. Saldana also designed the concrete and granite benches located at street corners.

Project goals included featuring historical Kenton landmarks; having a contemporary folk art approach; having the artwork be pedestrian scaled, engaging, imaginative and finely crafted; have a whimsical style that captures the past; be family friendly with touchable elements; and contribute to the experience of being in a “magical space”.

Links:
Coverage on KATU-TV: http://www.katu.com/news/specialreports/109060649.html
Mayor Sam Adams” Blog: http://www.portlandonline.com/mayor/?a=327296&c=49521
Office of Neighborhood involvement: http://www.portlandonline.com/oni/index.cfm?a=327266&c=29385
For more information: http://www.pdc.us/ura/interstate/kenton.asp