Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Over The River

Christo to visit, talk about river art plan

source: Copyright © 2006 The Pueblo Chieftain

Christo to visit, talk about river art plan

By TRACY HARMON
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

CHIEFTAIN PHOTO/TRACY HARMON
Several original pieces of Christo's conceptual artwork of the proposed Over the River project - this one from the Parkdale side of the Arkansas River - are on display at the Fremont Center for the Arts in Canon City.

CANON CITY - New York-based Christo and Jeanne-Claude will share their vision and sense of humor when they talk about their unusual, grand-scale works of art - including the proposed Over the River work in progress - when they visit Colorado Aug. 5.

A world-class exhibit of international artwork provides a unique view of how Christo and Jeanne-Claude's proposed Over the River creation will look.

The artists have provided 11 original Over the River-based works of art and several other pieces related to their other projects - from the wrapping of the Pont Neuf bridge in Paris, France, to The Gates of Central Park, New York - for the show, which will run through Aug. 27 at Fremont Center for the Arts, 505 Macon Ave.

As part of the exhibition, Christo and Jeanne-Claude will present a 45-minute slide show and accept questions during a 1-3 p.m. Aug. 5 event at Canon City High School, 1313 College Ave. Admission to the slide show is $15 for adults or $5 for students.

An artists' reception will kick off with a 6 p.m. happy hour Aug. 5 at the Fremont Center for the Arts, followed at 7 p.m. by an appearance by Christo and Jeanne-Claude.

"The artists will speak briefly and visit with guests. Under the canopy at the Fremont Center for the Arts, there will be a beer and wine tasting and an assortment of tasty treats from restaurants in our area," said Terri Holloway, an organizer.

CHIEFTAIN PHOTO/TRACY HARMON
Fremont Center for the Arts docent Ina Finch (left) talks to a visitor about a Christo artwork.

The reception will cost $35 for arts center members or $50 for non-members. Proceeds from both events will benefit the Fremont Center for the Arts, and the artists themselves will not derive any income from the sale of the tickets, Holloway said. Art lovers also will have an opportunity to help the arts center raise funds by purchasing signed, unframed posters of previous Christo and Jeanne-Claude projects for $250 each; a limited number of Over the River prints also can be purchased for $40 each.

The art exhibition, which already has drawn visitors from California to Connecticut as well as Japan, will be open to the public 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily through Aug. 27 at the Fremont Center for the Arts. Cost is $10 but free to arts center members.

Bulgarian-born artist Christo and his partner-wife Jeanne-Claude, both 71, propose to hang about seven miles of translucent fabric panels over eight segments of the Arkansas River between Canon City and Salida. The artwork would hang for 14 days, sometime between mid-July and mid-August, probably in 2010.

Fabric panels would be attached to about 1,000 steel cables and anchored before they are stretched across the river, covering the water surface, but not the side slopes. The panels would hang from between 8 and 25 feet above the water.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management currently is overseeing an environmental impact statement to gauge the effects of the proposed artwork. The artists also will be required to get several state and federal permits before the proposal is given the green light.

Additional information about Over The River can be viewed at www.christojeanneclaude.net.

Over the River finds task force opposition

source: Copyright © 2006 Arkansas Valley Publishing

Over the River finds task force opposition

by Jason Starr
Mail Staff Writer

An informal declaration of opposition to the “Over the River” project surfaced Tuesday from the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area Citizens Task Force.

Members of the opposition group, Rags Over the River, solicited the statement during the regular task force meeting in Salida in an attempt to influence federal land managers studying the project.

The Bureau of Land Management is in early stages of an environmental impact statement for the plan by Christo and Jeanne-Claude to stretch fabric across the river as a public art display.

ROAR wanted to get the task force on record before the initial public comment deadline Wednesday. Roy Masinton, bureau field manager in Cañon City, said public comment will be accepted throughout the process, especially after the environmental impact statement is released next year.

During the meeting, Rags Over the River secretary Cathey Young quoted citizens who submitted negative comments to the bureau. Rags president Dan Ainsworth and board member Ken Teigs also spoke.

They raised concerns about emergency vehicle access, traffic snarls and effects on wildlife during construction, viewing and cleanup of the project.

“(Residents in Bighorn Sheep Canyon) have the right to conduct their lives without disturbance,” Teigs said. “And they also have the right to police and ambulance protection.”

Masinton recommended the task force refrain from commenting on the proposal until the impact study is complete.

“Many of the impacts ... described here are real and we will assess those in the environmental impact statement,” he said. “The (task force) has a right to get involved in this, but I would wait until we have a document that discusses the impacts.”

Task force members said they are already well versed in the pros and cons of the project. After chairman Marshall Nichols initially indicated the group would hold off making a statement, he took an informal poll and one of the 14 members said they favor of the project.

“We have informally taken a stance against it, but will not make a formal statement until we see the EIS,” Nichols said.

California couple takes in Christo FCA exhibit

source: Copyright © 2006 The Cañon City Daily Record

California couple takes in Christo FCA exhibit

Debbie Bell
The Daily Record

A California couple planned their summer vacation around a visit to the Christo and Jeanne-Claude exhibit that opened Wednesday at Fremont Center for the Arts featuring 11 pieces of original artwork.

Paul Aplin said the entire Fremont County community should be honored to host not only the exhibit, but the “Over the River” project, as well.

“This is a huge opportunity,” Aplin said Wednesday as he viewed the exhibit with his wife, Linda. “This county does not realize the magnitude of what it is being offered.”

The Aplins are residents of Palo Alto, Calif., and said they have traveled extensively to view other interactive exhibits by Christo and Jeanne-Claude. The couple has viewed the artists’ work “The Gates” in New York City, The Umbrellas north of Los Angeles, and Running Fence in Sonoma and Marin counties of California.

They plan to attend Over the River if it wins final approval with a group of 12 or 14 family and friends. The Aplins usually stay at each exhibit four or five days.

“I think their artwork is fun,” Linda said. “I think it’s nice to watch people interact with the exhibits.”

Aplin said he enjoys watching how each different piece of art interacts with its environment and how the people relate to the art.

“The magnitude of this is very compelling,” Aplin said.

The Aplins’ time spent in New York City gave them the perfect opportunity to see the relationships between art, environment and humanity.

“The fabrics would wave all at different times, so you could see the environment interact with the art,” Aplin said. “This brought people into the park and into portions of the park they had never before been in. It actually changed the way people interacted with their city.”

He said he was most excited to see how the Colorado weather would interact with shimmering fabric panels the artists propose to drape over the Arkansas River in August, 2010.

“I will be really interesting to see rain coming through the fabric,” Aplin said. “How fascinating that will be.”

The Aplins drove through the Arkansas River Canyon Tuesday on their way to Cañon City but said their view could not do justice to the scenery because it was pouring rain at the time. They were heading back up Wednesday afternoon to visit the proposed site for the project.

“Your city needs to address this opportunity,” Aplin said. “This is a huge financial opportunity. You have everything you need here; all you have to do is weave it together.”

Aplin said he was not surprised to find some local resistance to Over the River.

“Every other community had the same kind of opposition,” Aplin said. “Simply address the issues and move on.”

He said the project would attract higher-income professional people who would pour money into the area.

“My guess is this would attract two to three hundred thousand people from all over the world,” Aplin said.

Mary Hammer, executive director of FCA, said the Aplins were a classic case to prove what a draw the project would be to the area.

“This is an unbelievable opportunity for our community,” Hammer said. “Many in this county do not realize the magnitude of this.”

The Aplins were excited to be in on the ground floor of the project and were considering volunteering for the event itself, although it would take weeks away from their work as advertising executives.

“It’s one of those things we would love to do,” Aplin said, “but the time commitment is difficult.”

The couple was so excited about Over the River, they worked Wednesday to make reservations at both a local bed and breakfast and an Arkansas River rafting company for the time frame the project would be on display.

“This will be up and then gone. It just disappears,” Aplin said, “never to be seen again.”